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☆ What can the West do about North Korea giving troops to Russia? Not much it hasn't already flinched from.
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-31 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

North Korea fighting alongside Russia would be a serious escalation to the Ukraine war. Experts criticized a lack of decisive Western strategy in countering the threat. AdvertisementWestern allies have options to react to the threat of North Korean troops in Russia, but are hamstrung by fears of escalation, military experts told Business Insider. The fact that now a serious escalation looks possible thanks to North Korea is an indication of the failure of that policy, Hunter told BI. Western states are likely to have been quietly hoping that China might step in diplomatically and dissuade North Korea, Hunter said.

Persons: —, Mark Rutte, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Patrick Bury, Kim Jong Un, Edward Hunter Christie, Hunter, Richard Fontaine, It's, Jens Stoltenberg, Gabrielius Landsbergis, Emmanuel Macron, Landsbergis, Germany's Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, Ann Marie Dailey, Joe Biden's, Western Europe —, Biden, Dailey, we're Organizations: NATO, Service, Pentagon, UN, Politico, UK's University of Bath, Finnish Institute of International Affairs, Center, New, New American Security, Bloomberg, Biden, RAND Locations: Korea, Russia, Ukraine, Kursk, Europe, New American, Norway, Western, Congress, Poland, Russian, South Korea, Western Europe, North Korea, China

☆ Ukraine war updates: Macron says Kyiv should be allowed to use Western weapons on Russian military sites; U.S. weighs further sanctions
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-29 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Emmanuel Macron, France's president, during a news conference with Olaf Scholz, Germany's chancellor, not pictured, in Meseberg, Germany, on Tuesday, May 28, 2024. Ukraine should be allowed to use Western arms against Russian military sites used to target Ukraine, French President Emmanuel Macron said late Tuesday, bowing to ongoing requests from Kyiv. "How can we explain to Ukraine that they need to protect their cities . Macron was joined by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who agreed Ukraine should be allowed to defend its territory as long as it respected the conditions of the weapons suppliers. Russian President Vladimir Putin warned of serious consequences if Russia is struck with Western weapons.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Olaf Scholz, Germany's, Macron, Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Organizations: Russian, White, Reuters Locations: Meseberg, Germany, Ukraine, Kyiv, Russian, Russia, Europe, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, U.S, China

☆ European leaders are planning a $4.3 billion Iron Dome-style defense system
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewEuropean countries are preparing to reveal plans for a $4.3 billion Iron Dome-style air and missile defense system, Poland's prime minister announced on Monday. The European Sky Shield Initiative, or ESSI, is conceived as a means to jointly procure ground-based interoperable air defense systems. There is no reason for Europe not to have its missile defense shield," Tusk said, per The Telegraph. Related storiesIsrael's Iron Dome has long been seen as one of the world's most advanced air defense systems, protecting the country's skies from rockets and other projectiles. AdvertisementWhile a direct hot-war attack by Russia on NATO Europe is not considered an immediate likelihood, many countries — particularly those that border Russia — are deeply alarmed.

Persons: —, . Donald Tusk, Tusk, ESSI, Olaf Scholz, It's, Andrzej Duda Organizations: Service, AVN, European Council, Kyiv Post, Business, Sky Shield Initiative, Telegraph, NATO, Patriots, IRIS Locations: Kyiv, Israel, Europe, Russia, Iran, NATO Europe, Ukraine, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Turkey, Greece, German, ESSI

☆ Ukraine is getting a prototype artillery shell that can strike 3 times as far as regular rounds: report
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Germany plans to send Ukraine a prototype artillery shell that can travel 62 miles, Handelsblatt reported. AdvertisementGermany is gearing up to send Ukraine a prototype artillery shell that can travel up to 62 miles, German newspaper Handelsblatt reported. That would more than triple the reach of the conventional 155 mm artillery rounds Ukraine is heavily reliant on, depending on what system is used to fire it. It's not clear what the prototype munition actually is. Earlier this year, Germany announced a $5.3 million military aid package for Ukraine, including 10,000 artillery rounds from its own stocks, Politico reported.

Persons: They'd, —, It's, Handelsblatt, Russia's, Armin Papperger, Germany's, Olaf Scholz, Scholz Organizations: Service, Associated Press, Rheinmetall, Defense, Politico Locations: Germany, Ukraine, Berlin

☆ Inflation-hit Germans are demanding a legal cap on the price of a doner kebab. They're not joking.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Mikhaila Friel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A German political party proposed a government cap on doner kebabs. Around €7 billion, or around $7.5 billion, worth of doner kebabs are sold every year in Germany, according to The Guardian and The Independent. The party plans to propose a government price cap of €4.90 (around $5.30) or €2.90 (around $3.10) for young people, The Guardian reported. If those decrease, then kebab prices also decrease," Gebel told BI. "The kebab price will remain high if the government does not change anything," she said.

Persons: Chancellor Scholz, —, Kathi, Gebel, Olaf Scholz, Virginia Mayo, Scholz, Putin … I'm Organizations: Guardian, Service, Independent, Left Party, AP, European Central Bank, Federal Statistical Office Locations: Germany, Brussels, Virginia

☆ Russia 'will likely lose' its war in Ukraine if the US can keep from falling prey to Moscow's information game, conflict analysts say
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( Ella Sherman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The US must resist Russian disinformation tactics and help Ukraine, leading war watchers argue. Experts suggest persistent support for Ukraine and stopping Russia from shaping perception. ISW emphasized that Russia is benefitting from Western countries that continuously withhold crucial weapons from Ukraine that can significantly incapacitate it. Lithuania has been helping Ukraine to repair its Leopard 2 tanks after they were damaged in the war against Russia. "Russia cannot defeat Ukraine or the West — and will likely lose — if the West mobilizes its resources to resist the Kremlin," the analysts wrote.

Persons: —, ISW, Germany's, Olaf Scholz, Scholz, Abrams, Alexander Welscher Organizations: Service, Ukraine, Archer Artillery, Getty, Press, Russia, Kremlin Locations: Ukraine, Russia, West, Washington, Russian, Europe, Donetsk Oblast, Roman, Lithuania, United States

☆ Germany's Scholz asks Poland to clarify cash-for-visas affair
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz addresses a ministerial level meeting of the United Nations Security Council on the crisis in Ukraine at U.N. headquarters in New York, September 20, 2023. Arrivals to Poland could easily cross into other European Union countries given that borders are open. "The visa scandal that is taking place in Poland needs to be clarified," Scholz said on Saturday at an event. Scholz hinted that Germany could take steps to control the border with Poland. In recent years, Germany has already coped with floods of migrants and asylum seekers from Syria and Ukraine.

Persons: Germany's, Olaf Scholz, Brendan McDermid, Scholz, Nancy Faeser, Zbigniew Rau, Home Affairs Ylva Johansson, Andreas Rinke, Tom Sims, Clelia Organizations: United Nations Security Council, REUTERS, Rights, Union, Polish, Home Affairs, EU, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, U.N, New York, Polish, Germany, Poland, Syria

☆ G20 welcomes African Union as permanent member at Delhi leaders' summit
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-09 | by ( Clement Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Flags of participating countries are pictured inside the International media center at the venue of the G20 leaders' summit, days ahead of its commencement in New Delhi on September 7, 2023. Money Sharma | Afp | Getty ImagesNEW DELHI — The African Union became the second regional grouping to be admitted to the Group of 20 leading industrialized and developing nations as a full permanent member, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced Saturday at the start of the two-day G20 leaders' summit in Delhi. The widely-anticipated move underscores India's wide-ranging agenda to elevate the global multilateral forum's focus on the Global South in its presidency of the G20 this year. The 55-member bloc of African nations joins the European Union as only the second regional organization to become a permanent member of the G20. "It is in the spirit of together with all that India proposed permanent membership for the African Union in the G20."

Persons: Money Sharma, Narendra Modi, Modi, Azali Assoumani, Lula da Silva, Justin Trudeau, Emmanuel Macron, Germany's, Olaf Scholz, Fumio Kishida, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Joe Biden, Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Sergey Lavrov, China Premier Li Qiang Organizations: International, Afp, Getty, African Union, Indian, European Union, International Monetary Fund, Global, U.S, Canadian, Saudi Arabia's Crown, Russian, China Premier Locations: New Delhi, Delhi, India, China, —, Japan, Ukraine

☆ Berlin plans to spend 8 billion euros in package for 60 Boeing Chinook helicopters
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, June 23 (Reuters) - Germany aims to purchase 60 Chinook helicopters from Boeing (BA.N) in a package that would cost up to 8 billion euros ($8.71 billion), including necessary infrastructure for the aircraft, a parliamentary source told Reuters on Friday. The sum includes the procurement of the CH-47 heavy-lift helicopters for 6.27 billion euros, 700 million euros for service, 240 million euros for national contracts and 750 million euros for the infrastructure, the source said, confirming reports by other media. Germany announced its intent to buy 60 Chinook heavy-lift helicopters from Boeing (BA.N) last year to replace its ageing CH-53 fleet. Originally, six billion euros had been budgeted for the helicopters. Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz shifted policy in February 2022 after Russia invaded Ukraine, sharply increasing defense spending and committing 100 billion euros for the Bundeswehr, Germany's armed forces.

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Sabine Siebold, Maria Sheahan, Tom Sims Organizations: Boeing, Bundeswehr, Thomson Locations: BERLIN, Germany, Russia, Ukraine

[1/2] German parliamentary group leader of Alternative for Germany (AfD) party Alice Weidel speaks during budget debate in the plenary hall of German lower house of parliament, or Bundestag, in Berlin, Germany November 23, 2022. Asked by broadcaster ntv if the AfD would name a chancellor candidate, party co-chief Alice Weidel said "of course, we would also nominate (one) without these polling numbers", side-stepping a question about whether she would present herself. The likelihood of an AfD candidate becoming Germany's chancellor is very low currently given the party would need to be able to form a government and currently all other parties have ruled out working with it. The AfD is currently on track to winning the vote in all three east German states holding elections next year. Reporting by Sarah Marsh; additional Reporting by Friederike Heine; editing by Mark HeinrichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Alice Weidel, Christian Mang, Chancellor Olaf Scholz's, Thomas Haldenwang, Haldenwang, Hans Vorlaender, Sarah Marsh, Friederike Heine, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: REUTERS, Scholz's Social Democrats, ntv, Thomson Locations: Germany, Berlin, BERLIN, Dresden

☆ G-7 aims to rein in risks from China, awaits Zelenskyy
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is due to arrive in Hiroshima on Saturday to drum up support for his country's defence effort. The G7 nations are looking to "de-risk, not decouple" from China, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters in Hiroshima. In a draft of the final communique seen by Reuters, G7 leaders agreed that China's status as the world's second-largest economy meant they had to continue to cooperate. "We do not seek to thwart China's economic progress and development," the leaders said in the draft, which is subject to change. China has voiced concern that the summit would turn into a "political show" against Beijing.

Net profit attributable to shareholders was 1.158 billion euros ($1.28 billion). That compared with profit of 1.060 billion euros a year earlier, and was better than analysts' expectations for a profit drop to around 977 million euros. "We have worked hard to achieve this stability," Deutsche Bank Chief Executive Officer Christian Sewing told employees in a memo. Revenue at the investment bank unit fell 19% to 2.7 billion euros in the first quarter from a year earlier. The investment bank's revenue decrease was countered by gains at the corporate bank and retail bank, which saw 35% and 10% increases.

☆ Xi is trying to humiliate Biden by driving a wedge between him and his European allies as part of a global power play
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

China's president is seeking to exploit differences among Western allies, analysts say. Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) welcomes German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the Grand Hall in Beijing in 2022. Spain's Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, and Olaf Scholz, Germany's chancellor, are among the European leaders Xi has hosted. Russian President Vladimir Putin and China's President Xi Jinping make a toast following their talks in Moscow on March 21, 2023. But Freudenstein cautioned European leaders against the belief that Xi can act as a mediator with Putin.

☆ Europe's leaders battle banking crisis as market rout hangs over Brussels summit
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Silvia Amaro | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Ludovic Marin | Afp | Getty Imageswatch now"The euro area banking sector is strong because we have applied the regulatory reforms agreed internationally after the Global Financial Crisis to all of them," she said, according to EU sources. Geopolitics dominated the first day of talks, but the banking turmoil ended up being the focus for Friday. In the run up to the gathering, European officials had expressed their frustration with the lack of regulatory controls in the United States, where the recent banking turmoil first emerged. They have been nervous about potential contagion to their own banking sector, mainly as it's not been that long since European banks were in the depths of the global financial crisis. "The banking sector in Europe is much stronger, because we have been through the financial crisis," Estonia Prime Minister Kaja Kallas told CNBC Thursday.

Scholz set off on the one-day trip, which unusually will not include a press delegation, late on Thursday. His visit comes days after Biden's security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said that Biden only sent Abrams tanks to Ukraine because Scholz made it a pre-condition for sending German Leopards. Berlin has insisted that Biden came to see it was necessary and so the decision was consensual. "The Biden administration will use the Scholz visit to try to shift Germany’s balance in the direction of stronger pushback." Scholz and Biden would discuss ongoing support for Ukraine, the upcoming NATO summit, and cooperation on the challenges posed by China and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, U.S. officials said.

☆ Ukraine needs more weapons now because Putin 'clearly' thinks he can still win, former US general Petraeus says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Ellie Zofagharifard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

David Petraeus is among those calling for more aid for Ukraine. He said the war with Russia was at a pivotal moment, and that Putin is not giving up. His warning came ahead of a NATO meeting and pressure to give Ukraine Western tanks. "This is an inflection point because Russia is taking steps which clearly indicate they don't think the war is lost," Petraeus told the Financial Times. The warning came as NATO defense ministers prepared to meet Friday to agree to a new arms package for Ukraine.

☆ Chinook helicopters could cost Germany twice as much as planned, Business Insider reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BERLIN, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Germany's planned purchase of 60 Chinook heavy-lift helicopters manufactured by Boeing (BA.N) to replace its ageing CH-53 fleet could cost twice as much as planned, Business Insider reported on Thursday, citing several government and industry sources. Six billion euros ($6.47 billion) had been budgeted for the helicopters, but the U.S. Army has signalled to Germany that the desired equipment is cost-intensive as some components have not even been fully developed, the German news outlet said. Boeing is currently working on new rotor blades as part of the Chinook's Block II configuration but these developments had not been requested by Germany, the spokesperson said. On aerial refuelling, the person added that this had been a feature of Chinook helicopters for 35 years. Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz shifted policy in February after Russia invaded Ukraine, sharply increasing defence spending and committing 100 billion euros for the Bundeswehr, Germany's armed forces.

☆ Davos 2023: The World Economic Forum explained
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Siddharth K | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan 16 (Reuters) - The World Economic Forum (WEF) returns to its snowy winter residency in the Swiss Alps this week with a record attendance of business and government leaders. The WEF's roots stretch back to 1971 when its founder Klaus Schwab invited executives from European companies to the then tiny ski resort of Davos, high in the Swiss Alps. With climate change top of the agenda, chiefs of major energy companies are back after a COVID-related hiatus. Others include IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, European Central Bank chief Christine Lagarde, NATO General Secretary Jens Stoltenberg, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and Chinese Vice-Premier Liu He. Climate change topped the WEF's survey of global risk and energy company executives will mix with climate activists and environment ministers at the forum.

REUTERS/Lisi NiesnerCompanies Lockheed Martin Corp FollowBERLIN, Nov 30 (Reuters) - The leaders of Germany and Norway said on Wednesday they would jointly ask NATO to coordinate the protection of Europe's subsea infrastructure in light of the suspected attacks on the Nord Stream gas pipeline network. European countries have stepped up vigilance around critical installations after the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, which connect Russia to Germany, ruptured in September and spewed gas into the Baltic Sea. "We take the protection of our critical infrastructure very seriously and nobody should think that attacks would remain without consequences," he said. In an emailed statement, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said he welcomed Germany and Norway's proposal. "We have stepped up our efforts after the recent sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines, and it is vital to do even more to ensure that our offshore infrastructure remains safe from future destructive acts," he said.

Leaders from the Group of Seven nations as well as Spain and the Netherlands, who are all on the Indonesian island of Bali for the G20 summit, held an emergency meeting in response to the missile strike in Poland. The G20 leaders' meeting on Wednesday will be important to raise their awareness of the war in Ukraine, French President Emmanuel Macron's office said on Tuesday after reports of the blasts in Poland. G20 leaders were due to visit a site in Bali to plant mangroves on Wednesday morning, although the schedule of the meeting hosted by Indonesia has not always run to plan. As at other recent international forums, the United States and its allies were seeking a statement from the G20 summit against Moscow's military actions. A 16-page draft declaration seen by Reuters, which diplomats said was yet to be adopted by leaders, acknowledged the rift over the Ukraine war.

☆ Morning Bid: Laboring markets get China fillip
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

A look at the day ahead in U.S. and global markets from Mike Dolan. With one eye on the U.S. employment report at the end of a dour week of rising interest rates, world markets were spurred by another slightly mysterious Chinese stock surge. None of these reports have yet been confirmed, but some former officials appeared to encourage the speculation on Friday. The Shanghai Composite (.SSEC) rose 2.7% and was headed for a 5.6% weekly gain, the largest in more than two years. U.S. stock futures were up marginally ahead of the open, however, after another round of heavy index losses on rising interest rate fears on Thursday.

Eastern Canada, with its strong electricity-generating winds and short shipping distance, is a prime potential source for green hydrogen. Most hydrogen output uses natural gas or coal, called gray hydrogen, but companies want to produce green hydrogen without emissions by separating hydrogen from oxygen in water using wind-powered electrolyzers. Green hydrogen is typically more expensive, but soaring natural gas prices have elevated gray hydrogen production costs above those of green hydrogen, according to an October report. GERMANY-CANADA HYDROGEN PARTNERSHIPGermany and Canada signed a non-binding agreement in August to ship clean Canadian hydrogen to Germany by 2025. "We believe in green energy, but we don’t believe in destroying nature for a profit or supplying Germany," Rowe said.

☆ A wrecked Russian tank can be put in front of Moscow's embassy in Germany, court rules
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A German group can put a wrecked Russian tank outside the Russian embassy in Berlin, a court said. Project organizer Enno Lenze said he would pick up a tank himself from Ukraine for the display. The road just outside the embassy likely can't support the weight of a massive tank, the court release said, so the which suggested a nearby crossroads for the display. The Russian Embassy in Berlin on September 3, 2022. On Monday, following intense Russian bombardment of Ukrainian cities and energy infrastructure, Germany announced it would send air defense systems, as Reuters reported.

☆ As the 3rd-quarter reporting season begins, markets are bracing for signs of a recession that could send stocks into a deeper bear market
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Jason Ma | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The Fed's aggressive tightening is setting off more warnings about a recession and fallout for the stock market. Ahead of JPMorgan's quarterly report, CEO Jamie Dimon said the economy is on the verge of a recession, and the stock market could fall another 20%. But most importantly, it's Russia's war against Ukraine that is most unsettling to markets and poses a great risk. Meanwhile, billionaire hedge fund manager Paul Tudor Jones said a "recession playbook" could see stocks fall 10% further. PayPal stock fell after a botched roll-out of an acceptable use policy update that included big fines for the promotion of misinformation.

Oct 10 (Reuters) - German government bond yields jumped while yield spreads between core and periphery tightened on Monday after a media report saying Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz supported joint-debt issuances to tackle the energy crisis. Italy's 10-year bond yield fell 2.5 bps to 4.67% , with the spread between Italian and German 10-year yield tightening to 233 bps . Bond yields edged lower earlier in the session after blasts rocked the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and other major Ukrainian cities, prompting a move into traditional safe-haven assets such as core government bonds. Euro zone bond yields had jumped on Friday after strong U.S. jobs data dampened expectations that the Federal Reserve will slow the pace of interest rate hikes. Among euro zone bond sales, the European Union has mandated banks for a 20-year benchmark bond and a tap of its December 2029 bond, scheduled to be launched tomorrow, according to a memo seen by Reuters.

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