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Scholz in the Wirecard scandal Political leadership from yesterday

Status: 22.06.2021 5:50 p.m.

Finance Minister Scholz bears political responsibility for the Wirecard scandal. An apology would be appropriate. Because of his antiquated understanding of political leadership, there won’t be.

A comment by Tobias Betz, ARD capital studio

After eight months of the committee of inquiry, the question of political responsibility remains. And that is a fundamental question of political culture. Because there is not a word of regret from the government. Let’s not kid ourselves: this is shameful, but the reality.

The finance minister is politically responsible

Let’s take a look at the situation: The Wirecard case is one of the biggest financial scandals in Germany. At least 24 billion euros in damage. Everything happened in front of the eyes of the responsible authorities, which did not do their job in any way and at any time. And that is why there is certainly someone who is politically responsible – and that is the Federal Minister of Finance in this financial scandal. But Olaf Scholz makes it easy for himself. Not responsible, not involved, more like an observer. He could very well have – and should have – intervened. Because the Ministry of Finance has the legal and technical supervision of the Bafin. This is the financial supervisory authority. And she made gross miscalculations; she even supported Wirecard at times, reported journalists who had clues.

Not ready for self-reflection

Mistakes have been made. And the Scholz Ministry is responsible for ensuring that the financial supervision process works. If it just doesn’t work, then Scholz, as a minister, could be the size and have the courage to admit that mistakes have happened here. Honest words of regret. Society doesn’t really ask that much, a “Mea Culpa!”, “My mistake!” Is often enough. But Scholz is apparently not ready for this kind of error culture, critical self-reflection.

Don’t make any mistakes, least of all admit none

Maybe he’s not ready to do so because of the election campaign. Just don’t make any mistakes, least of all admit any mistakes. Protect yourself, after all, he is a candidate for chancellor. Namely one who advertises to have a lot of government experience. But leadership doesn’t include ironing out and fending off everything. That is an understanding of political leadership from the past. Mistakes happen, people make mistakes and they are allowed to admit them. That would be honest and brave. But as a consequence, calls for resignation like those from the AfD are out of place.

The Chancellor apologized

That promotes this unspeakable error culture in politics. If every mistake immediately costs the post, then it is already clear that there can be no political Mea Culpa. Chancellor Angela Merkel once broke with this culture of mistakes. During the lockdown policy at Easter. She had to withdraw an overnight decision to introduce an additional public holiday. But she didn’t do that quietly and without comment. No, she stood in front of Parliament and apologized in public for it. Apparently this remains an exception. But the Chancellor has the format of a chancellor. Editorial note Comments generally reflect the opinion of the respective author and not that of the editors

Generation change in Gütersloh Liz Mohn hands over power to Bertelsmann

As of: June 21, 2021 1:48 p.m.

An era ends at the Bertelsmann media group: On her 80th birthday, Liz Mohn officially hands over responsibility for the clan empire to her son Christoph.

By Thomas Spinnler, tagesschau.de

It’s an exciting year for the Mohn family and thus also for Europe’s largest media group Bertelsmann from Gütersloh, which has been under the family’s control for almost 200 years. A few days ago, Liz Mohn announced that she would be handing the fate of Bertelsmann in the hands of her son Christoph on her 80th birthday today. Liz Mohn has been the spokesperson for the Mohn family since 2002, which directly holds around 20 percent of the company. This position is now taken over by Christoph Mohn – as well as the chairmanship of the steering committee of Bertelsmann Verwaltungsgesellschaft (BVG), in which the family’s voting rights are bundled. This guarantees him control of the entire group via a right of veto and allows him to determine the strategic direction to a large extent. The remaining 80 percent or so of the capital shares in Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA are held by foundations such as the Bertelsmann Foundation, the Reinhard Mohn Foundation and the BVG Foundation. Liz Mohn is now also stepping down from the board of the influential Bertelsmann Stiftung.

“My husband was my teacher”

Liz Mohn determined the fortunes of the media empire for a long time. She originally started at Bertelsmann as a secretary. At the age of 17 she met the then company patriarch Reinhard Mohn at a company party and finally married him in 1982.

Then she began to take on tasks in the group with his support. “My husband was my teacher,” wrote the jubilee. Reinhard Mohn took over C. Bertelsmann Verlag in 1947 in the fifth generation and expanded it into a media group. He died in 2009. It was up to Liz Mohn to help shape the change to a digital media company and to determine it in a responsible position.

Largest book publishing group in the world

What kind of company is it that the 80-year-old is now handing over to her son Christoph? The business of the media group already starts with the children. It is active on the education market with the Bertelsmann Education Group. Bertelsmann expects a lot from the growing demand for e-learning.

The group also includes Penguin Random House, the world’s largest consumer publishing group with more than 300 independent book publishers, and the magazine publisher Gruner + Jahr, which is responsible for titles such as “Stern”, “Geo”, “Brigitte”, “Essen & Trinken” or ” Beautiful living “is known.

TV group as a source of revenue

The RTL Group, in which Bertelsmann holds a majority stake of 75 percent, with the channels RTL, RTL 2, Vox and NTV, provides the largest share of group sales. Then there is BMG, the fourth largest music publisher in the world. The second largest group division – measured in terms of sales – is the service company Arvato, which operates call centers and organizes financial services, IT services and logistics for its customers. A total of around 130,000 employees work for the media group worldwide. In the past 2020 financial year, it generated sales of 17.3 billion euros. The “Billionaires-Index” of the news service Bloomberg estimates the current fortune of Liz Mohn at 7.5 billion dollars.

In the sixth generation

Liz Mohn was honored with the Great Cross of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in 2010 for her social commitment. Mohn donated, among other things, a singing competition and campaigns for stroke victims. The Bertelsmann Foundation is one of the largest foundations in Germany and, according to its own statements, invested 74 million euros in charitable projects last year. It was founded in 1977 by the corporate patriarch Reinhard Mohn. Critics accuse her of pursuing the interests of the group with her influence.

The new family spokesman Christoph Mohn takes over the reins of the Gütersloh group, which has its roots in the printing of religious works, in the sixth generation. In addition to the 55-year-old and Liz Mohn, their daughter Brigitte is also represented on the steering committee of the Bertelsmann management company

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said that Moscow is pursuing normalization of relations with Washington and called on the US to also take responsibility in these efforts. (Source: Press TV) In the context that the summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Joe Biden will take place in a week in Geneva, Switzerland, Deputy Minister Ryabkov said: “This is really an important event in the world. international agenda. We hope this event will answer many questions.” The Russian diplomat said that he did not know after this contact whether a sustainable trend towards solving problems and normalizing relations could be guaranteed, but Russia would pursue this. . This is the crux of all the tasks Russia is trying to solve today, Ryabkov said, calling on the Biden administration to be “as responsible and capable as Moscow” to achieve it. this. The Russian Deputy Minister said that at the current stage of development of international relations, time passes faster than what the two countries have done, referring to the Treaty on the Reduction of Strategic Offensive Arms (New START). The Russian diplomat said that, despite just renewing the Treaty, “the US midterm elections are approaching and the countdown to the 5-year extension of New START is happening very quickly”, so need not waste time and focus on achieving a certain new modern paradigm of arms control. “We need not only to find a solution to the question of whether there is an opportunity to de-escalate tensions, but also to the problem of a new ‘security equation’ in relations between the two countries. Russia is also ready for this.” (according to TASS)

From the very first days of its establishment, Clarks has always kept in the brand’s DNA the original values ​​as well as the product quality expressed through meticulousness and dedication. Throughout its nearly 200-year development history, the brand has never forgotten the roots of craftsmanship in each shoe, along with groundbreaking ideas and constant creative efforts. And the Clarks Spring Summer 2021 collection is the affirmative answer to that. Dessert Boot 2 Launched in the early 1950s, Desert Boot quickly captured the minds of millions, and to this day the name remains a global symbol of the British shoe brand. Timeless design, impossibly lightweight feel, but with Clarks, innovation is never enough. This re-release, Clarks promises more groundbreaking innovations to its pride, Desert Boot 2. Dessert Boot 2 Inheriting the advantages of its predecessor and the “new breezes” blown by the company, Desert Boot 2 gives the feet an experience that exceeds expectations. The midsole uses smart OrthoLite technology and a natural rubber sole, which not only optimizes grip, durability and lightness, but more specifically, supports posture correction, adding stability to each step. Craft Run Lace Bearing the look of an authentic running shoe, the Craft Run Lace features an upper hand-finished with the brand’s signature stitches on heritage suede fabric. Not only that, but Craft Run Lace also scores with a rubber outsole, crepe fabric and EVA cushioning. All, have created a perfect shoe in terms of fashion and durability, lightweight. Not stopping there, the mesh lining and shoelaces of Craft Run Lace are also used recycled materials, an effort to reduce the brand’s environmental impact. Craft Run Lace Perform: Tuan Anh

Cu Lao Cham Marine Sanctuary in Quang Nam. Tourism potential from white-necked langurs The white-necked langur was discovered by local people in 2012 on the limestone mountain in Thach Hoa commune, Tuyen Hoa district, Quang Binh province. Since then, thanks to the strict protection of functional forces and the coordination of residential communities and voluntary protection groups, the white-necked langur herd has grown in number. In 2018, the People’s Committee of Quang Binh province planned a part of the forest to become a special-use forest to balance the needs of conservation and exploitation. According to the survey results of the Center for Indigenous Knowledge Research and Development (CIRD) in collaboration with the Provincial Forest Protection Department, there are 22 herds and 156 white-necked langurs in 3 main areas: Dong Hoa commune, Thach Hoa and Thuan Hoa belong to Tuyen Hoa district. If before, you needed binoculars to see the langurs, now, the langurs are increasingly bold, with our naked eyes we can also look, watch them feed, play in the trees or on the rocks. craggy, according to a representative of the CIRD Center. The appearance of creatures listed in the Red Book of Vietnam and the world in this area has attracted many photographers, scientists and tourists to come here, creating opportunities for the development of various types of eco-tourism. Recently, Chairman of Thach Hoa Commune People’s Committee said that the locality is orienting to develop community tourism and experience tourism in order to change industries and improve incomes for people. people. Although people are still mainly engaged in agriculture, do not have much investment capital, plus difficulties due to epidemics, the potential for community-based tourism development associated with biodiversity is a long-term problem, helping to solve the problem of sustainable livelihoods for residents. Volunteer groups to protect the white-necked langurs in villages and communes will be oriented to become tour guides, helping guide people to learn, research, take photos, admire the white-necked langurs… Along with At that time, visitors can also combine sightseeing and experience with other destinations and events such as Tran Tao weapons factory (Dong Hoa commune), the grave and church of Admiral Le Truc (Tien Hoa commune), the cave. Len Ha (Thanh Hoa commune), Cau Ca Tang (Lam Hoa commune), boat racing festival in Tuyen Hoa district… In order to promote tourism potential in a sustainable way, local authorities pay special attention to continuing to promote the core role of voluntary conservation groups and local people. Lessons from Cham Island Recently, in the program “Honoring organizations and individuals; replicating advanced examples with many achievements contributing to wildlife conservation in the period 2010 – 2020″ organized by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the Selection Council also recognized the initiatives and solutions. community contributes to improving the effectiveness of efforts of all levels, sectors and the whole society in species conservation. A sustainable tourism model based on biodiversity can be mentioned as the Museum of Marine Life on Cu Lao Cham Island, Tan Hiep Island Commune, Hoi An City, Quang Nam Province. The marine reserve displays hundreds of fish with many different shapes, along with many rare specimens of shrimp, crab, turtle, marine coral … Worth mentioning, at first, the fishermen here just wanted to save samples and images of sea creatures to teach their children and grandchildren how to fish so that they can both profit from the sea and preserve the seed source for later. Gradually, these accumulations have created a unique ecological destination for this place, attracting many tourists to explore, paving the way for sustainable tourism. Accompanied by other cultural features such as Hai Tang pagoda, Champa ancient well, four heritage trees and the temple of nest craft. In addition to the service of diving to see corals and enjoying specialties of bird’s nest water, another highlight is a specimen of sea turtles over a hundred years old with intact dimensions on display. This is also part of the message conveyed to tourists and indigenous people: After many years of tourism exploitation, sea turtles are rarely found along the island, but tend to move to live and lay eggs on islands. small island. According to a representative of Cu Lao Cham Marine Protected Area, for many years now, fishermen on the island have been trained as a model of community tourism, saying no to plastic bags and plastic waste, accompanied by tasks of biodiversity conservation. learn. However, tourism development cannot avoid harming nature, landscapes and creatures, which requires greater responsibility from management agencies, travel agencies and visitors. However, the most important thing is the awareness of preserving and preserving nature of the local people. As nature and living things develop, their livelihoods based on such natural services will grow accordingly. Only when they understand that can they become enthusiastic propagandists, proactively guiding visitors to comply.

In the midst of a pandemic, we now always hope to see good lights at the end of the tunnel. One of the issues that people are most concerned about is when will we be able to return to normal life. However, many scientists, medical officials and spiritual leaders have determined that this will not be the case. Our house is on fire. Vaccines that are and will save lives will not be able to put out this potential fire in the future. They can only be of help for a short time. What we have experienced over the past year is only a little taste of the suffering that humanity will suffer if we don’t change our own consciousness and actions. In a recent interview, Bill Gates commented that pandemic is the number one dangerous threat to humanity; Therefore, we must be prepared to respond carefully. He said his biggest worry now is climate change and the threat of man-made viruses that lead to bioterrorism. When asked about ways to respond to the pandemic now and in the future, he proposed significant investment in research, training highly specialized groups of people who can respond quickly to diseases. New emerging worldwide, at the same time, research and develop tools to accurately and quickly diagnose symptoms of the disease. Moreover, vaccine manufacturing technology should be focused on development. The world cannot return to normal. The way forward must be a new one, which begins with a deep understanding of our relationships with other species and the entire planet, thereby changing our own behavior and habits. ourselves quickly aiming to improve the world. Without this, we would see bigger fires, even bigger fires than the catastrophic fires in Australia a year ago and the fires in the Amazon and California before. Many places will face extremely cold weather similar to the people of Texas and neighboring states are suffering at this time. These types of weather changes are the hallmarks of a climate crisis that scientists have predicted for decades. However, so far, the vast majority of us have chosen to bury our heads in the sand, ignoring the impending disaster by using goods and products imported from around the world, enjoying Luxury vacations, live in temperature-controlled homes and easy access to the latest gadgets, computers, cars and more. One aspect where we can see the most obvious effects is transportation. Globally, emissions from transport account for about 14% of total annual emissions and especially about 25% of CO2. What is even more remarkable is that traffic emissions are on the rise, while more and more people around the world are getting richer, able to afford their own vehicle and travel frequently. According to traditional capitalist ideology, we can buy, sell, produce and innovate on our own. However, most psychologists and Buddhists today believe that: human desires never end. Electric cars are good, but there are potential problems such as speeding that many people still have. As the number of cars increases, there will be more demand, for example we will need more roads, more parking garages, more natural resources to meet our energy needs. , etc. Six years ago, Bhikkhu Bodhi was the signature of the “Call for leaders of the United States and the world to take action to address the adverse social and psychological impacts of climate change”. In 2019, he again participated in solving the United Nations climate change issues in New York City: The Buddha taught about the causes and roots of suffering mainly directed towards the goal of individual liberation. These teachings show how mental defilements have harmed our personal lives, and now, how they can be overcome. However, because the world is intimately interrelated and unified, we must consider the process of cause and effect that works; Then, based on the results of this research to guide the way change is appropriate for society, at the same time, to propose political institutions and global policies to avoid the disadvantages we face. face. We can call this global application sati sampajañnã, which means mindfulness and correct, clear understanding of all the dangers we face in the present. The most dangerous, which covers the entire world and threatens everyone is often referred to as climate change, but perhaps we should more accurately call climate instability or disorientation. Queen. Buddhism promotes a life in harmony with nature Although travel may, to some extent, be essential for a better life, we should reconsider for ourselves how much travel is appropriate. Just like protein or water is essential, but overusing them will quickly make the body sick. Likewise, the Earth cannot absorb all the travel we take today and so we are making the Earth’s condition worse and worse. In the present age, we travel internationally more and more, so we become distracted, disoriented and insecure with our present life. According to Buddhism, the essence of practice is to let go of the need to change, operate, and control the world. The life of the Buddha made this very clear, sometimes the only thing to do is to focus your energies and sit down. Sit quietly to see the disturbing emotions arising in your mind. Sit firmly to overcome the urge to do something somewhere else, with others. It may be a paradox, but really just sitting down can we hold our heads up from the sand, while at the same time realizing our connection and the need to care more about each other.

Processing pangasius for export. Photo: VNA Among the three groups of business practices with responsibility for labor, environment and governance, the labor aspect is most positively responded by enterprises, while the environmental and governance aspects have not received much attention. . Less than 64% of enterprises participating in the survey fully comply with responsibilities related to environmental impacts in their business operations; Less than 68% of enterprises fully comply with legal regulations on corporate governance such as transparent procurement policy, consumer protection … A study to assess corporate perceptions and implementation of responsible business practices in Vietnam by 2020 is part of the regional project “Promoting responsible business practices through regional partnerships in Asia ”. Research in 2020 is the UNDP Vietnam’s effort to create the basis and basis for the design and implementation of responsible business promotion activities, thereby enhancing sustainable development for businesses. In the coming years, the aim of the study is to assist Vietnam in developing a national responsible business action plan by 2022. This plan will contribute to helping Vietnam achieve its sustainable development goals. firmly, bringing Vietnam’s legal framework closer to international standards.

Drunk Finally make some irritating behavior May cause irreversible consequences Newlyweds molested by coworkers after drinking Husband verbally stopped but was abused and gangly beaten Chen and his newlywed wife Sun work as workers at a construction site in Sanya, Hainan. One day, the two were working overtime on the construction site. Suddenly, woodworkers Zhou, Rong, Rong Lie, and Ji at the same construction site got into trouble after drinking, molested Sun and beat Chen insults. Under strong resistance Caused one death and three injuries During the rebellion, Chen used the folding knife he carried with him and waved it at Zhou, Rong, Ji and others. In the chaos, Chen stabbed Rong’s left groin, causing the latter’s left femoral artery and vein to rupture, causing hemorrhagic shock and death, and also causing minor injuries to Zhou and minor injuries to Ji and Liu. After the incident, Chen was detained under criminal law. After investigating the case and collecting evidence, the public security organ arrested Chen. Subsequently, the procuratorial organ prosecuted Chen for the crime of intentional injury.

After the court heard

Chen was defended in a state of being besieged, and Chen was alone in the defense. He faced three workers holding equipment. The equipment held by several workers was enough to seriously threaten Chen’s life. , The public prosecutor’s accusation that the defendant Chen was guilty of intentional injury was not found The defendant Chen was pronounced not guilty and he was not liable for civil compensation.

After the judgment of the first instance

Two-level prosecutors’ office disagrees

Then filed a protest

The reasons are as follows

From the perspective of the relationship and cause of the two parties, Ji and Chen are both workers on the same construction site, and there is no deep hatred at ordinary times. It was only because of molesting the newlyweds on the day of the crime that the two sides were fighting.

Judging from the position and intensity of the blow chosen by Ji and others, and Zhou threw away the shovel out of fear of accident, and sparred with bare hands. Ji and others did not intentionally cause Chen to be seriously injured or killed subjectively.

Second instance verdict

In this case, the victim Rong and others made trouble after drinking, molested the wife of the defendant Chen in the original trial, insulted Chen, refused to listen to dissuasion, and beat Chen with a weapon that could seriously endanger the personal safety of others.

As a man, a husband, when his wife was molested, he was insulted and beaten by himself, he stabbed and marked Rong and others who were beating him with a knife. Meet the conditions of special defense.

Although Rong was killed, Zhou was slightly injured, and Ji was slightly injured, he was not criminally liable in accordance with the law. The protest opinion of the protest organ was not established, the protest was rejected and the original judgment was upheld.

According to Article 20 of my country’s Criminal Law: “In order to protect the country, public interest, personal, property, and other rights of others from ongoing illegal infringements, actions taken to stop illegal infringements will cause harm to the illegal infringers. It is a legitimate defense and does not bear criminal responsibility.”

Then

What conditions should legitimate defense meet?

1. Unlawful infringement exists objectively, that is, the cause of legitimate defense must be the objective existence of unlawful infringement from others, but it is not a necessary condition that the illegal infringement constitutes a crime.

2. The illegal infringement is ongoing, that is, the legitimate defense must target the illegal infringement that has begun but not yet ended. If “defense” against an “infringement” that has not occurred or an infringement that has ended, it is not a legitimate defense.

3. Have defensive awareness, that is, the perpetrator’s defensive behavior must be based on the motivation to protect legitimate rights and interests.

4. Against the unlawful infringement, that is, the object of legitimate defense must be the unlawful infringement, not the third party.

5. It does not significantly exceed the necessary limit, but there is no necessary limit to take defensive behaviors against ongoing assaults, homicides, robberies, rapes, kidnappings, and other violent crimes that seriously endanger personal safety.

   ▲Source: Law Popularization in China

At times, many places across the country were flooded with information about sophisticated tricks to “hide the ball” of multi-level business. At that time, the wave of multi-level sales such as octopus spouts, crept into every corner in many rural areas, stirred the already very peaceful lives of the people here. Because of the desire to be rich, many people have spent money to multilevel and then fall into the trap of scams that the family goes bankrupt.

But the multi-level “tornado” is still nothing compared to the “fever” of virtual land.

Artwork: Ha Giang

These days, real estate prices in many provinces are increasing “rapidly”, creating a “fever” of land, especially in rural areas. Provinces and cities such as Hanoi, Thanh Hoa, Quang Ninh, Bac Ninh … land prices in suburban areas have doubled or even tripled in just a few months. In many places, people quit production and business to carry money to trade land.

The land fever not only occurs in the planned areas but also occurs in locations that are not under the planning such as: forest land, field land, garden … “Storks” appear everywhere in the area. These areas create false excitement, pushing prices up every hour to entice investors in. For example, outside of Hanoi, there are areas that increase the price from 5 million / m2 to 7 million / m2 in just one day….

In general across the country, the average land price increases 10% -15% after 1 month. With such attractive profits, many people quit their businesses, their production, and withdraw money from banks to invest in land.

Everywhere, everywhere, people talked about land prices. This story appears in the whole meal, the people’s sleep makes life turn upside down, work stops.

Prescribe root treatment

According to many opinions, the low interest rate of credit plus the idle money of the people makes a large capital pouring into real estate, creating a virtual “fever” in the suburban areas.

This is not the first time the appearance of “fever” of soil. So the question is where is the managerial responsibility of the authorities, especially the responsibility of the local government?

The local government – where the land “fever” occurs, cannot ignore this situation because it will make a big obstacle to calling for and attracting formal investment. In fact, the increase in land prices will lead to a series of other costs increasing, especially the cost of compensation for site clearance … Thus, it will affect economic development in localities with ” fever “soil. Consequences of the land price increase will also reduce investment resources for production development in many other sectors and fields of the country.

Therefore, the local government needs to promote propaganda and explain to the people the serious consequences of the land “fever”, which will certainly limit a lot of speculation.

Commenting on this issue, Professor Dang Hung Vo – former Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, said that the “fever” situation of land everywhere over time is partly due to the impact of the 2013 Land Law. regulations on sub-plots for sale are expanded.

According to him, countries around the world use the form of subdivision for sale only to settle urban housing, not in commerce because in principle, the real estate market must exploit the value of the investment. land, not waiting for land price increases to make a profit as a form of “eating away”.

Professor Dang Hung Vo pointed out, from 2016 to 2020, the Government has instructed four times to amend the Land Law, however, up to now the Land Law has not been revised. In particular, the land is clogged with old regulations. For example, current agricultural land has not yet implemented effective accumulation and concentration. Along with that is the land transfer in the countryside almost not according to the procedure but mainly by handwriting. Then the problem of housing development nowadays also has many bottlenecks … Especially the problem of foreigners buying underground land in Vietnam … It is these shortcomings that have a direct impact on the real estate market, making distorting and manipulating the market, creating opportunities for those who have the opportunity to make money.

Therefore, Professor Dang Hung Vo emphasized that the revision of the Land Law is extremely necessary.

Along with that, according to experts’ view, in the context that lending interest rates are pouring heavily on real estate, the State Bank needs to closely monitor and supervise lending activities to prevent loans to production and business, but actually poured into real estate.