NEWS FROM BERLIN
Increased number of homophobic and transphobic offences
The Tagesspiegel reports that there were more homophobic and transphobic offences last year than in a long time. There were 645 cases of so-called hate crimes based on sexual identity or orientation. 64 suspects were sentenced. Most cases involved personal injury, insults and incitement. This Saturday, half a million people are expected to take part in the CSD parade and 43 other events in Berlin. Source: Berliner Zeitung
NEWS FROM GERMANY
AbL advises farmers to distance themselves from right-wing agitation
For weeks, farmers in the Netherlands have been protesting against drastic tightening of environmental regulations by the government. A third of the farms fear they will go out of business. In Germany, too, there is support for these actions in many places. Moreover, according to Georg Janßen, national director of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft bäuerliche Landwirtschaft (AbL) e.V., right-wing populist parties and extreme right-wing organisations are already trying to hijack the protest movements and unhinge democracy at the same time. Nevertheless, in his opinion, “mere defensive struggles” are not enough. Farmers should act more proactively towards politicians and civil society. Source: Wochenblatt
Federal government expects five floating liquefied natural gas terminals
The German government is pushing ahead with the construction of liquefied natural gas terminals on the German coast. In addition to the floating terminals in Brunsbüttel and Wilhelmshaven, two more are to be built in Stade and Lubmin, the Ministry of Economics announced. An additional, privately financed terminal is to be built in Lubmin. The floating terminals are essentially liquefied gas tankers, but they can return the fuel to its gas state themselves. This means that no complete port is needed, but primarily only a connection from the ship to the pipeline on land. The government has rented a total of four of those special ships. Source: jW
Bayern and the digitalisation of state
The CSU and the Free Voters are giving to Bavaria its “first digital law”. It is supposed to comprehensively regulate the digitalisation of state, economy and society. The question is if this will become a model for the entire republic. It seems Even the traffic-light-coalition shows no objections to the basic idea. Up to now, digitisation in this country has been regulated, if at all, in many individual laws that are hard to keep track of. The agenda for the bill covers 15 areas, which sounds self-evident in the year 2022. Source: süddeutsche
Climate crisis costs 6.6 billion euros annually
Man-made climate change has caused damages averaging 6.6 billion euros every year in Germany since 2000. This is the conclusion of a project commissioned by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection on the costs of climate change impacts in Germany. According to the study, heat, drought, and floods caused by the climate crisis will have cost at least 145 billion euros by 2021. The two heat summers in 2018 and 2019 alone, as well as the floods in 2021, would have cost more than 80 billion euros. Besides, some of the costs cannot even be quantified. Source; tagesschau
Airlines profit from deportations
In 2021, the federal government commissioned 206 mass deportations via charter flights with the support of the EU border agency Frontex. The costs amounted to 21 million euros. The federal government has not revealed which airlines earned money from this, saying that rhe companies should not be “exposed to public criticism”. One possible consequence would be that no airline would accept the deportation orders any more. Deportation Alarm, a working group of the No Border Assembly initiative, took it into its own hands to out the airlines responsible. This will be published on the website www.deportationalarm.com. Source: nd
