Category: Politics

The U.S. economy is weakening due to the trade conflict with China. Now the U.S. Federal Reserve has responded by lowering interest rates. For Trump, that’s not enough.

Oil prices have already fallen – the world market reacts to Powell’s announcements Photo: reuters

For the first time in more than a decade, the U.S. Federal Reserve Fed lowers interest rates again. In explaining its decision to cut the key interest rate by 0.25 percentage points, the Federal Reserve (Fed) referred primarily to the trade conflicts instigated by Trump, which are slowing global economic growth. In particular, the trade dispute between the U.S. and China, the two largest economies, threatens to slow the economy.

In the dispute over the Nord Stream 2 Baltic Sea pipeline, climate protection is a popular argument. But gas is anything but a climate saver.

Construction was still underway – Nord Stream 2 has just been stopped Photo: Anton Vaganov/reutersF

For the operating company Nord Stream 2, everything is clear: Its pipeline "makes a cost-effective contribution to achieving the European Union’s climate protection goals," it says in an official brochure. Gas releases only half as much CO2 as coal in power generation. If transport and extraction are included, "the CO2 savings turn out to be even higher."

The northern part of the Ruhr district is characterized by migration and poverty. Small initiatives are slowly changing the neighborhood – but from below.

Because the city didn’t care, residents are taking care on their own initiative Photo: Mona Filz

The benches in the park are littered with beer bottles. Three schoolgirls on their way home push past a loudly discussing group of drunken men. Not far away, two young men wait in a corner, quietly muttering "hashish," and in front of the betting shops, the first curious people are already gathering this afternoon. Directly behind the train station and yet socially disconnected – for the city of Dortmund, the area of Innenstadt-Nord with its social problems mainly means negative headlines. Yet the neighborhood has long been undergoing change.

The trial of ex-Audi boss Rupert Stadler is symbolic of the crisis in the auto industry. There is no peace in the diesel scandal.

For the auto industry, environmental laws are still not progress, but a declaration of war Photo: R.Price/snapshot-photography

These are turbulent times for the German automotive industry. In Munich, judges have allowed the charges against ex-Audi CEO Rupert Stadler and three senior managers to go forward. The trial is scheduled to begin Sept. 30. The prosecution accuses them of "fraud, indirect false certification and criminal advertising." Stadler knew about the emissions manipulations in Audi diesel engines at the end of September 2015 at the latest, but nevertheless did not prevent the sale of the cars, is the accusation against him.

Daniel Alter, anti-Semitism officer of Berlin’s Jewish community, on concerns that refugees are bringing new hatred of Jews to Germany.

"We are not a society in a vacuum": Daniel Alter, here at a panel discussion two years ago. Photo: dpa

site: Mr. Alter, thousands of refugees from Arab countries arrive in Germany every week. The president of the Central Council of Jews, Josef Schuster, has expressed concern because these people bring anti-Semitic attitudes with them. Does that scare you, too?

More women are running in the March election than in the past. An ultra-Orthodox woman has specially founded a religious women’s party.

Zipi Livni could theoretically become head of government. Photo: dpa

More women than ever before will enter Israel’s parliament after the March 17 election. 31 female candidates are on promising lists. In total, 120 women will sit in the Jerusalem Knesset. The left-wing Meretz party is far ahead in terms of gender equality, with three out of six candidates being women, including the party leader. The Labor Party is also impressive, with nine women out of a total of 25 candidates, six of whom are reserved for Zipi Livni’s alliance partner Hatnua.

In Bavaria, some schools are to have toilets for a third gender in addition to those for boys and girls. The concept is controversial.

Would you rather have unisex toilets for everyone or a third loo? Photo: Getty Images

"You have to think into the future," says Andrea Lehner. She is a school construction consultant and has suggested to the Bavarian municipality of Pullach that it install toilets for children of the third sex in the elementary and middle school that is to be newly built. For Lehner, this is a matter of course. He says it will be at least six years before the new school building is up and running. And then "there will be children who will proudly identify with the third gender," she says. "And for those children, of course, we need restrooms."

Starting Monday, Philipp K. will stand trial: He is alleged to have sold the gun that David Sonboly used to shoot nine people. Did he know about the plans?

Remembering the victims: Munich on July 22, 2016, one year after the rampage Photo: dpa

It will be the very public that Philipp K. steps into on Monday. In the room A101 of the Munich Higher Regional Court with one hundred audience seats. It is the room in which Beate Zschape and the NSU right-wing terror are usually tried. Now all eyes will be on Philipp K.. Until a year ago, he preferred a shadowy existence: on the Internet’s darknet.