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☆ Was the Stone Age Actually the Wood Age?
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-04 | by ( Franz Lidz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The basic chronology — Stone Age to Bronze Age to Iron Age — now underpins the archaeology of most of the Old World (and cartoons like “The Flintstones” and “The Croods”). Thomsen could well have substituted Wood Age for Stone Age, according to Thomas Terberger, an archaeologist and head of research at the Department of Cultural Heritage of Lower Saxony, in Germany. “We can probably assume that wooden tools have been around just as long as stone ones, that is, two and a half or three million years,“ he said. Of the thousands of archaeological sites that can be traced to the era, wood has been recovered from fewer than 10. The projectiles unearthed at the Schöningen site, known as Spear Horizon, are considered the oldest preserved hunting weapons.

Persons: Christian Jürgensen Thomsen, Thomsen, Thomas Terberger, “, Terberger, heidelbergensis Organizations: Department of Cultural Heritage, National Academy of Sciences Locations: Danish, Europe, Lower Saxony, Germany, Schöningen

☆ Madeleine McCann Suspect to Face Trial on Separate Sex Assault Charges
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN (Reuters) - The main suspect in the 2007 disappearance of British toddler Madeleine McCann goes on trial in Germany on Friday on separate charges relating to child sexual abuse crimes in Portugal. He has not yet been required to enter a plea and his legal team have made no public comment about the charges. Portuguese prosecutors in the disappearance of the British child identified as an official suspect a person whose details corresponded to that of Brueckner two years ago. Brueckner has denied being involved in the disappearance and has not been charged with any crime related to it. McCann disappeared from her bedroom on May 3, 2007, during a family holiday while her parents were dining with friends nearby in the resort of Praia da Luz.

Persons: Madeleine McCann, Christian Brueckner, McCann, Brueckner, Thomas Escritt, Alison Williams Organizations: BERLIN Locations: Germany, Portugal, Portugal's Algarve, Brunswick, Algarve, knifepoint, Praia da Luz

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Gale-force winds and floods struck several countries in Northern Europe as the region braced for more heavy rain on Friday. In Scotland, at least two people were reported dead and authorities searched for a man thought to be trapped in his vehicle. On Friday, the Met Office issued a new “red” warning for parts of eastern Scotland for further flooding throughout Saturday. Water levels were expected to begin dropping again on Saturday morning, Swedish meteorologists said. On Germany’s North Sea coast, the high winds had the opposite effect to the flooding on the Baltic coast, pushing the water further out and leading to very low water levels.

Persons: — Gale, van, ”, Scotland’s, Humza Yousaf, —, Skanetrafiken, ” Skanetrafiken, Pan Pylas, Geir Moulson Organizations: Met Office, Met, Danish Meteorological Institute, ” Police, Denmark —, Bergens Tidende, Swedish Transportation Authority, Ferries, Associated Press Locations: COPENHAGEN, Denmark, Northern Europe, Scotland, Denmark's Jutland, Danish, Baltic, Sweden, Norway, Germany, Angus, Marykirk, Brechin, England, Norway’s, Ferries, Flensburg, Kiel, Wismar, Gedser, Rostock, London, Berlin

☆ 'They just come, take a nice selfie ... and leave.' Overtourism returns, but cities are fighting back
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( Monica Pitrelli | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Many cities have come full circle to worrying about too many tourists rather than too few. "They just come, take a nice selfie, publish them on social media, increase the popularity of this place … and leave," she said. And an additional 50 million international tourist arrivals are expected per year — mostly from Asia — between now and 2030, according to the U.N.'s World Tourism Organization. James Matsumoto| Sopa Images | Lightrocket | Getty ImagesSome travelers supported Bhutan's $200 per day Sustainable Development Fee, which was announced in 2022. Managing 'tourist flow'The United Nations World Tourism Organization secretary-general, Zurab Pololikashvili, told CNBC Travel that the key to overcoming overtourism lies in "tourist flow."

Persons: Lionel Saul, Tatyana Tsukanova, What's, Tsukanova, Reinhard Hormandinger, Saul, Jesus Merida, It's, Luca Zanon, Ivan Saprov, Saprov, Miyajima, James Matsumoto, Zurab Pololikashvili, overtourism, Jon Hicks, —, Darrell Wade, Reinhard Hoermandinger Organizations: Hospitality Business, United Nations, Asia —, Tourism Organization, South, Afp, Getty, Guardian, daytrippers, CNBC, United Nations World Tourism Organization, CNBC Travel, Stone, Japan Times, Intrepid Travel Locations: Lausanne, Switzerland, Asia, South Korean, Machu Picchu, Peru, Acropolis, Athens, Borobudur, Indonesia, Sardinia, Venice, Bora Bora, Amsterdam, Spanish, Malaga, Spain, France, trialing, daytrippers . New, Valencia, Manchester, England, Thailand, Iceland, U.S, Bali, Germany, Yogyakarta, Labuan Bajo, Lake Toba, Austria

“This is yet another shift away from the image of unsophisticated barbaric Vikings swinging their swords around,” said Mads Dengsø Jessen, a senior researcher with the National Museum in Copenhagen. Over the past 25 years, archeologists have found glass fragments in six excavations in southern Sweden, Denmark and northern Germany. Political Cartoons View All 1199 ImagesThe museum said glass windows were for the upper echelons of society and religious use, as was the case in the rest of Europe. Dengsø Jessen said there may have been glass windows in the Vikings' vast hall buildings. This is something that is often omitted in the simplistic Hollywood portraits of Vikings,” Dengsø Jessen said.

Persons: ”, Mads Dengsø Jessen, “, Torben Sode, Dengsø Jessen, Charlemagne ,, ” Dengsø Jessen Organizations: — Vikings, National Museum, Vikings Locations: COPENHAGEN, Denmark, Copenhagen, Sweden, Germany, Europe, North America

☆ Turkey will back Sweden's NATO bid if U.S. keeps promise on F-16 sale - Erdogan
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

AXEL HEIMKEN/Pool via REUTERS/ File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsANKARA, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Turkey's parliament will keep its promise to ratify Sweden's NATO bid if U.S. President Joe Biden's administration paves the way for F-16 jet sales to Ankara, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday, according to Turkish media. Speaking to reporters on his flight back from Azerbaijan's exclave of Nakhchivan, Erdogan said that Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed Sweden's NATO membership bid last week in New York. The U.S. administration is linking F-16 fighter jet sales to Turkey with Ankara's ratification of Sweden's bid, Erdogan said. "If they (the U.S.) keep their promises, our parliament will keep its own promise as well. Turkish parliament will have the final say on Sweden's NATO membership," he said.

Persons: AXEL HEIMKEN, Joe Biden's, Tayyip Erdogan, Erdogan, Hakan Fidan, Antony Blinken, Huseyin Hayatsever, Jonathan Spicer Organizations: US Airforce, Air, Rights, Sweden's NATO, NATO, Thomson Locations: Jagel, Germany, Rights ANKARA, Ankara, Azerbaijan's, Nakhchivan, New York, U.S, Turkey

It follows Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the loss of Moscow's cheap natural gas — an unprecedented shock to Germany’s energy-intensive industries, long the manufacturing powerhouse of Europe. The loss of cheap Russian natural gas needed to power factories “painfully damaged the business model of the German economy,” Kullmann told The Associated Press. One hotly debated solution: a government-funded cap on industrial electricity prices to get the economy through the renewable energy transition. However, squabbling among the coalition government over the energy price cap and a law barring new gas furnaces has exasperated business leaders. “The perception of Germany's underlying strength may also have contributed to the misguided decisions to exit nuclear energy, ban fracking for natural gas and bet on ample natural gas supplies from Russia,” he said.

Persons: “, Christian Kullmann, Kullmann, ” Kullmann, Evonik, Robert Habeck, Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Angela Merkel, —, Biden, Scholz, Evonik's Kullmann, Gerhard Schroeder, Holger Schmieding, ”, ” Schmieding, Schmieding Organizations: Jobs, International Monetary Fund, European Union, Evonik Industries, Associated Press, Greens Party, Social Democrat, Free Democrats, Companies, Schott AG, ” Locations: ESSEN, Germany, Ukraine, Europe, Europe's, Essen, Russia, Moscow, China, Bavarian, U.S, Lafayette , Indiana, Brussels, Berlin, Chile, Qatar, ” Germany, Berenberg

☆ German arms maker Diehl to ramp up production of IRIS-T air defence system
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TODENDORF, Germany, Sept 5 (Reuters) - German arms maker Diehl Defence aims to significantly ramp up the production of its IRIS-T air defence system to satisfy growing demand due to Russia's war on Ukraine, Chief Program Officer Harald Buschek said on Tuesday. Germany so far has supplied two IRIS-T units to Ukraine, where they are mainly used to guard Kyiv against Russian missile attacks. Buschek said Ukraine had shot down more than 110 targets, most of these cruise missiles such as the Kalibr, with a hit rate of almost 100%. The system successfully countered an attack on Kyiv by a swarm of 13 Russian cruise missiles at the start of the year, intercepting all missiles, Buschek said. In the small town of Todendorf, Berlin will host the training of partner nations on the modern IRIS-T air defence system, one of the most coveted weapons that Kyiv has received from the West.

Persons: Harald Buschek, Berlin, Buschek, Sabine Siebold, Friederike Heine, Miranda Murray, Jason Neely Organizations: Diehl Defence, IRIS, Kyiv, Russian, NATO, Thomson Locations: TODENDORF, Germany, Ukraine, Todendorf, Kyiv, Russian, Berlin, Moscow, Russia, Estonia, Latvia

Factors such as cheaper airfares and weaker currencies in Scandinavia could play a role, but one of the world's biggest tour operators TUI (TUI1n.DE) said on Wednesday that climate change will also drive more tourists northbound. Tour operators in places like northern Norway also see an increased demand. This had resulted in more direct flight routes to Northern Norway being created, it said. Heather Storgaard, a Scottish tourist, planned her summer vacation this year in Denmark, with a stop in Northern Germany. Wissenbach is often in Italy due to work but said she preferred the north for holidays.

Persons: Sebastian Ebel, Ebel, TUI, Fabio Scaglione, Diego Bruno, Bruno, Heather Storgaard, we'd, Margit Wissenbach, Joanna Plucinska, Marie Mannes, Rachel More, Alberto Chiumento, Mark Potter, William Maclean Organizations: Mastercard, TUI's, Stockholm, Thomson Locations: Europe, Denmark, Finland, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Scandinavia, Poland, Belgium, Greece, Rhodes, Northern Norway, Turin, Italy, Italian, Spain, Scottish, Northern Germany, France, Germany, Switzerland, Gothenburg, Wissenbach

☆ Wacken: German heavy metal festival halts admissions as rain turns site to mud
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Sophie Tanno | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A heavy metal festival in Germany has been forced to halt admissions after heavy rain turned the site into a mud bath. The Wacken Open Air festival is an annual event which takes place in fields outside the village of Wacken in northern Germany, attracting tens of thousands of heavy metal music-lovers. In a statement posted on the festival’s website, organizers said that “considering the weather conditions, the reasonable visitor capacity for Wacken Open Air 2023 has now been reached. The festival was set to see 150 bands perform on eight stages over a period of four days. Iron Maiden, Megadeth and Pennywise are among the bands scheduled to perform at the event, which wraps up on Saturday.

Persons: Christian, ”, Pennywise, revelers Organizations: CNN, Wacken, dpa Locations: Germany, Wacken

☆ In Baltic Sea, citizen divers restore seagrass to fight climate change
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Lisi Niesner | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Filed: July 26, 2023, 10 a.m. GMTJust off the coast of Kiel in northern Germany, scuba divers use hand trowels to dig up emerald green seagrass shoots complete with roots from a dense underwater meadow, delicately shaking off the sediment before placing them in yellow bags. Back on land, they store the shoots in large cooling boxes, before heading out the next day to a barren area further north to replant them in circles. One diver holds a line, and the other uses it to navigate the murky waters and swim around him. They hope this painstaking work, part of a new project that trains local citizens to restore seagrass meadows in the Baltic Sea, can help tackle climate change.

Locations: Kiel, Germany, replant, Baltic

☆ NATO Nations Kick Off Giant Air Force Drills
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Lara Jakes | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The exercise, known as Air Defender, is led by the German government and brings together the largest number of aircraft from outside Germany for a training mission since NATO was founded in 1949. The United States flew about 100 National Guard and Navy aircraft to Germany for the exercises. Pilots will conduct other missions with fighter jets, the show horses of the sky, at five other bases across Germany. Air Force Gen. Ingo Gerhartz of Germany, who is overseeing Air Defender, said it was not “directed at anyone,” and emphasized that no offensive scenarios would be practiced. “We are a defense alliance, and so this exercise will be of a defensive nature,” General Gerhartz told reporters in Berlin.

Persons: Ingo Gerhartz, General Gerhartz, Gerhartz, Putin, “ Organizations: Air, NATO, United States, National Guard and Navy, Pilots, Air Force Locations: Germany, Wunstorf, Ukraine, United States, Russia, Berlin, Crimea, Ukrainian, Moscow

☆ A lost medieval city that legend says was swallowed by the sea as punishment for its carnal sins mapped for the first time
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-04 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The legend says that the city of Rungholt was destroyed as revenge for its inhabitants' sins. Researchers say such finds provide unparalleled insights into the lives of the North Frisian peopleTop editors give you the stories you want — delivered right to your inbox each weekday. Legend has it that the once thriving city, which now sits off the coast of northern Germany, was swallowed by the North Sea in a single night following a heavy storm as punishment for its inhabitants' sins. In medieval legends, the sound of its bell tower could be heard from the depths of the North Sea. The press release says that investigations into the tidal flats continued to "bring to light significant new finds" and provided unparalleled insights into the lives of the North Frisian people.

Persons: —, drunkards, Ralf Roletschek, Dennis Wilken, Hanna Hadler Organizations: Service, The Times, Christian, Albrecht University, Kiel University, Institute, Mainz University Locations: Rungholt, Germany, North, Wadden, Kiel

Here's the latest:ELECTRIC VEHICLE FRICTIONBiden's domestic policy is embodied in working to electrify roadways across the United States. Getting more electric vehicles on the roads is central to his climate change agenda, ensuring the vehicles are "Made in America" is part of his commitment to restore manufacturing jobs. But the IRA's consumer tax credits are tightly linked to the cars' and batteries being made in the U.S., roiling allies in Europe and Asia whose companies sell into U.S. markets. Instead, Japanese and U.S. officials struck a trade deal on electric vehicle battery minerals that expands eligibility for the $7,500 per vehicle EV tax credits in the IRA. NEW RACE FOR SUBSIDIESThe promise of corporate tax credits has renewed interest in investing in the U.S., and Europe has responded with subsidies of their own.

Both plants will start production in 2026, employ thousands of people and supply batteries to European car makers. With Taiwan a focal point in tensions between Washington and Beijing, the company also wanted to secure a base overseas. Volkswagen was expected to announce a battery plant location in Europe late last year but said in March it is awaiting more clarity from Europe on subsidies before making a decision. The plant by Taiwan's ProLogium would be its first overseas car battery factory. A second plant could also be constructed in parallel elsewhere, a Northvolt spokesperson said, including in North America.

☆ ‘Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story’ Review: Battles Royal
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( John Anderson | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

India Amarteifio Photo: NETFLIX‘Bridgerton” isn’t exactly “Downton Abbey,” or Coca-Cola, but it is certainly a brand, one poised to provide ample opportunities for prequels, sequels, different flavors and, to judge by “Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story,” even a diet option, if storylines had calories. The original series, based on Julia Quinn ’s fanciful period novels, has thus far been Royalty Lite, but has included a colony’s worth of characters, many of whom could be the subject of their own spinoffs. Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story Thursday, Netflix“Queen Charlotte,” developed by star producer Shonda Rhimes , concerns the imperious sovereign (Golda Rosheuvel) who ruled over the first two seasons of the original “Bridgerton” and has reason to be tart: Her husband, George III , is mad. Her feckless son is running the country. And she distracts herself by manipulating the social hierarchy, atop which she presides with her outlandish headpieces aspiring further heavenward, like the spires on a cathedral.

☆ A Russian navy ship that carries a mini-submarine photographed near the Nord Stream gas pipelines days before sabotage explosions, a report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Russian navy ship was photographed near the Nord Stream pipelines before they were blown up. It has previously been reported that various other Russian vessels had been photographed in the area, but this is the first time it has been confirmed that the specific Russian vessel SS-750 was sighted. A former Danish intelligence officer and now analyst Jacob Kaarsbo said that the information "sheds light on what was going on in the area in the days before". Gas leaks were reported in the pipelines running under the Baltic Sea from Russia to northern Germany, after the suspected sabotage. The Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines were not operational at the time of the attack due to disputes between Russia and the European Union.

☆ In Germany, King Charles honours victims of WWII allied bombings
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Phil Noble | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

- Britain's Royal Couple is on a three-day tour in Germany for Charles' first state visit as king, with the trip billed as "an important European gesture" to maintain strong ties after Brexit. The gesture comes on the last day of Charles' three-day tour of Germany, his first overseas state trip since ascending the British throne last year designed to strengthen bilateral and European ties. "Together we must be vigilant against threats to our values and freedoms, and resolute in our determination to confront them." "I am looking forward to seeing Hamburg’s plans to use hydrogen in its efforts to become a fully sustainable port." Throughout his visit, German officials have praised his interest in environmental causes and sustainability that has shone through in the engagements he has chosen to undertake.

☆ German Leopard 2 tanks have reached Ukraine -security source
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, March 27 (Reuters) - The 18 Leopard 2 battle tanks pledged by Germany to support Ukraine in its war against Russia have arrived in Ukraine, a security source said on Monday, confirming a report by Spiegel news magazine. Besides the 18 main battle tanks, 40 German Marder infantry fighting vehicles, and two armoured recovery vehicles had also reached Ukraine, the security source said. The German army trained the Ukrainian tank crews as well as the troops assigned to operate the Marder vehicles for several weeks on training grounds in Muenster and Bergen in northern Germany. Beyond the German vehicles, three Leopard tanks donated by Portugal also reached Ukraine, according to the security source. Reporting by Sabine Siebold and Rachel More, Editing by Friederike Heine and Tomasz JanowskiOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Returning to frontline, Ukrainian Leopard crews see their 'cat' as game-changer
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Sabine Siebold | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

FIGHTING ALONGSIDE THE 'CAT'In Bergen, the German trainers were happy with the Ukrainians' performance over their six-week crash course. Of course, they are not heading for the training ground but directly into battle. One of the Ukrainian gunners rejected any talk of fear but warned the Russians to brace for the arrival of the Leopard. "The Leopard tanks will enable us to make the breakthroughs that we need. And other Ukrainian units will feel safer, too, when they fight alongside the cat."

☆ Seven Killed in Shooting at Hamburg Jehovah’s Witnesses Hall
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Georgi Kantchev | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Investigators and forensic experts outside a Jehovah’s Witnesses building after a shooting in Hamburg, Germany. BERLIN—Seven people were killed in a mass shooting at a Jehovah’s Witnesses hall in northern Germany, local police said Friday, a rare kind of attack in a country where gun ownership is severely restricted. The suspected shooter was also found dead after the attack, police said, adding that others were seriously injured.

A DB spokesperson told Reuters that under current IT security legislation it did not have to run network components by Germany's cybersecurity office, the BSI, unlike public telecoms network operators. A BSI spokesperson said it was not aware of any law that determined the DB IT systems as "critical components". A Huawei spokesperson said the firm would never harm any nation or individual. The December contract with Deutsche Telekom Business Solutions, a subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom, is for Huawei tech like switches and routers. A government source said it had detected some operators had already built in Huawei critical components without waiting for a BSI green light and could be required to replace those.

The 35-year-old man, whose name was given as Philipp F. in accordance with German privacy laws, killed six people and then himself when he opened fire on Thursday evening. The exact motives were still unknown, but officials said the gunman had previously expressed his hatred for Jehovah's Witnesses. According to a briefing given by police and prosecutors in Hamburg on Friday, Philipp F. was the licenced owner of a Heckler & Koch P30 semi-automatic handgun. "Philipp F. supposedly harbours a particular anger towards religious followers especially towards Jehovah's Witnesses and his former employer." When they met Philipp F., he was cooperative and gave no indication of mental health problems.

The gas leak at the Nord Stream gas pipeline in September. German authorities investigating blasts that tore through the Nord Stream natural-gas pipelines last year have identified a boat manned by a six-member crew that they say could have been involved in a sabotage operation, according to a senior government official. A summary report on the probe compiled for senior German officials said the vessel, a sport sailing boat, was rented in northern Germany days before the blasts by the six people, some of whom presented Ukrainian passports as identification, the official said.

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