Free Republic

Germany will shut down its three remaining nuclear plants on Saturday, betting that it can fulfil its green ambitions without atomic power despite the energy crisis caused by the Ukraine war. The cloud of white steam that has risen since 1989 over the river in Neckarwestheim, near Stuttgart, will soon be a distant memory, as will the Isar 2 complex in Bavaria and the Emsland plant in the north. At a time when many Western countries are ramping up nuclear power in their transition to greener energy sources, Europe’s biggest economy is resolutely sticking to its plans — though not...

Chaotic scenes and embarrassing irregularities at Berlin’s ballot stations at last month’s general election have shaken confidence in Germany’s election system, while providing ammunition for the many people who question the German capital’s bureaucratic efficiency. On Thursday, October 14, final election results will be published, giving the green light for what is expected to be several legal challenges.On September 26, Berlin held elections at federal, state and local council levels, as well as a referendum on socializing major housing companies. This saw many voters in the German capital waiting for hours at voting stations as election volunteers ran out of...