German Of The Day: Betrug

That means fraud.

This is what happens when the government gives something “for free” to the citizens of a country who pride themselves on not being corrupt.

Germany will introduce stricter controls on the administering of coronavirus tests, Health Minister Jens Spahn said on Saturday, after local media reports accused some centres of accounting fraud.

“There will be more random checks,” Spahn said on Twitter. “Pragmatism is necessary these days. Those who exploit that must not be allowed to get away with it.”

Germany offers its citizens at least one free coronavirus test per week, with several federal states providing one free test a day. The state pays 18 euros ($21.94) per test. Many private test centres have been set up in recent weeks.

“Mit etwas krimineller Energie ist gerade sehr viel möglich.” Die Corona-Testzentren sind ein Paradies für Betrüger, sagt der Experte Gunter Lescher. Eine effektive Kontrolle sei derzeit kaum machbar.

D.

Beautiful German of the week.

Because somebody has to admire them.

PS: Dascha here got second place in this year’s “Germany’s Next Topmodel.” Heidi Klum went by the script the powers that be handed her. And everyone is completely shocked. Not. First place went to a man. Yawn.

There Is A Certain Logic To It

Mutti” (Mommy) doesn’t have any children herself.

The gay Health Minister there doesn’t have any either.

COVID: Germany’s Merkel wants vaccines for children aged 12 to 15 – Children in Germany will soon be able to get vaccinated against the coronavirus, but only if the EU’s EMA approves the BioNTech-Pfizer shot for 12 to 15-year-olds.

Frank Ulrich Montgomery, chair of the World Medical Association (WMA), came out in support of StiKo’s reluctance: “Currently, we do not have enough information on the risks of a COVID vaccine for children to make a clear recommendation,” he told Rheinische Post newspaper.

If It’s Not Red Tape It’s Red Anarchy

Doing business in Germany 101. Elon Musk may have met his match.

Far-left activists claim responsibility for Tesla factory site fire in Germany – Investigators examining letter from group claiming to be behind fire at Grünheide ‘Gigafactory’ site.

“Tesla is neither green, ecological nor social.”

German Naturalisations Fall As British Nationals Realize Just How Much Europe Sucks

Sorry. I meant as the “Brexit effect” fades, of course.

German ‘naturalisations’ fall as Brexit effect fades – The number of foreigners who obtained German nationality last year fell by 15% to 109,900, and half the decline was due to fewer British nationals becoming citizens of Germany, the Federal Statistics Office said on Wednesday…

In the five years since the 2016 Brexit referendum, a total of 36,500 Britons have naturalised in Germany, the Office added. In 2020, the number fell to 4,900 from a peak of 14,600 in 2019.

Let Me Take A Guess

Because they plagiarize?

Why do German politicians so often stumble over Ph.D. plagiarism allegations?

Yet another German politician has resigned over allegedly plagiarizing their doctoral thesis. Who catches them out, and why is this a big deal in Germany?

“They copy from everywhere. Other Ph.Ds, Wikipedia, club newsletters, product information leaflets — I’ve seen the strangest things.”

Is This The Shot In The Foot?

The German Greens are notorious for this. Whenever they are doing well in the polls, which is the case at the moment, they say something so revealing, that is, so ridiculous about their policies, that they single-handedly manage to turn this trend around.

This time the shot may have come from Robert Habeck, the Green boy boss who was edged out of the running as head honcho by the Green girl boss Annalena Baerbock. How much he resents this we’ll probably never know but in a talk show last night the possibility of raising the price of gasoline as high as 60 euros per liter (per liter, not gallon) was addressed. You know, to make the world a greener place and save humanity and all that? Under her leadership, of course.

I’m not sure but I can’t imagine even the greenest of German Green going along with that one. Unless they’re really green behind the ears.

„Der klimawirksame Gewinn ist nicht so besonders hoch. Das muss man einfach zugeben. Es ist eher ein Beispiel dafür, was man alles machen kann, was niemandem wirklich weh tut. Die ökonomische Frage, wie teuer Fliegen wird, ist davon zu trennen.“

Who Would Have Thought That?

That the Banana Republic would let Germany get away with the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.

US Spares Ally Germany in Sanctions for Nord Stream Pipeline – The U.S. has battled for years to block the pipeline, now 95% complete, though construction has not yet started on its German leg. The pipeline will carry natural gas from Russia to Germany, increasing Russia’s leverage as a vital energy supplier in Europe. The U.S. argues that the pipeline threatens European energy security, heightens Russia’s influence and poses risks to Ukraine and Poland in bypassing both countries.

“The Nord Stream 2 project is in line with our commitment to strengthen our Transatlantic relationships as a matter of national security.”

Germany Pledges 40 Million Euros For More Gaza Rockets

Germany on Tuesday pledged 40 million euros ($48.86 million) to ramp up rocket purchase and production for Hamas in Gaza, where more than 52,000 Palestinians have been displaced by the latest Israeli air strikes, according to the U.N.

“Today, we will lobby for a better supply of Iranian rockets in Gaza,” an unidentifiable masked spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry said. “Officially for better humanitarian aid in Gaza, of course, but every child knows where this money always ends up,” he added.