[Hints] Voices from the Blätterwald - 2025-05-28

1. English Videos
1. This Is Neoliberalism
2. English News and Articles
1. Virginia Giuffre, Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein accuser, dies
2. Trump Pauses Federally Funded Gain-of-Function Research in U.S., But for Only 120 Days
3. Smotrich: Gaza will be ‘totally destroyed’ within months, population ‘concentrated’ in narrow border area
4. Kurdish PKK militants announce decision to dissolve after decades of conflict with Turkey
5. Von der Leyen faces critical test as EU court decides on secret ‘Pfizergate’ texts
6. European Commission wrong to deny release of von der Leyen messages, court says
7. X Blocks Istanbul Mayor’s Account, Silencing Jailed Turkey Opposition Leader Ahead of Elections
8. Ex-CIA chief: We gave Ukraine enough weapons to bleed, not to win
9. Argentina secures IMF loan and ends most capital controls in key milestones for President Milei
10. Power returns to Spain and Portugal. The outage’s cause remains a mystery
3. Translated News in English
1. Electronic patient record
2. Poverty
3. Federal Court of Audit criticize arithmetic tricks in bridge renovations
4. New Government
5. Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution classifies AfD as definitely right-wing extremist – party defends itself
6. Corona - Next pandemic could be imminent: WHO is already practicing for the emergency
7. Brandenburg's head of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution dismissed
8. Deutsche Bahn installed only around 20 kilometers of new overhead lines in 2024
9. Cooperation before the Chancellor election - Is the CDU changing its relationship with the Left Party?
10. It is also included in the coalition agreement - The digital euro is getting closer – that’s what it’s really about
11. Natural Gas
12. Corona
13. Survey: Two-thirds of Germans against Taurus delivery to Ukraine
14. Migration
15. Secret NATO target - Dutch Prime Minister lets slip
16. Pension
17. Poverty
18. Trade War

I. English Videos

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This Is Neoliberalism 1 - 5

II. English News and Articles

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-> Virginia Giuffre, Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein accuser, dies
Virginia Giuffre, who accused Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein of sexual abuse, has died by suicide aged 41, her family has said.
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-> Trump Pauses Federally Funded Gain-of-Function Research in U.S., But for Only 120 Days
President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order ending U.S. federal funding of “dangerous gain-of-function research” in China, Iran and other nations, which he said lack sufficient oversight.
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-> Smotrich: Gaza will be ‘totally destroyed’ within months, population ‘concentrated’ in narrow border area
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich says that within half a year the Gazan population will be “concentrated” in a narrow strip of land between the border with Egypt and the Morag Corridor running the width of Gaza between Khan Younis and the border city of Rafah.
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-> Kurdish PKK militants announce decision to dissolve after decades of conflict with Turkey
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-> Von der Leyen faces critical test as EU court decides on secret ‘Pfizergate’ texts
Wednesday’s General Court ruling will assess whether the European Commission is in breach of transparency rules.
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-> European Commission wrong to deny release of von der Leyen messages, court says
The European Commission was wrong to refuse to release text messages sent by Ursula von der Leyen to the head of Pfizer during negotiations to secure Covid-19 vaccines, the EU's top court has ruled.
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-> X Blocks Istanbul Mayor’s Account, Silencing Jailed Turkey Opposition Leader Ahead of Elections
A digital muzzle replaces prison bars as Turkey cuts off Imamoglu's last unfiltered line to the public.
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-> Ex-CIA chief: We gave Ukraine enough weapons to bleed, not to win ...

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-> Argentina secures IMF loan and ends most capital controls in key milestones for President Milei
President Javier Milei on Friday announced that he would lift most of the country’s strict capital and currency controls next week, a high-stakes gamble made possible by a new loan from the International Monetary Fund. It marked a major step forward in the libertarian’s program to normalize Argentina’s economy after decades of unbridled spending.

-> Argentina central bank cuts interest rate to 29%, from 32% ...

note: Emerging-Markets/Carry-Trade Incoming

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-> Power returns to Spain and Portugal. The outage’s cause remains a mystery
The cause of Spain and Portugal’s widespread blackouts remained a mystery on Tuesday, with some isolated disruption remaining after power was largely restored.
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III. Translated News in English

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-> health insurance companies - Evaluation of patient data: Doctors criticize "dragnet search"
The electronic patient record (ePA) will be launched next week. Health insurance companies would like to have access to the data. However, the recently permitted analysis of billing data has already drawn many criticisms. For the first time, health insurance companies are permitted to analyze billing statements and personally warn insured persons about illnesses. However, many things remain unclear, and many experts doubt the project's usefulness.
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-> Electronic patient record - Patient advocates accuse government of misleading
Shortly before its launch, the electronic patient record is once again attracting criticism. Patient advocates see no possibility of making individual documents available only to specific doctors and feel deceived.
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-> Study by the welfare association - There are more poor people in Germany, and they are getting poorer
According to a new report, single parents in Germany are particularly at risk of poverty, as are younger and older people. The current inflation rate is exacerbating the problem.
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-> Federal Court of Audit criticize arithmetic tricks in bridge renovations
In a special report, we criticise the sluggish modernisation of the dilapidated motorway bridges in Germany. The auditors accuse the responsible Federal Ministry of Transport of presenting the situation in a misleading and euphemistic way.
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-> Leading journalist of the Süddeutsche Zeitung becomes government spokesman
Stefan Kornelius, long-time department head at SZ and member of the "Atlantic Bridge" / Criticism of the "revolving door" between established media and the federal government / Journalism professor: Connection to the leading media could help Chancellor Merz
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-> Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution classifies AfD as definitely right-wing extremist – party defends itself
Setback for Weidel and Höcke: The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution is reassessing the AfD – and classifying the entire party as right-wing extremist. Will a ban come?
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-> By the way the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution currently has no president and is headed by its vice president. ...

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-> Corona - Next pandemic could be imminent: WHO is already practicing for the emergency
The coronavirus pandemic made it clear that we should be prepared for global pandemics. Therefore, the WHO conducted its first emergency rehearsal with 15 countries.
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-> Brandenburg's head of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution dismissed
The head of the Brandenburg State Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Jörg Müller, has been dismissed. According to Interior Minister Lange, the trust needed for cooperation is no longer there.
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-> Deutsche Bahn installed only around 20 kilometers of new overhead lines in 2024
According to lobby groups, to meet its own environmental standards, the railway would actually have to electrify several hundred kilometers of track each year. In reality, it only manages a fraction of that.
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-> Deutsche Bahn installed only around 20 kilometers of new overhead lines in 2024
According to lobby groups, to meet its own environmental standards, the railway would actually have to electrify several hundred kilometers of track each year. In reality, it only manages a fraction of that.
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-> Cooperation before the Chancellor election - Is the CDU changing its relationship with the Left Party?
An incompatibility resolution by the CDU rejects cooperation with the Left Party—but this was precisely what was necessary for the second round of the chancellor election. This has reignited the debate, and Chancellor's Office Minister Frei is showing an openness.
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-> It is also included in the coalition agreement - The digital euro is getting closer – that’s what it’s really about
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The digital euro is intended to be the answer to changing usage behavior. It is intended to bring cash into the digital age. The ECB wants citizens to be able to continue paying with central bank money (which is cash, after all), even when using a card or their smartphone. Background: The money in a bank account is bank money. The difference may seem small, but it is actually huge. Bank money depends on the bank's solvency. If the bank goes bankrupt, the money deposited in it is also at risk. This risk does not exist with central bank money. Cash has no default risk. The digital euro is intended to be a digital twin of cash, with the same characteristics and advantages.
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To use the digital euro, every citizen will need to open a digital wallet at their bank – or at other locations such as the post office. The wallet will be like an account with the ECB. Money can then be transferred there or cash deposited into it. This will allow even people who don't currently have an account to make digital payments in the future.
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Central bank representatives are increasingly emphasizing the importance of Europe's digital sovereignty . The fact is: when it comes to cashless payments, Europe has so far been dependent on US companies. 13 out of 20 countries in the eurozone currently do not have their own national card payment system and are therefore dependent on internationally operating providers such as Mastercard and Visa. Almost two-thirds of all card payments in the European Union are currently processed via non-European providers.
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-> By the end of 2027 - EU Commission wants to ban Russian gas imports
Unlike oil or coal imports, there are currently no restrictions on Russian gas imports into the EU. The EU Commission wants to change this quickly—and even ban imports completely by the end of 2027.
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-> Brandenburg's Health Minister wants to meet with people affected by the coronavirus vaccine
Meeting aims to set an example for an end to the “stigmatization of vaccine-damaged people” / Recognition rate of vaccine damage in Brandenburg at 2.5 percent / AfD calls for improved support, independent investigation of all deaths, and a public apology from the government
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-> Senegal sets up special tribunal - Covid relief funds embezzled on a large scale
Senegal's government is taking five ministers from the previous administration to court over the whereabouts of aid funds during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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-> Survey: Two-thirds of Germans against Taurus delivery to Ukraine
Representative multipolar survey: Majority of CDU/CSU and SPD supporters also oppose delivery of German cruise missiles / 66 percent of Germans advocate calling for peace negotiations with Kyiv / Only a slight majority has confidence in the NATO alliance
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-> Letter to the Federal Police - Are Dobrindt’s rejections legally possible? ...

-> Toll Investigation Committee - Dobrindt rejects allegations of shared responsibility ...

The same guy who now wants to get rejections against EU law already failed with the car toll because of EU law.

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-> Secret NATO target - Dutch Prime Minister lets slip
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Schoof incautiously said that Rutte had sent a letter to all member states demanding 3.5 percent for "hard military spending" and 1.5 percent for related spending such as infrastructure, cybersecurity "and similar things." He also revealed that the letter was "a good week old."
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-> Involvement of officials - Union rejects Bas's pension proposal ...

-> Retired Civil Servants - How Much the 1.4 Million Retirees Cost to the State
The German government currently finances nearly 1.4 million retirees, consuming 1.6 percent of gross domestic product. And state pensions have increased again.
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Pension costs amount to approximately 10% of GDP. Depending on the distribution pensions could be increased by several percentage points.

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-> Unicef's child welfare ranking: Germany falls from 14th to 25th place
Children in Germany are less satisfied – and perform significantly worse in school. In international comparison, the country is losing ground.
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-> Trump’s ‘Mar-a-Lago Accord’: Far less unreasonable than argued
Hardly anything has been written or said more in recent weeks than about the paper by Trump’s new economic adviser, Stephan Miran, which forms the basis for the so-called Mar-a-Lago Accord, a new attempt to find multilateral solutions to the global monetary system. The analogy to the Plaza Accord of the 1980s is obvious, but Miran’s attempt to find also unilateral solutions to a multilateral problem will not get us anywhere. Moreover, he is too entrenched in mainstream economic theory to come up with realistic solutions.
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