Monday, February 13, 2023

Five German News Stories

 1.  Focus had an update on the Ukraine-Russia war.  British military has now said that they figure on average.....Putin loses around 824 soldiers a day (either dead or wounded enough to not be part of the war any longer).  

BS-stuff?  Well....even if it were true....I doubt that the Russian Generals would report this back to Putin.

2.  Building of a city-state government in Berlin after the election?  CDU (clear winner) is having talks with the SPD, and the Greens.  The SPD is hinting that they will move out the current mayor (Giffey).....bring in a new face, and attempt to build a SPD-Green-Linke Party coalition instead (they would have just enough votes to run the gov't). 

One poll from Sunday indicated this was a big negative with the public, and 70-percent were against a SPD-lead government.  

3.  N-TV discussed the upcoming Bahn ticket deal (49-Euro per month).  Warning already being given that the 49-Euro amount cannot be sustained, and it'll flip higher by early 2024.  Presently, to make the 49-Euro ticket work....the federal government is willing to put around 1-billion Euro extra in the pot for 2023 (ticket only starts selling in May).  

Personally, if you tried to purchase such a ticket prior to all this flat-fee stuff....a monthly ticket would have been in the 100-to-120 Euro a month range, depending on your region, and limited to your local area.  The new design.....as long as you travel on regional trains, subway systems, and local buses....it'll be 49-Euro a month. 

I'm betting by early 2024, it'll be a minimum of sixty-five Euro a month.

4.  The 'Hart Aber Fair' public forum show from last night (9 PM, ARD, Channel One)....was about the Ukraine war and where things are going.

They tried to be fair and have a anti-war member on the panel (from the Linke Party).  

I'd say the key thing you'd take home from the balance of the public forum....the war does not end until Putin is no longer in the picture.  

5.  I noted off BILD this AM....the McDonalds McRib sandwich is in trouble in Germany.  For those who weren't aware....it's a full-time menu item here in Germany and fairly popular.  

News indicates in various locations....they've run out of the McRib, and can't offer it on the menu list. Related to the Ukraine war?  No....just a general issue in procuring the pork.  

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