germany, plastic ban, single use plastic

The Majority of German Children Carry Plastic Pollutants in Their Bodies

The German Environment Ministry recently published a study that showed the country’s children have alarming levels of plastic pollutants in their bodies. The study comes as the government is planning to curtail plastic usage in society. Plastic contamination The study was conducted on 2,500 children aged 3 to 17 years in the period between 2014 ...

Armin Auctor

A German children's classromm.

Germany: Cum-Ex Tax Fraud Trial Begins Following Massive Losses

The criminal trials related to the Cum-Ex tax fraud started off in Germany earlier this month. The scheme cost the German treasury around US$36.2 billion in losses. In total, treasuries across Europe are estimated to have suffered losses to the tune of US$63.4 billion. The scandal   The Cum-Ex trade fraud was discovered in 2017. ...

Jack Roberts

Deutsche Bank.

German Legislators Back Falun Gong’s Resistance Against Persecution in China

Three members of Germany’s parliament, the Bundestag, have expressed condemnation of Beijing’s 20-year-long campaign against Falun Gong, a Chinese spiritual practice.  Michael Brand, Spokesperson for the Human Rights Committee of the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), and right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) legislators Andreas Bleck and Jürgen Braun sent letters to an Aug. 10 event ...

Jack Roberts

Bundestag, the German Parliament meeting room in the Reichstag in Berlin, Germany.

Berlin Acting Against Gentrification: Good or Bad?

In the face of a series of rent hikes that have made living difficult for many renters in Berlin, the local government is planning to place a 5-year ban on raising rent in the city. The proposed solution is expected to halt gentrification in a city that has a population of about 3.7 million people. ...

Jack Roberts

Berlin is against gentrification.

Germany: Measles Vaccinations Compulsory Starting in 2020

The German Cabinet has given the nod to a draft law making it compulsory for children to have vaccinations against measles. The law, once passed by the parliament, will come into effect in March next year. Vaccinating against measles Children enrolled in educational institutions and the employees working in those institutions will have time until ...

Jack Roberts

Injecting the measles vaccination shot.

Wanted Hong Kong Activists Granted Protection In Germany

Two wanted activists in Hong Kong were granted refugee status in Germany. And it seems like this development will affect the city’s reputation negatively. Safer in Germany than in Hong Kong According to the German consulate in Hong Kong, the decision to protect the refugees was a choice made independently by the country’s foreign ministry. ...

Max Lu

The German Reichstag building.

New Law Proposed That Makes Every German an Organ Donor

Almost 2,000 Germans are said to have died last year while waiting for organ transplants. To remedy the issue, Health Minister Jens Spahn has put forward a draft law that might make the majority of German citizens organ donors by default. Organ donation in the country has fallen from 1,046 in 2011 to 797 by ...

Jack Roberts

German health minister Jens Spahn.

Germany Considering Compulsory Vaccination Laws

In Germany, an increasing number of parents have been refusing to vaccinate their children. This is believed to be responsible for the re-emergence of diseases like measles that were until now dormant. As a result, German lawmakers have proposed a law that would make measles vaccination for children compulsory. Vaccinating Germany Germany saw one of ...

Jack Roberts

Measels vaccine.

Poisoned Food Discovered Just in the Nick of Time in German Kindergarten

Poisoned food discovered by kindergarten daycare employees in Leverkusen shocked people across Germany. Fortunately, no one was harmed. Lab test results revealed that it was an inside job. How did the poisoned food happen? On February 12, the kindergarten’s caterer delivered lunch to the daycare. Though the lunch looked okay, the daycare employees were shocked when ...

Jack Roberts

A kindergarten in Leverkusen.

Germany Will Discuss Huawei Threat With U.S., Says Merkel

Facing pressure from the U.S. to ditch Huawei, German Chancellor Angela Merkel stated that her administration will talk with relevant American authorities. However, Merkel reiterated that the final call on whether to ban Huawei’s 5G equipment would only be made by the German government. Huawei in Germany “Security, particularly when it comes to the expansion ...

Jack Roberts

Germany's Angela Merkel.