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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
World trade is entering an era of historically low growth
After decades of dynamic growth punctuated by occasional shocks, world merchandise trade has entered a sustained slowdown.
The 10-year growth rate has steadily declined since 2016, a structural shift driven by rising trade tensions, supply chain reconfiguration and global economic uncertainty.ㅤ
#World #Economy #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Berlin court allows petition that would limit private car use to twelve rides per year
The Berlin Constitutional Court has cleared the way for the "Berlin Car-Free Referendum." The initiators can further pursue their legislative proposal for a comprehensive car ban in the capital. The highest Berlin court declared the application to initiate the referendum to be admissible.
According to the plans of the initiative, after a transition period of four years, almost all streets within the S-Bahn ring, except for federal roads, should be declared "car-reduced streets." Private car journeys should be limited to only up to twelve times a year per person. Exceptions to the practical car ban should exist for people with disabilities, police, rescue services, fire brigade, garbage collection, taxis, as well as commercial and delivery traffic. This also applies to buses.
#Germany #Berlin #FindTruth
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"Vicious circle": immigration is costing France 3.4% of its GDP
Immigration has not delivered the economic benefits long promised in France and may, in fact, be dragging down the country’s economy, according to a report by the Observatory of Immigration and Demography (OID).
Rather than boosting growth, the think tank claims immigration is costing France the equivalent of 3.4 per cent of its GDP due to a significant mismatch between the taxes immigrants contribute and the services they consume.
Taxes collected from immigrants cover only 86 per cent of their fiscal cost, creating what it calls a “budget deficit.” This imbalance is largely due to low employment rates among immigrants: only 62.4 per cent of working-age immigrants in France are employed—one of the lowest rates in the European Union, just ahead of Belgium. The French native population, by comparison, has a 69.5 per cent employment rate.
The OID argues that if immigrants were employed at the same rate as native-born citizens, French GDP would be 3.4 per cent higher, and taxable income would rise by 1.5 percentage points. “Immigration maintains a vicious circle which harms employment and the French economy: it aggravates the structural problems of employment in France, degrades public accounts and indirectly penalizes exposed sectors of the economy,” said Nicolas Pouvreau-Monti, director of the Observatory.
#France #Migrants #Economy #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Do CCP-controlled small businesses in the US pose a strategic threat?
U.S. policymakers and national security experts have raised alarms about Chinese Communist Party (CCP) influence in the United States. That dangerous influence ranges from university laboratories to Wall Street, Silicon Valley, and Hollywood.
According to former FBI Director Christopher Wray, in his testimony before Congress in 2024, the answer is yes.
Not surprisingly, many small businesses that operate under direct or indirect CCP influence are in the technology, biotech, logistics, and data infrastructure sectors. These companies may have a Chinese parent enterprise linked to the CCP with access to U.S. data or intellectual property, or have a strategic role in critical infrastructure or supply chains.
All of these kinds of businesses may have access to key tech intellectual property, be in a position to observe sensitive military movements around military bases, or steal genomic data, which occurred during the COVID-19 era.
#USA #China #Economy #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
NATO has survived many crises in 75 years, but never so close to total collapse
▪️ NATO has changed Europe and the world in the decades since its founding in 1949. From the beginning, however, NATO was a contradictory alliance: its members were ready to at each other's throats even when they seemed united, Bloomberg states
▪️ Europe has destroyed itself twice in one generation. Both conflicts spanned oceans and drew America in. After World War II, old divisions persisted and new radical ideas became a threat. Only the U.S. had a chance to keep Europe together
▪️ With the help of NATO, Europe had successfully exploited America, which had become the guarantor of its security during the Cold War. Everything changed with the collapse of the USSR, when the center of confrontation shifted for the U.S. towards the Taiwan Strait.
▪️ In the near term, the transatlantic split will gut NATO. The result will be a weaker and more fragmented continent that will be a source of weakness for the liberal world order
#EU #NATO #USA #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Breaking down Iran’s oil exports by country
As tensions escalate between Iran, Israel, and the U.S. amid fragile ceasefire negotiations, the Iranian oil market is facing heightened volatility.
Certain Asian economies that rely heavily on Iranian crude and stable passage through the Strait of Hormuz now face some of the greatest exposure.
In 2023, a staggering 89% of Iran’s oil exports went to China, a sharp rise from just 25% in 2017. This surge followed renewed U.S. sanctions in 2018, which isolated Iran from most global oil buyers.
China is followed by Syria (6%), United Arab Emirates (3%) and Venezuela (2%).
As hostilities in the region intensify–marked by U.S. attacks on Iranian nuclear infrastructure and Iranian missile strikes on American bases in Qatar and Iraq—China’s access to Iranian oil is increasingly at risk. This is because the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for China’s oil imports, could be disrupted by further conflict or Iranian retaliation.
While Iran supplies only about 13% of China’s total oil imports, the relationship is strategically important, offering China discounted crude and reinforcing its broader regional influence amid Western pressure.
#Iran #Oil #USA #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Will Germany initiate compulsory military service?
Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder has come out with an aggressive plan to prep Germany for war. Support for Ukraine, defense against Russia, and efforts to prevent terrorists from getting their hands on nuclear weapons are the priorities.
“Compulsory military and civilian service is the future,” said Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder. “It is not enough to simply send out questionnaires to young people asking if they would be willing to serve; more decisive steps are needed,” he added.
Free speech travesty: German pensioner who called Green Economic Minister Habeck an ‘idiot’ has been convicted
The case of German pensioner Stefan Niehoff became a major international story after police raided his home for calling Robert Habeck an “idiot” while Habeck was serving as Germany’s economy minister at the time. Now that Niehoff has been convicted — for sepearte offneses — it has become clear how far the German media has gone to create the perception that Niehoff is a Nazi to smear his name, when the exact opposite was true all along.
Elon Musk tweeted about the case. The Economist included the incident in a long list of items showing Germany was walking all over free speech, and Niehoff was publicly outspoken over what happened to him.
Niehoff suffered a house raid early in the morning at his home in Burgpreppach, while his disabled daughter was home, all because Habeck filed a complaint against him for Niehoff calling him an “idiot” in an internet post.
Numerous news outlets started publishing articles that the main focus of the investigation against Niehoff — the “idiot” comment — had quietly been sidelined. Now, the courts were focusing on “unconstitutional” symbols that Niehoff shared. In other words, after the Niehoff case blew up in their faces, they needed to find an ad hoc justification after the fact to justify their witch hunt against him.
#Germany #Habeck #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Local councilwoman urge gangs to organize over L.A. ICE raids. Here’s what her lawyer is saying
Cynthia Gonzalez, vice mayor of the southeast Los Angeles County suburb of Cudahy, is coming under fire for a video she posted on social media in which she appeared to call on street gangs to organize in the face of immigration sweeps.
But an attorney for Gonzalez says her message was meant only to encourage peaceful demonstrations against such operations — not violence.
In the video, which has since been taken down, Gonzalez said, “I want to know where all the cholos are at in Los Angeles ... you guys tag everything up, claiming hood, and now that your hood’s being invaded by the biggest gang there is, there ain’t a peep out of you. It’s everyone else who’s not about the gang life that’s out there protesting and speaking up,” she said. “We’re out there fighting our turf, protecting our turf, protecting our people and, like, where you at?”
The video seemed to suggest she was calling on gang members to “help out and organize” and urging street gang leaders to “get your f—ng members in order.” Gonzalez also made reference to “Florencia 13” and “18th Street,” two violent street gangs in Los Angeles.
But in a statement Wednesday, Gonzalez’s attorney said that “any suggestion that she advocated for violence is categorically false and without merit.”
#USA #ICE #Migrants #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
The Financial Times uses a picture to hint why British universities are losing places in the world university rankings
#UK #Migrants #Education #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Ranked: European countries by average family income
It really isn’t about how much you make (income) any more, it’s about how much you get to keep (incomes vs. taxes).
And taxes aren’t exactly beloved, even on the continent with the highest marginal tax rates.
So who’s really getting to keep the most of what they earn? We take a look in Europe specifically.
Swiss dual-income families earned the highest gross income in Europe—over €208,000 in 2024.
Remarkably, they took home 86% of it, one of the highest net retention rates in the continent. This results in a net income of €178,553, far surpassing most other European peers.
Switzerland is followed by Iceland, Luxemburg and Danmark. The Netherlands is fifth by gross income at €131,563, and they retain 77% of it after deductions. Dutch families took home over €101,000, putting them ahead of bigger economies like Germany, France, and Italy.
Countries like Romania and Lithuania show stark contrasts from Western Europe.
Romanian families earned just over €40,000 but took home only €26,766, or just 67% of gross pay.
Lithuania fares similarly, with families losing about one-third of earnings to taxes.
#EU #Future #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
"It must be a Creole language": Jean-Luc Mélenchon believes that the French language should be called differently
The French language should no longer be called French. This is what the leader of France insubordinate Jean-Luc Mélenchon puts forward. "If anyone could find another name to qualify our language, they would be welcome. The French language is not the singular property of France, and especially not of those who would like to freeze French identity in its language ", he assured on 18 June on the occasion of a symposium on la Francophonie at the National Assembly.
"Creolization is our word. And if we want French to be a common language, it must be a Creole language. I would prefer it to be said that we all talk about Creole because it would be more true to say that we are talking French,” added Jean-Luc Mélenchon.
Where does the US get its huge GDP from
The same drug sells for $208.51 in US pharmacies and $1.56(11.2 yuan) in Chinese pharmacies.
#USA #GDP #Economy #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Major U.S. companies continue layoffs
#USA #Economy #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Could Canada ultimately join the EU? Maybe not, but Brussels and Ottawa are getting cozy
Canada joining the EU is becoming less and less unthinkable in the wake of a deal signed by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney signed a deal with the EU on Monday.
The deal centers around shifting Canada’s defense and security ties away from the United States, although clean energy initiatives and trade were also front and center.
On defense, Canada will significantly increase its defense spending in tandem with European NATO countries, in line with the 5 percent defense budget initiative at the ongoing summit in The Hague.
The agreement also states that Canada can participate in the EU’s new defense spending increase programs under the hundreds of billions of euros ReArm Europe initiative.
#Canada #EU #NATO #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
DOJ ‘digging and looking’ into anti-parent school board activity under Biden admin
The U.S. Department of Justice is “digging and looking” into the Biden administration’s weaponization of school boards against parents, DOJ official Ed Martin said. Former Attorney General Merrick Garland sent a memo in 2021 directing the DOJ and the FBI to “launch a series of additional efforts in the coming days designed to address the rise in criminal conduct directed toward school personnel.”
Conservatives saw the memo as an attempt to use the FBI to threaten and silence parents who voiced concerns with left-wing school board policies, such as critical race theory and radical gender ideology. Martin, U.S. pardon attorney and President Donald Trump’s “weaponization czar,” said the memo was “government weaponized against ‘we the people.’”
“If you got hurt, let us know,” Martin said. “We’re digging and listening.” Parental rights activist Tiffany Justice met with Martin on Monday to discuss the weaponization of government against parents under former President Joe Biden, The Daily Signal has learned. Justice is co-founder of Moms for Liberty and a visiting fellow in parental rights at The Heritage Foundation. Justice shared with Martin what American parents were concerned about under the Biden administration, including COVID-19 lockdowns, learning loss, and falling test scores. She is confident Martin will look into how the government was weaponized against both parents and, more specifically, Catholics.
#USA #Biden #Education #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Wealth consultancy points to exodus of millionaires from Western Europe
High-net-worth individuals have been turning their backs on Western Europe in favor of more attractive destinations.
That is one of the key insights of the 2025 Private Wealth Migration Report by British-Swiss wealth consultancy Henley & Partners.
The experts’ data showed that millionaires were becoming increasingly mobile. In 2025, a record number of 142,000 individuals with assets exceeding $1 million (€860,000) were expected to migrate from one country to another, an increase of 6 per cent compared to 2024.
Western Europe was increasingly on the losing end of wealth migration with the UK expected to see 16,500 millionaires with total assets of $92 billion (€79.3 billion) expected to leave the country in 2025. From 2014 to 2024 the UK had lost 9% of its millionaires.
The European continent was also becoming increasingly unattractive for rich people. Some 800 millionaires were expected to leave France in 2025.
Spain might lose 500 millionaires and 400 millionaires were presumed to turn their back on Germany this year – a worrying change of the trend as the former European economic powerhouse saw a healthy growth of high-net-worth individuals of 10% between 2014 and 2024.
#EU #Economy #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Germany has proposed raising social taxes for wealthy citizens
The compulsory health insurance funds are experiencing financial difficulties. SPD Secretary General Tim Klussendorf is now calling for higher contributions. He himself pays the maximum amount “and could pay more”.
Bundestag deputy,
Klussendorf receives a monthly salary of €11834.
#Germany #Tax #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Whatever happened to real clothing?
How can a pair of pants achieve the sense that you are living a more authentic life?
The original American denim jean was invented in the 1870s and marketed to miners, cowboys, and railroad workers as lifetime clothing for workers. They included all sorts of innovations for durability. The styles and fabrics and construction of these originals are all gone today, and what we see now are phony versions of the original. They are shoddy, minimalist, and fall apart quickly.
The contrast with anything you can find at any normal store is obvious. Decades ago, America lost nearly the whole of its market share in textiles and apparel. Nearly all of it is outsourced today. The reason is of course the cost of labor and materials. It simply doesn’t make sense to manufacture things here anymore.
The cost, however, is huge. Prices of clothing and shoes have defied inflation for decades now, having fallen in price in real terms. The problem is quality. You have to look hard for natural fabrics: cotton, linen, wool, and silk. If you find them, there is another problem with the construction and fabric quality itself. Then your problems really begin.
#USA #Economy #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
'Lifelong democrat' wants to be convinced to stay in the party - former dem strategist can't answer
On a recent episode of "The Morning Meeting," a woman named Sharon appeared on the podcast with former Democrat strategist Dan Turrentine, political analyst Mark Halperin, and former Trump Press Secretary Sean Spicer. She described herself as a "lifelong Democrat." She also had this to say:
“I have been super active in campaigns — I’ve worked on them, I’ve volunteered for them, I’ve contributed to them. I’m so appalled by the Democratic Party. I have no idea what they stand for. I have no idea what their policies are. The things that I see that they most talk about feel very, like, bad for the country, bad for the people — super fringy. So why would — how would you convince me to stay in that party and support it, given what is happening today?”
Trump-era reforms pave way for new U.S. nuclear project
New York plans to build a new gigawatt nuclear power plant, the first major US project of its kind in over 15 years, with Governor Kathy Hochul directing the New York Power Authority to add at least 1 gigawatt of new nuclear-power generation to its portfolio.
This initiative represents a significant test of executive orders signed by President Donald Trump aimed at accelerating nuclear energy projects through streamlined licensing and regulatory overhauls.
The project seeks to address energy reliability and affordability concerns, learn from past challenges like the closure of Indian Point, and explore partnerships and designs including small modular reactors, while acknowledging the high costs and lengthy timelines of past projects like Plant Vogtle.
#USA #Trump #Nuclear #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
“You must be black” A common vacancy on the London Underground
#UK #Migrants #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Crypto crime wave: U.S. seizes digital assets worth $225M in historic crackdown on global fraud networks
U.S. authorities confiscated $225 million in cryptocurrency tied to an international fraud network, the largest seizure in the U.S. Secret Service's 160-year history. The operation involved organized crime and human trafficking syndicates based in Southeast Asia.
Criminals posed as investors or romantic partners to lure victims into fake crypto platforms, then laundered funds using blockchain tricks (peel chains, chain hopping). Over 430 victims lost more than $3 billion across 263,000 transactions, including a Kansas bank CEO who embezzled $47 million.
These scams exploit digital tools, social media and unregulated exchanges to target victims worldwide. Authorities compared them to classic Ponzi schemes but noted their unprecedented speed and scale.
Beyond financial ruin, victims face emotional trauma and long-term hardship. The FBI estimates $5.8 billion in annual crypto fraud losses – likely underreported. Agencies used advanced blockchain analysis and partnerships (e.g., Tether) to freeze assets.
Interim U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro vowed to recover stolen funds but stressed the challenges of cross-border tracing. The case highlights the need for vigilance in the "Wild West" of crypto, urging victims to report scams via the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center.
#USA #Crypto #Crime #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
In new role at Airbnb, Biden chief of staff continues gaslighting conservatives
Ron Klain is the eye of the storm. Again. Klain, who served as chief of staff to former President Joe Biden, moved to the private sector and now serves as chief legal officer at Airbnb, the real estate rental tech giant.
Unfortunately, Klain’s gone from managing a White House accused of concealing the severity of a president’s cognitive decline to overseeing a company now being sued over allegations of violating federal securities law.
The gaslighting that ensued throughout the Biden administration is eerily reminiscent of the gaslighting we’re now seeing from Airbnb.
The Heritage Foundation filed suit after Airbnb illegally excluded a shareholder proposal without the required notice or response—a violation of Securities and Exchange Commission rules. Klain’s name is once again tied to a major institution accused of sidestepping legal obligations for political convenience.
#USA #Airbnb #Klain #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Did Trump just dump the Ukraine War into the Europeans' lap?
By Ian Proud
The aerial war between Israel and Iran over the past two weeks sucked most of the world’s attention away from the war in Ukraine.
The Hague NATO Summit confirms that President Donald Trump now sees paying for the war as Europe’s problem. It’s less clear that he will have the patience to keep pushing for peace.
One of the biggest diplomatic casualties of Israel and Iran’s aerial war was U.S. focus on and media coverage of the war in Ukraine.
If the NATO Summit showed any real purpose, it was to lock in European allies’ commitment to spend 5% of GDP on defense, a key priority for President Trump since he assumed office. But there was nevertheless no escaping the feeling that Ukraine has fallen some way down Trump’s priority list, and therefore NATO’s.
European ire was further provoked by Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s indication that the U.S. would not support further Russia sanctions at this time.
This is a clear indication of what we have observed for some time, that President Trump sees paying for the Ukraine war as Europe’s problem, not America’s. Second, and more obviously, that funding for Ukraine can contribute to Allies’ 5% target although, at least for the UK, this is already the case.
With the fanfare of The NATO Summit starting to subside, the big question now is how much patience President Trump will have to push a peace agenda in Ukraine now that European allies have stepped up to spend more and buy American kit? My worry is, not much.
#Trump #EU #WarInUkraine #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
German Socialists want to criminalise catcalling
In the German State of Saxony, the Social Democratic Party (SPD) has advocated for legislation that would make ungracious behaviour and lewd verbal remarks a criminal offence.
According to the SPD, men who engaged in crude talk, catcalling, or other forms of verbal sexual harassment should face criminal penalties — even in the absence of physical contact.
This initiative, led by the Social Democratic Women’s Working Group (ASF), was unanimously approved at a State party conference over the weekend of June 20 and was set to be presented at the SPD’s federal party congress in Berlin at the end of June.
The motion called for anyone who “significantly harasses” another person in a sexually motivated manner, either verbally or non-verbally, to be punished with a fine or imprisonment of up to one year, newspaper Bild reported.
With the proposal, the SPD aimed to close perceived existing legal gaps, as current laws only apply if such behaviour was clearly defamatory or insulting.
#Germany #SPD #ASF #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
German police launch nationwide operation against online hate speech
Police in Germany have launched a nationwide operation targeting suspected authors of online hate speech and incitement.
More than 170 operations are planned, coordinated by the Federal Criminal Police Office. The suspects are accused of incitement to hatred and insulting politicians, among other things.
The investigations focus on far-right statements made online. Many cases also involve criminal insults against politicians, with fewer cases concerning extremist religious or far-left postings.
#Germany #Online #Protest #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Von der Leyen to face no confidence vote over Pfizergate
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is facing a vote of no confidence over the controversial deal she made with Pfizer.
Romanian MEP Gheorghe Piperea, member of the European Conservatives and Reformists, said in a press release on June 26 that he gathered more than the necessary 72 signatures to table the motion.
“After thorough legal and political preparation, I have successfully obtained the required number of supporting signatures to table this motion. This initiative is fundamentally about upholding transparency and ensuring a fair and genuine democratic process.”
UBS calls dollar ‘unattractive’ as gold becomes a preferred reserve asset
The U.S. Dollar Index, when measured against a basket of other major currencies, has declined by approximately 10% this year through mid-June and is currently trading at its lowest level in three years.
That’s no small dip, and there may be additional downside risk due to concerns over America’s growing deficit and the ongoing fluctuations in tariffs.
In a note to clients last week, a Swiss multinational investment bank and financial services company UBS says the dollar is now “unattractive,” with further declines expected as the U.S. economy slows.
Meanwhile, Bloomberg reports that foreign vendors—from Latin America to Asia—are asking U.S. importers to settle invoices in euros, pesos and renminbi to avoid the currency swings.
#Dollar #UBS #Gold #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Anti-Israel activists damage Belgian defence firms supplying Ukraine
Anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian activists carried out co-ordinated action against two Belgian companies —OIP in Tournai and Syensqo in Haren — accusing them of complicity in Israeli military operations in Gaza.
While the large-scale protests on June 23 were framed around Israel, the most serious and immediate impact was felt in Tournai, where equipment destined for Ukraine’s war effort was seriously damaged.
The first action began around 5am in Tournai, where about 100 masked activists entered the grounds of defence company OIP, a Belgian subsidiary of Israeli arms manufacturer Elbit Systems. According to CEO Freddy Versluys, the group vandalised office spaces and ICT infrastructure and damaged tanks intended for delivery to Ukraine.
#Belgium #WarInUkraine #Israel #FindTruth
@uinhurricane