That means cronyism, nepotism.
Those two are as thick as Green thieves. Or they were, at least.
Germany’s star Robert Habeck brought down to earth by cronyism and boilers – Vice-chancellor’s unpopularity contrasts with the adulation he enjoyed for many years.
The Green economy minister and vice-chancellor faced the darkest day in his 17 months in office on Wednesday when he was forced to sack one of his closest aides over a widening nepotism scandal.
In Germany they can’t afford to stay (energy costs).
In Hungary they can’t afford to pay (baksheesh). Or so they say.
Viktor Orbán Ups the Pressure on German Companies to Leave Hungary – German companies have long been active in Hungary. But now, Viktor Orbán is trying to force some of them to leave. And when they do, his closest allies stand to profit.
The Germans have their problems too, the German capital in particular. But in contrast to us Americans, Berliners actually have the courage to them in.
Berlin is peanuts compared to The Banana Republic itself, I know, but its sure got pluck.
‘Dysfunctional’ Berlin holds rerun after election chaos – German capital has been governed by centre-left coalitions for more than two decades.
It’s not every day that foreign observers are needed to monitor an election in Germany, one of the west’s richest and most stable democracies. But then again, Berlin is no ordinary city.
Fourteen officials from the Council of Europe, the continent’s top human rights body, will arrive in the capital this week to observe Sunday’s rerun of its 2021 election, an event so chaotic its results were nullified: Berliners had to queue for hours at polling stations, which ran out of voting papers and ballot boxes. Some stayed open late to cope with the crowds, when broadcasters were already calling the result.
What does it matter that the EU can’t even control its own borders, create a common defense, organise vaccines, agree on a data protection law, control money laundering, unite properly over practically all major issues, agree on one location to seat its government, sanction its own misbehaving members, actually get rid of daylight savings time after having announced it got rid of daylight savings time many years ago… And so very, very much more?
Its bureaucrats, technocrats, kleptocrats and all the other crats mean well and have their hearts in the right place. So, sure, who could be better qualified to place Twitter under direct supervision? Other than Big Brother himself. I mean herself. You know what I mean. Whatever kind of self Big Brother might have these days.
EU should put Twitter under direct supervision after missteps: German official – A senior German official said on Thursday Twitter should join other tech firms in being directly monitored by the European Commission, saying the company’s erratic behaviour under new owner Elon Musk posed a threat to free speech.
“The power of the big platforms over public discourse needs necessary safeguards so that fundamental rights are effectively protected.”
Beautiful corrupt EU socialist technocrat of the week.
Because somebody has to admire them.
European Parliament Vice President Eva Kaili has been arrested in an investigation into suspected bribery by a Gulf state…
Cash worth about €600,000 ($632,000; £515,000) was seized by Belgian police in 16 searches in Brussels on Friday. Computers and mobile phones were also taken by police in order to examine their contents.
How could I have played a role? I don’t remember anything. I know nothing, nothing!
And German state media does its duty and doesn’t know anything either. Scholz is one of the good guys, you see (SPD).
Germany: Pressure grows on Scholz over tax scam ties – Germany’s main opposition party has called on Chancellor Olaf Scholz to explain his role in a large-scale tax evasion scam while he was mayor of Hamburg.
Germany’s main opposition party has called on Chancellor Olaf Scholz to explain his role in a large-scale tax evasion scam while he was mayor of Hamburg.
Scholz has been dogged by questions about meetings he had with private bank M.M. Warburg in 2016 and 2017. Hamburg officials later dropped demands for the bank to repay millions of euros in tax refunds it had wrongly claimed for share trades.
That means foundation. You know, like the “climate protection foundation” SPD Prime Minister (Governor) of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Manuela Schwesig created to get around American sanctions to help Russia finish the Nord Stream 2 pipeline – which never went into operation although completed, for some strange reason.
Now that she got caught the “foundation’s” chairman of the board has stepped down so it can quietly be liquidated.
The foundation had been the subject of criticism since its establishment in January 2021 because, in addition to climate protection, its main purpose was to secure the completion of the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline through the Baltic Sea. Companies involved in the construction had in fact been threatened by US sanctions.
Nord Stream 2 AG paid 20 million euros into the foundation’s coffers. Nord Stream 2 was completed – with the foundation’s support. However, because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it has not received an operating permit from the German authorities. Schwesig has come under criticism for her long adherence to Nord Stream 2. Accusations have been made that Russian forces pulled the strings in key areas of the foundation. Schwesig had played a key role in promoting the establishment of the foundation in 2021.
Ain’t never gonna burst. “Sustainable, climate-friendly equity funds” are where the money’s at, people. Jump on board today! While you still can.
“The Sustainability Propaganda Got Completely Out of Control” – The case has the makings of the next big financial scandal, and it casts a dark shadow over the booming business with green investments. It involves DWS, the Deutsche Bank subsidiary that is Germany’s largest asset manager and a self-proclaimed pioneer in sustainable, climate-friendly equity funds…
The company, says Fixler, has massively overinflated its public image and presented itself as far “greener” than was appropriate for its investment policy.
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.
Sounds vaguely familiar. Very vaguely. No, come to think of it, never heard of Wirecard.
It was an innocuous question, posed shortly before midnight some nine hours into an exhausting parliamentary hearing into the Wirecard scandal. “Did you ever actually own Wirecard shares?”
MPs will want to know why Merkel lobbied for Wirecard in China when reports about suspected fraud at the company had been in the public domain for months. Scholz will be asked to explain how BaFin, the financial regulator he oversees, not only failed to uncover the Wirecard fraud but went after short-sellers and Financial Times journalists who first highlighted irregularities at the company.
Observing Hermann 