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The AfD in Hamburg intends to kick out a lawmaker who recently served as an election observer in Russia

A Siberian-born German politician is being punished by her party for allegedly deceiving fellow members about her intention to serve as an election observer in Russia.

Olga Petersen, who is an Alternative for Germany (AfD) member of the Hamburg State Parliament, went to Russia in March to observe the presidential election and shared her impressions about the process in interviews with local media at the time.

The right-wing party's Hamburg branch announced on Tuesday that she had been removed from its faction in the parliament and that a legal process for her ouster from the party had been launched.

The statement listed several reasons for the disciplinary action, most related to Petersen's alleged disruptive impact on internal party politics. The AfD also accused her of deceiving fellow members by telling them she was going to Russia in a personal capacity and acting otherwise during the trip.

The German government has denounced the Russian election, claiming it was neither free nor fair, and declined to send a representative to the inauguration of Vladimir Putin on Tuesday. The Russian president won in a landslide in March, securing a fifth term in office.

READ MORE: Relations with West, national resilience and forging victory: Key takeaways from Putin’s inauguration

According to German media, earlier this year, the AfD’s federal leadership reprimanded three members of its Bavarian branch who defied its warnings not to observe the Russian election. In general, however, the party is critical of the government’s handling of the Ukraine crisis and advocates for improving relations with Moscow.

Petersen was the only woman in the AfD’s faction in the Hamburg Parliament. Now that she is independent, the group has shrunk to six members. She told NDR radio that her loyalties remain with the party and that she is preparing for a legal battle against the motion to expel her.

Some Republicans are reportedly hoping to dissuade the international court from issuing arrest warrants for the Israeli leadership

A group of Republican lawmakers in the US House of Representatives is devising sanctions against the International Criminal Court (ICC) in a bid to protect Israeli leaders, Axios has reported.

The measures are aimed at deterring the international body from issuing arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and several other senior officials over the ongoing military campaign against Hamas in Gaza.

Launched following the incursion by the militant group on October 7, which claimed the lives of around 1,200 Israelis, the offensive has resulted in the deaths of nearly 35,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to Hamas-controlled health authorities.

The campaign has widely been regarded as a disproportionate and heavy-handed response by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), and has attracted increasing criticism in recent months, including from countries that traditionally back Israel, such as the US and some Western European nations.

In January, the United Nations International Court of Justice (ICJ) said in a ruling that it was “plausible” that the Israeli military had committed genocide in the densely populated Palestinian enclave.

Over the past few weeks, several media outlets have claimed that the ICC could charge the Israeli leadership with war crimes.

In an article on Tuesday, Axios quoted House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Michael McCaul as saying that he and his colleagues had been in contact with ICC prosecutor Karim Khan.

“We’re not sure if the arrest warrants are imminent, but it’s sort of a precaution to let them know that, if they do, we have this legislation ready to go,” he revealed.

Late last month, Republican and Democrat US representatives issued a statement warning the ICC of “consequences” in the event that it pursued the Israeli prime minister and other officials.

Their colleagues in the US Senate held a virtual meeting with ICC representatives last week to convey their concerns, Axios reported.

Khan said in a statement released last Friday that threats to “retaliate against the court or against court personnel” undermine the international body’s independence and impartiality.

“The Office insists that all attempts to impede, intimidate or improperly influence its officials cease immediately,” he wrote.

Netanyahu has accused the judicial body of seeking to “paralyze Israel’s very ability to defend itself,” while fanning the “fires of anti-Semitism.”

In late April, Axios, citing two anonymous Israeli officials, claimed that the Israeli prime minister had asked US President Joe Biden to stop the ICC from issuing arrest warrants.

Some Republicans are reportedly hoping to dissuade the international court from issuing arrest warrants for the Israeli leadership

A group of Republican lawmakers in the US House of Representatives is devising sanctions against the International Criminal Court (ICC) in a bid to protect Israeli leaders, Axios has reported.

The measures are aimed at deterring the international body from issuing arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and several other senior officials over the ongoing military campaign against Hamas in Gaza.

Launched following the incursion by the militant group on October 7, which claimed the lives of around 1,200 Israelis, the offensive has resulted in the deaths of nearly 35,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to Hamas-controlled health authorities.

The campaign has widely been regarded as a disproportionate and heavy-handed response by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), and has attracted increasing criticism in recent months, including from countries that traditionally back Israel, such as the US and some Western European nations.

In January, the United Nations International Court of Justice (ICJ) said in a ruling that it was “plausible” that the Israeli military had committed genocide in the densely populated Palestinian enclave.

Over the past few weeks, several media outlets have claimed that the ICC could charge the Israeli leadership with war crimes.

In an article on Tuesday, Axios quoted House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Michael McCaul as saying that he and his colleagues had been in contact with ICC prosecutor Karim Khan.

“We’re not sure if the arrest warrants are imminent, but it’s sort of a precaution to let them know that, if they do, we have this legislation ready to go,” he revealed.

Late last month, Republican and Democrat US representatives issued a statement warning the ICC of “consequences” in the event that it pursued the Israeli prime minister and other officials.

Their colleagues in the US Senate held a virtual meeting with ICC representatives last week to convey their concerns, Axios reported.

Khan said in a statement released last Friday that threats to “retaliate against the court or against court personnel” undermine the international body’s independence and impartiality.

“The Office insists that all attempts to impede, intimidate or improperly influence its officials cease immediately,” he wrote.

Netanyahu has accused the judicial body of seeking to “paralyze Israel’s very ability to defend itself,” while fanning the “fires of anti-Semitism.”

In late April, Axios, citing two anonymous Israeli officials, claimed that the Israeli prime minister had asked US President Joe Biden to stop the ICC from issuing arrest warrants.

Once whispered in hushed tones and brushed aside as mere tales for the tinfoil-hatted, the narrative of vaccine injuries has pirouetted into the spotlight of undeniable existence. It is uncommon to encounter individuals without at least one acquaintance who has experienced vaccine-related side effects. But Big Pharma and the WHO are not stopping anytime soon. Instead, they’ve upped the ante.

Source

I began a daily journal on March 15, 2020, when everything solid turned liquid. I had just written a letter to Bishop Burns of Dallas, begging him, for pity’s sake, not to close the churches like Boston and Newark had done. I naïvely hoped such foolishness would never take hold in Texas. So, my journal is, at least, a record of what we were like before our credulity and goodwill were abused.

Source

The State Department had been expected to reveal its assessment to Congress on Wednesday

The administration of US President Joe Biden is postponing a report on whether Israel has committed war crimes in Gaza, Politico said on Tuesday, citing anonymous lawmakers.

For several months, the State Department has been investigating if Israel has violated international humanitarian law since the beginning of its military operation in the Palestinian enclave. Should the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) be found in violation, the usual US military assistance to the Jewish state would be at risk of drying up. 

The Biden administration had been aiming to deliver the report to Congress on Wednesday, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said during a press conference on Tuesday afternoon. He stressed the soft deadline was “self-imposed,” and that work is ongoing.

A senior administration official, speaking anonymously, told Politico that the report will “be delayed by less than a week.”

Meanwhile, the US has paused shipments of bombs to Israel against the backdrop of the IDF’s “limited” ground offensive into the overcrowded Gazan border town of Rafah, the Associated Press reported on Wednesday. The assault was initiated against the Biden administration’s wishes, the agency wrote, citing a senior administration official. A shipment of 1,800 2,000-pound (900kg) bombs and 1,700 500-pound (225kg) bombs had been earmarked for the IDF last week, but the US was concerned about the potential use of larger explosives in Rafah’s extremely overpopulated conditions, the official told the AP.

READ MORE: US won’t sanction IDF despite ‘gross human rights violations’ – media

More than 1.4 million Palestinians are currently sheltering in the town, according to UN estimates. They have been displaced from the rest of Gaza by the Israeli war against militant group Hamas. The total population of Gaza was estimated to be just over 2.2 million before the events of October 7, when Hamas attacked Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostage. The subsequent IDF blockade and bombing and ground operation has taken almost 35,000 Palestinian lives, according to local health authorities, as well as placing Israel’s methods of warfare under global scrutiny.

The non-linearity of Tehran’s strategy makes relations with it particularly interesting

The most memorable impression of Iran is the paradox that accompanies almost every aspect of public life. On the one hand, the state is quite strict in monitoring order on the streets and observance of religious requirements. On the other, there are no excessive security measures. In fact, one sometimes wishes that they could be strengthened. For example, at airports the arbitrary movement of people gives the impression of easy access for terrorists. The ban on all foreign messengers is combined with the universal use of VPNs. Almost half a century of conflict with the United States (Iran is one of the few countries that does not even have an American embassy) does not prevent the elite and academics from speaking excellent English and frequently publishing in foreign journals.

This paradox is fully inherent in Iranian foreign policy, as was evident when we spent a few days in the country during the lull in the exchange of drone and missile strikes with Israel. The general impression is that Tehran is perfectly happy with the results it has achieved and is not seeking an all-out war with its main regional adversary. What looks from the outside like an inadequate response to Israel is, in Iran’s paradoxical logic, exactly optimal. It allows them to solve a foreign policy problem without taking undue risks. Everyone understands that a major war in the Middle East would only benefit Israel, right? For Tehran, the main thing is not to give the Israelis what they want.

This unique approach to foreign and domestic policy is the result of the special conditions under which the country has developed since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Its main consequence was the strategic confrontation with the West, which unfolded at the height of the world domination of the US and its European allies, from the 1980s to the 2000s. Initially, Tehran’s adversary was also the USSR, which supported Saddam Hussein’s government during the Iran-Iraq war. This is well remembered there. However, it doesn’t mean that the attitude towards the Soviet Union is being transferred to Russia – here Iranian strategic logic easily accepts that yesterday’s adversary can be today’s reliable friend. The conflict with the West, despite the possibility of tactical deals, has a worldview character: the Iranian state is built on the ability to make internal decisions that the US and Europe deny to everyone else.

The price of this Iranian independence is very high. First and foremost is the steady exodus of educated young people who are unhappy with the restrictions on their private lives. It also includes the large number of poor people and urban air pollution caused by the use of old cars and poor quality petrol. The response to these challenges is paradoxical, as it should be for a grand strategy: it consists of a constant increase in the number of students and large universities with their own research laboratories (mostly in the natural sciences). Iran is now probably the country with the fastest growing educational programs, including those aimed at international cooperation.

At the same time, no one is preventing the return of those who have left, provided they have not committed any crimes. Joint research with Iranians living abroad is also welcome. And the country’s consistent efforts to develop the natural sciences give us reason to believe that, in time, it will be possible to solve the economic and technological problems of development. Under the US blockade and UN sanctions, results are coming slowly, but the alternative is to give up independence, which is not part of Tehran’s plans.

In assessing Iran’s foreign policy, we must first understand that this power has been fighting for several decades against all odds, outnumbered and alone. And that is why, more than most, it can be characterized by the paradoxical logic that distinguishes the possessors of a true grand strategy. And every decision made by the Iranian authorities, whether tactical or on a larger scale, such as joining the BRICS group in January of this year, should be assessed precisely as a manifestation of this – completely devoid of linearity. It is almost impossible to predict behavior within this logic, but it is precisely this logic that makes relations with Iran interesting and instructive.

This article was first published by Profile.ru, translated and edited by the RT team

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. claims that he is “drawing a lot of voters” from the former president

US independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has challenged former President Donald Trump to a debate at this month’s Libertarian National Convention. Trump insists that Kennedy is “not a serious candidate.”

“I’d like to make you an offer. We’re both going to be speaking at the upcoming Libertarian convention on May 24 and 25,” Kennedy wrote in an X (formerly Twitter) post on Tuesday addressed to Trump. “It’s perfect neutral territory for you and me to have a debate where you can defend your record for your wavering supporters.”

Asked last week whether he would debate Kennedy, Trump said that the former Democrat is “not a serious candidate” and would have to “get his numbers a lot higher before he’s credible.”

In his post on Tuesday, Kennedy claimed that a poll commissioned by his campaign showed that he would “crush” President Joe Biden in a two-way contest, and would defeat Trump “in a nail-biter” in a similar matchup. Polls published last month by CNN and Quinnipiac both showed Kennedy at 16% in a contest involving him, Trump, Biden, and other independents, a result that he argued puts him “above the 15% debate threshold.”

READ MORE: Biden a ‘threat to democracy’ – RFK Jr

“I’m also drawing a lot of voters from your former supporters. They are upset that you blew up the deficit, shut down their businesses during Covid, and filled your administration with swamp creatures,” Kennedy wrote. 

Known for his anti-vaccine activism, free-speech advocacy, and foreign policy pacifism, Kennedy entered the race for the White House as a Democrat last April, before announcing in October that he would run as an independent instead. His effect on this November’s election has proven difficult for pundits to predict, with polls showing him pulling support from both Biden and Trump.

“The Democrats are frightened that I’m gonna spoil the election for President Biden, and the Republicans are frightened that I’m gonna spoil it for President Trump,” Kennedy said last year. “The truth is, they’re both right. My intention is to spoil it for both of them.”

Trump and Kennedy will both deliver headline speeches at the Libertarian Party’s convention in Washington DC later this month, despite the fact that the party also intends to field its own candidate for the presidency. 

In a statement last week, Trump encouraged Libertarian Party members to back his campaign. “If Libertarians join me and the Republican Party, where we have many Libertarian views, the election won’t even be close,” he said. “We cannot have another four years of death, destruction, and incompetence. WE WILL WORK TOGETHER AND WIN!”

Soviet and Russian flags, as well as St. George ribbons, have been banned at WWII memorials in the German capital on May 8 and 9

A decision by Berlin police to ban symbols “linked to Russia” at the city’s WWII memorials during upcoming Victory Day celebrations has drawn the ire of Moscow’s embassy. The diplomatic mission blasted the move on Tuesday as “discriminatory” and violating the principle of “historical reconciliation” of the two nations.

The measures announced by the Berlin authorities are “unacceptable,” the embassy said in a statement, adding that the restrictions essentially ban all symbols “inseparably associated” with Victory Day.

The anniversary of victory over Nazism and the end of World War II in Europe is celebrated in Russia and many post-Soviet states on May 9. It corresponds to Victory in Europe Day, also known as Liberation Day or simply Victory Day in Western countries, which is celebrated on May 8.

According to the embassy, symbols such as the Soviet flag and the Victory Banner – a flag raised by Soviet soldiers over the Reichstag building in Berlin on May 1, 1945 – are all banned under the city police rules, along with WWII-era songs and the elements of the uniform worn by the anti-Hitler coalition, which included the USSR and the Allies.

“The Soviet Union had to pay with the lives of over 27 million of its citizens for this peaceful sky,” the Russian Embassy said, adding that millions of Soviet people died on the battlefields of World War II or were “tortured to death in the Nazi concentration camps.” Anyone should have the right to “honor the memory of the fallen Red Army soldiers and the victims of Nazism in a dignified manner and in line with longstanding traditions,” it stated.

The statement demanded that “all the relevant bans be lifted.”

Last Friday, the Berlin police department published the rules for the upcoming Victory Day celebrations, justifying its decision by the need to ensure “dignified commemoration of the fallen Soviet Army soldiers” against the background “of the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.”

Under the regulations, certain symbols were banned at the city’s WWII Soviet memorials in Treptow Park, the Tiergarten, and Schoenholzer Heide, as well as in their immediate surroundings. The list of prohibited items includes “any flags linked to Russia” and elements of any military uniform, including modified elements. The orange and black St. George’s ribbon, a popular commemoration symbol in Russia and other former Soviet republics, was banned as well.

Soviet military and march songs were also prohibited, along with any items that could be deemed “suitable for glorifying” the conflict between Moscow and Kiev. WWII veterans as well as diplomats and foreign officials taking part in any official commemorative events in the city were exempted from these rules, the police said.

It is the third year in a row that German law enforcement has introduced these types of restrictions. The first such decision was made in May 2022, shortly after the fighting between Russia and Ukraine started. On that occasion, the Berlin authorities banned the display of the flags of the two countries, arguing that the measure was needed to keep the WWII commemorations “clearly separated” from the present-day situation.

In 2023, a similar ban was legally challenged by activists. A German court initially sided with the plaintiffs and partially lifted the ban, but the decision was challenged by the police, who eventually succeeded in reintroducing the prohibition in full.

The General Assembly is expected to vote on a draft resolution backing Palestine as eligible for full membership

The US government could suspend all funding for UN agencies if a resolution recognizing Palestine as qualifying for full membership is adopted, Reuters has reported.

Palestine is currently a “permanent observer state” at the UN that participates in meetings but does not have voting rights.

The UN General Assembly could vote on Friday on a draft resolution that would recognize the Palestinian Authority (PA) as eligible to become a full member of the world body and recommend that the UN Security Council “reconsider the matter favorably.” 

Reuters wrote that the vote would demonstrate the level of global support Palestinians have for their bid, which was vetoed by the US in the UN Security Council last month. An application to become a full UN member needs to be approved by the 15-member Security Council, as well as the General Assembly.

“We are aware of the resolution and reiterate our concerns with any effort to extend certain benefits to entities when there are unresolved questions as to whether the Palestinians currently meet the criteria under the Charter,” Nate Evans, spokesperson for the US mission to the UN, was quoted as saying.

Under US law, Washington cannot fund any UN organization that grants full membership to any group that does not have the “internationally recognized attributes” of statehood. In 2011, the US halted funding for the UN cultural agency (UNESCO) after the PA became a full member.

“It remains the US view that the path toward statehood for the Palestinian people is through direct negotiations,” Evans said.

Diplomats told Reuters that the 193-member General Assembly is likely to back the Palestinian bid, adding that changes could still be made to the draft.

Israel’s UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan denounced the current draft General Assembly resolution, saying it would give Palestinians the rights of a state and that it goes against the founding UN Charter.

“If it is approved, I expect the United States to completely stop funding the UN and its institutions, in accordance with American law,” Erdan stated.

Under the governance of the PA, the State of Palestine claims sovereignty over territory considered Palestinian before the outbreak of the 1967 Six-Day War. This includes Gaza, the entire West Bank, and East Jerusalem.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected the idea of Palestinian statehood, and vowed to impose “full Israeli security control over the entire area west of Jordan,” which includes all of these regions.

Parts of the West Bank are already under full Israeli military and civilian control, while Gaza is governed by Hamas, which views the PA as illegitimate for recognizing and negotiating with Israel.

The General Assembly is expected to vote on a draft resolution backing Palestine as eligible for full membership

The US government could suspend all funding for UN agencies if a resolution recognizing Palestine as qualifying for full membership is adopted, Reuters has reported.

Palestine is currently a “permanent observer state” at the UN that participates in meetings but does not have voting rights.

The UN General Assembly could vote on Friday on a draft resolution that would recognize the Palestinian Authority (PA) as eligible to become a full member of the world body and recommend that the UN Security Council “reconsider the matter favorably.” 

Reuters wrote that the vote would demonstrate the level of global support Palestinians have for their bid, which was vetoed by the US in the UN Security Council last month. An application to become a full UN member needs to be approved by the 15-member Security Council, as well as the General Assembly.

“We are aware of the resolution and reiterate our concerns with any effort to extend certain benefits to entities when there are unresolved questions as to whether the Palestinians currently meet the criteria under the Charter,” Nate Evans, spokesperson for the US mission to the UN, was quoted as saying.

Under US law, Washington cannot fund any UN organization that grants full membership to any group that does not have the “internationally recognized attributes” of statehood. In 2011, the US halted funding for the UN cultural agency (UNESCO) after the PA became a full member.

“It remains the US view that the path toward statehood for the Palestinian people is through direct negotiations,” Evans said.

Diplomats told Reuters that the 193-member General Assembly is likely to back the Palestinian bid, adding that changes could still be made to the draft.

Israel’s UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan denounced the current draft General Assembly resolution, saying it would give Palestinians the rights of a state and that it goes against the founding UN Charter.

“If it is approved, I expect the United States to completely stop funding the UN and its institutions, in accordance with American law,” Erdan stated.

Under the governance of the PA, the State of Palestine claims sovereignty over territory considered Palestinian before the outbreak of the 1967 Six-Day War. This includes Gaza, the entire West Bank, and East Jerusalem.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected the idea of Palestinian statehood, and vowed to impose “full Israeli security control over the entire area west of Jordan,” which includes all of these regions.

Parts of the West Bank are already under full Israeli military and civilian control, while Gaza is governed by Hamas, which views the PA as illegitimate for recognizing and negotiating with Israel.

The ethnic group has reportedly been taking advantage of the temporary protection status granted to refugees from Ukraine

Some Romani people have been abusing social benefits granted by Switzerland to Ukrainian refugees, Nau news outlet reported on Tuesday citing Swiss authorities.

The Roma are an ethnic group that has lived throughout the world since their migration from India over 1,000 years ago. They are not recognized as a national minority in Switzerland, and have reportedly been taking advantage of the so-called ‘S protection status system’ activated in the country shortly after the escalation of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in early 2022. S status grants Ukrainian refugees the right to an extended visa-free stay, accommodation, medical care and other social benefits. Those applying for S status also do not have to go through the usual asylum-seeking procedure.

According to the report, authorities in Bern have identified at least ten Roma families who have been staying in the city under illegally obtained Ukrainian passports. Alexander Ott, head of Bern’s immigration police, told the news outlet that the documents themselves were in fact real, but their owners had no true claim on them.

“We discovered irregularities in the documents. For example, if the driver’s license contains different information than the passport, this is often an indication. Or if the people cannot repeat any information contained in the documents,” Ott explained.

Reto Kormann, spokesman for the Swiss State Secretariat for Migration (SEM), told the news outlet that since March 2023 his agency has detected around 30 fake Ukrainian identification papers used to obtain social benefits, and found that in several cases they were produced and sold illegally in Ukraine. He noted that fake travel and identity documents are “not a new phenomenon” in the SEM’s line of work. However, cases where the documents are genuine but illegally acquired, as in the cases involving Roma, have previously been few and far between and therefore are more difficult to investigate, he said.

Officials noted that the problem involving the Roma using fake Ukrainian identification has been spreading throughout the country. Georg Carl, head of the migration department in the eastern canton of Graubuenden, told the news outlet he suspected that at least half of the approximately 470 people with status S housed in the region were Roma. And, while Romani communities are known to exist in Ukraine, these people were unlikely to be refugees from the conflict, as they speak neither Ukrainian nor Russian.

Earlier this month, following complaints over similar issues in the St. Gallen canton, Swiss MPs Boris Tschirky and Benedikt Wuerth submitted a request to the Federal Council to make adjustments to the S system to stop its abuse. However, the proposal has not been approved so far.

Suspected “misconduct” at the company’s South Carolina plant has reportedly caused a delay in the delivery of new planes

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has announced it has launched a probe against Boeing to ascertain whether one of its factories may have omitted mandatory inspections and whether employees may have falsified records.

The inquiry was begun after the company itself informed the FAA about what it called “misconduct” at its factory in South Carolina. The issue revolved around the beleaguered 787 program, according to media reports. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is a two-aisle plane used mostly for long-haul flights.

“The company voluntarily informed us in April that it may not have completed required inspections to confirm adequate bonding and grounding where the wings join the fuselage on certain 787 Dreamliner airplanes,” the FAA said in a statement. According to the agency, “Boeing is reinspecting all 787 airplanes still within the production system and must also create a plan to address the in-service fleet.”

No planes were taken out of service following the discovery, according to AP. The company only ordered additional checks at its final assembly plant in North Charleston, delaying the aircraft delivery, the news agency said. The company’s shares dropped by 1.5% late on Monday following the news.

Following inquiries by the media, the aircraft manufacturer released an internal email written by the head of the 787 program, Scott Stocker, who said that a worker at the South Carolina factory noticed an “irregularity” in the required wing-to-body joint tests and reported the issue to his manager.

“After receiving the report, we quickly reviewed the matter and learned that several people had been violating Company policies by not performing a required test, but recording the work as having been completed,” Stocker admitted, adding that the company was taking “swift and serious corrective action” as a result.

The development is the latest in a series of issues confronting the company. Last week, it reported that the lack of a key component was delaying production of the Dreamliner. It blamed the issue on sanctions against Russia, adding that the required parts were produced by a joint US-Russian venture.

The company also recently told investors that it would not be able to deliver as many Dreamliner jets as had been planned this year due to shortages of heat exchangers and cabin seating.

Monthly production of the Boeing 737 MAX has also fallen to single digits as the company is still dealing with manufacturing issues in the wake of an incident that saw a door plug blow out mid-flight on an Alaska Airlines plane in January. The 737 MAX has been plagued by mishaps, including two crashes in 2018 and 2019 that resulted in more than 340 deaths.

Suspected “misconduct” at the company’s South Carolina plant has reportedly caused a delay in the delivery of new planes

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has announced it has launched a probe against Boeing to ascertain whether one of its factories may have omitted mandatory inspections and whether employees may have falsified records.

The inquiry was begun after the company itself informed the FAA about what it called “misconduct” at its factory in South Carolina. The issue revolved around the beleaguered 787 program, according to media reports. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is a two-aisle plane used mostly for long-haul flights.

“The company voluntarily informed us in April that it may not have completed required inspections to confirm adequate bonding and grounding where the wings join the fuselage on certain 787 Dreamliner airplanes,” the FAA said in a statement. According to the agency, “Boeing is reinspecting all 787 airplanes still within the production system and must also create a plan to address the in-service fleet.”

No planes were taken out of service following the discovery, according to AP. The company only ordered additional checks at its final assembly plant in North Charleston, delaying the aircraft delivery, the news agency said. The company’s shares dropped by 1.5% late on Monday following the news.

Following inquiries by the media, the aircraft manufacturer released an internal email written by the head of the 787 program, Scott Stocker, who said that a worker at the South Carolina factory noticed an “irregularity” in the required wing-to-body joint tests and reported the issue to his manager.

“After receiving the report, we quickly reviewed the matter and learned that several people had been violating Company policies by not performing a required test, but recording the work as having been completed,” Stocker admitted, adding that the company was taking “swift and serious corrective action” as a result.

The development is the latest in a series of issues confronting the company. Last week, it reported that the lack of a key component was delaying production of the Dreamliner. It blamed the issue on sanctions against Russia, adding that the required parts were produced by a joint US-Russian venture.

The company also recently told investors that it would not be able to deliver as many Dreamliner jets as had been planned this year due to shortages of heat exchangers and cabin seating.

Monthly production of the Boeing 737 MAX has also fallen to single digits as the company is still dealing with manufacturing issues in the wake of an incident that saw a door plug blow out mid-flight on an Alaska Airlines plane in January. The 737 MAX has been plagued by mishaps, including two crashes in 2018 and 2019 that resulted in more than 340 deaths.

Berlin must not allow the humble doner to “become a luxury item,” the Left party has demanded

Germany’s Left party has suggested that the state subsidize doner kebabs to the tune of almost €4 billion per year. Inflation and rising energy costs have nearly doubled the price of the Turkish snack staple in recent years.

In a policy paper seen by German tabloid Bild and reported on Sunday, the Left proposed capping the price of a doner kebab at €4.90 or €2.50 for students, young people, and those on low incomes. With the cost of a kebab now averaging €7.90, the government would pick up the rest of the tab, the paper states.

“A kebab price cap helps consumers and kebab shop owners. If the state adds three euros for every kebab, the kebab price cap would cost almost four billion,” the party wrote in the paper, explaining that around 1.3 billion kebabs are eaten in Germany every year.

“When young people demand: Olaf, make the kebab cheaper, it’s not an internet joke, but a serious cry for help,” Left party executive Kathi Gebel told Bild, referring to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. “The state must intervene so that food does not become a luxury item.”

Introduced to Germany by Turkish immigrants in the 1970s, the doner kebab has become the nation’s favorite fast food. However, while the Left describes the sauce-laden lamb sandwich as a daily staple for some families, most doctors and nutritionists would recommend they be consumed only as an occasional treat. A 2009 study from Scotland found that the average doner kebab contained 98% of an adult’s recommended daily salt intake and 150% of the recommended saturated fat intake.

For years, the price of a doner kebab hovered around €4 in Germany. However, the rising energy costs and inflation that followed Scholz’s decision to embargo Russian fossil fuels have forced vendors to up their prices.

“We have been forced to push up the price due to exploding rent, energy and food prices,” a kebab stand operator in Berlin told The Guardian. “People talk to us all the time about ‘Donerflation’, as if we were diddling them, but it’s completely out of our control.”

Many Germans blame Scholz for depriving them of cheap kebabs. “I pay eight euros for a doner,” a protester shouted at Scholz in 2022, before imploring the chancellor to “talk to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, I would like to pay four euros for a doner, please.”

“It’s quite striking that everywhere I go, mainly from young people, I’m asked whether there shouldn’t be a price cap for the doner,” Scholz remarked in a recent Instagram video. However, Scholz has ruled out such a move, instead praising the “good work of the European Central Bank” in supposedly getting inflation under control.

Kebab fans are not the only Germans suffering under Scholz. Last month, Germany’s largest steelmaker, Thyssenkrupp, announced “a substantial reduction in production” at its Duisburg facility, firing 13,000 employees. The company blamed “high energy costs and tight emission reduction regulations” for its decline in productivity. 

Less than a week after Thyssenkrupp announced its cutbacks, the International Monetary Fund revised Germany’s economic growth outlook down from 0.5% to 0.2% this year. According to the figures, Germany is expected to have the weakest growth of any state belonging to the G7 group of industrialized countries in 2024.