Critical. Internet. Journalism.

Monday, German President Horst Köhler resigned from his position. With his wife at his side, an emotional Köhler announced, “”I declare my resignation from the office of president — with immediate effect.”

Köhler’s quit leaves a vacuum that will add even more to Angela Merkel’s growing political worries, in between of criticism over a lack of decisive leadership, and a four-year low rating for her government in opinion polls. (more…)

The current public debt in Germany is the reason for many controversial discussions in the German parliament during the last days. Moreover, some politicians show interests to raise taxes again, though the tax rates in the 16 German federal states are already very high. But a discussion about the unreasonable squanderings of billions of Euros earned through taxes every year does not really take place. (more…)

During the last weeks, the Philippines have been covered worldwide in the media because of Mayon Volcano in the south-east of the capital Manila which was up to erupt. A few ten thousand people had to be evacuated, but after weeks of fearing a dangerous eruption of one of the most amazing volcanos in the world, the alert was lowered and people could go back to their homes. (more…)

The famous Chinese author and human rights activist Liu Xiaobo (who was born back in 1955 in Changchun, Jilin) was arrested December 24, 2009, for pursuing “subversion” and criticizing the Chinese regime in Beijing. The very harsh sentence has shocked many friends and intellectuals not only in China, but all over the world. Many demonstrations took place after the condemnation to show solidarity with the author and president of the Chinese P.E.N. club. (more…)

The European Court of Human Rights based in Strasbourg decided against the High Court of Germany, for it has committed unlawful retroactive implementation through an extension of preventive detention. A German 52-year-old prisoner complained about being castigated twice for the same criminal act; his complaint was followed by the ECHR – a compensation of 50.000 Euro was claimed for the plaintiff. (more…)