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she had not exactly generated new sympathy for Germany....

German lawmakers want former Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock questioned over Berlin’s failure to secure a seat on the UN Security Council, Bild reports. According to the outlet, the ruling CDU/CSU alliance blames the former top diplomat for the setback and wants her summoned before the Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee.

Germany failed to win a non-permanent seat on the UNSC – the UN’s most powerful body, with authority to adopt legally binding resolutions and sanctions – for the first time in modern history on Wednesday, losing out to Portugal and Austria. Germany won all six previous contests it entered since 1977, but this time received only 104 votes, well short of the required two-thirds majority.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul described the result as a “bitter defeat,” but insisted he “did not personally blame himself,” arguing that Germany entered the race too late. According to Bild, lawmakers are placing the blame on Wadephul’s predecessor, Baerbock, who served from 2021-25.

“We must thoroughly investigate the causes of this embarrassing electoral defeat,” Stephan Mayer, a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, told the outlet. “[It is] absolutely essential that Annalena Baerbock answer questions before the Bundestag [to explain] how, when, and what exactly her ministry did to mobilize support for Germany’s bid.”

Hesse’s Minister for International Affairs, Manfred Pentz, also pointed the finger at Baerbock.

“You cannot blame [Chancellor] Friedrich Merz and Johann Wadephul for this electoral defeat. Annalena Baerbock messed it up during her time as foreign minister,” he stated.

Baerbock’s tenure as Germany’s top diplomat drew frequent criticism for a lack of diplomatic pragmatism, an inconsistent agenda, and high-profile verbal blunders.

During her time in office, she said she would support Ukraine “irrespective of what my voters think,”declared the EU to be “fighting a war against Russia,” and described Israeli strikes on Palestinian schools as “self-defense.” She also made several awkward historical, geographical, and mathematical slip-ups, including promising a “360-degree foreign policy.”

Despite the gaffes, Baerbock was appointed president of the UN General Assembly after leaving the Foreign Ministry – a largely ceremonial but prestigious UN post.

Munich Security Conference chairman Wolfgang Ischinger suggested that Germany’s defeat this week may have partly been retaliation for how Baerbock “snatched” the role, which he told WELT TV had “not exactly generated new sympathy for Germany” among UN ambassadors.

A diplomatic source told Bild that Baerbock is widely unpopular in the General Assembly for being “too focused on Germany… selfies and herself.”

READ MORE: If only there was a German word for Berlin’s UN humiliation

Botswana’s former president, Mokgweetsi Masisi, also told the outlet that Germany could have secured more support from African countries in the Security Council vote had Baerbock not treated African partners in a “condescending and disrespectful” manner. He cited diplomatic disputes over infrastructure projects during her tenure as foreign minister.

https://www.rt.com/news/641131-german-lawmakers-baerbock-answers-un/

 

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YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT — SINCE 2005.

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.

         RABID ATHEIST.

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infestation....

 

An insect infestation is spreading across Berlin, forcing closures and health warnings in parks, sports grounds, and residential areas, German media has reported. The culprit is the oak processionary moth caterpillar, a tree-killing pest covered in toxic stinging hairs.

The insect, scientifically known as Thaumetopoea processionea, is a moth species whose caterpillars emerge between May and July. While the moth itself is harmless, the caterpillars develop hundreds of thousands of microscopic toxic hairs that can travel up to 200 meters on the wind and cause rashes, eye irritation, and respiratory problems. In severe cases, exposure can trigger allergic reactions and even anaphylactic shock.

The infestation has been spreading across Berlin for years, but officials say several districts are seeing a sharp rise in affected trees this summer. According to Bild, authorities and park operators have issued warnings across Berlin and Potsdam, closing off infested areas and temporarily shutting parks, sports facilities, and pedestrian routes.

The hardest-hit areas are Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf, Treptow-Köpenick, Steglitz-Zehlendorf, and Spandau, which contain many of Berlin’s oak-lined streets and parks.

According to B.Z. daily, the caterpillars have also spread throughout a Jungfernheide housing estate of more than 11,000 residents, infesting everything from facades and cars to door frames, railings, and light fixtures.

Local politicians have criticized what they describe as poor coordination between authorities. Health agencies have limited powers to intervene because the caterpillars are classified as an allergen rather than a public-health pest, while plant protection rules restrict the use of certain biocides.

 

Critics are calling for a coordinated response from district authorities, the Berlin Senate, and housing companies, including earlier treatment of oak trees and more aggressive nest removal. F rustrated residents have also launched a petition demanding a binding protection plan for Jungfernheide, which has already attracted more than 4,500 signatures.

Last year, Berlin’s Senate Department for the Environment recorded 5,032 infested oak trees at 881 locations across the city. Experts predict that the outbreak will worsen as warm, dry weather favors the caterpillars’ spread, with forecasters expecting hotter and drier-than-average conditions across Germany and Central Europe this summer.

The pest is not confined to Germany. The oak processionary moth is established across much of Europe and has been recorded from the Netherlands and France to Denmark and the Mediterranean. It was accidentally introduced to the UK in 2006 and is now established in Greater London and parts of southeast England, prompting a government warning on Saturday urging the public not to touch the insects or their nests.

https://www.rt.com/news/641145-toxic-pests-invasion-berlin/

 

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PLEASE VISIT:

YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT — SINCE 2005.

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.

         RABID ATHEIST.

         WELCOME TO THIS INSANE WORLD….

 

IN AUSTRALIA, SOME MOTH SPECIES DESTROY CRINUMS... BUT THE MOTH IS SO BEAUTIFUL....

 

 

SEE CATERPILLARS: 

... of the collectivity of systemic human blunders....