Highlights of the week of September 9-15

German border controls could spell the end of the Schengen Agreement

Germany has announced plans to tighten controls at all its land borders, in a move that could seriously disrupt freedom of movement in the Schengen area and increase tensions within the EU. The measures will be introduced for six months from September 16 and will cover the borders with France, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands and Denmark, in addition to existing controls with Austria, Poland, the Czech Republic and Switzerland. The government's main goal is to reduce migration and prevent threats related to terrorism and crime.

The introduction of these measures is linked to recent cases of attacks by asylum seekers, as well as the growing popularity of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which made significant gains in recent elections. Migration remains a major issue in the upcoming state elections in Brandenburg, increasing political pressure on the incumbent coalition led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

The introduction of temporary border controls in the Schengen zone is only allowed in the case of serious security threats, but experts and some European countries believe that such measures are disproportionate and could undermine the principle of free movement in the EU. For example, a study by the Bertelsmann Foundation found that reintroducing internal border controls could cost the European economy 470 billion euros over 10 years.

Moreover, Germany's neighbors, such as Austria and Poland, have already disagreed with Berlin's decision and refused to accept migrants that Germany plans to send back to their borders.

Kamala Harris beats Trump in debate

Kamala Harris outperformed Donald Trump in Tuesday's presidential debate, according to a CNN poll of debate viewers. According to the poll, 63% of viewers thought Harris' performance was better than Trump's (37%). Before the debate, viewers were evenly split 50% to 50% on who performed better.

After the debate, 96% of Harris supporters thought her performance was successful, while only 69% of Trump supporters said the same about their candidate. Interestingly, viewers' opinions of Harris improved, with her support rising from 39% to 45% among those surveyed. Opinions of Trump remained largely unchanged, with 39% viewing his performance favorably and 51% holding a negative view.

The debate also showed Trump with an advantage on economic issues (55% to 35%), immigration (23% advantage), and the role of commander in chief. Harris, meanwhile, was stronger on national defense (9 percent advantage) and abortion rights (21 percent advantage).

Most viewers (82%) said the debate did not influence their choice of candidate for president, but 14% said it did influence their decision.

It was also revealed that Trump refused the second round of debates until November, stating that "a professional athlete does not ask for a rematch if he has already won," suggesting that Harris' call for a second meeting was an attempt to "get even" and tip the scales in his favo

Landslide caused earth tremors

A megatsunami triggered by a landslide in Greenland caused the Earth to vibrate for nine days, according to a new study. The collapse of a 1.2km-high mountain peak last September caused water in a fjord to splash repeatedly, creating vibrations that were transmitted all the way to the Earth's crust. These vibrations, caused by the melting of a glacier at the foot of the mountain due to climate change, were a new and unexpected phenomenon for scientists.

Researchers from the University College London found that the water spewed out at 90-second intervals, causing waves to spread across the planet. The tsunami reached a height of 110 meters and spread 10 km across the fjord, but the wave height soon dropped to 7 meters.

The model used for the study allowed scientists to understand how this interaction between climate change, glacial melting and water movement can affect the Earth's crust, creating long-lasting seismic waves that have not been recorded before.