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December 01, 2021While the debate on the vaccine requirement to face the pandemic and omicron is ignited in Europe, Russian pressure on Ukraine reopens the problem of relations with the most uncomfortable neighbor, Vladimir Putin.

A couple of lights on both sides of the Rhine tell us that politics - even in times like these - is not quite dead.

What happens to our taxes?

the express asks.

What happened to the German middle class, the question of the Sueddeutsche Zeitung. 

Von der Layen calls for the mandatory vaccine to be discussed across the EU.

Until recently, EU states obliged their citizens to get vaccinated was considered extremely unlikely. But the taboo could fall under the pressure of relatively low vaccination rates and the new mutation of the Omicron virus, classified as "worrying" by the WHO. Yesterday, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in Brussels: "We should perhaps think about compulsory vaccination in the EU". However, he stressed that this is his "personal opinion" and that he does not intend to make any recommendations to Member States. EU heads of state and government are expected to discuss this in mid-December in Brussels. The EU cannot impose a general vaccination obligation.Health policy measures are the exclusive competence of the Member States. Austria was the first country to introduce a general vaccination requirement. The German government of Chancellor Olaf Scholz is also thinking about it, compulsory vaccination could come into force in Germany in March. And in Greece, all unvaccinated people over the age of 60 will have to pay a monthly fine of 100 euros from January.

The US calls on Russia to withdraw its troops massed on the border with Ukraine.

Von der Layen in favor of mandatory vaccination in the EU

RÜDIGER SOLDT: the debate has been going on for some time in Germany, in the wake of the decision of the Austrian government. In favor of mandatory Winfried Kretschmann (Verdi) and Markus Söder (CSU) Future Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) initially announced a discussion, then it took another week to finally rule in favor of a general vaccination obligation in light of the dramatic course of the fourth wave of infections. Prime Minister of Baden-Württemberg Kretschmann and Söder argue, in summary, that individual freedoms can ultimately only be regained through mandatory vaccination and a higher vaccination rate. The problem that arises is also constitutional legitimacy. Now there is an expert opinion from the law firm Oppenländer, commissioned by Stuttgart: "A general compulsory vaccination can be introduced in accordance with constitutional law. The federal government has the legislative competence for this. Any exceptions to mandatory vaccination must be protected by law. "Over 73 thousand infected in 24 hours in Germany, another 388 deaths, incidence of 439: a month ago it was 154 cases per 100 thousand inhabitants. But for experts it is underestimated , the real one is higher.But for experts it is underestimated, the real one is higher.But for experts it is underestimated, the real one is higher.

Two more booster doses ordered

GB has purchased enough vaccines for two more boosters per person, as part of an agreement to supply 114 million more vaccines that can be modified against new variants. Ministers said the deal with Moderna and Pfizer, which spans two years, is "future-proof" for the country, well beyond this winter's campaign. All eligible adults will be offered the booster dose by the end of January in an effort to prepare defenses against the omicron variant. But the new deal, announced by Sajid Javid, the health secretary, suggests the recalls could continue for years to come, with concerns that more variants will emerge.

A complete package against the virus

Angela Merkel, Olaf Scholz and the landers want to take tougher measures against infections, while intensive care doctors are calling for a three-week national lockdown for everyone, not just the unvaccinated.

Fear of the middle class

Middle-class membership is an anxious German goal. This combines dreams such as a higher and higher salary, pleasant vacation travel and your own property. Three quarters of Germans are among the average incomes. The reality is different: the center is shrinking, advancement becomes more difficult - and young Germans in particular are often excluded. This is demonstrated by a study by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the Bertelsmann Foundation, which raises questions for the new government. Three quarters of Germans belong to half? Are you joking? You mean it when you say it. The middle class is shrinking: from 70 percent of the population in the mid-1990s to just 64 percent in 2018. The decline mainly occurred in the 2000s.

Globalization and modern technology are putting pressure on factory and office operations. Wages are stagnant. Or people also have to switch to low-paying jobs, from security to the supermarket. From 2000 to 2014, the average disposable income in Germany, and thus the standard of living, did not rise - previously unthinkable. The Bertelsmann and OECD study shows that the proportion of medium-sized jobs in industrial enterprises is decreasing. It defines the medium in such a way that couples with two children belong if their monthly income is between 3,000 and 8,000 euros.

Where taxes go

France has the European public spending record but it doesn't show. Investigation

to understand what taxes are for, where public money is spent

The question is all the more delicate as the feeling that public services are falling

apart

is increasingly widespread: it is the republican school that is collapsing, the hospital on the brink of implosion. "... Despite the 10 billion euros each year earmarked for the national police payroll, an increase of 21% in ten years, the number of police officers on the ground has decreased by 37% over the same period.

Pensions are absorbing more and more resources.

Of every 1,000 euros of taxes spent by all public administrations, just over half (574 euros) is absorbed by social spending, of which 262 euros in pensions, 197 euros for health, 41 euros for families and 34 euros for unemployment benefit. Education is the third largest item of expenditure (9.5% of the total), followed by the general services of the state (presidency, parliament, assembly of local authorities, ministry, embassy, ​​etc. With the sharp decline in interest rates , the debt service (ie the interest that France pays to its creditors every year) has fallen sharply, but it weighs almost as much as the total cost of security and justice. 

The comparison with Germany is also instructive.

It shows that for every 1000 euros spent on both sides of the Rhine, 197 euros go to health in France ... compared to 235 euros in Germany.

The weight of housing subsidies is almost double in France.

And there are surprises: education, which devours 95 euros of the 1,000 euros in taxes paid by the French, sees just 41 euros spent on teachers.

The obligation to vaccinate becomes more and more probable, in Germany and in the rest of Europe

"Russia should pay a heavy price" Jens Stoltenberg worried about the massive presence of Russian troops on the Ukrainian border warns Moscow in case of invasion .

First case of omicron variant isolated in San Francisco in a citizen who returned from South Africa on November 22. All his contacts, traced, are negative for now.

The variant makes the

published

markets more nervous and more volatile

: deterring Russia in Ukraine

Secretary of State Antony Blinken told NATO yesterday that "we are deeply concerned by the evidence that Russia has made plans for significant aggressive moves against Ukraine": "The plans include efforts to destabilize Ukraine from within as well as large-scale military operations ". In other words, Russia could plan a coup in Kiev. Biden met the Russian strongman in June, hoping for better relationships, but the results were negative. Russia has tested an anti-satellite missile, without warning, which could be used against US assets. Belarus, with the support of Moscow, armed migrants along the border of the European Union. Russia has also moved some 90,000 troops to Ukraine's borders.Putin wants to restore a Greater Russia by bringing the former Soviet republics back under the rule of the Kremlin. Ukraine is the biggest target and Putin would like it to become a satellite dictatorship like Belarus. Putin is looking for the right time and means to make his move, and he will do it if he believes the costs will be acceptable. The US and Europe will need to make it clear that they are willing to go far beyond previous rounds of sanctions. Nord Stream 2 is expected to die and stricter restrictions are needed on Putin's loyalists and on Russian debt issuance.Putin is looking for the right time and means to make his move, and he will do it if he believes the costs will be acceptable. The US and Europe will need to make it clear that they are willing to go far beyond previous rounds of sanctions. Nord Stream 2 is expected to die and stricter restrictions are needed on Putin's loyalists and on Russian debt issuance.Putin is looking for the right time and means to make his move, and he will do it if he believes the costs will be acceptable. The US and Europe will need to make it clear that they are willing to go far beyond previous rounds of sanctions. Nord Stream 2 is expected to die and stricter restrictions are needed on Putin's loyalists and on Russian debt issuance.

Floating nuclear power plant powers Putin's Arctic vision

Moscow plans to open a major shipping lane and gain access to vast metal deposits

Power of the Sea: Akademik Lomonosov, the world's first floating nuclear power plant, in the port of Pevek, in the Far East of Russia. Rosatom, the state nuclear corporation, plans four more such platforms in the region 

The port of Pevek is ice-free for only four months of the year, but is set to become a center for commercial shipping on the so-called North Sea Route, as climate change gradually facilitates passage across the Arctic: 27 -28 days against 40 from the Suez Canal. And the energy provided by Akademik Lomonosov is destined to help Pevek become a gateway to Chukotka, a region close to Alaska and rich in gold, silver, copper, lithium and other metals.

Supreme Court Seems Ready To Uphold Mississippi Abortion Act As

judges seem poised to uphold state law banning abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy.

But the Court's conservative majority are divided on whether to stop at 15 weeks or whether to completely overturn Roe v.

Wade.

The orientation of the Supreme Court shakes the political landscape

Democrats immediately vowed to make the right to abortion a central focus in next year's midterm elections, where their prospects seem dim, while many Republicans have tried to keep the focus on inflation and other problems that plague. President Biden. "This is an attack on women to make their own health decisions. Their families, it depends on them," said Senator Patty Murray (Wash.), Former chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. "Having the politicians decide for me is simply scary, and I expect many voters to react to that." Senator Rick Scott (Fla.), Chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee,on the contrary, he hesitated when asked if he believes abortion will be a motivating issue for Republican voters. "They are talking about inflation. They are talking about the border. They are talking about the debacle in Afghanistan. They are talking about parental involvement in education," Scott said. "If you look at the polls and what people care about, that's what they focus on."

The multiple responses framed a central question: Wednesday's Supreme Court bombshell, in which the conservative majority suggested they were ready to drastically cut abortion rights, would energize liberals after decades of the issue. was a more powerful motivation for the right? 

The court ruling could run as late as next June, meaning it would land as the campaign is in full swing for the November 2022 Congressional elections.

The number of cashiers decreased from 5 to 10% in the last 10 years.

A trend that is strengthening with ultra-sophisticated systems to pay without queuing at the cash desk.

67 years after his death, his paintings become a milestone in Latin America. Mexican artist Frida Kahlo became the highest rated with one of her latest self-portraits. His painting "Diego and I" (1949) was auctioned at Sotheby's in New York, surpassing figures never seen in the region. Kahlo broke a Latin American artist's record at auction for selling his canvas for $ 34.9 million. The offer started at 30 million and then reached around 35 million. In this way she left her husband Diego Rivera's painting “Los rivales” behind by about ten million. The sale, for the work of a Latin American woman, became a record, surpassed globally by a painting by Georgia O'Keefe that Sotheby's sold at auction in 2014 for 44 million.In 1990 the painting "Diego and I" was sold at auction, also at Sotheby's, for $ 1.4 million. The highest price for a Frida Kahlo creation was $ 8 million, "Two Nudes in the Forest". The auction of the Mexican's 1939 work was held in 2016. Sotheby's said the latest sale "eclipses the record for a Latin American work of art."Latin American art ".Latin American art ".

El País reports that Kahlo painted "Diego and I" five years before his death. The painting is considered to be one of his last self-portraits. He created it in a time of great difficulty, as he had to endure the physical pain of his multiple operations.

Details of the memorandum of understanding between Israel and the Kingdom of Morocco in the field of security leaked to the Israeli media. The document, signed last week by Israeli Defense Minister Beni Gantz during his visit to Morocco, is the first of its kind between a Jewish state and an Arab country. Information about Israeli arms sales in Rabat, particularly kamikaze drones, is of concern among Moroccan neighbors and, in the kingdom itself, the news has led to an outbreak of outrage and an avalanche of anti-Israeli rhetoric.

The security memorandum of understanding was signed last week in Rabat by Gantz and the Moroccan Minister for National Defense Abdellatif Ludiyya. As Gantz wrote on his Twitter, the memorandum provides a framework for the defense relations between the two countries and will facilitate their further cooperation in various fields. These are intelligence activities, joint training, defense agreements and close links between industries.

The memorandum was the first defense document signed by Israel with an Arab country. A spokesperson for the Israeli Defense Ministry said in a media interview that Israel maintains close security ties with Jordan and Egypt, with which it also has peace agreements, but has no MOUs with these countries. making the agreement with Morocco "unprecedented".

Israel and Morocco have maintained clandestine contacts and exchanged intelligence for decades, but have avoided publicizing them.

In particular, the secret visits to Morocco in the late 1970s by Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Foreign Minister Moshe Dayan are known.

And even earlier, as the Israeli media recalled, Morocco allowed the Mossad to install bedbugs on the premises of the building in Casablanca, where the meeting of Arab leaders was taking place, which provided Israel with extremely important information on the eve of the war of 1967. Israel, in turn, helped kidnap Moroccan opposition leader Mehdi Ben Barka in Europe, who was then tortured and killed.