Germany to tighten gun control laws; more than 1,000 weapons confiscated | English News | WION - YouTube 

This week the German government announced they'd arrested like 1000 people in a plot to overthrow their government and install a different leader.

#Germany #Europe #Terrorism

The biggest increase in military spending since the 90s. 40% for air force 20% on the Navy. 17% for ground forces. 35% to refill ammunition depos and upgrade cyberwarfare and kit.

They want 35 Lockheed-Martin F-35s, 60 Boeing Chinook helicopters, and 15 Eurofighter typhoon jets. They'll also spend on R&D, combat cloud, combat air systems (6th gen fighter jet), submarine tech, frigates, artillery, tanks. In cooperation with other European countries and the US.

They don't currently have a single combat-ready division, reportedly. They plan to have a combat ready division in 2025.

What was their use to NATO? "On paper" they have 350 Pumas (150 can be used), 51 Tiger helicopters (9 ready). They use analog (not encrypted) radios.

30% of their navy is seaworthy. Their army has 200k soldiers, down from 1990's 500k.

They're planning to up their spending to 2% of GDP on defense.

But they have to get approval to pass this. Germany has a lot of pacifism, but it's currently anyway getting a lot of support.

An interesting thing in Germany is when there's bidding for a defense contract, the loser can challenge the decision, which can stall things for years. German contractors do sue each other sometimes, delaying things for years also.

#MIC #Germany #Europe

"We're seeing an incredible, very interesting shift in German politics not only when it comes to supplying these weapons [to Ukraine] but also on this discourse on this discussion What it means to be a pacifist. And it's just standing by from the sidelines and seeing how Russia continues to attack Ukraine. ... Many are saying that if you want to support peace and you want to actually support Ukraine they need more than just solidarity on social media. They need either this oil and gas embargo or they need delivery of the heavy weapons the Ukrainian president has repeatedly requested." People saying you can still be a pacifist while calling for and supplying these weapons for Ukraine.

This activist movement in Germany is reportedly a changed movement, the same movement that in the 60s and 80s called for disarmament, especially nuclear disarmament.

Another thing Germans are saying is that one of the reasons this war occurred is because of NATO expansion.

In Germany the main activists protesting are Germans, Ukrainians and Syrians.

#Germany #Ideology #Ukraine

He said he thinks that because for the past 20 years (more?) the German government has been telling the populace nuclear energy is like the worst thing, dangerous, it would be very difficult to now say to them that they're going to start building new plants, "I think you're just going to keep burning coal, because you will be forced to disentangle from Russia eventually."

#Europe #Germany #Energy

He said they just have to do something else, whether its nuclear plants or de-industrializing.

#Germany #Europe

... talking about Ukraine.

#Germany #Europe

... in like 1990 (but over several years, and under several US presidents making having talks). The idea was that in the talks, there was nothing in writing, but it was made clear to Moscow that if the SU allowed the reunification of Germany that NATO would not be expanded. That NATO troops would not be able to enter into the eastern part of Germany (only to West Germany).

It wasn't a treaty, but it was (people are saying) the agreement that was made.

#IR #Germany #Russia

"... As we speak, Nordstream 1, the gas pipeline, is feeding the German industrial machine with 40% of its energy from Russian gas. They're not going to say anything about that, because this is a sanction they're not prepared to make."

#Russia #Germany #Europe #Energy

Germany is transferring a bunch of weapons. So is Sweden, the first time its broken its historically neutral stance in 80 years. Other countries also.

Challenge in delivery as Ukraine's airports were early Russian targets.

#Ukraine #Politics #World #Russia #Germany

MSM is tying vaccine mandate opposition to 'nazis,' it seems.

But there might be two things here: first, that protesting vaccine mandates (which would include people of all political affiliations) could be a basis for political organization and activity; and radical political extremes in political limitations on those in the chairs.

#Europe #Germany #Organization #Health

Link: Germany: New government plans 'right to encryption'.

#EU #Germany #Privacy #Encryption

-Said by a Berlin resident who didn't move out of an apartment building, although they want him to move out (as every other tenant already has) to make room for them to demolish the building and build new apartments. He received threats and had his car set on fire, reportedly.

Rents have skyrocketed as global investments have poured into Berlin real estate.

A recent large referendum had 57% vote in favor of (who? the State? the city?) buying out companies who hold more than 3000 units. ("The most successful referendum in Berlin's history")

There's a line in Article 15 in the German Constitution that says property can be expropriated when it's for the public good. (There are lots of other options to fix the problem besides expropriation, however.)

It's a pattern that exists in most European cities. Demolishing old buildings and building new ones. Prices rising. Long term residents left with not much choice but to move elsewhere.

How can we contrast 'a public good being turned into a commodity' with having enough money to satisfy the market and the possibility of lack of such money being treated as sufficient excuse to seize property without consent (which, you could argue, is frequently done by governments during land development)?

#Housing #Germany #Globalization

... and that this is why 'we need to step up our efforts.' She was in power 16 years.

#Merkel #Germany #ClimateChange

China reported 33 deaths. Roughly $200m in damage, expected that estimate will be increased.

Media censorship in China again highlighted. Government-controlled media, no critical media to investigate and ask critical questions. Social media accounts that ask about role of authorities get deleted and censored.

One question is whether local authorities warned citizens soon enough. A counterargument is that they had no reason to expect that much rain (once in a lifetime situation).

Chinese people's political double-standards in a strictly-controlled information environment also at issue: state media covered German floods, Siberian forest fires, Canada heat wave, and drew climate change conclusions. But when something similar happens in China they focus on it as being just an exceptional event.

#ClimateChange #China #Germany