Olaf Scholz finally satisfied
The European Union made numerous important decisions at its summit last night.
The meeting even tempted SPD Chancellor Olaf Scholz to give an insight into his inner life.
He felt "a rare moment of satisfaction," Scholz made clear after the summit.
All in all, as a citizen, you would rather have a chancellor who is more often satisfied.
Therefore, the confession immediately raises the question of why Scholz is so rarely satisfied.
Is it
a)
because he thinks things aren't really going well for him as chancellor?
Or
b)
that he's basically a guy who's never satisfied?
There should be something like that.
Answer
c)
is also conceivable : From his point of view, all other EU members / coalition partners / people are enormous pains in the neck and ensure that Scholz must not be satisfied most of the time.
Maybe the whole thing was meant as a joke - answer
d)
.
You can choose a solution.
At this summit, as mentioned above, Scholz made good progress on one thing in particular.
The chancellor was satisfied because the heads of state and government finally agreed on the
minimum taxation for large companies
that he had been calling for for a long time .
International companies with at least 750 million euros in sales per year should pay at least 15 percent tax, regardless of where they are based.
The aim of the minimum tax is to prevent
corporate profits
from being shifted to tax havens.
The summit also made important decisions regarding Ukraine:
From January, the country is to receive further financial aid amounting to 18 billion euros.
The EU countries also agreed on the ninth package of sanctions against Russia.
It provides for entry and asset freezes for almost 200 other responsible persons and organizations.
Not so nice from a German point of view:
the controversial European
gas price cap
will probably be introduced, and the group also agreed on that.
There had long been resistance from Berlin to the lid.
The ministers responsible, including the head of the German economics department, Robert Habeck, are to clarify the final details next Monday.
Hopefully the chancellor will also be satisfied in the end.
EU summit: a little bit of peace
You can find more news and background information on the war in Ukraine here:
Recent developments:
The US government is launching a new program to train Ukrainian soldiers at German training grounds.
President Zelenskyj reports 16 bombing raids on Cherson - in one day.
The overview.
"We'll find a way":
The Ukrainian railways are a symbol of the will to resist - also thanks to a social media-savvy boss at the top.
Their importance increases in winter: every kilometer of the route could become a strategic advantage.
EU countries adopt new sanctions against Russia:
The European Union imposes further sanctions on Russian banks and additionally restricts trade with the country.
The EU Parliament classifies the Ukrainian famine Holodomor as a genocide:
Millions of Ukrainians died in the Holodomor.
MEPs are now sharply condemning the actions of the Soviet Union - and demanding a reaction from Russia.
The gas price brake is coming - but how?
It all took a little longer, but now the time has come:
After the Bundestag passed the new gas and electricity price brake, the Bundesrat also wants to discuss the regulations today.
For private households and small and medium-sized companies, the price brakes are to apply from March, with retrospective relief planned for January and February.
For large industrial consumers, the gas price brake should take effect from January.
Of course, as is so often the case when money is distributed, things are a bit complicated.
If possible, no one should be neglected, there are a number of regulations that must now be implemented.
The next exciting question is whether this will work.
At least a warning from the Federal Association of Energy and Water Management gives an idea of some problems.
"The draft laws on energy price brakes are so complex that their practical implementation will be a mammoth task for the energy industry,"
says the head of the association, Kerstin Andreae, according to dpa.
The industry will do everything to ensure that the relief reaches the citizens as smoothly as possible.
Due to the complex
conversion of IT systems
, among other things , a smooth start on March 1st cannot be guaranteed.
We are excited.
As is well known, the word combination of "IT systems" and "conversion" usually does not bode well.
Electricity and gas: how to get the most out of price controls
Trump's 'Big Announcement'
Donald Trump continues to make his own party, the US Republicans, nervous.
In a few weeks, on January 3, top official Kevin McCarthy is to be elected the new speaker of the House of Representatives.
The Republicans achieved a narrow majority of four votes in the congressional elections, which means they can fill this important position.
The only problem is that it is still unclear whether McCarthy really has his own group behind him to win an absolute majority in parliament.
Appearance of Donald Trump:
Friends of the ex-president have been spreading the rumor for months that Trump himself could run for the position of spokesman.
This is also possible without your own parliamentary mandate.
Speculation was fueled in Washington after Trump briefly promised a “big announcement” via social media on Thursday.
Suddenly it was said that Trump would announce his candidacy for the post of spokesman.
But the excitement quickly fizzled out.
The announcement Trump promised turned out to be one of Trump's embarrassing promotions.
The content: For $99, his fans can order Trump trading cards for Christmas.
On the cards, Trump is depicted in superhero style, always in different poses, with cape, mask, muscles and so on.
After the announcement, Republicans were relieved – and Democrats laughed heartily.
They only perceive Trump as a joke.
Even
Joe Biden joked at Trump's expense.
"I also made some big announcements," the president tweeted, before listing his political achievements in recent days, such as the release of basketball player Brittney Griner from Russian custody.
Ex-US President is now selling trading cards: trade Astro Trump for gold bullion Trump, look for Trump on elephants
Here is the current quiz of the day
The starting question today: a former Chinese president died at the end of November.
Who?
Loser of the day...
… is the
Internet service TikTok
from China .
In the USA, the platform, which is particularly popular with children and young people, is coming under increasing pressure.
The US Senate passed legislation banning the use of the TikTok app on federal employees' phones.
Four US states already have similar regulations for state employees.
TikTok is also no longer allowed to be used on phones handed out by the US military.
In addition, there is an initiative by Senator Marco Rubio: He wants to push through a law in Congress that generally prohibits the use of the app in the USA.
He already has some supporters from both major parties.
TikTok has become a target of US politics over fears that the app could be used by Chinese intelligence services to gain access to US citizens' private data.
There is also concern that China could use the platform to influence US policy.
The company ByteDance, to which the app belongs, rejects the allegations.
The latest news from the night
Thousands of secret documents on the assassination of John F. Kennedy released:
US President Biden has released thousands more secret documents on the assassination of John F. Kennedy.
However, a “limited” number of documents remain under lock and key – for reasons of national security.
Ex-President Castillo has to stay in custody for 18 months:
The court followed the demands of the public prosecutor's office: Peru's deposed President Castillo remains in prison for one and a half years.
The reason given is the risk of absconding.
Police stop drunk S-Bahn driver:
Sometimes he left the doors closed, sometimes he drove through the station without stopping - and over loudspeakers he blasphemed about his employer: In Stuttgart, the police had to pull a drunk S-Bahn driver out of circulation.
The SPIEGEL + recommendations for today
Germany's LNG supply depends on this man:
On Saturday, Olaf Scholz and Robert Habeck will open the first of three floating LNG terminals in Germany in Wilhelmshaven.
All ships and crew are provided by the Höegh shipping company.
A killer deal for the Norwegians.
Now even more so:
The state has taken action against the "last generation" with raids.
The climate activists insist that they will not be intimidated and continue.
Where will this radicalization lead on both sides?
»The Rheingold is finished – but I am finished too!!!«
The best »Rheingold« recording of all time was made under Georg Solti.
Now she has appeared again.
A treat for all Wagnerians - and a gateway drug for anyone who wants to become one.
Not a trace of understanding:
to the dismay of his party, Gerhard Schröder maintained his friendship with Vladimir Putin even after the Russian attack on Ukraine.
Why is he doing this?
Looking back on a year of alienation.
She doesn't allow parents to put each other down:
in the Belgian town of Dinant, a judge has been settling family disputes for 15 years and puts the well-being of the children at the center.
Her motto: Respect can be learned – and, if necessary, enforced.
I wish you a good start into the day.
Yours, Roland Nelles