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Geopolitics Society

The Gothic Font Hitler Loved — Until He Didn’t

The edict was both covert and surprising: On Jan. 3 1941, Nazi official Martin Bormann announced that Hitler no longer wanted to see Gothic typefaces, a.k.a. Fraktur typefaces, used in print. But the stated reason for this decision was pure invention.

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Geopolitics

A Visit To The Whites-Only South African Town That’s Saying ‘No’ To Trump

Donald Trump calls the white Boer minority in South Africa “disadvantaged” and offers them asylum in the U.S. But they want no part of it, as quickly becomes clear on a visit to Orania, the most controversial white settlement in the country.

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Society

How Jesus’ Gospel Was Betrayed By Bible Mistranslations

Jesus spoke Aramaic, but the Bible has been translated from Greek. Many mistaken translations of the Gospels have skewed the development of Christianity — and the course of history. It’s time to let the Bible be retranslated to let its true message be known.

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Ideas Society

“You Ass Tulip!” What Those Unique Turkish Insults Say About Tradition And Prejudice

Profanity is a kind of national sport in Turkey. But it can also be risky business, sometimes leading to lawsuits or even death. One political scientist researching Turkey’s unique way of conjuring curse words explains what the country’s inventive slurs reveal about its fears and prejudices.

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Geopolitics Society

Nazi Font: Why Hitler Got Rid Of The Beloved Gothic Typeface

The edict was both covert and surprising: On Jan. 3 1941, Nazi official Martin Bormann announced that Hitler no longer wanted to see Gothic typefaces used in print. But the stated reason for this decision was pure invention.

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Russia-Ukraine War Society

Masha And The Bear, When A Popular Cartoon Hides Kremlin Propaganda

Packed full of Russian culture, the children’s cartoon Masha and the Bear is a very popular cultural export. But does that make the little girl and her furry friend pro-Putin propaganda? Reflections from a conflicted parent in Germany.

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Geopolitics

Adré Snapshot: A Rare Glimpse Of The Awful Toll Of The War In Sudan

The war in Sudan has displaced some 10 million people, and 2 million have moved to the already fragile neighboring countries. Yet, as the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East dominate global politics, there are huge gaps in the provision of international aid to these refugees. Rarely has a disaster of this magnitude received so little attention from the international community.

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In The News

“We Can’t Rule Alone” – New Taliban Leaders Speak

Reporter Daniel-Dylan Böhmer of Die Welt gained exclusive access to key Taliban officials in Kabul, and visited the heavily armed security forces at the airport, to get a sense of what Afghanistan’s future may hold.

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Society Women Worldwide

From Beauty Queens To Journalists, The Somali Women Defying Both Al-Shabaab And Conservative Society

No other African country was dominated by men to the same extent as Somalia. Yet women have been fighting against male control: whether in parliament, where there is now a quota for female representatives, in journalism or in beauty contests. But they are coming up against dangerous opposition.

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Ideas Society

Bigoted Botany: The Politics And Science Of Canceling Racist Plant Names

Harmless insects are named after nasty dictators, which doesn’t seem to bother zoologists. Botanists, on the other hand, want to banish the offensive word “caffra” from the realm of flora. There is an understandable reason why South Africa has managed to do so, writes correspondent Christian Putsch.

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Economy Geopolitics

Where A German Truck Company Goes To Recruit Drivers: The Heart Of Africa

Struggling to find drivers in Germany, the Cologne-based trucking company Emons is now successfully recruiting apprentices in the crisis-hit central African countries of Congo and Burkina Faso. While recruiting skilled workers abroad is a slow process, it is always better than unregulated migration.

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Geopolitics Society

Benin Reckoning: Coming To Terms With Africans’ Role In The Slave Trade

For centuries, European colonial powers and Arab traders kidnapped millions of Africans as slaves. Local tribes in Benin and other West African countries often helped and became rich themselves. Now the descendants of the slave traders are coming to terms with this troubling history.

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Geopolitics

Where To Now, ANC? South Africa’s Hardest Question Since The End Of Apartheid

After 30 years in power, South Africa’s leading party ANC has to form a coalition. This is a first for both the party and the country. A partnership with the white-dominated Democratic Alliance is likely to upset the base of both parties. But if they care about the future of South Africa, they have to take this risk.

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climate change Green Ideas

Elevating The Man Vs. Nature Vs. Climate Debate With Mountaineering Icon Reinhold Messner

At the age of 79, the Italian-born, German speaking Reinhold Messner is a climbing legend, who was the first climber to ascend all fourteen peaks over 8,000 metres (26,000 ft) above sea level — without supplementary oxygen. Today he keeps moving, and thinking.

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Geopolitics

What The Failed Congo Coup Reveals About Anti-Western Sentiment In Africa

A failed coup attempt in the Democratic Republic of Congo saw the unusual involvement and arrest of U.S. fighters, but it is part of a growing anti-Western sentiment throughout the continent.

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Green

From Stoned To Bricked: Hemp Could Be The Building Block Of A Greener Construction Future

Hemp has long had more uses than getting high. The plant is now increasingly being used in the construction of houses, with huge benefits for the climate. The only issue is growing enough to meet surging demand.

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Geopolitics Ideas Russia-Ukraine War

His Own Personal Jesus: Is Putin’s Piety Just A Ploy For Power?

Geopolitical analysts who view Russia as an unpredictable force tend to understand Moscow’s actions in purely worldly, political terms. German Professor of Theology Hubertus Lutterbach has uncovered a different message hidden in Putin’s religiosity — an implicit threat to his neighbors and the world.

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Economy

China’s Industrial Overcapacity Has Already Started To Hit Europe

In China, sales of electric cars, consumer goods and industrial products are stalling. State-owned companies have built up excess capacity. The new plan is to flood the European market with the products. The first signs are appearing in Germany.

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Russia-Ukraine War

Putin Is Gearing Up For A Major Summer Offensive — Here’s How Ukraine Can Defend Itself

Russia is planning a large-scale offensive in Ukraine for the coming months. Putin wants to gain as much territory as possible, while Kyiv is waiting in vain for the West to provide more weapons. But the Ukrainian army is by no means as vulnerable as it seems.

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Geopolitics Russia-Ukraine War

NATO Is Hereby Activated — How It Could Turn The Tide In Ukraine War

NATO this week unveiled new plans to massively expand its support for Ukraine. A plan by Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg includes an additional 100 billion euros in military aid to be coordinated by the Alliance — together with weapons delivery and military training. The plan is meant to reverse the momentum in the defensive campaign against Russia. But it carries several major risks.

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Society

Museum Kicks: How Sneakers Came To Run The World

The new “Sneakers” exhibition in Dusseldorf features pairs that sell for six figures and explores how the simple sports shoe became a global obsession.

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Geopolitics

Why Tajiks Are Easy Prey For Islamic Jihadists

Tajiks are responsible for numerous Islamist terrorist attacks in recent months. Suspects in the devastating attack in Moscow also come from the Central Asian country. Open access to Russia, difficult economic conditions, and a secular dictatorship that has repressed religion at home are among the factors that contribute to the radicalization of Tajiks.

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Ideas Society

The Unifying Power Of Art In A World Divided By Religion And Morality

Political battle lines are becoming increasingly entrenched, and opposing views are being pushed towards ever greater extremes. Language has become a battlefield. If morality pushes us apart, and religion does not help in the process, we may find a solution in our sense of humanity, writes German psychiatrist Manfred Lütz in Die Welt.

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Geopolitics

With Russia’s Backing, Serbia Eyes The “Right Time” For A New War With Kosovo

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic cooperates closely with Russia, including on security and arms issues. Now he is threatening to invade Kosovo, which Serbia does not recognize as an independent country. If Donald Trump were to win, and NATO to weaken, Vucic may be ready to move.

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Geopolitics

Inside The NATO-Russia Battle For The Black Sea — Where Turkey Is The Wildcard

Since the start of the war in Ukraine, NATO has drastically upgraded its focus on the Black Sea. A visit to the Romanian air base that NATO uses as a base to monitor its southeastern flank, and the open questions even among allies.

Categories
Future Ideas

Why The AI Revolution May Wind Up Killing Capitalism

The threats posed by advanced AI are serious and varied. Among them is a direct threat to capitalism so much that in the end we will be faced with a choice between two systems: a new form of communism or unchecked chaos.

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Geopolitics

The Swedish Island Of Gotland Now Stands Between NATO And Russia

The Swedish island of Gotland is the last bastion between Russia and the entire Baltic region. Now that Sweden has officially joined NATO, the country plans to accelerate its fortification of the island and make it a priority to repel a rapidly militarizing Russia. Life for locals makes it clear that something has changed.

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Geopolitics

Islamists And Grifters: Inside The Labyrinth Of Africa’s Hostage Racket

Abductions are one of the main sources of income for terrorists in Africa. Recently a South African paramedic was freed in Mali after being held for more than six years. His release is down to one man who worked tirelessly to secure his freedom.

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Society

‘The Zone Of Interest’ And Us — A German Critique Of The Provocative Oscar Nominee

Oscar-nominatedThe Zone of Interest, tells the’ story of the Auschwitz commander in surprising ways, but fails to address the true inhumanity of Nazism, says Die Welt’s film critic.

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Society

The German Lawyer Taking On The Vaccine Industry — By Any Means Necessary

Lawyer Marco Rogert is taking vaccine manufacturers to court, suing them for damages on behalf of thousands of clients. On the surface this is about compensation. But dig a little deeper and you discover failings by the authorities, an alleged conspiracy – and lawyers raking in millions in fees.

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Russia-Ukraine War

Power Cliques And Hedging: Why Ukrainians Are Losing Faith In Zelensky

The fact that the Ukrainian army has been forced onto the defensive is mainly due to sluggish support from the West. However, there is another factor at play that is contributing to the dangerous situation: the leadership approach of President Zelensky is being increasingly called into question.

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Economy Future

iSchadenfreude: The Apple Car Flop Reminds Us Why German Carmakers Are Built To Last

Apple’s announcement that it has discontinued its car project is bigger than it may seem. It is a serious admission that a car revolution is not as close as we thought — and really good news for German automakers.

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Society

Liver Kings, Lion Diets: What’s Wrong With The Modern “Meatfluencer” Quest For Manhood

“Meatfluencers” are telling their followers to eat a carnivorous diet — ideally including raw liver and animal testicles — to cure so-called “diseases of civilization.” Yet even the Roman legionaries and German soldiers they hold up as examples of masculinity might have had something to say about that.

Categories
Economy Eyes on the U.S. Food / Travel Society

Klaus Obermeyer, The 104-Year-Old Down Jacket Inventor Is Still Skiing The Slopes Of Aspen

Aspen, a former mining town in Colorado, is arguably the most fashionable winter sport destination in the U.S. That is largely thanks to one man: Klaus Obermeyer, originally from southern Germany, the inventor of the down jacket and one of the best-known pioneers of the skiing world. He is now 104 years old – and still on the slopes, where German daily Die Welt reached him.

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Economy Russia-Ukraine War

What Explains The Surprising Boom In Ukraine’s Real Estate Market

Real estate is booming in Ukraine, even as the war with Russia has fundamentally changed where people want to live, and in what kind of buildings. There is, in any case, a lot of activity as lives are uprooted — and a general preference for lower floors.

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Society

Can LEGO-Loving “Kidults” Give A Dwindling Toy Industry The Boost It Needs?

The surge in toy sales sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic has tailed off, and the industry is now in a serious crisis. LEGO, Mattel and others see a potential lifeline in a new target: adults who play. The “escape into the inner child” could become a market worth billions.

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Society

Sex Abuse Scandal In Germany’s Protestant Church Breaks Myth Of Superiority Over Catholics

Germany has been shaken by a study showing that sexual abuse has been widespread and systematic within the German Protestant Church, which has 19 million members. Now it is time for society to wake up to the fact that Protestantism is not superior to Catholicism when it comes to abuse.

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Society

Why German Scholars Waited 80 Years To Truly Confront Hitler’s Speeches

Hitler wielded much of his power through his public discourses, yet a serious academic edition of his speeches has never been published. An unprecedented project led by Germany’s Institute of Contemporary History and the National Broadcasting Archive aims to better understand how he wielded power through rhetoric.

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Society

This Puppet-Show Parody Of “The Sound Of Music” Is A Culture Category Of Its Own

Neville Tranter and Nikolaus Habjan, global stars of the puppet world, are performing in Berlin. Their caustic satire about Austria is definitely not for kids. It shows why hand puppets are not only hot right now, but they’re also incredible actors capable of convening the magic of theater at its utmost.

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Geopolitics

The Freedom Fighters Of Belarus — We Forget Their Struggle At Our Peril

With Putin’s war in Ukraine, people may need reminding that Belarusian leader and Putin ally Alexander Lukashenko is a dictator in Europe’s midst, write German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya in an article for Die Welt.

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