The most important economic and political news from the Dow Jones Newswires weekend programme.
Selenskyj speaks of “counter-offensive actions” by the Ukrainian army
According to head of state Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian army is currently taking “counter-offensive actions” at the front against the Russian troops. “Counter-offensive and defensive actions” are currently taking place in Ukraine, but he will not give “any details,” Zelenskyj told journalists in Kiev on Saturday after meeting Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. It therefore remained unclear whether Zelenskyy was referring to the major counter-offensive that the Ukrainian military leadership had been planning and announcing for months.
US Secretary of State Blinken will make up for his trip to China on June 18
In just over a week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken wants to make up for his visit to China, which was canceled four months ago because a suspected Chinese spy balloon flew over the United States. Blinken will arrive in Beijing on June 18, US officials said. The Foreign Ministry has not yet officially announced the trip.
Lauterbach rejects the demands of the pharmacist associations – newspaper
Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach (SPD) rejects the demands of the pharmacist associations for more fees. “The statutory health insurance companies are complaining about financial problems, the finance minister is cutting the funds. Under these circumstances, there is currently no room for higher fees for pharmacists,” Lauterbach told Bild am Sonntag.
Court bans strikes in confectionery industry
The Hamburg Labor Court has initially banned the strikes announced in the German confectionery industry in several regions. An application by the Federal Association of the German Confectionery Industry (BDSI) for an injunction was granted because the term of the collective agreements in the affected regions had not yet ended, the court said.
Criticism of the planned heating law does not stop
While the traffic light coalition is still struggling to reach an agreement in the heating dispute, criticism of the proposed legislation continues. DGB boss Yasmin Fahimi accused the government on Saturday of making serious mistakes in the planned amendment to the Building Energy Act. Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) said at a rally that the project “completely ignores reality” and belongs in the “drawer”.
According to the draft law, the Chancellor and the cabinet should receive an inflation premium
According to a media report, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and his 16 ministers are to receive a tax-free inflation premium of 3,000 euros according to a draft law. “To mitigate the consequences of the increased consumer prices, members of the federal government will be granted a one-time special payment of 1,240 euros for June and a special payment of 220 euros per month for the months of July 2023 to February 2024,” says the draft law according to a report by Bild am Sonntag from the Federal Ministry of the Interior.
Four million property tax returns are still missing – report
Although the deadline for property tax returns was January 31 nationwide and April 30 in Bavaria this year, according to a report, around four million returns are still missing. As the Tagesspiegel reported on Saturday, most tax authorities are now sending defaulting taxpayers reminders, usually with a four-week deadline.
Sunday trend: AfD soaring continues, SPD stops downward trend
The AfD can maintain its exceptionally high level in the polls. In the Sunday trend, which the opinion research institute Insa collects weekly for the Bild am Sonntag, the AfD comes to 19 percent, as in the previous week. The SPD can increase by one percentage point and comes to 20 percent. The Greens remain at 13 percent, the FDP loses one percentage point and comes to 8 percent. The strongest force remains the Union with an unchanged 27 percent. As in the previous week, the left could count on 5 percent of the votes. The other parties would continue to unite 8 percent of the votes.
EU offers Tunisia financial aid of over one billion euros
During her visit to Tunisia, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, promised the North African country a “reinforced partnership” and financial aid of over one billion euros. 150 million euros could be made available “immediately” for the Tunisian state budget, and another 900 million could be used as long-term support, said von der Leyen in Tunis on Sunday. According to its own statements, it proposed a five-point program to Tunisian President Kais Saied, which, in addition to financial aid, also includes EU support for Tunisia’s fight against irregular migration.
Fitch confirms Greece at BB+ – outlook stable
Fitch has confirmed the rating for Greece at BB+. The outlook is rated stable. This is underpinned by structural indicators, including governance scores and gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, which are among the highest among comparable countries with the same rating. However, these strengths are offset by the legacies of the sovereign debt crisis. Fitch has raised the GDP growth forecast for 2023 to 2.3 from 0.9 percent.
Scotland’s ex-Prime Minister Sturgeon arrested in financial investigation
Former Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon has been arrested as part of a financial investigation into her party, according to police and British media. As the police in Scotland announced on Sunday, a 52-year-old was arrested and questioned “as a suspect in connection with the ongoing investigation into the financing and finances of the Scottish National Party”. British media reported that it was Sturgeon.
Opposition leader calls for early general elections in Great Britain
In Britain, opposition Labor Party leader Keir Starmer has called for early general elections after ex-Prime Minister Boris Johnson and two other Conservative Party members resigned as MPs.
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(END) Dow Jones Newswires
June 11, 2023 11:35 ET (15:35 GMT)