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☆ Germany arrests EU Parliament staff member on China espionage charges
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Sophie Kiderlin | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Germany has arrested a national on charges of spying for the Chinese secret service and leaking information from the European Parliament, Germany's federal prosecutor's office said on Tuesday. The man was also accused of spying on members of the Chinese opposition in Germany, according to a CNBC translation. The alleged spy was named as Jian G. and identified as an employee of a German member of the European Parliament since 2019. "If it is confirmed that there was espionage for Chinese intelligence services from within the European Parliament, then that would be an attack on European democracy from within. The ministry also said it hoped that Germany would stop using the so-called spy threat to manipulate political narratives, according to Reuters.

Persons: Scholz, Jian G, Maximilian Krah, Nancy Faeser Organizations: Tongji University, CNBC, Reuters Locations: China, Germany, Brussels

☆ Botswana offers to send 20,000 elephants to Germany, saying it should try looking after them instead of criticizing
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-03 | by ( Mikhaila Friel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

It came after Germany suggested there should be limits on importing hunting trophies. AdvertisementBotswana's president Mokgweetsi Masisi said he wants to send 20,000 wild elephants to Germany to challenge the country's stance on hunting. However, Kleinschmidt noted that Botswana's environment minister met with the German environment minister last week for an "open and constructive exchange of views." Related stories"Germany is one of the largest importers of hunting trophies into the EU. As the largest existing land animals, elephants are responsible for around 500 human deaths per year, according to BBC Wildlife Magazine.

Persons: Mokgweetsi Masisi, Masisi, —, Steffi Lemke, Massisi, Svenja, Kleinschmidt, There's, Prince Harry, Meghan, London's Organizations: Service, Guardian, Greens, Bild, EU Wildlife Trade, BBC Wildlife Magazine, Metro, Sky News, Botswana's Government Locations: Germany, Berlin, Botswana, Angola, Mozambique, Dumezweni

☆ Germany's defense minister says NATO's 2% target is just the start: 'We'll probably need more'
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-17 | by ( Katrina Bishop | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

watch nowGermany's defense minister said on Saturday that his country's commitment to spend 2% of GDP on defense was just the starting point and that more would likely be needed. Earlier in the day, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz insisted that the 2% spending target would be met "in the 2020s, in the 2030s and beyond." However, Boris Pistorius, Germany's federal minister of defense, stressed that spending 2% was always designed to be a minimum. This year, 18 of 31 NATO members are expected to reach the target — up from just three in 2014. Pistorius cited growing geopolitical tensions around the world, including in Europe, the Indo-Pacific and Africa, as the reason he expects defense spending to increase.

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Boris Pistorius, Pistorius, Donald Trump, Julia Nikhinson Organizations: CNBC, Munich Security, Afp, Getty, NATO Locations: Conway , South Carolina, Russia, Europe, Pacific, Africa

☆ 'Way too early' to declare victory over inflation, says ECB's Nagel
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Joachim Nagel, President of Germany's federal reserve Bundesbank addresses the media during the bank's annual news conference in Frankfurt, Germany March 1, 2023. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNICOSIA, Dec 3 (Reuters) - Euro zone inflation will carry on declining in the months ahead but at a slower pace, Bundesbank President Joachim Nagel was quoted as telling Cypriot newspaper Kathimerini on Sunday. "We have not yet won the fight against inflation," said Nagel, who visited Cyprus last week. "Add in a scenario where an escalation of geopolitical tensions could imply higher inflation and it becomes clear that it would be way too early to declare victory over high inflation rates," said Nagel, an influential voice on the ECB's rate setting Governing Council. "All in all, I expect inflation to carry on declining, but at a slower pace and with possible bumps along the way," Nagel said.

Persons: Joachim Nagel, Kai Pfaffenbach, Nagel, " Nagel, Michele Kambas, David Goodman Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Cypriot, Central Bank, ECB, Thomson Locations: Frankfurt, Germany, Rights NICOSIA, Cyprus

☆ Nuclear's uncertain role in the shift away from fossil fuels is seen as critical and very contentious
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Anmar Frangoul | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

It's set to be a hot topic at the COP28 summit in Dubai, which begins this week. There are reports that there will be a concerted effort to get behind a big increase in nuclear capacity from now to 2050. "As more nations understand the role nuclear can play in achieving energy security and decarbonisation targets, global support for nuclear energy is growing," he added. "The phase-out of nuclear power makes our country safer; ultimately, the risks of nuclear power are uncontrollable," Steffi Lemke, Germany's federal minister for the environment and nuclear safety, said in April. France, a major player in nuclear power, is also planning to increase its number of reactors.

Persons: Janos Kummer, Atoms4NetZero, Rafael Mariano Grossi, Friedrich Merz, CNBC's Annette Weisbach, Merz —, Chancellor Olaf Scholz —, Steffi Lemke Organizations: Getty, International Atomic Energy Agency, CNBC, World Nuclear Association, IAEA, Christian Democratic Union, Greenpeace, Germany —, — Locations: Slovakia, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, COP28, Germany, Sweden, France

Homeland Security, as well as companies that help identify counterfeit products such as Israel’s BrandShield. Fake weight-loss drugs will be a key focus in the agency’s annual counterfeit medicines report, due next year, the official said. “We have counterfeit products and stolen products,” the official said. "We will look online and if we find something that infringes (obesity drug trademarks) we'll get it taken down,” said Yoav Keren, BrandShield CEO. When a consumer buys those fakes, “what you get are expired drugs, counterfeit drugs, or nothing,” he added.

Persons: George Frey, Eli Lilly, BrandShield, Novo’s Ozempic, ”, Jim Mancuso, Mancuso, Europol, Novo, Lilly, “, Ozempic, Yoav Keren, MHRA, Eli, Mounjaro, Patrick Wingrove, Aurora Ellis Organizations: Novo Nordisk, Pharmacy, REUTERS, Novo Nordisk’s, Pharmaceutical Security Institute, drugmakers Novo Nordisk, Europol, Interpol, U.S . Homeland Security, U.S . Food, Drug Administration, U.S . Department of Homeland, Coordination Center, PSI, Medicines, Healthcare, Agency, Health Organization, Ireland’s, Products Regulatory Authority, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Provo , Utah, U.S, America, Europe, Germany, Egypt, Russia, North America

[1/2] A 0.25 mg injection pen of Novo Nordisk's weight-loss drug Wegovy is shown in this photo illustration in Oslo, Norway, September 1, 2023. REUTERS/Victoria Klesty/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 12 (Reuters) - Novo Nordisk (NOVOb.CO) warned on Thursday of a surge in counterfeit versions of its weight-loss drug Wegovy and diabetes drug Ozempic offered online, as German authorities gave more details of complex European trades in a fake drug case. "Novo Nordisk has seen a significant increase in illegal online sales," the company said in a statement, referring to products that contain the active ingredient semaglutide. The warning came after Germany's federal drug regulator on Wednesday urged pharmacies and drug distributors to be vigilant following the discovery of wholesale batches of fake Ozempic. The FDA has warned patients to refrain from using a compounded drug if an approved drug is available.

Persons: Victoria Klesty, Ozempic, Novo, Danish drugmaker, Eli Lilly, Lilly, Maggie Fick, Ludwig Burger, Jan Harvey, Susan Fenton Organizations: REUTERS, Novo Nordisk, Nordisk, Prosecutors, U.S . Food, Drug Administration, U.S, FDA, Thomson Locations: Oslo, Norway, Victoria, Loerrach, Swiss, Basel, British, Austria, Germany, Europe, Danish, U.S, United States, Britain

☆ Germany's anti-discrimination agency quits X over anti-minority posts
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The logo for social media platform X, following the rebranding of Twitter, is seen covering the old logo in this illustration taken, July 24, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBERLIN, Oct 11 (Reuters) - Germany's Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency said it would close its account on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, because of increasing intolerance of minorities expressed by users on the site, and urged other bodies to follow suit. Due to a surge in racism, misogyny, anti-Semitism, trans and queer hostility and other misanthropic content, "X is no longer a sustainable environment for a public agency", the agency's commissioner, Ferda Ataman, said in a statement. X officials couldn't be immediately reached for comment on the Germany agency's decision. Germany's foreign, economy and finance ministries, as well as the government still maintain profiles on X, though Economy Minister Robert Habeck has not had a presence there since 2019.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Ferda Ataman, Chancellor Olaf Scholz, couldn't, X, Ataman, Robert Habeck, Miranda Murray, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Twitter, REUTERS, Rights, Discrimination Agency, Elon, European Union, Thomson Locations: Israel, Germany

☆ German antitrust head warns AI may boost Big Tech's dominance
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( Hakan Ersen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Alphabet's (GOOGL.O) Google and Microsoft (MSFT.O) have recently become rivals in artificial intelligence (AI), with the latter investing heavily in OpenAI and the former building the Bard AI chatbot among other investments. The surge in AI popularity has prompted governments around the world to try to impose rules on the use of the technology, with the European Union in a race to adopt its landmark AI rules by the end of the year. "The danger is very great because you need two things above all for AI, powerful servers and vast amounts of data. Mundt said the field was still open to competition but regulators need to ensure it remains so. "Both developments are possible, and as an authority we have to be careful that any competitive potential is not buried from the outset."

Persons: Andreas Mundt, Wolfgang Rattay, Mundt, Foo Yun, Mark Potter Organizations: Federal, Office, REUTERS, Alpha, Big, Google, Microsoft, European Union, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Bonn, Germany, FRANKFURT, OpenAI

☆ Germany's political landscape is shifting, with the far-right AfD party ahead in the polls
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( Hannah Ward-Glenton | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The AFD party leadership (front row) holds a banner reading OUR LAND FIRST! during a protest against the rising cost of living in a demonstration organized by the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) political party on October 8, 2022 in Berlin, Germany. The Christian Democratic Union party (CDU), formerly led by chancellor of 16 years, Angela Merkel, currently polls the highest. "First of all you need a political will to stop it and we don't see this will among the other parties. "There is a backlash clearly … The population is now moving to the right," Sinn said, referring to the popularity of the AfD.

Persons: Omer Messinger, Angela Merkel, Robert Lambrou, Lambrou, CNBC's Annette Weisbach, Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Manfred Knof, Hans, Werner Sinn, Sinn Organizations: Getty, Social Democrats, Greens, Free Democrats, Christian Democratic Union, CDU, CNBC, Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs, Handelsblatt Locations: Germany, Berlin, Hesse, Frankfurt, Bavaria, Munich, Sonneberg, Thuringia, Europe

☆ German regulator to send special monitor to Deutsche Bank, Handelsblatt reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The logo of Germany's Federal Financial Supervisory Authority BaFin (Bundesanstalt fuer Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht) is pictured outside of an office building of the BaFin in Bonn, Germany, April 15, 2019. REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBERLIN, Oct 1 (Reuters) - German financial regulator BaFin will send a special monitor to Deutsche Bank (DBKGn.DE) following problems at its Postbank unit, German daily Handelsblatt reported on Sunday citing sources close to the matter. Both BaFin and Deutsche Bank declined to comment. The issues at Postbank included disruptions in online offerings, difficulty in reaching customer service and long processing times, BaFin has said. BaFin said two weeks ago it would "take relevant supervisory measures if appropriate".

Persons: Wolfgang Rattay, BaFin, Maria Martinez, Hugh Lawson Organizations: Federal Financial, Authority, REUTERS, Rights, Deutsche Bank, Thomson Locations: Bonn, Germany

☆ Q+A What is known about the Nord Stream gas pipeline explosions
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Nerijus Adomaitis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

This is what we know so far:WHAT ARE NORD STREAM PIPELINES? The multibillion-dollar infrastructure project was built by Russia's Gazprom (GAZP.MM) in two stages - Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2. Gazprom owns 51% of Nord Stream 1, while Germany's E.ON (EONGn.DE) and Wintershall Dea (WINT.UL) have 15.5% each, while French Engie (ENGIE.PA) and Dutch Gasunie (GSUNI.UL) hold 9% each in Nord Stream 1. Nord Stream 2, fully owned by Gazprom and operated by Nord Stream 2 AG, was completed in September 2021 at a cost of $11 billion, but was never put into operation because Germany had cancelled Nord Stream 2's certification days before Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. The Nord Stream pipelines have been a flashpoint in an energy dispute between Europe and Moscow since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Persons: Pipes, Fabian Bimmer, Wintershall, OMV, Peter Frank, Die, Seymour Hersh, Mats Ljungqvist, Der Spiegel, Der Siegel, BfV, Nerijus Adomaitis, Christoph Steitz, Nina Chestney, Ros Russell Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Gazprom, Nord, E.ON, Shell, . Security, WHO, Washington Post, Die Welt, . Security Council, Reuters, Street, ZDF, Kyiv, CIA, NDR, WDR, German Federal Intelligence Service, Thomson Locations: Baltic, Mukran, Germany, Rights OSLO, Russia, Swedish, Bornholm, Sweden, Denmark, Nord, Ukraine, Uniper, Washington, NATO, Moscow, Kaliningrad, Russian, Britain ., U.S, Norway, China, Brazil, Rostock, Wiek, Rugen, Danish, Christianso, Kolobrzeg, Poland, Europe, United States, Oslo, Frankfurt

☆ Germany needs structural change to prevent a shift to the right, Commerzbank CEO says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Hannah Ward-Glenton | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The sun sets behind the lignite-fired power plant of Boxberg on August 18, 2023 in Neuliebel, Germany. Florian Gaertner | Photothek | Getty ImagesGermany needs to implement structural changes if it wants to prevent a political shift to the right, Commerzbank CEO Manfred Knof told CNBC at the Handelsblatt Banking Summit 2023. Knof also said Germany's small-to-medium-sized companies, known as the Mittelstand, were reluctant to invest in their own country because of the structural issues in Europe's largest economy. "We need more activities and ... [a] better framework for the German SMEs to invest in this country," he added. "A lot of family-owned companies ... have very operational plans to relocate," Russwurm said, adding that the current business conditions in Germany had created a "cocktail" of obstacles for companies.

Persons: Florian Gaertner, Manfred Knof, Knof, Siegfried Russwurm, CNBC's Annette Weisbach, Russwurm Organizations: Photothek, Getty, CNBC, Handelsblatt, Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs, Germany, German Industry Federation Locations: Boxberg, Neuliebel, Germany, Bavaria, Europe's

☆ Berlin's Brandenburg Gate spray-painted by climate activists
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/5] People walk in front of the Brandenburg Gate after Last Generation ("Letzte Generation") climate activists threw paint on the columns of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, September 17, 2023. REUTERS/Swantje Stein Acquire Licensing RightsFRANKFURT, Sept 17 (Reuters) - Climate activists sprayed orange and yellow paint on the columns of Berlin's landmark Brandenburg Gate on Sunday to push demands for a stop to the use of fossil fuels by 2030. "Members of the so-called 'Last Generation' sprayed the columns on the east side of the Brandenburg Gate with orange paint from fire extinguishers during the morning," Berlin police said on X, formerly known as Twitter. It added that police officers noticed a hydraulic lift was being operated at the gate and they kept the protesters from scaling the landmark building. Germany aims to reach net-zero emissions by 2045, but it missed annual targets for the last two years.

Persons: Swantje Stein, Ludwig Burger, Christina Fincher Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Thomson Locations: Brandenburg, Berlin, Germany, Europe

LONDON, Sept 13 (Reuters) - France's radiation watchdog has banned sales of Apple's (AAPL.O) iPhone 12 after tests that it said showed the smartphone breached European radiation exposure limits. Apple disputes the watchdog's conclusions, saying the iPhone 12 was certified by multiple international bodies as compliant with global radiation standards. The ANFR said it recently carried out random tests on 141 phones, including iPhone 12, bought from shops. Smartphone radiation tests have so far led to 42 imposed sale stops in the country, it said. The ANFR said the iPhone 12 had failed to meet European Union standards, raising questions over whether more sales bans could be coming elsewhere.

Persons: Jean, Noel Barrot, Le, ANFR, Rodney Croft, Apple, Martin Coulter, Jennifer Rigby, Elizabeth Pineau, Mark Potter, Josie Kao Organizations: Agence Nationale des, Apple, Digital Minister, Reuters, International Commission, EU, WHO, International Agency for Research, Cancer, APPLE, Union, Germany's Federal, for Radiation, Thomson Locations: France

☆ Police hunt for escaped lion on southern edge of Berlin
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, July 20 (Reuters) - Police have warned the public to stay indoors on the south-western edge of Berlin while they search for a wild animal in the area believed to be an escaped lion. "We are currently working on the assumption that the animal is a lioness," the spokesperson told Reuters via telephone. The search area currently covers the Brandenburg municipalities of Kleinmachnow and Stahnsdorf. Earlier Thursday, Berlin police had tweeted that the area on high alert included the capital's southern edge. Asked where the wild animal may have come from, the police spokesperson said it was not clear.

Persons: Rachel More, Friederike Heine, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Police, Berlin, Thomson Locations: BERLIN, Berlin, Brandenburg, Kleinmachnow

☆ Nord Stream sabotage probe turns to clues inside Poland- WSJ
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

June 10 (Reuters) - German investigators are examining evidence suggesting a sabotage team used Poland as an operating base to damage the Nord Stream pipelines in the Baltic Sea in September, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday. German investigators have fully reconstructed the two-week voyage of the "Andromeda", a 50-foot (15-metre) white pleasure yacht suspected of being involved in the sabotage of the pipelines that supply Russian gas to Europe, the newspaper said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Wednesday told German media that Ukraine did not attack Nord Stream pipelines. German media in March identified the possible involvement of a yacht from a Poland-based company owned by Ukrainian citizens in the attack. The Journal cited people familiar with the Andromeda’s voyage as indicating the sabotage crew had finished half their job, laying deep-sea explosives on Nord Stream 1, before they set their Bavaria 50 Cruiser on a course away from their target, toward Poland.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Shivani Tanna, William Mallard Organizations: Wall Street, Germany's Federal Criminal Police, Poland's, Washington Post, Wednesday, Wall Street Journal, Bavaria, Thomson Locations: Poland, Baltic, Europe, Germany, Germany's, Ukraine, Sweden, Denmark, Ukrainian, Bengaluru

☆ Nord Stream sabotage probe turns to clues inside Poland, Wall Street Journal reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

June 10 (Reuters) - German investigators are examining evidence suggesting a sabotage team used Poland as an operating base to damage the Nord Stream pipelines in the Baltic Sea in September, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday. The investigators have reconstructed the two-week voyage of the "Andromeda", a 50-foot (15-metre) yacht suspected of being involved in the sabotage of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, the newspaper said. The Journal cited people familiar with the voyage as indicating the sabotage crew had placed deep-sea explosives on Nord Stream 1, before they set the vessel on a course towards Poland. The destruction of the Nord Stream pipelines hastened the region's switch to other energy suppliers. Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2, each consisting of two pipes, were built by Russia's state-controlled Gazprom to pump 110 billion cubic metres (bcm) of natural gas a year to Germany.

Persons: Stanislaw Zaryn, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Shivani Tanna, Karol Badohal, William Mallard, Helen Popper Our Organizations: Wall Street, Germany's Federal Criminal Police, Polish, Special Services, Twitter, Nord, Gazprom, Washington Post, Wednesday, Thomson Locations: Poland, Baltic, Germany, Germany's, Russian, Warsaw, Kiev, Ukraine, Nord, Sweden, Denmark, Ukrainian, Bengaluru

☆ G7 agreed global financial system resilient but needs vigilance, Japan finmin says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Japan's Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki, Germany's Finance Minister Christian Lindner, Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt, Joachim Nagel, President of Germany's federal reserve... Read moreNIIGATA, Japan, May 13 (Reuters) - Finance ministers and central banks from the Group of Seven rich nations agreed the global financial system is resilient but the need for vigilance remains, Japan's finance minister Shunichi Suzuki said on Saturday. "We reaffirm that our financial system is resilient, supported by the financial regulatory reforms implemented after the 2008 global financial crisis, including considerable increases in the levels of bank capital and liquidity, an international framework for effectively resolving failing institutions, and strengthened cross-border regulatory and supervisory cooperation," it said. British finance minister Jeremy Hunt told reporters at a separate event that G7 finance chiefs in Japan had "very frank and open discussions" about the challenges they face, including banking regulation. The ministers have wrapped up a three-day meeting in the Japanese city of Niigata. Reporting by Tetsushi Kajimoto and Leika Kihara; Writing by David Dolan Editing by Shri NavaratnamOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Russia has a plan to sabotage European wind farms, gas pipelines, and internet cables, report say
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Russia has been using ships to spy in Nordic waters, a joint investigation by four countries' public broadcasters found. They are collecting intel on wind farms, gas pipelines, and power and internet cables, report said. Norway's NRK reported at least 50 Russian ships gathered intelligence there in the last ten years. DR reported that intercepted Russian navy communications showed Russian ships who had turned off their transmitters sailing in Nordic waters. One of the ships, Russian marine research vessel "Admiral Vladimirsky," sailed near current and future offshore wind farms, and stayed there for a few days, the outlets found.

☆ Russian spies are using Tinder to ensnare German soldiers and politicians to get them to disclose Ukraine war secrets, counterintelligence warns
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Sinéad Baker | Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russian spies are using Tinder to pursue intelligence about the Ukraine war, Germany warned. Spies are targeting German soldiers and politicians, the country's counterintelligence service said. Intelligence services like Russia's appear to be using the dating app to seek intel and recruits. Other governments have previously warned that spies and foreign intelligence bodies could be using dating apps like Tinder to find sources and gather information. But the dating app has also been used by others in relation to the ongoing war in Ukraine.

☆ Italy became the first Western country to ban ChatGPT. Here's what other countries are doing
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Stefani Reynolds | AFP | Getty ImagesItaly has become the first country in the West to ban ChatGPT, the popular artificial intelligence chatbot from U.S. startup OpenAI. watch nowVarious regulators are concerned by the challenges AI poses for job security, data privacy, and equality. "It's more, if you're using AI, these are the principles you should be thinking about," Holmes told CNBC. Ireland is typically the most active regulator when it comes to data privacy since most U.S. tech giants like Meta and Google have their offices there. The U.S. hasn't yet proposed any formal rules to bring oversight to AI technology.

☆ Germany starts fine proceedings against Twitter over user complaints
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, April 4 (Reuters) - Germany's federal office of justice has started proceedings to fine Twitter (TWTR.MX), accusing the social media company of mishandling user complaints over "illegal" content, a statement said on Tuesday. Several instances of content published on Twitter were reported to the office, "which the authority considers illegal and, despite user complaints, was not deleted or blocked by the provider within the legally stipulated periods," the statement said. The German authority did not specify which examples of illegal content it was referring to, or the size of a possible fine. In December, a senior German official called for the company to be put under direct supervision of the European Commission. Reporting by Rachel More; writing by Matthias Williams; editing by Friederike Heine and Miranda MurrayOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Germany unveils immigration reform plan to tackle labour shortages
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BERLIN, March 29 (Reuters) - Germany on Wednesday unveiled draft reforms on immigration, skills training and promoting immigration from Western Balkan countries, a bid by Chancellor Olaf Scholz's government to plug labour shortages in Europe's largest economy. "Securing our skilled labour base is one of Germany's biggest economic tasks for the coming decades," Labour Minister Hubertus Heil said. One of the reforms is a new immigration law that aims to address key hurdles for migrants to Germany, particularly for those coming from outside the European Union. The draft law, seen by Reuters, says the reform could increase the number of workers from countries outside the EU by 60,000 people a year. The opportunity card follows a points-based system that takes into account qualifications, language skills, professional experience, connection to Germany and age.

☆ 'Cannabis in Germany will be a success story': Europe's biggest economy moves closer to weed legalization
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

The sale of medical cannabis has been allowed in German pharmacies since 2016 — but several barriers to entry remain, including cost. "Patients, who cannot afford medical cannabis, may self-medicate with adult-use cannabis without medical advice. "An overall de-stigmatization of cannabis as a substance will also lead to a de-stigmatized medical cannabis market," Gallois added. The government is currently undertaking a review of its medical cannabis guidelines, including how it is prescribed and reimbursed under the country's statutory health insurance program. A 'domino effect'The plans come as cannabis legalization has fallen under renewed debate over recent years.

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