(tb) Was the current President of the United States involved in the Declaration of Independence? Well, it's probably not entirely out of the question that he himself believed he was. After all, he also calculated that the Gaza War, which began with the Hamas terror attacks of October 7, 2023, would last 3000 years.

The open youth stamp competition "Stamp it! – Everyone can participate" will take place for the first time in 2026. All young stamp collectors up to the age of 21, as well as youth groups, school classes, and clubs, have the opportunity to participate. Membership in the German Philatelic Youth Association (Deutsche Philatelisten-Jugend e.V.) is not a requirement for participation.

(tb) Jörg Maier is needed by the readers of the MICHEL-Rundschau not to introduce him. He is rightly considered the most important Chile expert in Germany. Whether the letter addressed to him was philatelic in nature, he kept to himself. He presented the envelope, which clearly demonstrates the reading capabilities of modern sorting machines, to the editorial staff. One could hardly address a letter more neatly by hand than the sender. Nevertheless, the technology couldn't handle it. The yellow sticker with the address in letters and in matrix code proves that the machine needed some human assistance.

(tb) Japan Post is expanding its logistics activities. It has acquired a 19,9 percent stake in Logisteed , the former logistics division of the Hitachi Group. Logisteed is one of the leading providers in the Asia-Pacific region for logistics services that companies have fully outsourced. In Japan, 56.000 people work for Logisteed at 1000 locations, and another 19.000 at 450 locations outside Japan. Among globally operating logistics providers, Logispeed is currently ranked 29th with a revenue of nearly six billion euros.

Japan Post is paying the equivalent of just over €900 million for the minority stake. It has not yet indicated whether it intends to pursue a full takeover in the medium or long term. Its own logistics division operates under the name Toll and currently ranks 30th worldwide.

 

 

(tb) Three divisions of Deutsche Post have announced increased investments in Africa. DHL Express , DHL Global Forwarding , and DHL Supply Chain plan to invest over €300 million in expanding their operations in sub-Saharan Africa. The express delivery division intends to modernize its hubs, increase air freight capacity, and expand time-definite deliveries in emerging cities. The freight forwarding division will focus on developing industry-specific solutions to strengthen trade in Africa. Finally, the supply chain management division plans to expand its transport solutions, with a particular emphasis on the transport of pharmaceuticals and related products, including life sciences and healthcare. Deutsche Post also announced its intention to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with training programs, for example, on customs regulations.