Overview of the Incident

Planet Farms experienced a fire at its Cavenago plant on January 22, 2024. The facility sustained substantial damage as a result of the fire, including the collapse of the warehouse roof.

Details on the Fire's Outbreak

According to initial reports, the fire started around 6.00 AM. Investigations are focusing on a potential malfunction in the air conditioning system, which may have ignited insulation panels. The presence of plastic materials on the roof contributed to the spread and intensity of the fire, leading to considerable damage to the structure as reported by Wired reporters.

Footage:

Response Efforts to the Fire

The team at Planet Farms informed Vertical Farm Daily that the cause of the fire that occurred on their premises is still unknown as investigations are ongoing. However, they confirmed that the fire had been brought under control and no employees or individuals were injured during the incident.

Despite this setback, Planet Farms' development and expansion plans remain on track, with construction of the next-generation plant in Cirimido already well underway. This new plant will be twice the size of the one located in Cavenago, and progress is at an advanced stage.

Fire breaks out at furniture factory in Astana, no casualties reported

A furniture factory caught a fire in Astana last night, Kazinform News Agency reports citing the local emergencies authorities.

The fire broke out on January 23, at 09:20pm, on 31/11C Dukenuly Street.

Upon arrival within six minutes, the firefighting brigade saw furniture blanks, plastic and rubber products burning on the area of 1,200 square meters.

The fire was isolated at 10:40 pm and extinguished at 11:11 pm.

No victims or injuries were reported.

93 firefighters, as well as employees of the Emergency Medicine Center were involved in fire extinguishing.

• 3rd January: 50,000 chickens die during huge fire at farm in Netherlands.
• 6th January: Huge fire at food processing plant, Finland.

Much of Germany is expected to grind to a halt on Wednesday when train drivers begin a six-day strike - the longest industrial action in the national railway's history.

The strike, which will start at 2am on Wednesday for passenger trains and on Tuesday evening for freight, is taking place amid tensions and scenes of unrest across the country.

Farmers supported by transport companies have blocked thoroughfares in towns and cities with their tractors, ostensibly over government proposals to phase out subsidies on fuel, while an estimated 1 million people have taken to the streets to campaign against the far right after revelations members of the AfD discussed plans for the mass expulsion of foreigners and German passport holders with a migrant background.

Rather than 1 million 'far right protesters', other news outlets have them at tens of thousands, to hundreds of thousands, but, obviously the propaganda media's agenda is to emphasise and encourage people to think these protests are much bigger and more influential.

Meanwhile they fail to mention that Germany's farmer protest enjoyed the support of at least 69% of the population - which is significantly higher than those supporting the 'anti far-right' protests.

The GDL trade union, which includes train drivers and other rail workers, has said it was forced into the strike, which is set to continue until 2pm on Monday, after bosses at Deutsche Bahn (DB), the national rail operator, "tried to trick" the workers over their demands for improved pay and conditions.

DB has accused GDL, which has about 40,000 members, of "holding the country hostage", insisting its demands would increase the company's wage bill by 50%.

Neither side in the railway dispute has sat together around a negotiating table since November and the chancellor, Olaf Scholz, has said it would "not be appropriate" for him to involve himself in labour disputes when called on to arbitrate.

But the deadlock in talks has only deepened disgruntlement at Germany's leadership, on top of a cost of living crisis that critics have said is fuelling the rise of the AfD as key regional elections loom in the autumn.

Lost of factors are contributing the rise of populist parties, and it's primarily due to the overwhelming incompetence and corruption of the ruling parties.

Industry bosses have estimated that the strike will cost Europe's biggest economy, which recently fell into recession, about €100m (£85m) a day and warned of the reputational damage the strike would do to German business. Industry is already under strain over supply chain issues linked to the Red Sea attacks on shipping, with some companies having had to reduce production.

Germany's economy slipped into recession well before the Houthis intervened to stop the genocide. Economic issues are largely tied to the backfiring sanctions and the nefarious green agenda.

Six out of 10 of Europe's freight corridors go through Germany, so a considerable knock-on effect across mainland Europe is also inevitable, not to mention the effect on continental train connections.

Earlier this month DB failed in its attempts to get a court to halt the strikes.

GDL is calling for a reduction in employees' working week from 38 to 35 hours with no drop in pay. It also wants an extra €550 a month for workers plus an inflation compensation package to be renegotiated after 12 months.

DB has offered workers an average 4.8% pay increase starting from August, and an additional 5% from spring 2025. An inflation compensation package would be paid for a fixed period of 32 months.

It said that from 2026, employees would have the chance to reduce working time from the average 38 hours a week to 37, with extra pay for those who stuck to their current working week. DB has said further cuts in working time would exacerbate an already extremely burdensome worker shortage.

Environmentalist groups have expressed concern about the impact of the strike on CO₂ emissions as well as consumers' long-term trust in rail travel.

Germany's support for the Gaza genocide is resulting in many times more CO₂ emissions; but we've not heard much from the environmentalists in that regard.

Domestic flight routes by the national carrier Lufthansa have been increased to plug the gap, and car hire companies have reported a massive increase in bookings as people look for alternative ways to travel.

Germans who cannot work from home are legally obliged to make their own alternative travel arrangements.

DB is under considerable strain because of a sustained poor record on punctuality and reliability due to what it puts down to long-term underfunding in infrastructure and a labour shortage.

Gitta Connemann, the chair of MIT, the business wing of the conservative CDU/CSU parties, has called for changes to laws governing strikes in areas of critical infrastructure.

"Strikes are a part of free collective bargaining, and an expression of democracy, but in this case it is not only affecting railway employees, but millions of people from commuters to travellers, businesses, the economy, here and elsewhere in Europe," she told the broadcaster DLF.

"We need industrial action laws like other countries have to ensure that critical infrastructure isn't threatened in this way."

DB has an unusual ownership structure: it was privatised in the 1990s after German reunification but remains in government hands, with the state its sole shareholder. Claus Weselsky, the head of GDL, who is on the verge of retirement, said the government's decision to privatise was to blame for a lot of its current woes.

• UK military could recruit autistic soldiers
• US facing military recruitment crisis - NYT
• DOD brass accused of 'obfuscation' in midst of recruiting crisis
• Need more cannon fodder: Ukraine stepping up mercenary recruitment effort
• Desperate: Army, Air Force recruit immigrants with promise of rapid citizenship
• Fatter recruits now welcome as Air Force revises its rules

• Eagle Pass issues disaster declaration as more than 4,000 migrants cross over two days
• Biden administration asks Supreme Court to tell Texas to stop blocking US border agents from patrols
• 'Wall of vehicles': Texas police to help border patrol stop caravan migrants
• Supreme Court allows Border Patrol agents to remove razor wire Texas installed at Mexico border