Judge overturns law which banned accepting money for assisted suicide services
Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/assisted-suicide-euthanasia-germany-court-service-andreas-vosskuhle-a9361341.html
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The Article Was Written/Published By: Conrad Duncan
Debate rages whether the freeze will be worse or better for long-term economic cost
Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/berlin-rent-freeze-apartments-germany-house-prices-a9353321.html
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The Article Was Written/Published By: Kirsten Grieshaber
German farmers flooded streets of Berlin again to denounce the way government spends EU subsidies and its emission policies that satisfy neither them nor environmentalists, who are also taking part at the protests.
More than 150 tractors rolled up to the iconic Brandenburg Gate in downtown Berlin on Saturday afternoon, paralyzing traffic in the adjacent areas. Anticipating this, the authorities have urged residents to use the public rapid transit system instead of car when travelling through the city’s center.
Around 15,000 people are participating in the demonstration, which takes place as Berlin hosts the International Green Week, a food and agricultural fair attended by top-ranked officials. United by the slogan ‘We’ve had enough!,’ a grand alliance of 100 organizations, including farmers and environmentalist and animal rights groups, is demanding “better appreciation” of farm work by the state and clearer regulation on pollution and animal welfare.
Bei der „Wir haben es satt!“-Demo sind auch 170 Trecker aus ganz
am Start. Ob bio oder konventionell, hunderte Landwirt*innen fordern mit uns eine Umkehr in der Agrarpolitik.
#WHES2020 pic.twitter.com/dfaiCXpfU5
— NABU e.V. (@NABU_de) January 18, 2020
The ‘tractor rallies’ have become more commonplace in Germany in recent years, as farmers are growing indignant towards what they see as the government ignoring their interests and endangering their livelihood by introducing tighter rules.
© Annegret Hilse / Reuters
Mile-long slow-moving convoys were rolled across German cities in October and November. Around 400 tractors drove across central Berlin on Friday, while similar demonstrations were held in Bremen and Kiel, among other places.
A lightning-rod issue for farmers is the government’s plan to limit the use of certain types of weed killers and fertilizers to protect birds, insects and groundwater. Commenting on the protests, Food and Agriculture Minister Julia Klockner told t-online.de on Friday that the country would face massive fines from the EU if it fails to implement stricter rules on farming methods.
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Source: https://www.rt.com/news/478596-germany-farmers-protest-berlin/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS
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The Article Was Written/Published By: RT
Sea captain Carola Rackete broke the law to pull migrants out of the Mediterranean and bring them to Italy. However, support for immigration in Europe is falling, and the outlaw activist has embraced a new cause: the environment.
The line between ‘activist’ and ‘criminal’ is often a blurry one, and 31-year-old Carola Rackete has one foot to either side of it. A former conservation volunteer and officer on Greenpeace ships, the German activist took over the helm of the ‘Sea-Watch 3’ in June. A month later, she was arrested in Italy for docking on the island of Lampedusa with 53 migrants in tow.
The Italian government had closed its ports to migrant ships in June, and the Dutch government – whose flag the Sea Watch 3 sailed under – described her organization as “not a rescue service but a ferry service.” Rackete was honored by left-wing politicians across Europe, but is being investigated for aiding human trafficking, as her ship would regularly sail just kilometers off the Libyan coast, ferrying migrants on the last leg of their trip to Europe.
Italian authorrities are investigating her for disobeying an order not to enter Italian waters, and for aiding illegal immigration. If found guilty she could face 15 years in prison.
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German ship captain Rackete questioned by Italian prosecutor over rescued migrants
The criminal investigation hasn’t deterred Rackete. Instead she’s hopped on a new bandwagon: saving the planet.
Rackete got on board with Extinction Rebellion this summer, after the eco-activist group made headlines by gluing themselves to trains in London and blocking roads to Heathrow Airport. In her new calling, she’s been just as cavalier about the law.
Speaking to German media recently, she aped the rhetoric of climate crusaders like Greta Thunberg, warning “we are the last generation that can do something. It will be too late for future generations to stop climate change as an existential crisis.” Rather than badgering politicians like Thunberg does, Rackete calls for her supporters to break the law to bring about change. Otherwise, she argues, “we support the current system with everything we do and everything we don’t.”
I call for civil disobedience…non-action has harsh consequences
‘Civil disobedience’ can involve anything from refusal to pay tax, disrupting infrastructure, or resisting arrest. Rackete does not elaborate on what laws exactly her supporters should break. However, she is clear that she wants a “radical change in the system that will make society look very different afterwards,” a society described by German newspaper Die Welt as “eco socialism.”
She’s even compared her efforts to break down the walls of “fortress Europe” to fighting the Nazis in the 1940s.
Carola Rackete disembarks from a Finance police boat and is escorted to a car, in Porto Empedocle, Italy REUTERS/ Guglielmo Mangiapane
But why the change of causes? Well, for one thing, breaking the law to deposit more migrants on European shores is becoming an unpopular one. Matteo Salvini’s League party is dominating opinion polls in Italy, after Salvini turned away migrant ships this summer. A majority of Europeans see the migrant influx as a “serious” problem for their countries, and a YouGov poll published in June revealed that even in Rackete’s native Germany, a majority of respondents feel immigration has harmed their country.
Aside from the rising negativity surrounding immigration, Europeans are likely bored of the issue. Though Europeans still rate immigration as their number one concern, climate change has emerged in the media as the continent’s cause célèbre.
As seen in the numbers that turned up at Extinction Rebellion’s April and October demonstrations, Rackete has a ready-made crowd to lead. Judging by arrest figures – 1,600 in the UK alone this October – she also has a support base who have no problem heeding her call for illegal action.
As with the migrant issue, the public at large might eventually disagree.
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Source: https://www.rt.com/news/476032-carola-rackete-civil-disobedience/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS
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The Article Was Written/Published By: RT
Three dozen survivors and their relatives are co-plaintiffs in the case where former SS guard is charged with over 5,000 counts of accessory to murder
Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/nazi-guard-trial-bruno-dey-hamburg-ss-stutthof-concentration-camp-a9203206.html
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The Article Was Written/Published By: Darren Richman
Berlin Wall Anniversary: Commemoration comes at a particularly dark moment for the values that Wall’s opening heralded, writes Borzou Daragahi
Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/berlin-wall-anniversary-germany-brandenburg-steinmeier-a9196821.html
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The Article Was Written/Published By: Borzou Daragahi
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has said that Berlin will not issue any new arms export permits to Turkey in light of its Northern Syrian offensive. Turkey’s crackdown on Kurdish militias has triggered widespread condemnation.
“Against the backdrop of the Turkish military offensive in northeastern Syria, the Federal Government will not issue any new permits for all armaments that could be used by Turkey in Syria,” Mass told Bild am Sonntag.
Mass stopped short of announcing a complete halt on weapons sales to Ankara, instead stating that weapons that could be used against the Kurds in Northern Syria will be affected. Arms exported under existing permits will presumably remain untouched.
Germany sold more than 240 million euros worth of arms to Turkey in 2018, accounting for almost a third of the country’s weapons exports. Ankara, a NATO partner of Germany, is the number one buyer of German arms.
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Syria must be free of foreign military presence, Russia should also leave if Damascus no longer needs its help – Putin
Following US President Donald Trump’s withdrawal of troops from Kurdish-held Northern Syria last weekend, Turkey immediately launched an offensive against Kurdish militias in the area, which it considers terrorist groups. Trump has been criticized for “abandoning” the Kurds, who were US allies in the fight against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS).
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has also been criticized by world leaders for his anti-Kurdish operation, with Washington threatening economic sanctions, EU leaders meeting next week to discuss similar penalties, and Norway suspending its own arms sales to Ankara in response.
Erdogan remains defiant. With his country’s military having waged a low-intensity campaign against Kurdish forces along its border for four decades, the Turkish leader said on Friday that “we will never stop this fight, no matter what anyone says.” Erdogan hastened to add that the Turkish offensive would not target civilians.
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Source: https://www.rt.com/news/470792-germany-bans-exports-arms-turkey/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS
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The Article Was Written/Published By: RT
He wanted to slaughter over 70 worshipers gathered at a local synagogue, but the suspect in a shooting that killed two in Halle, Germany, dubbed the ‘Nazi killer’, found other victims after his initial plans were foiled.
Live-streamed by the assailant for the whole world to see, the horrific murders have shaken Germany and fueled fears that the country is experiencing a resurgence of far-right extremism.
The 27-year-old, identified only as ‘Stephan B.’ by German authorities, made careful preparations before carrying out his heinous crime. His target was the synagogue in Halle’s district of Paulusviertel, which is home to around 700 Jews. Armed with a customized shotgun and wearing a military uniform, the gunman set out on Wednesday to begin his slaughter, which he livestreamed from a GoPro mounted on his helmet.
Synagogue in Halle
© Wikipedia / Allexkoch
As he drove to his target, he began his live broadcast by accusing Jews of being “the root of all problems” and denying the existence of the Holocaust. German authorities would later say that the suspect was motivated by “far-right ideology.”
With the synagogue in his sights, the gunman launched his attack, throwing an improvised explosive device (IED) over the fence of a nearby Jewish cemetery. The IED failed to detonate – but the assailant was undeterred. Now turning his full attention to the synagogue, he attempted to shoot his way into the building. Worshipers who had gathered for Yom Kippur had locked the temple’s doors. The terrified congregation watched their would-be killer on a security camera as he attempted to break in.
© Reuters / ATV Studio Halle
Miraculously, the doors endured, but the suspect was still out for blood. He opened fire on a woman standing near the entrance of the adjacent Jewish cemetery – claiming his first victim.
Returning to his car, the assailant drove a short way up the road to a nearby kebab shop. Entering the cafe with his weapon drawn, he shot a man at point blank range. He left the shop after his weapon failed to fire again, but returned soon after to finish off the wounded man, who reportedly begged the killer to spare his life.
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First PHOTO of suspected Halle ‘NAZI’ killer who LIVESTREAMED shooting spree on Twitch
Police were at the scene soon after, forcing the suspect to flee in his car. After less than 30 minutes, he arrived at the neighboring town of Landsberg, where he tried to hijack a car from an auto repair shop. He then turned his gun on a man who tried to confront him, wounding the brave bystander.
The shooter eventually managed to commandeer a parked taxi and get on the highway, but his reckless driving resulted in a collision with a truck. Police quickly arrived at the scene, arresting the suspect and bringing his ‘Nazi’ killing spree to an end.
© Reuters / Marvin Gaul
The city was put on high alert following the attack. Halle’s central railway station was closed and police cordoned off parts of the city as they hunted for potential accomplices. For now, the killings appear to be the work of a lone gunman.
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‘1ST FOOTAGE’ of shooting in Halle, Germany shows suspect step out of car to fire weapon
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Source: https://www.rt.com/news/470605-halle-shooting-synagogue-how-happened/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS
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The Article Was Written/Published By: RT
Birth marks country’s first ever panda offspring
Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/germany-baby-pandas-born-twins-meng-meng-berlin-zoo-a9088891.html
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The Article Was Written/Published By: Madeline Chambers
A new ride at a German amusement park recently raised quite a few eyebrows on social media for its bizarre design. Now the ride, called the Adlerflug or “Eagle’s Flight,” will reportedly be shut down after so many people pointed out the obvious: The ride looks like two giant swastikas.
Source: https://gizmodo.com/swastika-ride-shut-down-at-german-amusement-park-after-1837467136
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The Article Was Written/Published By: Matt Novak
Gay penguins are found both in the wild and in captivity
Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/gay-penguins-berlin-zoo-chick-adopt-egg-ping-skipper-a9054841.html
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The Article Was Written/Published By: Chelsea Ritschel
Source: https://news.yahoo.com/germany-suspend-amazon-aid-brazil-173729731.html
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Source: https://news.yahoo.com/world-powers-meet-iran-vienna-085523983.html
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High comes as a heatwave sweeps across Europe
Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/germany-highest-record-temperature-heatwave-weather-a9020356.html
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The Article Was Written/Published By: Tom Batchelor
