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Croissant detailed Team Vitality CS's journey in Pro League, with victories against 1win (2-0), NAVI (2-1), Falcons (2-1), PARIVISION (2-0), Aurora (2-1), and MOUZ (3-0). He noted that the team was on eight consecutive wins and wondered if a new streak had just begun. https://t.co/G4O0kr4Sn1 #TeamVitality #ProLeague #Esports (translated)

The Climate Marchers, after the great success of their demonstration in Brussels with 60,000 participants, have the ambition to revitalize the environmental cause and are calling for action against the profits of fossil companies and for an ambitious climate strategy. #Climat #Bruxelles #Manifestation (translated)

The National Housing Protest at Dam Square in Amsterdam attracted about a thousand demonstrators on Saturday, a low turnout compared to the approximately 16 thousand five years ago, despite the central message that homes should be for people and not for profit. #Woonprotest #Woningcrisis #HuizenVoorMensen (translated)

Beach Roy wrote that he thought the midterm elections were approaching. He stated that his reach on X suddenly dropped by 80 percent and claimed that Elon Musk was actively limiting him. According to Beach Roy, he had contributed to the downfall of FVD and PVV and the electoral victory of D66 on X. He added that political scientist, lobbyist, and publicist Kirsten Verdel had noted the same thing, and asked who could see his message. #midterms #socialmedia #politiek (translated)

The Bank of England has announced that in the future, British banknotes will feature animals such as bumblebees, barn owls, hedgehogs, and puffins instead of historical figures like Winston Churchill, which has met sharp criticism in parts of politics. #BankofEngland #britischGeldscheine #TierestattMenschen (translated)

On Thursday, Wall Street increased its losses due to the sharp rise in oil prices and the lack of support from the technology sector, with the Nasdaq falling by 1.25% and the S&P 500 by 0.47%, while the Dow Jones posted a small gain of 0.10%. #WallStreet #Pétrole #Technologie (translated)

Geert Noels stated that a study by Vooruit estimated the annual cost of corporate taxation at 4.2 to 4.7 billion euros, but according to him, due to significant errors, it actually amounted to about 1 billion euros. He argued that this cost could not be offset by higher taxes, which he believed would cause more harm than benefit; he advocated for better oversight of bogus self-employment. Noels identified the main mistake as the comparison between directors via a management company and employees. According to him, directors were legally self-employed and paid contributions up to a ceiling. This comparison would overestimate the estimate by more than 1 billion euros. Moreover, employer contributions were calculated based on the total labor cost instead of the gross salary, resulting in a calculation of 33 percent instead of 25 percent. Noels also disputed that there were four independent estimates: according to him, they used the same rates and distribution keys. He pointed out that estimate C assumed 24 billion euros in shifted profits, compared to about 15 billion euros in total profits in estimate A. Furthermore, factors such as the tax shift, energy crisis, inflation, the reform of corporate tax in 2017, and Pillar 2 were not included as explanations for the macro figures. Also, liquidation reserves of ordinary SMEs would have been counted as leaks. According to Noels, the study also did not take behavior effects into account, such as substitution, cessation, moving abroad, losses, or bankruptcies, and only included companies with profits. He therefore labeled the note as an unreliable basis for policy and believed that bogus self-employment should be addressed directly. Finally, he urged academics, journalists, and politicians to respect the facts when it came to entrepreneurs and risk-takers. #Vennootschapsbelasting #Economie #Belastingen (translated)

Zbigniew Bogucki called the election of Włodzimierz Czarzasty as the speaker of the Sejm "a blemish on Polish democracy" and stated that Czarzasty should never have taken this position. He recalled Winston Churchill's words about the imperfections of democracy and assessed that the case of the current speaker is one of them. He added that he, the President of the Republic of Poland, and the Chancellery of the President respect the choice due to democratic and state principles, but he accused Czarzasty of a rude manner of speaking and a lack of respect for matters that he should uphold as the speaker. According to Bogucki, the speaker should be an arbiter and a bastion of calm; meanwhile, Czarzasty engaged in strong, sometimes — as the author put it — pathetic narratives. #demokracja #Polska #Sejm (translated)

Jolande directed her message to D66, CDA, VVD, and PRO, sharing the story of Hans, a retired firefighter from Westland. He wrote that during a cycling trip through Overijssel and Gelderland, he visited farms to see for himself how farmers worked. Hans said that he did not see overcrowded pastures, mega-farms, or smoking farms, but rather well-maintained fields and meadows. According to him, a farmer and his wife welcomed him kindly and explained that they had been making adjustments in response to government measures for years. He described the farm as a place where attention was given to animals and land. The farmer showed him, among other things, a biogas installation and milking installations, and explained what investments the measures had required. Hans wrote that his visit had increased his appreciation for farmers. He felt that the Netherlands should cherish its farmers and feared that otherwise food would be imported that had been sprayed with agricultural chemicals or genetically modified. He also mentioned seeing new houses, which he considered expensive, bungalows, and large residences along the road. He wondered whether farmland intended for housing or nature areas was being sold at a profit to wealthy buyers. Hans wrote that he had little confidence in leaders who, in his opinion, lacked sufficient practical experience with farms. He emphasized that he had no knowledge of agriculture himself, but that his visit had given him a positive life lesson. #Boeren #Platteland #Duurzaamheid (translated)

The former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, approved the purchase of five airplanes from a political donor just before her departure, leading to significant profits for this donor, according to an investigation by The New York Times. #KristiNoem #politiek #zoudebaaszijn (translated)