The European Debt Race

To the bottom.

You’ll never catch us! As in U.S.

Germany’s spending push drives up borrowing costs across Eurozone – Investors warn that higher bond yields could make it harder for members of the bloc to increase defence spending.

A surge in Eurozone government borrowing costs as a result of Germany’s planned defence spending spree will intensify debt pressures on other countries in the bloc and could make it harder for them to mount borrowing campaigns of their own, investors have warned.

Germans welcoming a US initiative?

There must be some misunderstanding here.

Germany debates proposal to re-open Nord Stream pipelines – Members of the conservative CDU party, likely to lead the next German government, have raised the possibility of importing Russian gas again. The far right has welcomed the idea.

Parliamentarians of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) have caused a political row in Germany by welcoming an apparent US initiative to repair and re-open the Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea between Russia and Germany.

There’s just less and less demand these days…

To go to Brussels.

Who would want anything to do with the European Parliament industrial complex if could be avoided?

Off the rails: Night train from Berlin to Brussels will stop running at the end of March – Passengers can still travel between Berlin and Brussels on an overnight train using the European Sleeper.

European Sleeper is also a much more appropriate name, I find.

She also identifies as Big

Although I don’t think Big is her real name.

White glamour model Martina Big, 36, who ‘identifies as black’ after having tanning injections announces plan to ‘move to Africa’ – Now Big and her partner are planning to move to the continent, with the influencer saying: ‘My husband and I had already planned to emigrate a few years ago, but then the pandemic hit.

‘We have received invitations from fans in many African countries and so it hasn’t been easy to choose,’ Big said. ‘Currently, we have Kenya and Namibia on our shortlist.

‘Since most of my modelling jobs are in Europe and the US, Michael fears it will be difficult for me to earn money in Africa. I’ve had to work hard to convince him that this is the best decision for us.’

German war machine now ready for war

Or for wear.

Or at least the German navy is.

Wow. That didn’t take very long.

German Navy sailors receive brand new uniform – With the new development of the shipboard combat suit, which began in 2023, the German Navy (Deutsche Marine) is presenting a new uniform for its seafaring personnel for the first time. The sailors will be equipped with it from the end of the year.

No place to run

Except into debt?

“Blessed are the young for they shall inherit the national debt.”

German parliament approves Merz’s historic spending surge – Germany’s parliament approved plans for a massive spending surge on Tuesday, throwing off decades of fiscal conservatism in hopes of reviving economic growth and scaling up military spending for a new era of European collective defence.

The approval in the Bundestag hands conservative leader Friedrich Merz a huge boost, giving the chancellor-in-waiting a windfall of hundreds of billions of euros to ramp up investment after two years of contraction in Europe’s largest economy…

“The politician’s greatest asset is credibility. With these embarrassing actions, Mr Merz, you have already completely squandered yours. The voters feel betrayed by you, and rightly so.”

One-sided demonstrations directed against one party?

And funded by a government under the control of the opposing party?

This somehow sounds vaguely familiar.

Germany’s conservatives scrutinize state support for NGOs – Germany’s conservative CDU/CSU bloc is questioning the political neutrality of some NGOs. That could weigh on relations with its potential Social Democrat coalition partners…

In its inquiry, the CDU/CSU parliamentary group refers to an article in the conservative-leaning German daily Welt in which several experts on constitutional law expressed very critical views about the demonstrations.

“Associations that helped organize ‘firewall’ demonstrations did not act on a charitable basis,” argued Volker Boehme-Nessler from Oldenburg University. “The demonstrations were one-sidedly political. They were directed concretely against one party, the CDU.”