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☆ Ukrainian man wanted over Nord Stream pipelines explosions
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-14 | by ( Rob Picheta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —German authorities have issued an international arrest warrant for a Ukrainian man suspected of carrying out the explosions that damaged the Nord Stream gas pipeline two years ago. The explosions left gas billowing from Nord Stream 1 and 2 – two major conduits that transported Russian gas to Europe – and prompted a huge operation to find who was responsible. Neither of the pipelines were actively transporting gas to Europe at the time of the leaks, though they still held gas under pressure. During that voyage, the crew is reportedly suspected of diving into the Baltic Sea and attaching explosives to the massive Nord Stream pipelines, which subsequently detonated and damaged both lines, according to the outlets. The Nord Stream project had been controversial long before Russia invaded Ukraine.

Persons: Anna Adamiak, Volodymyr Z, Die Zeit Organizations: CNN, Public Prosecutors Office, Reuters, ARD, Die, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Federal Public, New York Times Locations: Nord, Europe, Poland, Germany, Ukrainian, Ukraine, Rostock, Denmark, Sweden, Baltic, Kyiv, Russia

☆ Far right surges in European Parliament elections but center still holds
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-09 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Far-right parties are predicted to win a record number of seats in the European Parliament, a result that, if confirmed, would deliver a stinging rebuke to Brussels’ political mainstream and add uncertainty to Europe’s future direction. Most of the far-right gains were concentrated in countries that elect large numbers of seats: France, Italy and Germany. Alternative for Germany (AfD) party co-leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla cheer the exit poll in Berlin, Germany, June 9, 2024. Annegret Hilse/ReutersWhile the far-right surge may further complicate Brussels’ bid for unity, the far-right parties themselves remain relatively divided. Several other far-right parties are among the non-aligned (NI) group, predicted to secure 45 seats.

Persons: Ursula von der Leyen, –, ”, Europe’s centrists, Le, Emmanuel Macron, Jordan Bardella, ” Macron, Brigitte Macron, Stephane Lemouton, Olaf Scholz, Scholz, shored, ” von der Leyen, Alice Weidel, Tino Chrupalla, Annegret Hilse, Maximilian Krah, Roberta Metsola Organizations: CNN, European People’s Party, EPP, Macron’s Renaissance Party, Socialists, Social Democrats, Christian Democrats Party, CDU, EU, Forces, Reuters, Nazi, SS, Brussels Locations: Brussels, France, Italy, Germany, France’s, Europe, Britain, Russia, Ukraine, Kyiv, Berlin

☆ Germany far-right trial: Nine accused of plotting to overthrow government go on trial
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Inke Kappeler | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Nine suspected members of a German far-right group accused of plotting to overthrow the government and install a minor royal as leader went on trial at a high-security courtroom in Stuttgart on Monday. The plot to overthrow the government and install martial law was exposed in 2022. Heinrich XIII Prince Reuss is a descendant of the House of Reuss, the former ruling family of parts of eastern Germany. Two of the defendants are accused of violating the Weapons and War Weapons Control Act. “One of these two defendants is also accused of attempted murder, dangerous bodily harm, resisting and assaulting law enforcement officers,“ according to the court.

Persons: Heinrich XIII Prince Reuss, —, Frank, Walter Steinmeier, of Reuss, “, General Organizations: CNN, Monday, Prosecutors, Bundestag —, Stuttgart Higher, Federal Public, Control Locations: Stuttgart, Germany, Frankfurt, Munich, German

☆ Germany Arrests Lawmaker’s Aide on Suspicion of Spying for China
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Christopher F. Schuetze | More About Christopher F. Schuetze | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

An aide to a German lawmaker in the European Parliament has been arrested on suspicion of spying for China, Germany’s federal prosecutor’s office said Tuesday. It came just hours after the German authorities arrested three people in the west of the country on suspicion of leaking technological data used in maritime propulsion and exporting a high-powered laser to China. Prosecutors said that Jiang G., as he was identified in keeping with German privacy rules, had worked for a German member of the European Parliament since 2019. Calling him an “employee of a Chinese secret service,” prosecutors accused Mr. G. of repeatedly passing along information about parliamentary deliberations and decisions to Chinese intelligence in January. Mr. G., a German citizen, also was accused of spying on Chinese opposition groups in Germany, according to a statement from the prosecutor’s office.

Persons: Jiang G Organizations: Prosecutors, Mr Locations: China, Dresden, German, Germany

CNN —Three people in Germany have been arrested under suspicion of spying for China, while two people have been charged in the United Kingdom for espionage offenses. “Allegations suggest the suspects have had ties to a Chinese secret service since before June 2022,” the German prosecutor’s office said in a statement. The couple are accused of buying and exporting a specialized laser to China without authorization, violating European Union regulations. Germany’s justice minister Marco Buschmann congratulated the prosecutor’s office in a post on social media platform X, writing that the arrests highlighted the need to stay vigilant. Separately in the UK, Britain’s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) announced charges against two men who allegedly breached the UK’s Official Secrets Act on behalf of China.

Persons: Thomas R, Thomas, Herwig, Ina F, Marco Buschmann, Nick Price Organizations: CNN, Federal Prosecutor’s Office, Foreign Trade, Ministry of State Security, Britain’s, Prosecution Service, CPS, Terrorism, Crown Prosecution Service, Metropolitan Police, ’ Locations: Germany, China, United Kingdom, Westminster, London

CNN —Botswana’s President Mokgweetsi Masisi has threatened to send 20,000 elephants to Germany amid a dispute over the import of hunting trophies. ”Twenty thousand elephants for Germany, this is not a joke,” Masisi told German tabloid Bild. Lenin Nolly/Sipa USA/AP/FileMasisi told Bild that Germany’s Green party could learn to cohabitate with elephants without hunting them. According to the ministry, Germany is one of the largest importers of hunting trophies in the European Union, and African hunting trophies already require import authorization under current rules. Trophy hunting does not come close to diminishing the elephant population, Masisi told broadcaster Sky News.

Persons: CNN —, Mokgweetsi Masisi, ” Masisi, –, Steffi Lemke, Lenin, Masisi, ”, Murat Ozgur Guvendik, “, ” Botswana’s, Botswana’s, Iris Throm, Mary Rice, Rice, Bild, you’d Organizations: CNN, Green, Getty, Botswana’s Ministry of Environment, Tourism, European Union, Germany’s Federal Agency for Nature, Environmental Investigation Agency, Sky News, Convention, International Trade, Fauna Locations: Germany, Berlin, Botswana, Masisi, Anadolu, Angola, Mozambique

☆ ‘Sick man of Europe?’ Germany says it just needs a coffee
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

London CNN —Germany’s finance minister has shrugged off suggestions his country has once again become the “sick man” of Europe. Long the engine of growth in Europe, Germany’s economy shrank last year by 0.3%, likely the weakest performance among the region’s big countries. “I know what some of you are thinking: Germany probably is a sick man. Germany is not a sick man… Germany is a tired man after a short night,” Christian Lindner said at the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. The country became known as the “sick man of Europe” in the late 1990s as its economy faltered and unemployment soared.

Persons: It’s, ”, “, ” Christian Lindner, ” Lindner, ” Daniel Kral Organizations: London CNN —, Economic, Oxford Economics, Germany’s Federal, Office Locations: Europe, Germany, Davos, Switzerland, Germany’s, Ukraine, Moscow, Berlin, Russia, Red

☆ Opinion: Germany’s far right is surging. Banning it would backfire
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Opinion Paul Hockenos | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

But today, Germany is staring at a surging far right – and the country’s mainstream politicians and democratic citizens, still by far the lion’s share of the population, are understandably rattled. Since then it has veered steadily to the far right, where its members tout barely veiled racism and Islamophobia. But studies show that time and again the accommodation of radical right positions benefits the hard right – and not its imitators. Moreover, democrats of all stripes should expose the far right’s populist arguments for what they are: exaggerations, falsehoods and demagoguery. Germany’s ascendent far right shows that all of Europe – and beyond, including the US – could be at a tipping point.

Persons: Paul Hockenos, ”, Paul Hockenos Hayyan, Adolf Hitler’s, Reich, Alice Weidel, –, Ulrich Perrey, Holstein Daniel Günther, Vladimir Putin’s, Austria –, Germany’s Organizations: CNN, Berlin CNN, Parliament, Research, Brandeis University Locations: Berlin, New Berlin, Hungary, Italy, Finland, Germany, Schwerin, Schleswig, Vladimir Putin’s Russia, Ukraine, Sweden, Austria, Europe

The idea of using Russia's frozen assets is gaining new traction lately as continued allied funding for Ukraine becomes more uncertain and the U.S. Congress is in a stalemate over providing more support. Bipartisan legislation circulating in Washington called the Rebuilding Economic Prosperity and Opportunity for Ukrainians Act would use assets confiscated from the Russian Central Bank and other sovereign assets for Ukraine. Belgium, which is holding the rotating presidency of the European Union bloc for the next six months, is now leading the talks on whether to seize Russia's assets. Belgium is also the country where most frozen Russian assets under sanctions are being held. Maria Snegovaya, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, cautioned that if Ukraine's immediate needs aren't met, “no amount of seized Russian assets is unfortunately going to compensate for what may happen."

Persons: — It's, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, “ Putin, ”, ” Biden, Penny Pritzker, “, Nicholas Mulder, Vladimir Putin, Shalanda Young, ” Young, ” Sergey Aleksashenko, Treasuries —, Konstantin Malofeyev, Alexander De Croo, De Croo, Maria Snegovaya, aren't, Ellen Knickmeyer, Lisa Mascaro, Seung Min Kim, Zeke Miller, Aamer, Sam Petrequin, Jamey Keaton Organizations: WASHINGTON, Russian Central Bank, U.S ., U.S, ., ”, Ukraine, Russia, Cornell University, Washington, Russia's Central Bank, White, Management, Russian Central Banker, Russian, Justice Department, State Department, European Union, Belgian, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Associated Press Locations: United States, Ukraine, Davos, Switzerland, Ukrainian, Washington, “, America, Russia, Russian, U.S, China, Frankfurt, Belgium, Brussels

☆ Germany, Europe’s biggest economy, shrank last year
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-15 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Gross domestic product was 0.3% lower in 2023 than in the previous year, according to Germany’s Federal Statistical Office (Destatis). “Overall economic development faltered in Germany in 2023 in an environment that continues to be marked by multiple crises,” Destatis president Ruth Brand said in a statement. GDP in the fourth quarter also fell by 0.3% on the previous quarter, according to a prelininary estimate from the statistics office. Although inflation has eased, prices remain high throughout the economy and have put a damper on economic growth, Brand added. Output in the euro area shrank slightly in the third quarter of 2023.

Persons: ”, Ruth Brand, Brand Organizations: London CNN, Gross, Federal, Office Locations: Germany

☆ EU stops advertising on X over hate speech. Fines could follow next year
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

“We have seen an alarming increase in disinformation and hate speech on several social media platforms in recent weeks,” Johannes Bahrke, a European Commission spokesperson, said Friday. That means, should the European Commission find that X has broken DSA rules, the company could be fined as much as $180 million. So far, only two states, Italy and Hungary, have done so, a commission spokesperson told CNN. The European Commission, which recently sounded the alarm on a sharp rise in antisemitism in Europe, has so far stopped short of criticizing Musk directly. A commission spokesperson declined to comment to CNN on Musk’s X post from last Wednesday.

Persons: ” Johannes Bahrke, Bahrke, X, TikTok, ”, Musk, hasn’t, Andrew Bates, “, Ferda, Ataman, Musk ”, Sandra Wachter, ” Wachter Organizations: London CNN, Elon Musk’s, Twitter, European Commission, Commission, Hamas, Facebook, Social, Digital Services, DSA, CNN, Disney, Paramount, Musk’s, White, European, Discrimination Agency, “, Oxford Internet Institute Locations: Israel, Italy, Hungary, Gaza, Pittsburgh, Europe, Germany, Spain, Austria, “, Federal

CNN —The German states of Bavaria and Hesse vote in regional elections on Sunday, in what is widely being seen as a test-case for Germany’s shifting political landscape. In Hesse – home to Frankfurt, Germany’s financial hub – dissatisfaction with Germany’s federal government threatens to deliver a blow to Scholz’s coalition. German flags are carried at an AfD election campaign event. Bavarian Premier Söder chose not to dismiss Aiwanger following the allegations, amid calls from across Germany’s political spectrum for the economy minister’s resignation. Hesse, which was formerly a stronghold for the SPD, is currently governed by the CDU in coalition with the Greens.

Persons: Hesse –, Martin Schutt, shockwaves, of Bavaria, Markus Söder, Angela Merkel, Kirill Kudryavtsev, Charlotte Knoblauch, Katrin, Ebner Steiner, AfD’s, ” Steiner, ”, Hubert Aiwanger, Aiwanger, ” Hubert Aiwanger, Sven Hoppe, Söder, Thomas Kreuzer, Chancellor Scholz’s, Nancy Faeser, Kreuzer, “, ” Kreuzer, Faese, Faeser, Der Organizations: CNN, Social Democratic Party, SPD, Free Democratic Party, Greens, Scholz’s SPD, Bavaria, Christian Social Union, CSU, Christian Democratic Union, CDU, Free Voters, Getty, INSA, New, Central Council of, Germany’s Süddeutesche Zeitung, Zeitung, FW, Bavarian, Greens . Center, ”, Der Spiegel, Interior Ministry Locations: Bavaria, Hesse, Germany, –, Frankfurt, Germany’s, AFP, Saxony, Bavarian, Munich, “, Germany’s Süddeutesche

CNN —As Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) grows ever popular, the country’s once dominant Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party finds itself at a crossroads. The center-right CDU was in power for much of Germany’s post-war era and oversaw the reunification of East and West Germany. Max Schwarz/ReutersBerlin’s CDU mayor, Kai Wegner, took to X to write: “What cooperation is there to be had? Populist parties as ‘lightning rods’The CDU’s Michael Kretschmer, state premier of Saxony, believes a shift in policy is the best approach for democratic parties to stop the rise of the far-right. Opinion polls in his state, one of the five that make up Germany’s former east, put the AfD in the lead; Saxony has long been a stronghold for the far-right party.

Persons: Angela Merkel, Friedrich Merz, shockwaves, Merz, Merz backpedaled, ”, Robert Sesselmann, Max Schwarz, Kai Wegner, Jörg, “, ” “, Kühne, ” Tino Chrupalla, John MacDougall, Merkel, it’s, sadi, Michael Kretschmer, Kretschmer Organizations: CNN, Christian Democratic Union, CDU, East, Social, Green Party and Free Democrats, ZDF, Reuters Berlin’s CDU, INSA, New, SPD, Greens, ARD, Bundestag, Getty, Federal Criminal Police, UN, UNHCR, “, Citizens Locations: Germany, West Germany, Sonneberg, Thuringia, Germany’s, Saxony, Leipzig, West, East Germany, East Germans, West Germans, Saxony Anhalt, Ukraine, Poland, Syria

☆ Green alliance crisis is more than just a US drama
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( Pamela Barbaglia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Back in March the Net-Zero Insurance Alliance (NZIA) boasted 30 members, representing about 15% of global premium volume. Now the NZIA, a key financial forum for insurers to set decarbonisation targets and a part of the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ), has shrunk to just 13 companies. Even those who choose to stay in the NZIA risk losing business due to state politicians pursuing a “war on woke”. NZIA, part of the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero set up by U.N. climate envoy Mark Carney, requires members to commit to reducing their greenhouse gas emissions. In rapid succession Japanese insurers Sompo Holdings, MS&AD and Tokio Marine as well as Australia’s QBE Insurance quit the net-zero alliance in late May.

Persons: Beneva, Mark Carney, French reinsurer Scor, Lloyd’s, John Neal, George Hay, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, Global, United Nations, Zero Insurance, Glasgow Financial Alliance, Zero Banking Alliance, Alliance, European Union, Reuters Graphics Reuters, ”, Zurich Insurance, Munich Re, Hannover Re, Allianz, Axa, French, Sompo Holdings, Tokio Marine, QBE Insurance, Thomson Locations: United, United States, Germany, NZIA, Munich, Tokio, London

☆ A third of young men in Germany think violence against women is ‘acceptable,’ study finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-11 | by ( Sophie Tanno | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A third of young men in Germany find it acceptable to use violence against women, according to a new survey which has caused outrage among gender equality campaigners. The survey was commissioned by children’s charity Plan International Germany. A group of 1,000 men and 1,000 women aged 18-35 from across Germany were asked to give their views on masculinity for the study, which was carried out online. The survey also found that expectations within a relationship differed greatly between men and women. A German group called the Federal Organization for Equality wrote on Twitter that the findings were “shocking.”“According to a survey by Plan International Germany, every third young man finds violence against women ‘acceptable’.

Persons: –, ” Karsten Kassner Organizations: CNN, Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung, Federal Organization, Equality, Twitter, Plan International Germany, Federal, Federal Criminal Police Locations: Germany, femicide, Europe

☆ In Nord Stream Probe, German Investigators Search Boat That May Have Carried Explosives
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( William Boston | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Gas emanating from a leak on the Nord Stream gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea in September. BERLIN—Germany’s federal prosecutor said Wednesday that investigators looking into the alleged sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines in the Baltic Sea have searched a boat they say could have been used to transport explosives for the suspected attack last fall. The Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 pipelines built to transfer gas from Russia to Europe were damaged in explosions in September, sparking several international investigations into the cause of the blasts. At the time of the blast, both pipelines were filled with natural gas but they weren’t in use. Russia had stopped gas supplies through Nord Stream and Germany had halted certification of Nord Stream 2 days before Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

On energy, the ministry has “completely overhauled the previous government’s Russia-friendly policy” to reduce Germany’s dependence on Russian natural gas, it said. “That tells you something.”Germany consistently underestimated the Russian threat and gave counterintelligence work a low priority, but that is changing now in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, experts and Western officials said. Last April, Berlin expelled 40 Russian Embassy employees for allegedly working for Russian intelligence services. Germany’s intelligence services failed to anticipate that Russia would invade Ukraine, a failure that has yet to be the subject of any publicly released “lessons learned” review. Such a review would show Germany is serious about altering its approach, the Western official said.

☆ Man stabs passengers on German train; 2 dead, 5 injured
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN — A man fatally stabbed two people and injured five others on a train in northern Germany on Wednesday before being arrested, police said. Germany’s Federal Police force said the man used a knife to attack several passengers shortly before a regional train traveling from Kiel to Hamburg arrived at the Brokstedt station. The interior minister of Schleswig-Holstein state, Sabine Suetterlin-Waack, said the attack happened at about 3 p.m. local time. “We are shocked and horrified that something like this has happened.”Regional police and the federal police were on the scene and the prosecutor’s office was investigating the attack, NDR reported. The train station in Brokstedt was closed for several hours.

☆ Rapper who became the voice of the Iranian revolt is in danger of execution
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-07 | by ( Sanam Mahoozi | Sanam Mahoozi Is A Freelance Writer Based In London. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

Fear for his safety have also grown after Salehi’s official Twitter account posted Friday that despite being in danger of losing his eyesight, he was being repeatedly beaten. Iranian mourners march towards Aichi cemetery in Saqez in Iranian Kurdistan to mark 40 days since Mahsa Amini's death on Oct. 26, 2022. ESN / AFP - Getty ImagesUsing his voice and lyrics, Salehi came out in support of the anti-government protesters from the beginning. At the heart of the protests, and Salehi’s lyrics, is the conviction that the government must go. “This is Toomaj Salehi,” he wrote, reposting a Salehi video supportive of the protesters.

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