1. This collapsed mega aquarium in Berlin (at the hotel) has turned into a major discussion topic. RBB (regional public TV for Berlin) actually ran a special 10 to 15 minute update piece last night on TV....informing the public of the collapse. Looking at damage via the video....I'd say it'll be at least two or three months before they re-open. One odd aspect, when first reported....the local police thought it was a terror or criminal attack.
2. Covid 7-day incidence rate for Germany? Shockingly low....at 247 per 100,000. Across the nation for the past 24 hours.....147 newly reported Covid deaths.
3. There will be a Bundestag review of the current ban on fracking for natural gas in Germany. If you asked me about the enthusiasm? From the SPD/Green side....just about zero. From the FDP....fairly enthusiastic.
The blunt side of this.....all this wheeling and dealing to get Qatar LNG deliveries set up....that will only make up for 10-percent of what the Russians were selling. Unless you find some mythical source (like Algeria or Greece)....every winter for the next decade will be a if-or-miss situation.
Politically, both the SPD and Greens are tied to zero fracking. But to bring the cost levels down....the only way to resolve this (temporarily) is fracking (easily able to make up for what the Russians can't sell). I'll add...just saying a year or two of fracking won't suffice. You'd have to suggest more than a dozen years to really resolve the current mess.
4. WELT says that Qatar apparently sent some 'team' into Germany to 'spy on critics'. BS-factor? Maybe a '5' out of ten.
To be honest, there's probably forty countries with someone on the payroll to spread the good word in Germany, or spy on critics in Germany.....so what's really new? I'd even bet that Italy has a couple of folks to ensure only wonderful words are spread among the Germans.
Any of this illegal? As long as they aren't bugging phones....I don't see what charges you can drum up.
5. The federal Justice Minister has said that it's reaching a point where the climate activists (Last Generation) 'may have to pay for a lifetime' (suggesting that some of the actions are reaching a point where numerous years in prison might be happening).
At the point where airport operations were threatened.....that probably changed the perception of a number of people. It won't shock me if in 2023....we end up with an incident where a dozen activists are arrested and charged up with enough time to spend ten years in prison.
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