New round of strikes in Berlin disrupts public transport

Berlin experienced a new round of transport strikes on Monday, bringing the German capital's public transit system to a standstill and forcing commuters to seek alternative transportation.

The strike, sparked by disputes over higher wages for about 16,000 employees of Berlin's public transport operator BVG (Berlin Transport Company), began at 03:00 on Monday and will last 24 hours.

Organized by Germany's largest trade union Verdi, the warning strike is set to halt services for trams, underground trains and most buses across the city, putting additional pressure on BVG. This is the second warning strike in less than three weeks.

Tram, underground train, and most bus services will be suspended during the strike, with the exception of the S-Bahn light rail network, causing disruption to public transport.

A visitor from Sweden said he had to delay multiple plans due to the strike.

"In the middle of the night, I was searching for a train, for everything. There was nothing. And then I had to take a taxi. And that's all. I had not suspected that something could happen in Berlin like this, but right now it's only the S-Bahn," he said.

Since Feb 6, several German cities have seen repeated transport strikes at the call of German service industry unions over wage disputes.

On Monday, strikes also affected cities in the states of Bavaria and North Rhine-Westphalia, heavily restricting public transportation and suspending some train services. Strikes are set to spread to more than 30 other cities and regions across the country from Tuesday to Wednesday.

New round of strikes in Berlin disrupts public transport

New round of strikes in Berlin disrupts public transport

New round of strikes in Berlin disrupts public transport

New round of strikes in Berlin disrupts public transport

New round of strikes in Berlin disrupts public transport

The U.S. claim to take control of Greenland is unacceptable and it aims to sow division within its NATO members and its natural allies in Europe to serve its own interests, said a Spanish expert.

In an interview with China Media Group (CMG), Spanish international relations expert Javier Porras Belarra said he could not understand the U.S. position on Greenland and found the related remarks unacceptable.

"From our point of view, these U.S. statements are equivalent to an infringement on European territory, because we must remember that Greenland belongs to Denmark. That means we are facing a conflict, or at least a potential conflict, taking place on European soil, and even more broadly, between NATO member states. So U.S. President Donald Trump's claims regarding Greenland were nearly impossible to justify or accept, and the European Union is viewing this with a certain amount of astonishment, because this kind of claim from the U.S. is inconceivable," he said.

The expert said the U.S. administration has been intensifying divisions within NATO through its policies and rhetoric, while weakening ties with traditional European allies.

According to the expert, the U.S. administration is trying to undermine European unity to advance its own interests.

"The U.S. administration is deepening divisions within NATO and eroding relationships with its traditional allies, namely European countries. This is a classic 'divide and conquer' strategy. They think this will work in their favor and believe a united Europe is not in the U.S. interests, or at least not in the interests of the current administration," he said.

U.S. claim to control Greenland creates division within European allies for its own interests: expert