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Volker Ketzer compared the customs calculation he described to shopping at Aldi: Five packages of pasta would cost an additional fee of three euros, shampoo another three euros, and batteries three more euros. The critical factor is not the number of products but the number of different product groups. Ketzer wrote that the EU has been charging three euros per customs tariff group for small online orders from non-EU countries with a value of up to 150 euros since July. Thus, five identical items would amount to three euros, while three different product groups would total nine euros, he explained. In his opinion, people would be annoyed by such a regulation in the supermarket, but at customs, it is enshrined in a regulation. #EU #Zoll #OnlineShopping (translated)

Emanuel Boeminghaus wrote that Audi delivered 314,905 vehicles in the third quarter of 2026, which is a 19.7 percent decrease compared to the same period last year. In the second quarter, the decline was still around 8 percent. In the first nine months, sales dropped by 11.4 percent to 1.04 million vehicles. The declines were particularly strong in China, with nearly 25 percent, and in the USA, with around 17 percent. Boeminghaus cited high competitive pressure, US tariffs, and model changes as burdens. In Germany and Europe, however, Audi recorded slight increases. Boeminghaus described the development as a significant slump and wrote that the first German car manufacturer is experiencing a "flow separation." He cited t-online and dpa-AFX from October 12, 2026, as sources. https://t.co/BspP4hRPpM #Automobilindustrie #Absatzkrise #Audi (translated)

"We don't want windmills. (...) Show me a country with green energy, and I will show you a bankrupt country. You know, Germany tried it. They were about two days away from extinction." President Donald Trump claimed at a campaign event that the energy transition had brought Germany to the brink of disaster. "I will impose a 250 percent tariff on your damn wine and all the crap you send us. I will impose a 250 percent tariff on your wine, your champagne, and everything you send us, Emmanuel." At the same time, he threatened him, according to his own account in a phone call, with additional tariffs of 250 percent if French pharmaceutical companies did not offer their medications in the United States at lower prices. "I call him Muhammad. Someone said his name is not Muhammad, but Abdul. (...) I am the president. I can call him whatever the hell I want. To me, he is Muhammad. And he is a radical jihadist." Furthermore, Trump made derogatory remarks about the Muslim politician Abdul El-Sayed, who is running for the Senate for the Democrats. #Trump #Russland #Energiepolitik (translated)

Quantum physicist Peter Zoller, who developed a revolutionary blueprint for quantum computers 30 years ago, believes that the breakthrough for error-tolerant systems is imminent and expects unexpected developments in the technology. #Quantencomputer #PeterZoller #Quantenphysik (translated)

Donald Trump claimed in a campaign speech that Germany was "two days away from annihilation" due to the energy transition and criticized countries with green energy as bankrupt, while also threatening tariffs against France and making insulting comments about a Muslim politician. #Trump #Energiewende #Wahlkampf (translated)

The sales of the Asian online platforms Shein, Temu, and AliExpress in Germany have collapsed by 35.5 percent in the third quarter compared to the same quarter last year due to a new customs fee for goods shipments from non-EU countries, leading to a decrease in their market share from 5.3 percent to 3.1 percent. #OnlineHandel #Shein #Zollgebühren (translated)

The user sparbookfoes wrote that the federal government, consisting of the Union and SPD, is planning another tax increase despite their agreement in the coalition contract against tax hikes: the tobacco tax is set to rise. A pack of Marlboro cigarettes with 20 cigarettes currently costs 9.40 euros; according to him, the price will be around 10.50 euros in 2027 and about 12.10 euros in 2030. The specific additional state revenues are difficult to predict. The German Customs and Finance Union (BDZ) predicts that more and more smokers will turn to the black market, he wrote. #Steuern #Tabaksteuer #Rauchen (translated)

Heimatgefühl criticized that Hendrik Wüst had shown respect to Mario Voigt. Voigt had explained that he had withdrawn the lawsuit due to the associated time expenditure. The author wrote that someone who is in the right would not simply withdraw a lawsuit and would not let a real doctorate be taken away from them. Therefore, in his opinion, Voigt presumably remains a plagiarist. Heimatgefühl interpreted the support from within the ranks as characteristic of the CDU and predicted that the party would soon be in single digits. It deserved that. #CDU #Politik #Klage (translated)

The author wrote that a bare, gilded statue of Donald Trump has been erected in the European Parliament. The artist was invited by a Danish member of the left-wing party. While Europe is struggling with the USA over tariffs and security, the statue referred to as the "Orange Plague" is located at the main junction of the Parliament. https://t.co/n45L55BP1B #Trump #Kunst #Europa #EU #DK #US (translated)

Lionel Messi was celebrated in his emotional farewell match for the Argentine national team with a 3-0 victory against Benin, in which he scored a goal and provided two assists, while fans paid tribute to him with cheers and a large thank you banner. #MessiAbschied #FußballGeschichte #Argentinien (translated)

Michael accused the black-red coalition of having broken their promises against tax increases and new civil servant positions. He wrote that Lars Klingbeil wanted to introduce a sugar and a plastic tax starting in July 2027, which were expected to generate more than 2.5 billion euros annually. According to him, 1,046 new civil servants would be needed for this, mainly at customs; he estimated the annual personnel costs to be nearly 75 million euros. In conclusion, he disparaged Germany. #Politik #Steuern #Beamte (translated)

Specifically, Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil (48, SPD) is planning for the plastic tax (set to come into effect on July 1, 2027) with 788 employees at customs, 28 at the federal IT service provider ITZBund, and three in the Finance Ministry. #Steuerpolitik #Bürokratie #Zuckersteuer (translated)

„Es gibt weiterhin Gespräche über andere Verkäufe, (Trump) und Präsident Xi sprechen jedes Mal darüber, wenn sie sich treffen“Das sagte der US-Botschafter in China, David Perdue, in einem gestern ausgestrahlten Interview mit dem US-Sender Fox News. #Handelskonflikt #Zollpause #ChinaUSA