NEWS FROM BERLIN

More than 3,800 students waiting for a place in in Berlin

In no other federal state there are so few available places in student halls of residence as in Berlin. The Senate promised to create more affordable housing. But three weeks before the semester starts, rooms in shared flats are rare – and very expensive. The Studierendenwerk Berlin, which offers halls of residence, has a very long waiting list: this year, more than 3,800 students are on it, and the number is rising. Those in the queue are likely to get a place there… in two to three semesters. Also, because of rising energy costs, the Studierendenwerk recently announced it would increase the rents in its halls of residence. Source: rbb

Day care centre: additional fees and child separation

700 euros in extra fees in a private day-care provider in Berlin-Lichterfelde – and if you can’t pay, your child must go into an extra group, bringing its own food and not having age-appropriate toys. This was confirmed by the Senate Department for Education, Youth and Family. According to the senate administration, the Berlin day-care centre supervisor has already made an unannounced visit to the facility in Drakestraße on Tuesday and sought talks with the management. The education administration by the Senate threatens to withdraw the operating licence if the situation does not change. Source: rbb

Berlin police officer allegedly racially insulted woman on duty

A couple from Berlin reported a police officer after an operation in their home because he allegedly made racist insults to the wife. According to the report, the police came to the woman’s flat because she was confronted with a threat. Her husband, against whom an arrest warrant has been issued for fraudulent payment of benefits, was also there. After his arrest, the threat assessment was carried out. During the operation, one of the police officers allegedly said in a condescending manner the woman should return to her home country. The couple submitted a video documenting the insult. Source; Spiegel

NEWS FROM GERMANY

Energy prices – Redistribution from the bottom to the top

Energy prices continue to explode. But the federal government is sticking to its gas levy, which means that citizens will have to fork out even more money. This redistribution from the bottom to the top orchestrated by the federal government is in no way alleviated by the “third relief package” presented this week. Christoph Butterwegge, a researcher about poverty, complains the package is a “poking around at symptoms”, but does not solve any problems. Furthermore, according to a study by the Bertelsmann Foundation recently published, three out of four adults agree with the statement the state should “ensure a reduction in the difference between rich and poor”. Source: jW

Germany’s green card plans

Germany wants to make it easier for non-EU citizens to enter the country and combat the shortage of skilled workers: with a green card variant, the so-called “opportunity card”. The German Confederation of Skilled Crafts (ZDH) estimated that Germany lacks about 250,000 skilled craftsmen. To get that card, the skilled workers must meet at least three of four criteria: a) university degree or vocational qualification; b) at least 3 years of professional experience; c) language skills or previous residency in Germany; and d) age below 35 years. Those conditions are though criticized by experts, not to mention some challenges to be faced such as the German bureaucracy. Source: DW

Municipalities warn of blackouts

The German Association of Towns and Municipalities warned of widespread power cuts in Germany because of the energy crisis. “There is a danger of a blackout,” mentioned Chief Executive Gerd Landsberg. On the other hand, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) assured at the weekend about the energy crisis: “We have prepared ourselves.” A power grid stress test by the federal government recently concluded: “hourly crisis situations in the power system are very unlikely in winter 22/23, but currently cannot be completely ruled out”. Still, experts reaffirm the German power grid to be well prepared. Source: taz

Brandenburg Greens call SPD position on nine-euro ticket a ‘mistake’

As part of the latest relief package, the federal government is seeking a successor to the nine-euro ticket for 49 to 69 euros per month. Berlin’s Governing Mayor Franziska Giffey (SPD) had held out the prospect of a temporary, regional successor offer. She is planning a bridging solution from October to December 2022 for the capital until a nationwide ticket arrives. The Brandenburg state government has so far rejected a transitional solution, affirming it has less money than the federal capital. The passenger association IGEB criticised the attitude of the Brandenburg state government. Source: rbb

Fridays for Future calls for 100 billion euros for energy transition

The climate movement Fridays for Future is calling for a special fund of 100 billion euros to accelerate the phasing out of fossil fuels. The sum could be raised through a combination of excess profits taxes and a relaxation of the debt brake, spokesperson Luisa Neubauer said. The roughly 65 billion euros in subsidies for fossil fuels could also be used for this purpose. The movement is also calling again for a global climate strike on 23 September. “The is a direct consequence of a policy that has refused for too long to establish true energy independence based on renewable energies,” Neubauer said. Source: Berliner Zeitung

NEWS FROM BERLIN

SPD blocks haven for refugees

Although Franziska Giffey (SPD), the mayor of Berlin, welcomed 108 Syrians in Berlin in June through the state reception programme for people in need of special protection from Lebanon, reality show her party excuses itself and uses delaying tactics. For example, the SPD-led interior administration has refused since July to implement the increase in the state’s Lebanon admission programme from 100 places per year to 500, as agreed in the coalition agreement. Source: taz

Lieferando tries to sack people who set up a union

The Berlin branch of the food delivery service Lieferando has only had an elected workers’ representation for 25 days – and already it is being threatened with being broken up. As Sebastian Riesner from the Berlin-Brandenburg branch of the Food, Catering and Allied Workers’ Union (NGG) confirmed, the company has initiated dismissal proceedings against 14 of the 17 committee members. The management’s accusation is those affected had fraudulently wasted paid working time in their function as election committee members in the preparation of the works council election. Martin Bechert, a labour lawyer representing the Lieferando works council, says that Lieferando has used “criminal methods”. Source: jW

Breakthrough in case examining arson against Ferat Kocak

Only two of 70 alleged right-wing extremist attacks in Neukölln are blamed on ex AfD member Tilo P. (39) and his alleged accomplice. For the rest, there was not enough evidence. This means that a new statement by the ex-girlfriend of Tilo’s btoher can be devastating. The neo-Nazi allegedly committed an arson attack on the car of left-wing politician Ferat Kocak four years ago. According to the report, the 47-year-old from northern Germany accuses Tilo P. of having carried out the attack. Even worse: In an overheard conversation, P. also announced that he wanted to murder the public prosecutor in charge. Source: bz

NEWS FROM GERMANY

We need now a €0 ticket!

The €9 ticket “experiment” has proved to be a huge achievement. The only people who were surprised by this success, apparently, were the managers of public transport companies. This is what happens when millionaires oversee the transport system. After this summer, we know we need more vehicles, more routes, and better conditions for workers. We need a €0 ticket. The S-Bahn is a basic need for everyone, just like a sidewalk or a park, and shouldn’t require a ticket. I’m confident that not a single working-class person would vote for the expensive chaos we have today. Source: ExBerliner

New initiative will cover your public transport fines if you pay €9 a month

Due to high demand, politicians are discussing a successor solution to relieve citizens in the energy crisis and give them cheap access to public transport. While several proposals have been made for a nationwide ticket between 9 and 69 euros, some federal states and transport associations already have successors. Meanwhile, until the government comes to an agreement, a private initiative has launched a temporary solution: at 9eurofonds.de you can pay nine euros per month (or more if you wish) into a fund and if you are then caught fare evasion, the “increased transport fee” is paid from the fund. Source: Deutschland Funkkultur

Massive jump in gas prices

The last pause in Russian gas deliveries has caused the price of gas to shoot up. The price of the TTF futures contract (considered a benchmark for the European price level) for Dutch natural gas climbed by about 72.5 euros to 281 euros per megawatt hour at the last count. It is the fear of a severe recession caused by energy shortages and high energy prices that is worrying investors. In such a situation, investors shy away from the risk of investing in the euro, as a recession would further weaken the common currency. Source: Tagesschau

How prepared is Germany for the impending gas shortage?

People keep talking about how quickly the various gas storage facilities in Germany are filling up. The first 85 percent mark was already exceeded at the beginning of September. Nevertheless, this is roughly only about two winter months’ consumption. Beyond that, other challenges come up: for instance, for many households it will be a blind flight until the heating bill arrives. Although economists still consider it unlikely that Germany will really run out of gas in winter, gas-intensive industries such as glass production, which are based in states such as Bavaria, Thuringia and Saxony, are expected to face more challenges. Source: rbb

Germany starts to run out of water

Water is a scarce commodity, and its value has multiplied lately as well as the competition for it. Although Germany has always been considered a country rich in water, climate change makes summers hotter – and drier. As a result, wetlands are drying out, and forests are burning. Rivers fail as traffic arteries because they do not carry enough water for shipping. And just as groundwater levels are sinking, there is growing concern about the water of tomorrow. Water conflicts between cities and their surrounding areas, as well as with industries, already happen – and they tend to further escalate. Source: dw

NEWS FROM BERLIN

Berlin announces its own successor for 9-Euro-Ticket

Berlin is planning a follow-up solution for the 9-Euro-Ticket financed by the state from 1 October until the end of the year. How much the new local public transport ticket will cost, however, is still open. This was announced by the governing mayor Franziska Giffey (SPD) last Friday. Giffey pointed out too there are still a number of unanswered questions that need to be clarified. To this end, there will be talks, not least with the Berlin-Brandenburg Transport Association (VBB). Source: Spiegel

Police attack Black man with taser

Police in Kreuzberg wanted to call an ambulance for a man who was probably confused, but then the situation escalated: One officer pulled out his pistol. The residents’ initiative “Wrangelkiez United”, which campaigns against racial profiling, called the incident a “blatant police assault” and published a photo of the operation. There, the person involved in the operation, a black man, is pixelated and lying on the pavement of Falckensteinstraße. The police officers then lost their nerve: one of them drew his pistol, another the Taser. It was not the police who de-escalated the situation, but passers-by and neighbours. Source: taz

One-off government rebate for energy

September will bring many different issues to Germany, some related to energy: in the next month, the Federal Government will pay out a one-off flat-rate energy allowance of 300 euros. It also comes a new energy-saving regulation in force, from 1 September to 28 February. Monuments in public spaces, for instance, will no longer be illuminated after 10 pm. The fuel rebate and nine-euro ticket end, too. In Berlin, there should be more car-sharing vehicles available in the city´s outlying areas. Also, nursing staff in Germany should receive more money because nursing homes will then have to pay at least according to the collective wage agreement. Source: rbb

Left wing Green MP dies

Christian Ströbele, RAF lawyer, co-founder of the taz and the Greens, “king of Kreuzberg”, died on last Monday, after a long disease. He was from the 1968 generation, and no ordinary politician. Among the increasingly indistinguishable members of the Bundestag, he was a singular phenomenon: radical, persistent, incorruptible, eccentric. His strongly developed sense of justice, his deep need for justice, he said himself, was always the driving force behind his actions. For many Greens and even more of his voters, he was even considered as the conscience of the party. Source: taz

NEWS FROM GERMANY

Demonstration planned after arson attack on asylum shelter

In the week of remembrance of the racist riots in Rostock-Lichtenhagen 30 years ago, an arson attack was carried out on a shelter for refugees in Leipzig. Unknown perpetrators threw several incendiary devices against the wall of a house on Saturday night, according to the State Criminal Police Office (LKA). No one was injured. Saxony’s Interior Minister Armin Schuster (CDU) called it an alarming sign “that such inhuman crimes are not a thing of the past”. The action network “Leipzig nimmt Platz” called for a demonstration on last Monday evening in Grünau. Source: t-online

SPD wants direct payments and 49-euro ticket

As a reaction to the rapidly rising energy prices, the SPD is seeking, among other things, direct payments, a price brake for basic energy needs and a 49-euro ticket. This is the result of a draft resolution for the parliamentary group meeting at the beginning of September. The direct payments – similar to the coming energy allowance of 300 Euros – are still relatively vague. The paper also envisages a successor to the 9-euro ticket, also a nationwide transport ticket with the monthly price of 49 euros, financed 50 per cent each by the States and the Federal Government. Source: tagesschau

Thousands of cyclists bring over 70,000 signatures to Wiesbaden

Several thousand people cycled on the motorway from Frankfurt to Wiesbaden last Sunday. The organisers of the initiative “Verkehrswende Hessen” handed ocer 70,232 signatures, many more than necessary, for a planned referendum to Transport Minister Tarek Al Wazir (Greens). The organizers of the bike action speak of at least 10,000 participants on the day. The petition demands a referendum to pass a law that would make mobility in Hessen climate-neutral and socially just by 2030. This requires significant expansion to cycle paths, footpaths and, above all, buses and trains. Source: hessenschau

NEWS FROM BERLIN

Gasag passes on gas surcharges to customers as of October

Gasag, the main natural gas supplier and vendor in Berlin, announced on Friday that it would raise its prices by a total of 3.63 cents per kilowatt hour, including 19 per cent VAT. That should be felt by Berlin customers from October onwards. According to the company, as things stand, an average Berlin household with an annual consumption of around 12,000 kilowatt hours will face additional monthly costs of around 36.30 euros. For a single-family home with 20,000 kilowatt-hours, this means an extra 60.50 euros. The company is also passing on three different gas surcharges in full to consumers. Source: Berliner Zeitung

NEWS FROM GERMANY

Higher fares after 9-euro ticket

The 9-Euro-Ticket will soon expire, but those who use buses and trams from September will not just pay the normal fares again in many cases. Passengers must prepare themselves for rising prices in local public transport. In and around Stuttgart, for example, fares will rise by an average of 4.9 per cent at the turn of the year, in the greater Nuremberg area it will be 3 per cent. In the Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund, there was already a 3.9 per cent increase in July. Passengers will be able to use the 9-Euro-Ticket for the last time on local transport throughout Germany in August. Source: tagesschau

Inflation: what’s in store for consumers?

Prices in the eÉuro area are higher than ever – in July they were 8.9 per cent compared to the summer of 2021. In Germany, the momentum is somewhat weaker due to government intervention, with a price increase rate of 7.5 per cent. But fuel discounts and nine-euro tickets will be abolished in September, and wages are likely to rise. Many service providers – hairdressers, for example, – will also have to add the high energy prices to their prices. In addition, there will be hefty additional charges next year when landlords send out the statements for 2022. Source: dw

More people in Germany dying because of heat

As soon as temperatures climb above 30 degrees in Germany, more than usual people die (especially those over 65 years). This is part of a trend: since 2018, there has been an excess mortality of thousands of people in Germany every year due to heat, warned researchers. The climate crisis is a matter of life and death. It is therefore incomprehensible a national heat protection plan has not yet been planned in the country. France could serve as a model: there, the problem was tackled with a four-stage heat action plan with clear guidelines for the authorities, and a heat register for older people. Source: taz

Journalists who attacked police killing are acquitted

On Monday afternoon, the anti-fascist journalists Darius Reinhardt, Leila Robel and the social scientist Philipp Weidemann were acquitted. They were charged with defamation at the Fulda district court. The accusation related to an article by Robel and Reinhardt they published on the Amadeu Antonio Foundation’s portal “Belltower News”, in 2019. They wrote about Matiullah J., who was shot dead by the police in 2018. The judiciary assumed then self-defence for the policemen and dropped the case. The public prosecutor agreed with parts of the defence’s statement and asked for acquittal. He argued it was a matter of free expression of opinion. Source: nd

Frankfurt Hospital workers also demand minimum staffing levels

Encouraged by the successful industrial action for relief in Berlin and North Rhine-Westphalia, workers organised in the ver.di trade union are also demanding a collective agreement on relief for the approximately 4,000 non-medical staff at Frankfurt University Hospital. This should include minimum staffing levels for the wards and departments as well as compensation for the strain in the form of additional days off if the regulations are not adhered to. At Vivantes and Charité in Berlin as well as at the six university hospitals in North Rhine-Westphalia, strike action was necessary to push through such collective agreements. Things have not quite reached that stage yet in Frankfurt. Source: nd

New rules for compulsory masks from October

From October onwards, FFP2 masks will be compulsory for long-distance and air travel, and masks and tests will be compulsory in hospitals and care facilities. In the first stage, there are still exceptions to compulsory masks indoors. The second stage comes on the condition of a strong corona wave, expected by Federal Health Minister Lauterbach. He said the new Infection Protection Act should provide the “tools” to deal with the pandemic. At this point, the mask obligation would apply without exception, and States could also impose minimum distance rules, a mask requirement for outdoor events and a participant cap for indoor events. Source: rbb

Riots in Rostock-Lichtenhagen: the Shadows of Reunification

In August 1992, a mob of neo-Nazis and neighbors hunted down Vietnamese contract workers and Roma refugees in Rostock. On 24 August 1992, on the fourth day of that pogrom, residents of a shelter, called “Sunflower House”, were trapped in it – and it was set fire. “Now you will be barbecued”, the mob shouts to those inside. Only by a miracle does no one lose their lives. The political failure at the time of reunification still has an impact today. Michel Friedman (Deutsche Welle) says: “If society had learned, we would not have the many deaths after the racist attack in Lübeck in 1996, (…) and in Hanau in 2020.” Source: dw

NEWS FROM BERLIN

Audit committee recommends repeat of Bundestag election in Berlin

A repeat of the Bundestag election in numerous Berlin districts is becoming increasingly likely. A first draft of a draft resolution by the Bundestag’s electoral review committee envisages a re-vote in around 440 polling stations. This was announced by the committee on Wednesday. According to the information, the districts of Pankow, Mitte and Reinickendorf are particularly affected, but not only these. However, observers believe it will be several weeks before a decision is made on the final proposal for a repeat election in the capital. No significant impact on the outcome of the election is expected. Source: tagesspiegel

Chancellor’s Office and its pricey extension

The planned extension of the Federal Chancellery in Berlin is getting more and more expensive. According to the Federal Government’s homepage, under the heading “Larger seat of government”, the construction costs are now estimated at up to 640 million euros. The page was last updated at the beginning of this month. At the end of 2020, the costs were still stated at a maximum of 600 million euros. An initial feasibility study in 2018 had assumed 457 million euros. According to the Federal Government, the reasons for that increase are the higher security requirements for the extension. Source: morgenpost

NEWS FROM GERMANY

16 year old refugee shot dead – Police bodycams were switched off

There is no video footage of the police operation in which the 16-year-old Senegalese refugee Mouhamed Lamine Dramé was shot dead in Dortmund on Monday last week. The reason: none of the eleven officers deployed had switched on their body cameras. In an internal report to the North Rhine-Westphalian Ministry of the Interior, first reported by the Kölner Stadtanzeiger on Monday evening, the Dortmund police headquarters attempted to justify the shooting by saying that it was a “dynamic situation” in which the officers have forgotten to switch on the camera in the course of a stressful situation. Source: jW

Gas crisis slows Leipzig’s coal phase-out

The news made national headlines: Leipzig wants to phase out coal 16 years before the federal government. As early as next winter, much of the district heating for 220,000 households is planned to be generated in a new power plant that the municipal utility is currently building in the south of the Saxon city, where no more coal will be burnt. The plant is now on schedule for completion: commissioning is currently underway, and it is scheduled to go online at the end of October. But it is uncertain how long it can run in the next heating period. Source: nd

Mysterious fish death in the Oder: climate change or toxic waste?

About ten tons of fish are said to have died in the Oder. This is an ecological disaster. German and Polish authorities have so far not found the cause. Tests have been carried out for mercury and other substances, but all so far have been negative. Meanwhile, officials report that no fish carcasses have yet been spotted on the Baltic coast. It is also believed the extremely low water level of the River Oder, in combination with possible contamination, may have accelerated the fish deaths. The catastrophe may also indicate a deeper and more widespread problem. Polish fishermen found the first dead animals as early as March. Source: dw

New commisioner urges government to do more to protect minorities

The new federal commissioner for anti-discrimination presents her first annual report. In her report, Ferda Ataman urges the government to extend the legal provisions for protection against discrimination. The number of reported cases of discrimination in Germany remains “at a high level”. With more than 5,600 requests for advice to her institution, it is “alarming”, says Ataman, the new head of the Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency (ADS). “But it also shows that more and more people are not putting up with discrimination and are seeking help.” She also mentioned schools, police and authorities as possible places of discrimination. Source: dw