Category: Technology
Plans: five times as much wind power by 2030
Wind power from plants off the European coasts should deliver up to five times as much energy within the next ten years as before. The EU Commission named an increase from the current 12 gigawatts to 60 gigawatts. Over the next 30 years, 800 billion…
New functions for the German Corona warning app – continued voluntary use
by Thorsten Koch Several politicians have called for the official Corona warning app to be more effective. As CDU health politician Sorge said, “alleged privacy concerns” have slowed down the app. In the future, the health authorities should have direct access. This opinion is not…
Motorway guidance system against traffic jams
An electronic control system on German autobahns will help prevent traffic jams in the future. It should also provide more security. Control centers are to be built in Dresden and Frankfurt, so that from 2021 the 189 motorway maintenance centers and 40 traffic control centers…
Faster availability of electric cars called for
Federal Transport Minister Scheuer (CSU) has asked the automotive industry to “speed up” electromobility. Electric cars should be available faster and in large quantities on the market. Long delivery times are a stumbling block for electromobility.
Authorities took action against Islamist Internet content
The Federal Criminal Police Office, BKA, along with the authorities of 18 countries, have completed concerted action against Internet content with an Islamist-terrorist background. More than 1900 URLs have been reported to providers. The internet content behind the addresses was to be deleted. The websites…
Bayer reaches settlement over Glyphosate
The pharmaceutical company Bayer has reached a settlement in the legal dispute over Glyphosate, a weed killer. Bayer is committed to paying up to 10.9 billion USD to settle ongoing cases, and future cases, should these occur. The agreement brings about the resolution of three-quarters…
Protection of the Constitution will monitor extremist communication
Federal Minister of the Interior Horst Seehofer (CSU) has announced that the grand coalition has reached agreement on the powers of the Constitutional Protection against extremists. The SPD has approved more digital competencies. The Union parties then decided against the online search measure, in which…
Association of Judges for more digitization in the Judiciary
The German Judges Association (DRB) wants to accelerate digitization in the Judiciary. Gaps in IT equipment would have to be closed, said DRB federal managing director Sven Rebehn. Legal regulations already allow online negotiations in civil processes, but there is a lack of technology. “It…
A group of Greens for rethinking genetic engineering
There are voices within the Greens party that speak out for a constructive approach to genetic engineering. One has to get involved in the discourse about a new way of dealing with genetic engineering, otherwise the future will be discussed without the Greens, a group…
Corona warning app will be presented next week
Federal Minister of Health Jens Spahn (CDU) has confirmed that the Corona warning app will be presented next week. There are high technical requirements for the software application, with which contacts of people, who have been infected with the Coronavirus, are to be traced. The…
Almost 15,000 potentially violent right-wing extremists?
Constitutional protection counts 30,000 people in Germany as belonging to the scene of the extreme right. However, police authorities only classify 65 right-wing extremists as posing a risk of using violence. The number of Islamist potential violent extremists is set ten times as high. The…
Coalition committee approves 130 billion Euro stimulus package
The federal government’s stimulus package will include a total of 130 billion Euros for 2020 and 2021, it was decided on Monday evening by the leaders of the coalition committee. On July 1 and up until December 31, VAT is expected to drop from 19…
Over half of learners aged 16 and over use digital media
More and more schoolchildren and students from the age of 16 use digital learning materials. In the first quarter of the previous year, 54 percent of this group of people used this type of media, which included audiovisual media, online learning apps, and ebooks. 35…
Federal Research Minister would like to promote hydrogen
Federal Research Minister Anja Karliczek (CDU) wants to promote hydrogen technology. One has to prove across industries, “how production, transportation and the distribution and use of green hydrogen works,” said the minister with regard to an innovation initiative that would primarily aim to provide conditions…
Wind power is the main source of electricity
For the first time, the most important energy source is wind power, in the first quarter of the year. The share of wind power in the total amount of electricity produced in Germany reached 34.9 percent. Renewable energies in total were fed into the electricity…
Karliczek wants to promote research and education
by Thorsten Koch The German Minister of Education Anja Karliczek (CDU) would like to propose an investment program with a volume of 10 billion Euros to the coalition committee on Tuesday, with a view on innovation in research and for improvements in education. The aim…
Tiered funding for new cars proposed
The Federal Ministry of Economics has plans for purchase premiums cars, making propositions for both electronically operated new cars and new cars with diesel and gasoline combustion engines. Up to 5 billion Euros are earmarked for the efforts. However, the subsidy should be tiered, so…
Schulze presents social-ecological concept
by Thorsten Koch Federal Environment Minister Svenja Schulze (SPD) has presented her social-ecological concept for an economic stimulus package on Monday. The concept should enable municipalities in Germany to invest sustainably. The proposals, if implemented, would bring significantly more orders to the environmental technology industry….
Objections to the Corona app
The tracking app meant to determine the pathways of infection by the Coronavirus has met some criticism. The Saxon Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer (CDU) said that the Corona app does not guarantee sufficient security. It is important to maintain a safety distance of 1.5 meters…
CSU proposes relief and economic stimulus package
by Thorsten Koch Due to the Corona crisis, the CSU has spoken out in favor of a relief package and economic stimulus programs with lesser tax burdens, more investments, more state grants, less bureaucracy and more efforts with regard to digitalization. An investment volume was…
83 percent of Germans use online messengers
by Thorsten Koch Almost every 16 to 24 year-old in Germany uses online messenger services. This is the result of a survey commissioned by the Federal Network Agency. The most popular service in Germany is WhatsApp. Communication services are also widely used in other age…
Clean new cars might be promoted
The battered automotive industry may get help from the European Union budget within the rampant Corona crisis. By 2022, an amount of 20 billion Euros could flow into an EU program that promotes the purchase of cleaner new cars. In addition, there could be funding…
Incentives for new wind turbines
by Thorsten Koch In order to increase acceptance for the construction of new wind turbines, German Minister of Economics Peter Altmaier (CDU) has proposed that in future, a levy should be paid to the municipalities, and that residents could possibly benefit from reduced electricity tariffs….
Smartphone Tracking, or Contact Tracing
by Thorsten Koch 6 May 2020 Digital contact tracing creates location trails allowing for a supervising instance to know, in hindsight, whether two people were in proximity at the same time. Many smartphone apps only function when localization is activated. This has certain benefits, and…