News of the day: Possible alliance of the left in Berlin, riots in France, nature in crisis

Talks about Left Alliance – why are the negotiations in Berlin burdening the coalition in the Bund?

Excessive violence in France – how does the government want to control the situation?

Threatened by extinction – what about biodiversity on Earth?

There is news of your situation in the evening. From today on, my colleague Anna Clauß and I write their daily news briefing in a weekly change. We look forward to you and wish you an informative and entertaining reading. If you have any suggestions, write to us at [email protected].

The SPD and the Greens in Berlin today want to take the next step towards a capital government together with the left. The state board of the Social Democrats joins forces to formally decide after the tough exploratory talks that they will now negotiate a coalition. The Greens want to decide tonight at a small party congress. The left, which wants to make Elif Eralp the Governing Mayor in the future, will do so only at the end of the month.

The sharper the red-green-red contours in Berlin become, the more they become a burden for the already ailing coalition in the Bund. The Union warns in remarkably strident tones of a left-wing alliance. Chancellor, ministers, members of parliament, young party prime ministers, all join the choir (more on this here). There is talk of “Honecker 2.0”, a “game with fire” or a “culture break”.

Now, as is well known, there are reasons enough to have reservations about a red-green-red government in Berlin, above all the rampant anti-Semitism in parts of the left. But one wonders: That such a polyphonic and powerful Union choir would have been heard last against the AfD, for example in Saxony-Anhalt, I can not remember. Is the loud cry for a “fire wall to the left” perhaps only a distraction?

At least it is not surprising that the Federal SPD, in whose ranks there are also many opponents of a left-wing alliance, once again expressly rejects lectures from the coalition partner. Or that Green leader Felix Banaszak – also he, by the way, no supporter of the Berlin coalition talks – complained via the “Rheinische Post” that the standards had “apparently completely slipped” at the Union.

Read a comment on the topic here: This banner of the Young Union is a derailment

More than 1000 police officers were injured, more than 2000 people were arrested, hundreds of shops were looted and devastated, numerous vehicles and buildings went up in flames. This is the preliminary balance sheet of the nationwide violence in France last weekend (more on this here).

Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire accused the state of having failed. For hours, rioters could have looted without the police intervening. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez admitted a “loss of control” and offered his resignation – President Emmanuel Macron rejected it today. He refers to the “necessary continuity in the management of the security forces” (more on this here).

The question is when the security forces will be able to regain control. And whether politicians are able to address the problems that young people in particular had protested against before the explosion of violence. As a reminder, it was originally about teacher shortages, social inequality and high costs of living.

President Macron is currently on a trip to the Persian Gulf for several days. At home, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has to manage the crisis. He now announces local curfews to get the unrest under control.

See more in the video on the subject: “It is heartbreaking to see our city this way”

In Armenia, the UN Biodiversity Conference began today. Until the end of October, around 15,000 participants from nearly 200 countries will be meeting in the capital Yerevan to discuss measures against the rapid decline in animal and plant diversity. The experts want to take stock of whether the self-set roadmap, with which a trend reversal is to be initiated by 2030, can still be maintained.

On the occasion of the meeting, my colleague Alina Schadwinkel from the Knowledge Department looked at the state of biodiversity on Earth. She analysed studies, spoke with experts and evaluated statistics. The result: 20 to 30 percent of plant and animal species are still threatened with extinction. They suffer from intensive agriculture, the extraction of raw materials and climate change.

There are also positive examples: The European beaver, for example, was considered almost exterminated. Thanks to hunting bans, restoration projects and consistent protection, the population has recovered over several decades. Also the otters, wolves and water birds such as flamingos, silver heron or kiebitze find again more habitats in Europe.

But we should not be fooled by this. The crisis of biodiversity will not resolve itself. Because, says Alina: “The success stories are so far the exception.”

Read the whole story here: The crisis of nature – in five graphics

Migrant associations call for protection from AfD government: The AfD could soon make its first Prime Minister in Saxony-Anhalt. Migrant organizations are already fearing the consequences – and are demanding, among other things, a right to leave for asylum seekers.

World Food Programme significantly reduces aid for people in Gaza: The World Food Programme lacks funds. The US and Germany in particular have drastically cut their support. This has consequences for the people living in Gaza.

Two men face off after incident at Leipzig Airport: Who broke the fence at Leipzig Airport with a car? After the..