And in two months it will be a rained out summer

It’s the never-ending cycle of “climate crisis” hysteria.

Not enough rain: How can Germany cope with drought?

This spring was one of the driest on record in Germany. Agriculture, groundwater, and even retail prices are suffering. Plants and ecosystems are already in drought stress. What can be done?

Tariffs don’t work…

Until they do.

Then an agreement is reached and the tariffs are lowered. We could ask Elon but this doesn’t seem like rocket science to me.

Trump’s Tariffs Cost BMW $11 Million A Day, So Germans Want A Deal – European carmakers are losing millions daily to US tariffs despite American production bases.

Trade wars rarely end well for anyone involved, and when the crossfire hits the automotive industry, the damage adds up fast. Nowhere is that more evident than in Germany, where the ongoing tariff standoff is racking up some eye-watering costs. According to a new report, BMW is losing a staggering $11.3 (£8.4 / €10) million per day thanks to U.S. tariffs.

Developing long-range missiles is one thing…

Developing long-range thinking is quite another.

German chancellor promises to help Ukraine produce long-range missiles – Germany’s new chancellor, Friedrich Merz, has told Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky that Berlin will help Kyiv produce long-range missiles to defend itself from Russian attack.

“We want to talk about production and we will not publicly discuss details,” he said, when asked by reporters in Berlin if Germany would supply Kyiv with its Taurus missiles.

Family reunification?

We’re all for it.

But not here.

German government restricts migrant family reunification, path to citizenship – Germany’s government approved measures to restrict family reunification for migrants and delay citizenship access on Wednesday, forging ahead with a major shift in migration policy under conservative Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

The cabinet agreed to a two-year suspension of the right for migrants who do not qualify for full refugee status, so called “subsidiary protection” holders, to bring their children and spouses to Germany.

“A culture of caution”

Could get you killed.

‘Crazy’ data rules hit German plans to boost army reserve – Reservists’ association says Berlin has lost contact with almost a million potential reservists.

Strict data protection laws are hindering Germany’s efforts to swell the ranks of the armed forces of Europe’s largest nation, its reservists’ association has warned. 

Patrick Sensburg, head of the Reservist Association of the German Armed Forces, said tough German and EU privacy rules meant it could not keep in contact with close to a million people who might help boost the country’s reserve forces as it seeks a stronger role in European defence and security…

Sensburg, a former member of parliament from Merz’s ruling Christian Democrats, added that while some might be unwell or uninterested, if even only a quarter of the 1mn agreed to serve it would be enough to meet the target for reservist numbers. 

He said it was absurd that the body responsible for collecting Germany’s annual television fee could contact citizens a few weeks after they had moved house, while he had no way of tracking down people whose names were in the association’s records.

German of the day: Waffen und Messer verboten!

That means weapons and knives are forbidden (here).

Why didn’t anybody think of this before? Problem solved. At least “temporarily.”

Federal police declare temporary knife ban at major Berlin train stations – A temporary knife ban at major Berlin stations promises safety but raises questions about policing and public space.

Starting next week, Berlin’s central train stations will become no-knife zones, at least for part of the day. In an effort to curb rising violence, federal police are instituting a month-long weapons ban across twelve of the city’s busiest stations.

World champions of misjudgement accuse Donald Trump of misjudgement

So I judge this to probably be another misjudgement.

Trump misjudged influence on Putin, German defence minister says – U.S. President Donald Trump misjudged his influence on Russian President Vladimir Putin, Germany’s defence minister said on Wednesday, after a phone call between the two leaders yielded no progress in Ukraine peace talks, prompting Europe to announce new Russia sanctions.

“I suspect he assessed his negotiating position incorrectly,” Boris Pistorius told the Deutschlandfunk radio broadcaster, following Trump’s now-abandoned efforts to pressure Putin into accepting an unconditional 30-day ceasefire.

Well, which one is it you arrested?

King Peter I, the Son of Man or the Messiah?

Germany Arrests King Peter I, the Son of Man, the Messiah – Peter identified sources of frustration and indignity that might bother virtually any German: how one navigates banking, taxation, health care, law.

Last week, Germany arrested Peter Fitzek, 59, an anti-government figure also known as King Peter I, the Son of Man, the Messiah. Historically, attempts to arrest messiahs have met with mixed results, so to stay on the safe side, the Interior Ministry not only rolled up Fitzek and three conspirators but also shut down his whole operation, known as the Kingdom of Germany. Subjects of King Peter deny the legitimacy of the Federal Republic of Germany and, over the past 13 years, have built up a counter-state with its own institutions. “In Germany, just like in the rest of the world,” he said, “We have a lot of problems,”

German of the day: Schneckentempo

That means moving at a snail’s pace.

But at least it’s still movement. In the right direction.

Germany drops opposition to nuclear power in rapprochement with France – Paris wins approval from Berlin to remove anti-nuclear bias in EU legislation, say officials.

Germany has dropped its long-held opposition to nuclear power, in the first concrete sign of rapprochement with France by Berlin’s new government led by conservative Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

Berlin has signalled to Paris it will no longer block French efforts to ensure nuclear power is treated on par with renewable energy in EU legislation, according to French and German officials.

Delusions of Grandeur V9.0

Version 9 as in nein as in it ain’t never gonna happen.

Aiming to strengthen the Bundeswehr to match the size and punch of a medium-sized American city’s police force…

Germany’s Merz vows to build Europe’s strongest army – “Our friends and partners also expect this from us, and what’s more, they are actually demanding it,” said the new chancellor.