The entire project is divided into several separate construction phases and spans several funding periods The flood protection facility is an important contribution to the protection of the population of Döbeln, the local businesses, the old town of Döbeln as well as the areas along the Freiberger Mulde and Flutmulde in the urban area from a flood. For more information on EU-funded projects in Germany, visit the Kohesio- platform  (Updated:  May 6, 2025 9:37 am)Ukraine's drones target Moscow second night in a row, Russian official claims, ahead of Victory Day parade. Debris from one of the drones reportedly fell on the Kashirskoye Highway The reported attack comes just days before Russia's Victory Day parade and three-day "truce."  (Updated:  May 6, 2025 9:36 am)War analysisFrance is sending Ukraine more AASM Hammer bombs — here's what they can do Polish President Andrzej Duda said the United States has tools that can effectively influence the Kremlin arguing that only President Donald Trump has real leverage over Russian President Vladimir Putin The number includes 1,430 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day "To the Success of Our Hopeless Cause: The Many Lives of the Soviet Dissident Movement" by Benjamin Nathans which covers dissent in the Soviet Union and Russia today Reporters Without Borders (RSF) on May 5 announced they had facilitated Russian journalist Ekaterina Barabash's escape from Russia to France after she fled house arrest on April 21 A Russian drone attack on Odesa Oblast on May 5 killed one and caused damage to local infrastructure "We appreciate that Germany plays a pivotal role in supporting Ukraine throughout the years of war Ukraine is also grateful for your personal commitment," President Volodymyr Zelensky said MPs will be able to ask questions and learn more about the details of the agreement in meetings with Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko May 6-7 MP Serhii Sobolev told the news outlet Suspilne The ratification vote is scheduled for May 8 Attacks against the border villages of Bilopillia and Vorozhba damaged civilian infrastructure and triggered emergency evacuations the regional military administration reported "I look forward to working with President Erdogan on getting the ridiculous war between Russia and Ukraine ended — now!" U.S Putin's Victory Day truce "doesn't sound like much if you know where we started from," Trump told reporters at the White House on May 5 Far-right Euroskeptic candidate George Simion head of the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan placed second with 20.99% of the vote and the candidate from the ruling coalition by Kateryna DenisovaIllustrative purposes only: German flag (Gallup Pix/Getty Images)Nine-year-old Ukrainian girl Valeria was found dead in a forest near the German town of Döbeln Valeria reportedly disappeared on her way to school on June 3 The police confirmed that her body was found on June 11 some 4 kilometers (2.4 miles) away from her home in a forest between the settlements of Hermsdorf and Mahlitzsch The girl died as a result of "a violent crime," but the investigation found no signs of a sexual assault, Chemnitz police chief Carsten Kaempf said The investigation is focused on the girl's "social circle," according to the police Around 100 emergency workers and volunteers were involved in the search for the child. The investigation later expanded beyond Ukraine as German authorities cooperated with Ukraine, Poland, and the Czech Republic, Bild reported After the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a number of murders and attacks against Ukrainians abroad have been recorded, including in Germany Among the most recent cases was a knife attack on a 41-year-old Ukrainian woman by a 19-year-old Afghan in the German city of Frankfurt am Main on June 10, Bild wrote on June 11 Kateryna Denisova works as a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent She previously worked as a news editor at the NV media outlet for four years covering mainly Ukrainian and international politics Kateryna holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv She also was a fellow at journalism schools in the Czech Republic and Germany Battery startup Blackstone files for bankruptcy The start-up Blackstone Technology from Döbeln in Saxony wanted to conquer the battery market – now the company has filed for bankruptcy As the District Court of Chemnitz confirmed to Wirtschaftswoche the application for insolvency was received A provisional insolvency administrator has not been appointed Batteries from the 3D printer – with this story head of the Swiss parent company Blackstone Resources not only got investors to invest in Blackstone shares. Above all Blackstone has secured funding of over 30 million – from the Federal Ministry of Economics Switzerland and the European Commission. Some of the money has already been paid out In May, WirtschaftsWoche reported that there were serious doubts about the success story there could never have been a series production of batteries from the 3D printer in Döbeln Because the system should not have worked properly Blackstone continued to spread success stories And politicians let themselves be harnessed for corporate PR: Saxony’s Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer posed in front of the 3D printer his Economics Minister Holger Dulig had his picture taken with one of Gritzka’s batteries Employees and suppliers have been waiting for money for months and the first employees have been successful in their lawsuits against Blackstone in recent days. The public prosecutor’s office in Chemnitz is investigating on suspicion of subsidy fraud The Blackstone company did not respond to questions from WirtschaftsWoche about the bankruptcy filing. Company boss Ulrich Ernst said in May that “a possible investigation and its results are positively anticipated”. Blackstone successfully set up tested and produced a 3D printing process to manufacture a lithium-ion battery. Until recently Blackstone’s management had spread the hope that an investor would still make the dream of a successful start-up possible. Apparently nothing came of it The parent company Blackstone Resources has been in trouble in Switzerland for the past year Authorities had complained about violations of accounting rules and market manipulation The shares had to be taken off the stock exchange Blackstone said he “did not agree” with the allegations and presented the withdrawal from the stock exchange as his own decision They wanted to go public “shortly” in Germany The shareholders would have to “be patient” Blackstone has not presented a new trading venue READ the latest Batteries News shaping the battery market Battery start-up Blackstone files for bankruptcy, June 29, 2023 U Power Limited (NASDAQ:UCAR) Partners with Sumitomo Mitsui to Deliver Southeast Asia’s First Battery-Swapping Taxi Fleet in Phuket PHUKET 2025 /PRNewswire/ — U Power Limited (Nasdaq:.. Korean Battery Material Companies Seeking Chinese Partnerships to Penetrate European Market As Chinese battery companies rapidly expand in the European market Korean battery material firms are actively seeking.. Lithium Royalty Corp Announces Increased Price Range and Extension of Substantial Issuer Bid TORONTO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Lithium Royalty Corp (TSX: LIRC) (“LRC” or the “Company”).. COPYRIGHT POLICY DISCLAIMER TERMS & CONDITIONS PRIVACY POLICY We love meeting interesting people and making new friends the insolvent German battery division of Swiss commodities company Blackstone Resources no one has shown any interest in taking over the entire production site 84 creditors have registered claims totalling 16 million euros said creditors have instructed insolvency administrator Thomas Beck to sell machinery and equipment for the maximum amount possible Beck still hopes for a complete sale of the production site in Döbeln and sat down for negotiations with “well-known interested parties” regarding a takeover no interested party submitted an offer for the Döbeln site,” says Beck just saying that Blackstone Technology would be able to 3-D print batteries was enough for investors to come aboard – and for the company to receive more than 30 million euros in subsidies wiwo.de (in German) I agree with the Privacy policy electrive has been following the development of electric mobility with journalistic passion and expertise since 2013 we offer comprehensive coverage of the highest quality — as a central platform for the rapid development of this technology the phone rang at the headquarters of the Volkspolizei On the other end of the line was the voice of an unknown man Officials immediately revoked her travel permit and began monitoring her phone and mail in addition to questioning her neighbors and friends This story is one of spies and informers of the kind that were largely ignored by historians of the German Democratic Republic (DDR) until recently -- because they were spies and informers that were not connected to the Stasi as East Germany's feared Ministry for State Security was popularly known they were totally normal citizens of East Germany who betrayed others: neighbors reporting on neighbors university students passing along information on other students managers spying on employees and Communist bosses denouncing party members the broad network of so-called "unofficial informants" (IMs) maintained by the Stasi has dominated the popular view of East Germany's surveillance state Files full of IM reports became indispensable sources for Stasi victims historians and journalists who sought to learn more about either their own personal pasts or about DDR spying practices audio tapes belonging to the Volkspolizei were largely ignored as were written testimonials from almost every area of East German society people reported incriminating information about those around them a professor at the University of Greifswald speaks of a "stunning reporting machinery." Wide swaths of society were a part of it "There were institutionalized structures outside of the Stasi that produced daily and weekly reports." Whether in city hall at the steel factory or inside the local farming collective: "Everyone who had a position with some measure of responsibility filed reports" for the state Since the 1989 collapse of the communist regime thousands of these documents have been gathering dust in the archives of Eastern German states in the former headquarters of former East German political parties and in the basements of universities and agencies they are being systematically analyzed by historians and have thus far revealed the degree to which permanent surveillance was a significant part of everyday life in East Germany Eavesdropping and informing on neighbors and colleagues was completely normal for many -- even without pressure from the Stasi and its notorious leader Erich Mielke A significant portion of the denunciations had to do with plans to flee East Germany particularly people who had permits to travel to the West and who had no intention of returning But the smuggling of hard currency and excessive consumption of alcohol also caught the eye of observant DDR citizens Receiving packages from the West was likewise viewed with suspicion -- and those who were assigned an apartment or car more rapidly than others were often targeted for revenge by envious neighbors I would like to make a report," says a voice in one telephone recording He is constantly receiving visitors in his apartment In the 25 years since German reunification such daily denunciations have been almost completely ignored those who made them were able to simply disappear Whereas unofficial Stasi informants (IMs) were carefully documented such that they often lost their jobs following post reunification checks performed by government agencies schools and universities in Eastern Germany informal moles were almost never confronted with their past actions and the file folders they helped fill squealing on others was not strictly an East German specialty either West German residents also called up DDR officials to inform on East German citizens -- when they were planning an escape reported that he had a good friend in East Berlin and that he "didn't want to tattle on her for God's sake." But then he went on to say that she has "connections to escape organizations" and wants to flee to the West to join him He said that he "really likes her." But apparently he liked her better behind the Wall He concluded by saying he would welcome assistance in the matter likewise had a problem relating to cross-border love wanted his East German lover to join him in the West -- a plan that the calls likely nipped in the bud was not the only motive for West German informants It was a principle that made one woman from Dortmund reveal the names and addresses of DDR citizens who were planning to flee to the West She said she had no understanding for the fact that "foreigners Informants from the West and the East had plenty of options to choose from when it came to passing along sensitive information which had several phone numbers listed in the East German phone book The secretary of the local party organization was also a good contact person Almost every apartment building in the DDR maintained a kind of superintendent (known as a "Hausbuchbeauftragter") who kept notes on who visited whom and when this group included around 2.1 million people and many of them were willing to share their information The Volkspolizei also had around 173,000 "voluntary helpers." In addition heads of youth organizations belonging to the "Free German Youth" (FDJ) election helpers and factory heads were also part of the army of potential informants the historian from the University of Greifswald in an effort to determine just how well East German officials were informed She found that weekly reports compiled by the municipal council included information about which pastor had made loyal or critical comments what books they had in their apartments and tensions within their congregations One report even included a note from a member of the local party leadership that "multiple schoolgirls have received packages from West Germany in the mail in recent days." But it wasn't just members of the governing SED party that provided information Functionaries from the Christian Democratic Union -- the existence of which was tolerated by East German officials -- also took part in the rampant denunciations And it wasn't necessary to turn to the Stasi which many found threatening and sought to avoid A simple conversation with a local political leader or factory manager was easy enough to arrange -- and the less formal atmosphere made it more comfortable to share sensitive information about colleagues or neighbors The East German reporting system kept track of the country's citizens from kindergarten throughout their working lives and even into retirement via the Volkssolidarität ("People's Solidarity") organization It was part of developing a "socialist personality." Some began practicing denunciations in childhood Files were even kept on schoolchildren: "Wears Western clothes," "exhibits affinity for punk music," "demonstrates pacifist attitudes." criticism and self-critique were omnipresent people were on the lookout for divergent viewpoints which were then branded as dangerous to the state The losers of this system often didn't know why their lives suddenly became derailed many of them looked for clues in their Stasi files why their professional careers suddenly hit a roadblock or why their travel permit was revoked at the last minute And many were surprised when they found no information at the Federal Commissioner for the Records of the State Security Service of the former German Democratic Republic (BStU) the agency that continues to administer East Germany's Stasi files today can be found in documents kept in the archives of political parties one learns that skipping a Russian-language class making an ill-considered comment at the student union or exhibiting a persistent lack of the "proletarian point of view" can all lead to ex-matriculation -- which had profound consequences for a lifetime FDJ collectives compiled reports on secondary school students which were then used when it came time to assign jobs and spots at university Such reports were a part of the structural oppression imposed from above on the entire population The system was also present in so-called "Volkseigene Betriebe," as East Germany's state-owned enterprises were called Historians point to this finely woven web of surveillance as an explanation for East Germany's surprising stability -- a stability that hardly could have been achieved by the Stasi alone "The omnipresent opportunities for denunciation," says Hedwig Richter "fueled the most important disciplinary mechanism: self-censorship." An important element thereof was the fact that East Germans also informed on one another even without being asked and without any legal obligation to do so East Germans hoped to avoid potential problems and misunderstandings in the future," Richter says it was a way of demonstrating loyalty: "By exhibiting such individual initiative people legitimized the government's surveillance needs these people contributed to their comprehensive observation and participated in the surveillance state." The system made it simple for the state to determine who needed to be punished and who deserved a reward when non-voters were mentioned by name in the reports filed by polling station helpers Historians haven't yet been able to say for certain how many East German citizens offered their services as informants But it is a certainty that there were many more informants than the 180,000 IMs maintained by the Stasi in the final years of East Germany's existence Recent studies produced by historians Christian Booß and Helmut Müller-Enbergs also show domestic surveillance in East Germany went far beyond the Stasi's network of IMs they happened across Stasi informant groups into which hardly any research has been conducted They found that institutions in which people provided information about others were categorized as POZW -- which stood for "Partner in Political-Operative Cooperation." In contrast to IMs feeding information to the Stasi these people were not forced to sign a document obliging them to pass along information Numerous POZW reports are still in existence -- from banks registration offices and judiciary agencies Large numbers of so-called "Auskunftspersonen" (AKP) or "information providers," were used by the Stasi Booß and Müller-Enbergs counted 745 IMs -- and 3,335 AKP the list of AKPs was not made up exclusively of SED party members the historians calculated that fully 18 percent of the population of Rostock occasionally offered their services as AKP shy away from seeing all those who provided information to the Stasi as informants in the traditional sense blackmail and the desire to protect one's self also often played a role the historians were surprised when they ventured into the archive of Stasi files of Karl Marx Stadt they found documents which had never before been studied and which contained notes about so-called "GMs" and "BMs." The abbreviations were unknown to them but they quickly discovered that "GM" stood for "Gute Menschen," or "good people," while "BM" stood for "Brauchbare Menschen," or "usable people." from common SED members all the way up to the mayor with a "positive stance to the MfS," or the Ministry for State Security but were still willing to provide information was listed as a BM because he shared extensive amounts of information about his colleagues and actively spied on them A teacher in a school in Plauen was a "good person" because he offered suggestions as to which of his students might make good career soldiers Another GM worked in a state-owned sewing machine repair shop He related to the authorities his thoughts on who might be the author of a series of critical letters sent to Erich Honecker is the only one he could imagine spelling the party boss' name with two ns The state occasionally paid the Gute Menschen as well But they weren't given code names and they didn't have handlers They were just run-of-the-mill informants -- of the kind that were found everywhere in East Germany New research shows that East German authorities did all they could to make it easy for citizens to snitch on their neighbors and colleagues It was a finely woven web of surveillance and contributed greatly to the country's stability A worker in a Samsung factory in East Germany in the 1980s there were 745 Stasi informants in the East German town of Saalfeld But there were also 3,335 so-called "AKPs" who also provided authorities with information about friends