#60: GRETA JOINS RADICAL GROUP BANNED FOR "ECO-TERRORISM"
City realizes it can't fuel its eco-friendly cars + New Zealand PM defends Xi Jinping from dictatorship claims + AfD to nominate candidate for Chancellor + MORE!
GRETA PROTESTS WITH RADICAL CLIMATE GROUP BANNED FOR “ECO-TERRORISM”
Climate activist Greta Thunberg threw her hat in with the radical environmental group Les Soulevements de la Terre (SLT) despite it receiving a ban from the French government for engaging in “eco-terrorism” and inciting violence.
The group has been involved in several protests against large-scale infrastructure projects that it says threaten the environment and local communities. Some of these protests have turned violent, leading to clashes with the police and damage to property.
The decision to ban SLT was announced on Wednesday by Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin, who said the group was "under the pretence of defending the conservation of the environment ... encouraging sabotage and material damage".
The government decree referred to two recent examples of SLT actions: a demonstration against a farm reservoir in western France in March and a blockade of a rail link in the Alps last week.
SLT has denounced the shutdown as an attack on freedom of expression and association, and vowed to challenge it in court.
The group also received support from Thunberg, who was in Paris on Wednesday to join a demonstration against the measure. Thunberg said she hoped more people would mobilize against what was happening and defend the right to protest. She also criticized the French government for its lack of action on climate change and social justice.
CITY REALIZES IT CAN’T FUEL IT’S NET-ZERO BIOGAS FLEET
Färgelanda municipality in Dalsland, Sweden, wanted to become fossil-free and leased 16 biogas trucks for two years. But they forgot one crucial detail: there is no biogas station in the entire municipality.
Ulla Börjesson (S), the current chairman of the municipal board, admitted that they made a mistake and had to modify the trucks to run on petrol as well.
"We bought environmentally friendly, but we don't run them environmentally friendly," she told P4 West.
The decision to lease the biogas trucks was taken by Tobias Bernhardsson (C), who still defends the move.
He believes that the biogas trucks will attract some business to start a biogas stand in Färgelanda.
Biogas is a renewable fuel that can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 90% compared to fossil fuels according to some studies. It is produced from organic waste such as food scraps, manure and sewage sludge. Biogas can be used for transport, industry and heating.
NEW ZEALAND PM CLAIMS XI JINPING IS NOT A DICTATOR
New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has announced that he will visit China later this month to strengthen trade ties with the country, despite US President Joe Biden's recent criticism of China's leader Xi Jinping.
Biden called Xi a "dictator" during a campaign rally in California earlier this week, sparking a strong backlash from Beijing, which accused him of "an obvious political provocation" and "an absurd and irresponsible" move.
But Hipkins, who will lead a trade delegation that includes some of New Zealand's biggest companies, said he does not share Biden's view of Xi. He said it is up to the Chinese people to decide how China should be governed.
"No. It is up to the Chinese people to decide how China should be governed," he said. "If they want to change governance, then it must be up to them."
Hipkins' statement seemed to ignore the fact that China is not a democracy and that Xi has consolidated his power by abolishing term limits and cracking down on dissent.
Some observers have questioned Hipkins' understanding of China and its political system, while others have suggested that he is trying to appease Beijing ahead of his visit.
AfD WILL NOMINATE CANDIDATE FOR CHANCELLOR IN 2025
The AfD's (Alternative for Germany) co-leader, Alice Weidel, recently announced that the party will nominate its own candidate for chancellor in the next federal elections in 2025.
This would be a first for the AfD, which has previously refrained from doing so. Weidel said that this decision was motivated by the party's high ratings in opinion polls.
The AfD's popularity has increased amid Germany's political and economic challenges with the party even surpassing the Social Democratic Party and reaching second place in the polls.
It has also criticized the government's handling of the coronavirus crisis and its climate policies, which it says are too costly and unrealistic.
The AfD's rise has alarmed many members of the establishment who see it as a threat to democracy but the party denies being anti-democratic or racist and says it is a victim of political persecution.
The right-wing populist party, which opposes immigration and the European Union, may also soon have its first state prime minister in Thuringia, a region in eastern Germany. This would be a major breakthrough for the AfD, which has been growing in popularity and influence since its founding in 2013.
The decisive vote will take place on Sunday, when Thuringia will hold a second round of elections for a new state leader. The AfD's candidate, Robert Sesselmann, a former police officer and lawyer, won the first round on 11 June with 46.7 percent of the vote, beating the incumbent Christian Democrat (CDU) Jürgen Köpper, who got 35.7 percent.
HUNGARIAN BORDER WALL SHOT AT BY MIGRANTS
The border between Hungary and Serbia has become a flashpoint of tension and violence as migrants and smugglers try to breach the fortified barrier that Hungary erected in 2015.
The fence, which is equipped with razor wire, electric shocks, cameras, and loudspeakers, stretches for 170 kilometers (106 miles) and is guarded by police and soldiers.
Recently, shots have been fired at the fence from the Serbian side, raising fears of an escalation of conflict.
László Toroczkai, a member of parliament and leader of the nationalist Our Homeland party, posted a video on his YouTube channel showing evidence of the shooting incidents.
Toroczkai claimed that the shots were fired by migrants or smugglers who were frustrated by the difficulty of crossing the border.
He also warned that this could be a sign of a serious attack in the future.
