Friday, December 6, 2024

6 Dec 2024: Six German News Stories

 1.  ARD (public TV) spoke up to a national shortage of 'skilled/certified' KITA (kindergarten) workers.  Nationally, back in October....they chatted up the topic of a national shortage of KITA workers....300,000 missing positions for parents across all of Germany.

2.  German Army admits over past year....they've exited about 62 personnel for being 'far-right' enthusiasts.

3.  The AfD Party says they are almost to the point of dismissing and  rebuilding the youth AfD 'wing' of the party.  Chief problem?  It would appear that the youth element is more right-wing....than the AfD Party itself.

4.  Northvolt, the German-Swedish battery company, is bankrupt.  They were going to make batteries for Audi/Porsche E-cars....which haven't really taken off. Yeah, they were around since 2015.

Curious note....they were infused with around 625-million Euro of German  gov't money (one of those Habeck projects from the Green Party).  This failure will be talked  about a good bit.

5. WELT had a piece this AM....talking over the hyped-up criticality of the economy....that it now out-ranks climate change.

6.  What were the two triggers to the gov't collapse of France?  First, a black 'hole' in the budget of roughly 60-billion Euro....which the coalition could not agree (one side wanted fresh taxes....one side wanted cuts). 

Second, in the last month....the PM pushed a reform package on social  pensions....using special powers.  This angered the coalition because they could not agree with the final draft. 

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