II. English News and Articles
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Italy suspends defense agreement with Israel
Italy is suspending the automatic renewal of its defense agreement with Israel. The government made this decision "in light of the current situation in the Middle East," Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said today in Verona, according to Italian news agencies.
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Argentina: Why simple figures allow for clear judgements
It is hard to believe the sort of things being circulated about Argentina and its libertarian president. The article that Patrick Kaczmarczyk and I wrote some time ago has generated a particularly strong response. Some (such as Poschardt and Stelter, from minute 17) even believed that they no longer needed to engage with the matter if they simply discredited the medium in which this article had appeared (namely Surplus; though it has also been published on this site and in Makroskop). That is incredibly cheap.
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Milei
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Pakistan sends fighter jets to Saudi Arabia under mutual defence pact
- Pakistan jet fighters deployed to Saudi Arabia
- Deployment follows strikes on energy facilities, sources say
- Pakistan's move aims to boost Saudi defences, sources say
- Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed mutual defence pact in 2025
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US completes withdrawal from key base in Syria as part of a larger drawdown
U.S. forces completed their withdrawal from Qasrak air base on Thursday when a final convoy of soldiers and equipment departed the site in Syria’s Hasakah province, officials for both sides said.
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III. Translated News in English
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Lawyers: Germany is participating in a violation of international law in the war against Iran
Legal scholar: Federal government cites "irrelevant" usage agreements of US military bases / International law expert: Federal government should demand "compliance with the prohibition of the use of force" from the US / Federal Prosecutor General refuses to provide information about investigations against the Federal Government
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The coalition's relief package protects the rich and makes everyone else pay up
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In the summer of 2022, when the governing coalition reacted to the energy price explosion following the attack on Ukraine, energy taxes on fuels were reduced – by around 35 cents per liter (gross) for gasoline and around 17 cents for diesel. The Federal Cartel Office documented that the pass-through of the discount over the three-month period increasingly failed to occur: as a result, a significant portion did not reach consumers. The Office concluded its sector inquiry into the mineral oil industry in February 2025 and subsequently initiated antitrust proceedings against the industry for the first time in March 2025, pursuant to Section 32f of the German Act Against Restraints of Competition (GWB).
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Revelations about Reiche's power plant strategy: "Serves the interests of large corporations"
Criticism of Economics Minister Reiche continues unabated. Ministers are prohibited from allowing their decisions to be guided by one-sided interests and neglecting the common good, according to Wolfgang Jäckle, a lawyer with the NGO Transparency Germany, which campaigns against corruption. "If the latest reports are accurate, Reiche allowed herself to be guided precisely by such special interests in her decision regarding the backup procedure for the energy supply."
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An investigation by Der Spiegel casts a dubious light on the approach taken by Economics Minister Katherina Reiche (CDU) regarding her power plant strategy. Her ministry is alleged to have specifically commissioned arguments from the energy company EnBW that disadvantage battery storage in the future electricity supply – in favor of gas-fired power plants.
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Introduced during the Corona pandemic: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution abolishes the category "Delegitimization of the State"
The category was established in 2021 in response to the protests against the coronavirus measures. According to the authorities, it has since lost relevance.
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VAT increase burdens the poor, families and the economy – even with a simultaneous reduction in funding for basic necessities
Raising the value-added tax (VAT) to close holes in the federal budget and potentially finance reductions in income tax or certain social security contributions? According to media reports, the federal government is considering this idea. But what sounds like a simple solution actually disproportionately burdens lower-income households and families. The imbalance won't disappear if, in return, the reduced VAT rate on basic foodstuffs is lowered, unless the potential additional government revenue shrinks significantly. Furthermore, a VAT increase will further fuel inflation and dampen consumer confidence and construction activity, according to a new analysis by the Institute for Macroeconomics and Business Cycle Research (IMK) of the Hans Böckler Foundation. Adding a VAT shock to the energy price shock, especially in the current situation, jeopardizes the economic recovery and could prompt the European Central Bank to implement damaging interest rate hikes, warn Professor Dr. Sebastian Dullien and Dr. Silke Tober, the authors of the short study.
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New figures from the IMK Inflation Monitor: The oil price shock is driving up inflation rates, especially for families – by up to 1.2 percentage points in March
The Iran war drove the inflation rate in Germany up to 2.7 percent in March – 0.8 percentage points higher than in February. This entire increase is still attributable to the price shock in fuels and heating oil. This largely applies to household-specific inflation rates as well: low- and middle-income families are currently particularly hard hit by the new wave of price increases because fuel costs represent a relatively large share of their consumer spending. The household-specific inflation rate rose by 1.2 percentage points for low-income couples and single parents with middle incomes, and by 1.1 percentage points for middle-income, and by 1.1 percentage points for middle-income couples. The lowest increases in March were for single people with low incomes (+0.6 percentage points) and single people with very high incomes (+0.8 percentage points). This has different reasons: while high-income singles consume a wide variety of goods and services whose prices have not risen as sharply recently, poorer single people often do not own a car. This is the conclusion of the new IMK Inflation Monitor. Poorer single-person households therefore had the lowest household-specific inflation rate in March at 2.1 percent, while the rates for all other household types considered were close, ranging from 2.6 to 2.8 percent. The IMK calculates monthly specific inflation rates for nine representative household types, which differ in the number and age of members as well as in income (more on the types and the methodology below).
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Vocational training - Even fewer new trainees
Last year, the number of dual vocational training programs started declined again. Experts are calling for further development of the system and an individual legal entitlement to vocational training.
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“40 billion euros annually”: Expert calls for a permanent tax on excess profits despite resistance
As a result of the Iran war, fuel prices are rising significantly faster than the underlying crude oil prices. Christoph Trautvetter sees a tax on excess profits as a suitable instrument for a political response to this.
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Accusation of insubordination - Refusal to vaccinate against Corona: Proceedings against soldiers discontinued
The proceedings against a German army soldier for refusing orders were discontinued on Thursday by the Frankfurt (Oder) Regional Court.
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Following a change in Berlin's law: Other German states want to restrict freedom of information
"Changed security situation": Berlin Senate limits authorities' obligation to provide public information / Critics: Security situation is a "pretext" to "undermine freedom of information" / Restrictions also planned in Schleswig-Holstein, Thuringia and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
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Parliamentary group - AfD defense policy expert Lucassen resigns
The issues at stake are conscription, a dispute with Björn Höcke and criticism of his leadership style: AfD politician Lucassen preempted a vote of no confidence and resigned as his party's defense policy spokesman.
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Pistorius presents first military strategy for Germany
For the first time in its history, the German armed forces are receiving a military strategy. It is intended to prepare the army and Germany for future threats. Large parts of the document are classified.
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Basic documents on the strategic orientation of the German Armed Forces
The German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) are focusing primarily on their core mission: national and collective defense. Military strategy, capabilities and structure, reserves, and personnel growth are being adapted to the threat situation. To protect the country and its allies, the Bundeswehr must be capable of deterrence and defense. The fundamental documents on the strategic orientation of the Bundeswehr underscore Germany's new security policy role. Germany is assuming a leading role within NATO.
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