Climate activists disrupt operations at Leipzig/Halle Airport
Cargo flight operations were suspended for several hours in the middle of the night after climate activists launched a protest at Saxony’s largest airport.
Five people stuck themselves to the ground in the southern section of Leipzig/Halle airport shortly after midnight, and two others were prevented from doing so, according to a spokesperson for the police.
Officers discovered holes in the fence at the edge of the site. At around 5 am, the activists were released from the ground and removed from the tarmac. The ‘Last Generation’ group claimed responsibility for the disruption.
According to an airport spokesperson, cargo flight operations had to be suspended for around three hours from around 12:30 am, while passenger flight operations began with slight delays.
Police are investigating the incident.
Unemployment rate rises to six percent
The number of people without a job in Germany rose more sharply than usual in July.
According to figures released by the Federal Employment Agency (BA) this week, the number of unemployed people rose by 82,000 compared to June, meaning that a total of 2.809 million people were unemployed. In addition to the onset of the summer break, the reason for this is sluggish economic growth.
“The weak economic development is weighing on the labour market,” said Daniel Terzenbach, Director of Regions at the BA.
The number of unemployed people was 192,000 higher this month than in July last year. Compared to June, the unemployment rate rose by 0.2 percentage points to 6.0 percent.
Around 1,400 bids for ‘Swiftkirchen’ place-name signs
Gelsenkirchen famously renamed itself ‘Swiftkirchen’ for the arrival of the global pop star last month.
Now around 1,400 ‘Swifties’ have tried to get their hands on one of the specially-made ‘Swiftkirchen’ place-name signs in an auction. The highest bid at the auction of 20 signs was €3,000, the city of Gelsenkirchen said. The top bids came from all over Germany, and one was from overseas.
The 20 highest bidders will now be informed by email about the winning bid and the next steps. Once all payments have been confirmed, the city will announce the total amount. “The highest bidders have two weeks to pay for their sign or withdraw from the auction,” said a city spokesman. The proceeds will go to social institutions in Gelsenkirchen.
One of the “Swiftkirchen” signs was handed over to the House of History in Bonn last week. A total of 35 place names were put up in various places in the centre of the western city in July. The spokesperson said that some were stolen.
The signs, by graphic designer Uwe Gelesch, came about after local fan, Aleshanee Westhoff, suggested a name change to the city’s mayor and started a petition.
Berlin’s S-Bahn connections to airport face two-month closure
People who use the Berlin S-Bahn system to get to the BER airport will have to rethink their plans soon.
That’s because the line is set to be renovated, resulting in a two month closure.
The S45 and S9 links won’t be in operation from 10pm on September 13th until November 8th.
Repairs are taking place to tracks and bridges, as well as on the electronic signal box in Schöneweide.
In addition to the lines to the airport, the S46, S8 and S85 will also be affected.
However, the regional trains from Ostbahnhof to the airport will still be in operation. This means that BER can be reached by taking the FEX, RE8 and RB23 during this time, and there will also be replacement bus services for the S-Bahn lines.
Deutsche Bahn said it would provide information about where exactly these will depart from “in good time” before work begins.
Germany summons Chinese envoy over government agency cyberattack
Germany has summoned the Chinese ambassador to Berlin over a 2021 cyberattack by “state actors” who were seeking to spy on a crucial government mapping agency, officials have said.
Western nations have been increasingly voicing concerns about cyber breaches by Beijing-backed groups directed at targets ranging from lawmakers to democratic institutions.
In the latest case revealed Wednesday, the German government said the Federal Agency for Cartography and Geodesy – a branch of science related to studying the Earth – had been hit.
The agency, which officials said performs an “important function” for state and private- sector institutions, makes products such as printed and digital maps and other digital tools.
“This serious cyberattack on a federal authority shows how great the danger posed by Chinese cyberattacks and espionage is,” Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said.
“We call on China to refrain from and prevent such cyberattacks… (which) threaten the digital sovereignty of Germany and Europe.”
German football coach Jurgen Klopp wants ‘peace and quiet’
Jurgen Klopp has ruled out a return to coaching in the near future, including for the vacant England job, saying Wednesday “as of today, that’s it for me as a coach”.
Speaking at a German Football Coaches Association meeting in Würzburg, the former Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund mentor said: “I didn’t decide to stop on a whim, it was a general decision.”
Klopp stood down as Liverpool boss at the end of the 2023-24 season citing exhaustion after 23 years in club management.
The 57-year-old was almost immediately linked to several vacant jobs, including as England coach when manager Gareth Southgate stood down the Three Lions lost the Euro 2024 final in Berlin.
“I’m looking for peace and quiet, I’m one hundred percent in the here and now and I’m enjoying it.
“It was just time to step aside and put the whole thing to rest,” said Klopp, adding that making a special exception for a club or country “would be a great loss of face.”
With reporting by Rachel Loxton and DPA
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