Democracy is in crisis - Opinion

If you think the United States is the only country plagued with conspiracy theories that threaten societal cohesion and democracy as a whole, you're wrong.

Almost three-quarters of Republican Party supporters in the United States believe Joe Biden is not the legitimate president of the country. Overall, 15% of the American population support the claim by the militant right-wing conspiracy conglomerate "QAnon" that the United States government, business, and media are "controlled by a group of Satan-worshipping pedophiles who sexually enslave children all over

Let's turn to Germany. According to a newly published representative poll by the Allensbach Institute, a third of all Germans believe they live in a "sham democracy" in which "citizens have no say." Are we living in a sham democracy?

Read more at: Görlach Global: Democracy is in crisis | Opinion | DW | 15.04.2022

USA: Biden says U.S. democracy under threat on Capitol riot anniversary

U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday accused his predecessor, Donald Trump, of spreading a "web of lies" to undermine U.S. democracy in a speech on the anniversary of the deadly U.S. Capitol attack by Trump supporters who tried to undo his 2020 election defeat.

Speaking at the white-domed building where rioters smashed windows, assaulted police and sent lawmakers fleeing for their lives on Jan. 6, 2021, Biden warned that Trump's false claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him through widespread voting fraud could undermine the rule of law and subvert future elections.

"A former president of the United States of America has created and spread a web of lies about the 2020 election. He's done so because he values power over principle," Biden said. "He can't accept he lost."

Read more at: Biden says U.S. democracy under threat on Capitol riot anniversary | CBC News

USA: Florida is drowning. Condos are still being built. Can't humans see the writing on the wall?

Humans tend to respond to immediate threats and financial consequences – and coastal real estate, especially in Florida, may be on the cusp of delivering that harsh wake-up call. The peninsula has outsized exposure: nearly 2 million people live in coastal cities. On the list of the 20 urban areas in America that will suffer the most from rising seas, Florida has five: St Petersburg, Tampa, Miami, Miami Beach and Panama City. In 2016, Zillow predicted that one out of eight homes in Florida would be underwater by 2100, a loss of $413bn in property.

Read more at: Florida is drowning. Condos are still being built. Can't humans see the writing on the wall? | Environment | The Guardian

EU condemns attacks on press freedom during COVID-19 crisis

Ahead of World Press Freedom Day, Germany's foreign minister says independent journalism is being weakened during the coronavirus pandemic. The EU has also warned that media freedom is under threat in several countries.

Read more at:
https://www.dw.com/en/eu-condemns-attacks-on-press-freedom-during-covid-19-crisis/a-53311679