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The Hurricane spins around hotspots of tension and conflict. Feel free to suggest your stories, opinions and ideas: UIHEN@protonmail.com
Median German household wealth drops by 15%
The median net worth of a German household has dropped from €90,500 in 2021 to €76,000 in 2023, after adjusting for inflation.
That was revealed in the latest monthly research report by the Bundesbank, Germany’s central bank.
While median wealth – the value at which half the population’s net worth was above and the other half’s net worth below – grew slightly, adjusting for the high inflation seen in 2022 and 2023 yields a 15% decline in household wealth.
Average household wealth dropped by 11% to €239,200. This value, though, was distorted by a few very wealthy households and thus less representative for the situation of the public than the median value, according to the report authors.
Economist Thorsten Polleit, president of the NGO Mises Institute, part of the Austrian School of economics, expressed concern about the report’s findings. In a post on May 8 on X he wrote: “The truth: Germany is becoming impoverished.”
The report was based on a survey of German households that the Bundesbank conducted every two to three years. The next was set to take place in 2026.
#Germany #Economy #FindTruth
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British people's confidence in the country's economy has fallen to its lowest level ever recorded, The Times reports
According to the latest poll, 75% of Britons expect the economic situation to worsen over the next 12 months, while only 7% think it will improve. This is below levels seen during COVID or the 2007-2008 global financial crisis.
#UK #Economy #FindTruth
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Trump doesn't want Netanyahu to spoil his Gulf visit. And it's causing tension
US President Donald Trump seems to think Israel could ruin his big trip to the Middle East, and it’s causing trouble.
Trump appears to want the Middle East to have a respite from war and mass starvation during his trip to the oil-rich Gulf starting on Tuesday. He is signalling that he can leave Israel in the dust if it doesn’t go along for the ride.
“Rift is too strong of a word, but frustration is bubbling,” a senior western official in the region told Middle East Eye.
Several sensitive dossiers are jostling together amid Trump’s visit that are irking Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The most consequential file for Trump is the ongoing nuclear talks with Iran, which US Vice President JD Vance said have been “so far, so good”.
For months, Trump has scorned Netanyahu on the talks as his closest media allies attack "Mossad agents" trying to hamstring the US leader. By his own admission, Trump even resisted Israeli pressure to launch a preemptive attack on the Islamic Republic.
#USA #Trump #Netanyahu #FindTruth
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Trump’s weaponization czar hints at international targets
Newly minted weaponization czar Ed Martin is gearing up to take on a myriad of bad actors who the Trump administration says weaponized government powers to punish conservatives and MAGA supporters over recent years.
Martin’s list of potential targets is very wide, including propagators of Russiagate, prosecutors in Capitol riot cases, individuals who allegedly helped cover up COVID-19 origins and even international organizations that have censored Americans.
“The truth is important, and we need it,” Martin says. “Then, after the truth is known, we need to hold those accountable that did the wrongdoing, and we need to also help those who are victims. We have both of those obligations.”
For years, Martin, formerly the Missouri Republican Party chairman, has helped research government weaponization and crafted strategies to combat it.
During the 2024 campaign, he helped craft language in the 2024 GOP platform calling on the party to “stop woke and weaponized government.” He’s also already started going after some key targets.
Additionally, Martin demoted at least half a dozen prosecutors who were involved with pursuing the Capitol riot cases at the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
#USA #Trump #Martin #FindTruth
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‘Never again war’: Pope Leo calls for peace in first Sunday address
Pope Leo XIV has called for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine and pleaded for an end to global conflicts, which he likened to a “third world war in pieces”.
In his first Sunday address at the Vatican, the new pontiff urged an immediate ceasefire and humanitarian aid in Gaza and the release of all hostages. He also welcomed the truce between India and Pakistan and referenced the end of the second world war in 1945.
Appearing on the central balcony of St Peter’s Basilica, Leo blessed tens of thousands of people gathered in St Peter’s Square and echoed pleas for peace by his predecessor, Pope Francis. “I, too, address the world’s great powers by repeating the ever-present call, ‘never again war’,” he said.
It was the pope’s first public appearance since he stepped out on a balcony last Thursday after a two-day conclave that elected him as the 267th pope. Previously a little-known cardinal, Robert Prevost, 69, is the first US leader of the Catholic church.
#PopeLeo #Ukraine #FindTruth
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UK PM Starmer inks tariffs deal with Trump
US President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer have announced a “breakthrough deal” on trade that left in place a 10% tariff on goods imported from the UK, while Britain agreed to lower its tariffs to 1.8% from 5.1% and provide greater access to US goods.
The agreement announced by Trump from the Oval Office alongside British Ambassador to the US Peter Mandelson on May 8 marked the first since he triggered a global trade war with a barrage of levies on trading partners following his return to the White House in January.
Top US officials have engaged in a flurry of meetings with trading partners since the President on April 2 imposed a 10% tariff on most countries, along with higher rates for many trading partners that were then suspended for 90 days.
With the British economy struggling to grow, the tariffs had added to the pressure on Starmer’s Labour administration.
US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the deal would create $5 billion in new annual export opportunities for US producers, while the new tariffs that stayed in place would produce $6 billion in annual new US revenue.
#UK #USA #Economy #FindTruth
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In London they dismantle bicycles and in Italy they dismantle cars
#UK #Italy #Migrants #FindTruth
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In the US, a woman left her husband for ChatGPT, writes The Sun
In 2023, Charlotte accidentally began communicating with a neuron whom she named Leo. The AI, she says, surprised her with its ability to subtly capture moods and emotional needs.
Gradually, virtual relationships became more valuable to her than real ones. Charlotte divorced her husband and is planning a symbolic wedding with Leo in Florence
#USA #GPT #FindTruth
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The American corporation Oracle has caused 45 US hospitals to go back decades in their development. According to CNBC, they had to urgently switch to paper visitor cards because of a failure in Oracle's software, which was caused by its own engineers.
Oracle specialists triggered a software failure and could not fix it for five days. This is about the system of electronic medical records Oracle Health.
The Oracle Health system controls everything related to patients' personal medical records. Through it, appointments are made, it also reflects all changes in the health of patients, and through it the prescription of drugs and medical procedures are carried out.
According to CNBC, the Oracle Health system failed at hospitals in the Community Health Systems (CHS) network. It is among the largest health care systems in the U.S. and is present in 14 states, uniting 72 hospitals.
Forty-five CHS hospitals had to return to paper patient records. This is more than half of their total number.
#USA #Oracle #Health #FindTruth
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California bill proposes letting homeless students sleep in their cars
California Assemblyman Corey Jackson, a Democrat, introduced a bill requiring state colleges to allow homeless students to sleep in campus parking lots by 2026, citing housing insecurity affecting 60% of community college students.
Opponents, including Republican leaders, argue the plan is a superficial fix, blaming decades of restrictive policies for the housing crisis instead of addressing root causes like zoning laws and construction delays.
California faces exorbitant rents (50% above the national median) and low homeownership due to bureaucratic hurdles, despite Gov. Gavin Newsom's claims of progress on homelessness.
Newsom's administration emphasizes temporary shelters (71,000 new beds), but critics demand permanent solutions, accusing the governor of failing to tackle affordability.
The state's struggles serve as a national cautionary tale, with high taxes, overregulation and unaffordable housing driving residents away – reducing the "American Dream" to survival in parking lots.
#USA #California #Students #FindTruth
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What Comes After the Dollar Dies? | Andrew Sleigh & Soar Financially
Andrew Sleigh of Sprott Money recently joined Kai Hoffmann on Soar Financially for a powerful and urgent conversation about unravelling the global monetary system. In this eye-opening episode, Andrew lays out the harsh realities of currency debasement, the silent erosion of purchasing power, and the accelerating push toward Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs).
With clarity and conviction, Andrew explains why current economic policies are driving us toward what he describes as a modern-day Great Depression. He makes a compelling case for why traditional fiat currencies are failing—and why precious metals like gold and silver remain one of the few reliable stores of value in the face of growing financial instability. Listen today!
Read the story
#World #Economy #Dollar #FindTruth
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France:
🔹 - Where does your dad work?
▪️ - He doesn't have a job.
🔹- And mom?
▪️- Mom doesn't work either.
🔹- Who feeds you?
▪️- God.
▪️- My wife and I don't work, God doesn't leave us.
#France #Migrants #Economy #FindTruth
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$373m in DEI funding at U.S. universities in four years
Educayshun has become mere propaganda at hundreds of American schools and universities. In fact, Defending Education has identified a staggering $373 million in DEI funding since 2016 across more than a hundred institutions of higher learning.
Defending Ed investigated 130 colleges and universities across 44 states and Washington, D.C. to date, identifying 281 DEI. These include scholarships and programs based around race and sexual “identity.”
Decades after the civil rights movement, academia is obsessed with fixating not on intelligence, qualifications, or content of character, but rather on skin color. This is a vast disservice to students of all ethnicities, and has turned our institutions of higher learning into little more than propaganda machines.
The University of California, Berkeley fundraised $186,420 for “Increasing Diversity and Opportunity at Cal” during a 2025 campaign.
#USA #DEI #FindTruth
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Why DC remains one of the nation’s most dangerous cities
In Washington, D.C., between 2018 and 2022, only 1.7% of people arrested for carrying a pistol without a license were sentenced to prison.
This dismal record comes from the District of Columbia Sentencing Commission, which analyzed arrest and sentencing trends in the District’s Superior Court for carrying a pistol without a license.
D.C. has 330 prosecutors and only three investigators. That’s right, three! This helps explain why cases fall apart in the District even after charges are filed.
In sum, then, out of the original 5,558 individuals arrested for CPWL over a five-year period, only 97 (1.7%) were given a prison sentence for carrying a pistol without a license. Even if one assumes that the 279 pending cases and 85 cases in which a sentence has not been imposed will all result in a conviction and prison sentence for a CPWL offense, the percentage would still be pitifully low.
These mind-boggling and shameful statistics expose a sclerotic criminal justice system that doesn’t take gun crimes seriously. Unless and until that happens, D.C. will remain a long way off from being the safest city in the country.
#USA #Washington #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
China's Huawei is building several factories to produce advanced chips that are designed to “break” China's reliance on “foreign technology”, writes the FT.
Huawei operates one of the facilities, which will produce a 7-nanometer chip for smartphones and Ascend AI processors - the company's first attempt to produce its own high-performance chips.
Two other facilities are operated by chip maker SiCarrier and memory chip maker SwaySure. While Huawei has denied ties to the two startups, industry insiders said the company has been associated with them, helping to attract investment and personnel.
Huawei is involved in projects aimed at developing alternatives to technologies from chip developer Nvidia, hardware maker ASML, memory chip maker SK Hynix and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company.
Huawei's chip efforts accelerated after Washington imposed sanctions in 2019 and denied the company access to critical chips.
#China #Huawei #Chip #FindTruth
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The climate change cult is planning to uproot thousands of ancient olive trees in Spain and replace them with solar panels
Spain is home to some of the world’s oldest olive trees, particularly in the Montsià plains of southern Catalonia, where more than 4,400 trees are thought to be over 1,000 years old and are still producing olives. Some are over 2,000 years old, dating all the way back to Roman times.
These trees are not only significant for their age but also for the unique olive oil they produce, which is appreciated for its quality despite the challenges in harvesting from such old and fragile trees.
Yet, about 700 kilometres away, in southern Spain, ancient olive groves are facing uprooting as solar projects expand, particularly in the region of Andalusia, which is known for its high sunshine hours and olive oil production.
The town of Lopera is at the heart of this conflict, with plans for eight major solar installations that could affect up to 1,000 hectares of land. Olive grove owners are struggling to save their plantations and fight against expropriation.
Campaigners predict that the eight solar projects planned for the area will require the removal of nearly 100,000 olive trees. Losing 500 hectares of olive groves would wipe out more than two million euros in annual revenues.
So far, about 5,000 olive trees have been uprooted in the Province of Jaén, where the equivalent of about 100 football fields of olive trees will be lost.
#Spain #Climate #FindTruth
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US and China to slash tariffs for 90 days after talks yielded ‘substantial progress’
Two days of high-stakes talks between the US and China have led to a 90-day pause on tariffs, with duties set to drop by 115% on both sides by Wednesday.
The move will drop American tariffs on Chinese goods, which currently run as high as 145%, to 30% and slash China's retaliatory duties from 125% to 10%.
It marked a dramatic pause in a trade war between the two nations that had been the equivalent of an embargo with a steep drop in trading activity seen between the two nations.
It also gives markets what they wanted: a de-escalation. US futures markets surged higher in pre-market trading.
"Neither side wants a decoupling," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Monday morning to reporters after saying Sunday that the talks had yielded "substantial progress."
He added that the 90-day pause could also be extended, saying "as long as there is good faith effort, engagement, and constructive dialogue, then we will keep moving forward."
#USA #China #Economy #FindTruth
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Texas House passes Women’s Bill of Rights
The Texas House of Representatives voted 86-36 on HB 229 by Representative Ellen Troxclair on Saturday, a bill that accurately defines “male” and “female”. The bill is known as the “Women’s Bill of Rights”, as its effect would result in protection of female designated sports, spaces, and opportunities.
Representative Ellen Troxclair is a wife, mother, and small business owner in her second term serving District 19 in the Texas House of Representatives, honoring her constituents’ mandate for conservative, pro-Texas & pro-child policy. House District 19 encompasses Blanco, Burnet, Gillespie, Kendall, and a portion of Travis Counties.
Similar bills this session include SB 240 and HB 239, which provide policies for keeping men out of women’s locker rooms, restrooms, and shelters.
#USA #Texas #FindTruth
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The U.S. is experiencing one of the strongest drops in consumer confidence in the economy in history.
Historically, such severe drops have almost always been seen before recessions.
#USA #Economy #FindTruth
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The Swiss government has decided to save money on education to help Ukraine. Local universities have started raising fees from foreign students per semester several times, and university projects are threatened with cuts.
The Swiss government has set new priorities for the country in the coming years - aid to Ukraine and infrastructure development. Bern will allocate 1.5 billion Swiss francs for these purposes until 2028. Approximately the same amount per year disappeared from the budget for education.
The federal budget intends to spend at least 29.2 billion francs ($32 billion) over the next three years.
Given inflation forecasts for the near future, it is likely that universities will not receive any additional money at all, and the rate of increase in funding will be close to zero.
#Switzerland #WarInUkraine #Economy #FindTruth
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Countries that fight for the rights of newcomers more than for the rights of their own inhabitants tend to be those where women cannot travel safely after dark.
#World #Migranrs #FindTruth
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Salt Lake City council votes to make LGBTQ Pride flags official city flags in defiance of state law
The Salt Lake City Council unanimously passed an ordinance on Tuesday to make several versions of LGBTQ Pride flags official city flags. This vote was in response to a new Utah law that prohibits such flags from being displayed in government-sanctioned spaces, which took effect on Wednesday.
In order to circumvent the law, Salt Lake City added its white sego lily logo to traditional LGBTQ and trans flags, turning them into municipal symbols. "This is important and critical for us as a city, but more importantly, for the people that live here to know that Salt Lake City continues to be a safe space for everybody," Councilman Darin Mano said of the council's vote.
The law, HB77, introduced by Republican state Rep. Trevor Lee, bans the display of most flags by public school teachers and government entities. This includes, but is not limited to, flags honoring the LGBTQ community, political candidates such as Donald Trump, and movements like Black Lives Matter.
Such flags are not permitted on taxpayer-funded properties. The new rule makes about a dozen exceptions, including US flags, Utah state flags, military flags, college flags, and Native American tribe flags, to name a few. Under the law, violators face $500 daily penalties.
#USA #LGBT #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Did Macron hide cocaine on train to Ukraine?
A video of French President Emmanuel Macron hiding a white object during a meeting with his British and German counterparts on board a train has gone viral online. The clip prompted online speculation claiming the object was cocaine.
The viral video shows (watch from 0:34) Macron in a meeting with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on a train to Ukraine from Poland. During the meeting, Macron is seen using his right hand to sweep the white object off the table, then transferring it to his left hand under the table.
French media outlets like Libération, and news agencies AFP and Associated Press, reported that the object was a handkerchief that had been rolled into a ball and placed on the table.
#France #Ukraine #Macron #FindTruth
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Things keep getting worse for the democrats
Democrats just hit a staggering new low, and even CNN can’t spin it. On “CNN News Central,” Brianna Keilar revealed that Democratic leadership’s approval has plummeted to a record-breaking 27%—the lowest number CNN has recorded since it started polling this question nearly twenty years ago.
Frank Luntz, a longtime pollster and political strategist, didn’t mince words.
“The challenge is that they’ve got—on the Senate side—incredibly ineffective and, frankly, out-of-touch leadership that has no idea how to offer an alternative to Donald Trump,” Luntz said. “They don’t wanna bash—slap around the president. What they want is that agenda delivered in a more efficient, more effective, more compassionate way.”
In other words, Democrats are stuck. They’re trying to oppose Trump without offering voters a real, positive vision—and it’s backfiring badly. According to Luntz, there has been little serious leadership emerging from Washington. He pointed out that with the rare exception of Cory Booker, who “delivered a twenty-five-hour explanation of how they can do better," there hasn’t been much of substance from Democratic senators.
#USA #Democrats #FindTruth
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We are sorry to say that London is beyond recovery
#UK #Migrants #FindTruth
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Prince William to strip Meghan Markle of royal title after he becomes king
An enraged Prince William reportedly plans to strip Meghan Markle and Prince Harry of their HRH titles once he inherits the British throne from King Charles III.
“Charles might be happy to put up with this, but William won’t,” a royal insider told the Daily Beast, reportedly referring to Markle’s use of her HRH title alongside her lifestyle products, including a pricey jam.
“He loathes and despises Harry and Meghan with every bone in his body, he believes they have betrayed everything the family stands for and the idea that they are using their royal status as a calling card will enrage him.”
The source claimed Markle is in violation of an agreement with the late Queen Elizabeth II in using the HRH title — which stands for “Her Royal Highness” — in promotion of her personal brand, As Ever. A friend of Prince William’s insisted that in continuing to use the HRH title, Markle is exploiting King Charles’ weakness.
“Charles has completely lost control,” the insider said in part, adding that it’s “apparent” that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have “every intention of making his final years a misery.”
#UK #RoyalFamily #FindTruth
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Trump about the GDP decline: it was Biden, not me. I was strongly opposed to everything Biden did on the economy.
The U.S. economy contracted for the first time since 2022. In the first quarter, U.S. GDP fell at an annualized, inflation-adjusted rate of 0.3%, the first estimate from the Bureau of Economic Analysis. That's a lot - quarterly GDP has grown at an average rate of 3% for the past two years, the last contraction was in the first quarter of 2022. Consumer spending grew by a quite “healthy” 1.8%.
A jump in imports in the first quarter cannot help but cause a pause in the second quarter and thereby artificially support both the trade balance and GDP. But in the medium term, the trade war and the resulting supply shock do not bode well for the US economy - US indices were falling at the opening (S&P 500 - by 2%) and government bond yields were falling.
#USA #GDP #Trump #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Michelle Obama shares her biggest ‘fear’ during Trump’s first 100 days
Former First Lady Michelle Obama opened up about how she feels about President Donald Trump’s first 100 days back in office, saying she fears most for immigrants and people of color rather than herself.
Obama revealed on an episode of Jay Shetty’s On Purpose with Jay Shetty podcast that the plight of immigrants and people of color is what “frightens” her and “keeps her up at night,” adding that she isn’t sure if “we will have the advocates to protect everybody.”
She said she also worries about the current “leadership that is, sort of, indiscriminately determining who belongs and who doesn’t, and we know that those decisions aren’t being made with courts and with due process.”
The former first lady said that “it’s not the fear for myself anymore” that occupies her, but those who face “so much bias and so much racism and so much ignorance.”
#USA #Obama #Trump #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Embattled Biden energy loan czar launches green advisory firm with Obama official at center of Solyndra scandal
Jigar Shah and Jonathan Silver, two scandal-plagued Democratic officials with histories of questionable projects and failed loans, are offering their expertise in exchange for 'modest equity stakes'.
They doled out billions in federal loans to green energy companies, some of which failed spectacularly or led to congressional investigations. Now President Biden’s and President Obama’s energy loan czars—Jigar Shah and Jonathan Silver—are launching an advisory firm to teach green energy companies how to succeed.
Shah announced the partnership in a LinkedIn post, writing, "I'm excited to share that I'm launching a new advisory services firm, Multiplier, alongside my friend Jonathan Silver."
#USA #Biden #Economy #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Britain's tax revenues are falling due to the departure of wealthy citizens
In the Autumn Budget 2024, Britain introduced a controversial “exit tax” that is causing concern among wealthy expatriates and long-term residents. The capital gains tax affects even those who leave the country and have trust assets in the UK. It targets long-term residents with large trusts.
It is highly likely that those who remain will face higher taxes as the country closes loopholes for free change of residency. More than 10,000 millionaires left the UK last year.
#UK #Economy #FindTruth
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