NEWS FROM BERLIN
“My son was ripped off by an S-Bahn inspector”
Maxim P. (15) was travelling with a friend in the city centre of Berlin when he was pulled over by a ticket inspector in the S-Bahn. His school ticket, he says, was stuck in the winter jacket he was wearing at home the day before. The boy was hopelessly overwhelmed by the situation, according to his mother Nadine P. He allegedly told the ticket inspector that he did not have 60 euros with him. The ticket inspector replied: “If you give me the 40 euros from your wallet now, you don’t have to pay the 60 euro fine. And, still, he received the fine. Source: bz
NEWS FROM GERMANY
Campaign for a rent cap in Potsdam
The initiative Mietendeckel Potsdam on last Friday discussed how Potsdam residents can be convinced of a rent cap for the city’s housing stock in the coming months. The initiative, which was launched in June last year, wants to use a citizens’ petition to limit rent increases at the municipal landlord Pro Potsdam to a maximum of one per cent in five years. The initiative includes the alliance “City for All”, the Left Party and the voter group “Die Andere”. For a successful citizens’ petition, the alliance must collect the signatures of at least ten per cent of those eligible to vote. Source: nd
Hundreds of thousands for peace
Düsseldorf, Kiel, Munich, Dresden, Rostock, Berlin: in dozens of German cities there were numerous protests against the war in Ukraine over the weekend. By far, the largest protest action in terms of numbers took place in Berlin on Sunday. An alliance of trade unions, churches, initiatives, environmental organisations and peace groups had called for the demonstration. The organisers spoke of hundreds of thousands of people who had gathered under the slogan “Stop the war. Peace for Ukraine and all of Europe” against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Several manifestants also opposed attempts to use the escalation in Ukraine to increase the arms budget in Germany. Source: nd
Liquified Natural Gas terminals to be built in Germany
So far there is not a single terminal for liquefied natural gas (LNG) in Germany. But Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) announced the construction of two LNG terminals in Germany in the Bundestag on Sunday. He named Brunsbüttel and Wilhelmshaven as locations. The announcement came as a surprise on Lower Saxony’s North Sea coast. This could significantly reduce emissions at sea and on the coast. However, LNG has lacked demand from the business community in Germany, so far. Among other issues, because of the fierce global competition and thus its high price. Source: nd
100 billion for the Bundeswehr
After the announcement by Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) to provide a special fund of 100 billion euros for the German armed forces, the shares of several defence companies have shot up sharply. In addition to the German companies Rheinmetall, Hensoldt and Thyssenkrupp, the British defence company BAE Systems, the French company Thales and Europe’s largest aerospace company Airbus, whose defence division makes it the second-largest defence company in Europe, are also currently posting rising share prices. Overall, the tightened sanctions against Russia over the weekend have further weakened the financial markets. However, market reactions to the war in Ukraine sparked by Russia have been manageable so far. Source: fr
Fridays for Future for Ukraine
“We ask all brothers and sisters of Fridays For Future to take to the streets with us for the end of this war and to fight for peace in our name,” Ukrainian activists wrote on Twitter. With that request, several students and workers from many countries are following them and calling for a protest this Thursday. Here in Germany, Fridays local groups from Braunschweig, Lübeck, Munich, Hamburg, Berlin and Cologne have registered protests so far, and more are to follow. “Time is running out, the situation is changing by the hour,” Luisa Neubauer said, explaining the reason for holding the event on a Thursday instead of the usual Friday. Source: taz
