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☆ Hesse, Bavaria Votes Highlight Discontent With Scholz's Government Exit Polls
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-08 | by ( Oct. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's opposition conservatives were on track to win state elections in Hesse and Bavaria on Sunday, according to exit polls by state broadcaster ARD, highlighting discontent with the Chancellor Olaf Scholz's centre-left federal government. In Hesse, the conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) looked set to take 35.5% of the vote compared to 16% for Scholz's Social Democrats, dealing a personal blow to Interior Minister Nancy Faeser who ran as the SPD's lead candidate in the state. In Bavaria, CDU's sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU) looked set to take 37% of the vote - its worst result since 1950 albeit likely enough to continue its coalition with the populist Free Voters on 14%. The SPD, which is traditionally weak in Bavaria, trailed with 8.5% of the vote. Meanwhile the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) made gains, rising to 16% in Hesse and 15% in Bavaria compared to 13.1% and 11.6% respectively in 2018.

Persons: Olaf Scholz's, Nancy Faeser, CDU's, Sarah Marsh, Thomas Escritt Organizations: BERLIN, ARD, Christian Democrats, CDU, Scholz's Social Democrats, Christian Social Union, CSU, Free Voters, SPD, Greens, Free Democrats Locations: Hesse, Bavaria, Germany

BERLIN, Oct 8 (Reuters) - Germany's opposition conservatives are expected to win another term in the Hesse and Bavaria state elections on Sunday, seen dealing a blow to Chancellor Olaf Scholz's center-left coalition and attesting to the rise of the far-right. So too has frustration with infighting in Scholz's heterogeneous three-way coalition of Social Democrats (SPD), the Greens and pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) mid-way through its term. "The coalition is suffering the mid-term blues and must reckon with losses," said Stefan Marschall, political scientist at the University of Duesseldorf. "The FDP in particular must reckon with falling out of both state parliaments which could bring greater tensions into the coalition. More striking is the fact the populist Free Voters (FW) party, which governs Bavaria in coalition with the CSU, has seen a bump in poll support of several percentage points to 15% since being swept up in an anti-semitic scandal.

Persons: Chancellor Olaf Scholz's, Stefan Marschall, Nancy Faeser, Sarah Marsh, Nick Macfie 私 Organizations: Social Democrats, Greens, Free Democrats, University of Duesseldorf, Christian Social Union, CSU, Christian Democrats, CDU, Free Voters, FW, SPD, ARD Locations: Hesse, Bavaria, Germany, Bavarian

☆ Germany increases protection of Israeli, Jewish institutions
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, Oct 8 (Reuters) - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz warned on Sunday against violence spreading like wildfire "with incalculable consequences for the whole region" following the biggest attack on Israel in years by Palestinian Islamist group Hamas. "The security of Israel is Germany's reason of state and we will act accordingly," he said. Scholz said he had already spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and also aimed to speak with the Egyptian president about possible mediation efforts. He added that authorities had increased the protection of Israeli and Jewish institutions in Germany in view of the attack on Israel and condemned reported celebrations of the violence on German streets. Reporting by Andreas Rinke, Writing by Sarah Marsh; Editing by Toby Chopra and Ros RussellOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Joe Biden, Emmanuel Macron, Rishi Sunak, Scholz, Benjamin Netanyahu, Andreas Rinke, Sarah Marsh, Toby Chopra, Ros Russell Organizations: Palestinian, Hamas, British, Israeli, Thomson Locations: Israel, Germany

☆ Voters in Hesse, Bavaria Seen Dealing Mid-Term Blow to Scholz's Coalition
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-08 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Sarah MarshBERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's opposition conservatives are expected to win another term in the Hesse and Bavaria state elections on Sunday, seen dealing a blow to Chancellor Olaf Scholz's center-left coalition and attesting to the rise of the far-right. So too has frustration with infighting in Scholz's heterogeneous three-way coalition of Social Democrats (SPD), the Greens and pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) mid-way through its term. "The coalition is suffering the mid-term blues and must reckon with losses," said Stefan Marschall, political scientist at the University of Duesseldorf. "The FDP in particular must reckon with falling out of both state parliaments which could bring greater tensions into the coalition. More striking is the fact the populist Free Voters (FW) party, which governs Bavaria in coalition with the CSU, has seen a bump in poll support of several percentage points to 15% since being swept up in an anti-semitic scandal.

Persons: Sarah Marsh BERLIN, Chancellor Olaf Scholz's, Stefan Marschall, Nancy Faeser, Sarah Marsh, Nick Macfie Organizations: Social Democrats, Greens, Free Democrats, University of Duesseldorf, Christian Social Union, CSU, Christian Democrats, CDU, Free Voters, FW, SPD, ARD Locations: Hesse, Bavaria, Germany, Bavarian

☆ Volkswagen, Umicore venture picks Poland for first car battery parts plant
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Volkswagen vehicle is parked during a news conference to announce details on the construction of a gigafactory for electric vehicle battery production by Volkswagen Group's battery company PowerCo SE in St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada April 21, 2023. REUTERS/Carlos Osorio/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBERLIN, Oct 7 (Reuters) - The auto battery parts joint venture between Volkswagen's (VOWG_p.DE) PowerCo and Belgian materials firm Umicore (UMI.BR) has chosen Poland as the site for its first factory, PowerCo said on Saturday. Ionway wants to build up its annual production capacity by the end of the decade to around 160 gigawatt hours (GWh) per year - enough for 2.2 million electric vehicles. Ionway is intended to supply PowerCo's European battery cell factories with key battery materials and to cover a large portion of PowerCo's needs in the European Union. In return, Umicore receives secured access to an important part of Europe's demand for cathode materials for electric vehicles.

Persons: Carlos Osorio, PowerCo, Ionway, Umicore, Sabine Wollrab, Sarah Marsh, David Holmes 私 Organizations: Volkswagen, Volkswagen Group's, REUTERS, Rights, VW, European Union Locations: St, Thomas , Ontario, Canada, Volkswagen's, Poland, Nysa, Ontario

[1/2] Police detain suspects as they patrol along the German-Polish border to prevent illegal migration near Klinge, Germany, September 20, 2023. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser urged Germany's 16 states on Wednesday to provide asylum seekers with material benefits rather than cash, to reduce the country's pull factor. Migration analysts say much of the tougher stance is electioneering ahead of elections in Hesse and Bavaria on Sunday and in three eastern German states next year. Vorlaender noted that even if tougher controls worked, Germany risked creating a bigger problem for transit countries by bottling in migrants there. Germany's tougher stance on migration isn't so much a policy reversal as an evolution, said Susan Fratzke at the Migration Policy Institute.

Persons: Lisi Niesner, Nancy Faeser, Germany's, Olaf Scholz, Angela Merkel, Scholz, Russia's, Hannes Schammann, SHAM, Merkel, Friedrich Merz, “, ” Merz, Merz, Alberto ‑ Horst Neidhardt, Hans Vorlaender, Vorlaender, Ludovit, Susan Fratzke, Schammann, Sarah Marsh, Riham, Jan Lopatka, Alan Charlish, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Police, REUTERS, Authorities, EU, EU's Agency for Asylum, University of Hildesheim, Christian Democratic Union, European, Faeser, Migration Policy Institute, Berlin, Thomson Locations: Klinge, Germany, Berlin, BERLIN, Hesse, Bavaria, Europe, Poland, Czech Republic, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Turkey, Ankara, Prague, Warsaw

☆ Poland Election Turns Germany Into Punchbag, Straining Western Alliance
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +7 min

In another dispute, Warsaw resisted a German offer to station Patriot missile air defence units in Poland before eventually agreeing to it. Among the sticking points, one German source said Poland was asking for too much money for the repair works. Another source, a German diplomat, said the talks failed partly because German companies were reluctant to share technical information. SOURING RELATIONSWhile ties between Poland and Germany have been frosty since PiS first came to power in 2015, Poles now see them worsening. Just 47% think relations are good, according to a German Polish barometer poll this year, down from 72% in 2020.

Persons: Marek Strzelecki, Sabine Siebold, Anna Koper, Donald Tusk, PiS, Mateusz Morawiecki, Tusk, Angela Merkel, Olaf Scholz, General Ben Hodges, Krauss, Maffei, Sebastian Chwalek, Thomas Kleine, Berlin, mushroomed, Camp David, ” Hodges, Joe, Biden, Andrzej, Duda, Chancellor Scholz, Justyna Pawlak, Anna Wlodarczak, Alan Charlish, Sarah Marsh, Andreas Rinke, Matthias Williams, Mark Heinrich Organizations: Anna, Anna Koper WARSAW, NATO, Justice, Nazi Wehrmacht, Patriot, Law, Justice Party, U.S, Army, Reuters, Rheinmetall, Polska, Patriots, Foreign, German Marshall Fund Locations: BERLIN, Germany, Berlin, Ukraine, Polish, Nazi, EU, Slovakia, Poland, Warsaw, U.S, Europe, German, PiS, Japan, South Korea

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Andrzej Duda, Thibault Camus, Donald Tusk, PiS, Mateusz Morawiecki, Tusk, Angela Merkel, General Ben Hodges, Krauss, Maffei, Sebastian Chwalek, Thomas Kleine, Berlin, mushroomed, Camp David, ” Hodges, Joe, Biden, Andrzej, Duda, Chancellor Scholz, Justyna Pawlak, Marek Strzelecki, Anna Koper, Anna Wlodarczak, Alan Charlish, Sarah Marsh, Sabine Siebold, Andreas Rinke, Matthias Williams, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Russia, goading, NATO, Justice, Nazi Wehrmacht, Patriot, Law, Justice Party, U.S, Army, Reuters, Rheinmetall, Polska, Patriots, Foreign, German Marshall Fund, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Berlin, Germany, Russia Berlin, goading Warsaw, WARSAW, BERLIN, Polish, Nazi, EU, Slovakia, Poland, Warsaw, U.S, Europe, German, PiS, Japan, South Korea

☆ Kosovo says Serbia's behaviour same as Russia's before Ukraine invasion
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BERLIN, Oct 2 (Reuters) - Serbia's troop deployment on Kosovo's border recalls Russia's behaviour towards Ukraine before its invasion, the Kosovar foreign minister said, urging the European Union to take action against Belgrade such as freezing its candidacy status. "There has never been this kind of concentration of troops in recent years," Kosovar Foreign Minister Donika Gervalla-Schwarz told German broadcaster Deutschlandfunk in an interview on Monday. She said it was not just the concentration of troops on the edge of its former southern province, whose independence Belgrade does not recognise, but also Serbia's rhetoric and its "methods" resembling Russian behaviour towards Ukraine. Kosovo, which declared independence from Serbia in 2008 after a guerrilla uprising and 1999 NATO intervention, accuses Serbia of arming and supporting the Serb fighters. Reporting by Sarah Marsh; editing by Miranda Murray and Mark HeinrichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Donika Gervalla, Schwarz, Aleksandar Vucic, Sarah Marsh, Miranda Murray, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Union, Belgrade, NATO, Kosovar, Deutschlandfunk, EU, Serbs, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, States, Kosovo, Belgrade, Serbian, Serbia

Migration has become a hot topic of debate in Germany ahead of elections on Oct. 8 in the states of Bavaria and Hesse, and in Europe at large ahead of European parliamentary elections next year. The post shared by Musk came from an account identified as Radio Genoa. It criticized the German state for funding charities rescuing migrants in the Mediterranean and included videos of rescue missions. Germany's centre-left government confirmed this week that it was financially supporting three German non-governmental organizations that operate in the Mediterranean and regularly bring migrants to Italy. In Texas, Tesla operates a plant in Austin and Space X operates a major testing and launch facility on the Texas Gulf Coast in Boca Chica near Brownsville.

Persons: Elon Musk, Porte, Gonzalo Fuentes, Billionaire Elon, Musk, Tesla's Gigafactory, Tesla, Sarah Marsh, Andreas Rinke, Leslie Adler Organizations: SpaceX, Tesla, Viva Technology, Porte de, REUTERS, Rights, Billionaire, Radio Genoa, Forbes, Space X, Texas Gulf, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, Germany, Bavaria, Hesse, Europe, Texas, Mexico, Italy, Tesla's Gigafactory Berlin, Brandenburg, Austin, Texas Gulf Coast, Boca Chica, Brownsville, U.S

[1/2] A suspected illegal migrant is searched after he was detained by German police during their patrol along the German-Polish border to prevent illegal migration, in Forst, Germany, September 20, 2023. In August, registered illegal border crossings to Germany reached 14,701, up 66% on the same month last year, police data shows. Czech police have increased random checks on the Slovak border as well as on highways to Germany, Czech police president Martin Vondrasek said. LAMPEDUSA CRISISAs well as the increase in illegal border crossings, Germany has also taken in around 1 million Ukrainian refugees over the past year. Previously, there have been random police checks on the borders and Germany has maintained stationary controls on the Bavarian border with Austria since 2015.

Persons: Lisi Niesner, Nancy Faeser, Martin Vondrasek, Markus Soeder, Rome, Faeser, Piotr Muller, Alexander Ratz, Sarah Marsh, Alan Charlish, Anna Wlodarczak, Jan Lopatka, Rachel More, Kirsti Knolle, Alison Williams Organizations: REUTERS, Faeser, Social Democrats, Reuters, Warsaw, Thomson Locations: Forst , Germany, Poland, Czech Republic, BERLIN, Germany, Berlin, Czech, Bavaria, Hesse, Bavarian, Austria, North Africa, Lampedusa, Italy, EU, Europe

However, that was still nearly twice as much as the 5.5 billion euros invested in 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic hit. Reuters GraphicsOverall German direct investment flows dropped more sharply, to 63 billion euros from 104 billion euros last year, as Europe's largest economy battled recession. "Although the German economy is overall investing much less abroad, new direct investments in China remain nearly as high as before." Matthes pointed out that investments in the rest of Asia as a share of Germany's overall investments was also rising. "It is notable that nearly a quarter of German direct investment flows recently went to Asia," he said.

Persons: Thomas Peter, Juergen Matthes, Matthes, Sarah Marsh, Friederike Heine, Christina Fincher Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Investment, Reuters, Reuters Graphics, Volkswagen, BASF, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Asia

BERLIN, Sept 19 (Reuters) - Germany's interior ministry is planning to force telecoms operators to slash the use of equipment from Huawei (HWT.UL) and ZTE in their 5G networks after a review highlighted an over-reliance on these Chinese suppliers, a government official said. Huawei currently accounts for 59% of Germany's 5G RAN networks, according to a survey by telecommunications consultancy Strand Consult. The interior ministry wants to present its approach to cabinet from next week but could face resistance from the ministry for digital affairs due to concerns it might affect Germany's already slow progress with digitalization. Germany is considered a laggard in implementing the European Union's toolbox of security measures for 5G networks. The interior ministry did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Persons: Nancy, Faeser, Reinhard Brandl, Andreas Rinke, Sarah Marsh, Sabine Wollrab, Mark Potter Organizations: Huawei, Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone, Germany's, Strand, ZTE, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Germany, China

☆ Russell Brand’s Timeline of Scandal and Controversy
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Alex Marshall | More About Alex Marshall | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

But after The Mail on Sunday newspaper wrote about the calls, thousands of irate callers flooded the BBC switchboard and the incident became a political storm. Brand was forced into an apology, but Greenslade said that incident didn’t affect Brand’s popularity among fans as it played into his “bad boy” image. With those videos, Monbiot said, Brand engaged young and disenfranchised voters in a way that actual politicians had struggled to do. Over time, the tenor of the Brand’s videos changed, and became filled with conspiracies and conservative talking points, including vaccine skepticism. Throughout his career, Brand — a self-described narcissist — had sought attention and on YouTube, it was right-wing talking points that got the most likes and shares.

Persons: Andrew Sachs, Manuel, Brand, Jonathan Ross, Greenslade, ” Greenslade, Sarah Marshall ”, he’d, George Monbiot, Brand’s, Monbiot, Ed Milliband, “, Rupert Murdoch, Anthony Fauci, ” Monbiot, —, Ron DeSantis Organizations: BBC, Labour Party, YouTube Locations: Britain, Spanish, ”, United States, British

LONDON (AP) — Three British news organizations reported Saturday that comedian and social influencer Russell Brand has been accused of rape, sexual assault and abuse based on allegations from four women who knew him over a seven-year period at the height of his fame. Brand denied the allegations and said that all of his relationships have been consensual. The Sunday Times, The Times of London and Channel 4’s “Dispatches” said that one woman alleged she had been raped, while three others accused him of sexual assault. Political Cartoons View All 1163 Images“Amidst this litany of astonishing, rather baroque attacks are some very serious allegations that I absolutely refute,” he said. “To see that transparency metastasized into something criminal, that I absolutely deny, makes me question is there another agenda at play,” Brand said.

Persons: Russell Brand, Brand, ”, ” Brand, Joe Rogan, “, Sarah Marshall ”, “ Arthur ”, Katy Perry Organizations: Sunday Times, The, BBC Radio, Hollywood Locations: British, London, Britain

☆ Berlin blocks complete takeover of satellite startup by Chinese firm - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Andreas Rinke | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BERLIN, Sept 13 (Reuters) - The German government on Wednesday forbid the complete takeover of satellite startup KLEO Connect by a Chinese firm, two government sources told Reuters. The cabinet agreed a decision by the economy ministry not to let Shanghai Spacecom Satellite Technology, which already has 53% of the company, acquire the 45% minority stake of German company EightyLeo, according to the sources. Berlin last November blocked prospective Chinese investment in two domestic semiconductor producers after the moves raised concerns over national security and the flow of sensitive technological know-how to Beijing. The United states and the European Commission had also warned against the deal that had been long in the pipeline, according to sources and media reports. Reporting by Andreas Rinke; Writing Sarah Marsh; Editing by Friederike Heine and Louise HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Elon Musk, Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Andreas Rinke, Sarah Marsh, Friederike Heine, Louise Heavens Organizations: Wednesday, Reuters, Shanghai, Satellite Technology, KLEO Connect, SpaceX, HK, United, European Commission, Thomson Locations: Ukrainian, Sevastopol, Germany, China, Berlin, Beijing, Hamburg

☆ Scholz: Germany Must Pull Together to Overcome Economic Crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Wednesday called on the ruling coalition and democratic opposition to pull together to overcome the "mildew of red tape, risk averseness and despondency" that has weighed down Europe's largest economy in recent years. This was also key, he said, to fend off "those who want to draw political profit from decline scenarios and panic-mongering" amid a sharp rise in support for Germany's far-right. "The citizens are fed up with this standstill, and I am too," Scholz said in a speech to the Bundestag lower house of parliament during a session on the 2024 budget, sporting a black eye patch following a jogging accident. The chancellor announced a new "Germany pact" with a bundle of measures aimed at streamlining the country's notoriously slow bureaucracy and speeding up the digitalization of the economy. Political Cartoons on World Leaders View All 226 Images(Reporting by Sarah Marsh; Editing by Miranda Murray)

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Scholz, Sarah Marsh, Miranda Murray Organizations: BERLIN Locations: Germany

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz speaks during a plenum session of the lower house of parliament, Bundestag, for a general debate on the Federal Government policy in Berlin, Germany September 6, 2023. The chancellor announced a new "Germany pact" with a bundle of measures aimed at reducing bureaucracy, speeding up approval processes for new construction and digitising citizens’ access to key government services. The chancellor rejected the idea of fresh stimulus to boost an economy battling high inflation, financing costs and a drop in exports. Such sums showed Germany was holding its own vis-à-vis the U.S. and the $430 billion U.S. Inflation Reduction Act, he said. For a special Reuters World News podcast on what is ailing the German economy please click here .

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Annegret, Scholz, Sarah Marsh, Andreas Rinke, Thomas Escritt, Miranda Murray, Friederike Heine Our Organizations: Bundestag, Federal Government, REUTERS, Scholz's Social Democrats, Deutsche, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Germany, BERLIN, Europe's

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz speaks during an event at the 2023 Munich Auto Show IAA Mobility, in Munich, Germany, September 5, 2023. The expansion will make range anxiety a thing of the past for EV drivers, he added. Europe's biggest economy has only 90,000 public charging points but is targeting 1 million by 2030 to boost EV take-up. Addressing the protests, Scholz said at the end of his tour: "Protests are part of public and democratic debate ... but it is a little anachronistic. On competition from China in EV production, Scholz said: "Competition should spur us on, not scare us.

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Leonhard Simon, Scholz, Victoria Waldersee, Andreas Rinke, Jan Schwartz, Friederike Heine, Sarah Marsh, Miranda Murray, David Goodman Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, IAA, EV, Sporting, BMW, Mercedes, Benz, HK, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Munich, Germany, Rights MUNICH, Europe, China, Japanese, Korea

The new legislation will limit the amount of cannabis young adults can buy to 30 grams a month, compared to 50 grams for older adults. Scholz's government had already watered down original plans to allow the widespread sale of cannabis in licensed shops after consultations with Brussels. Instead, it said would launch a pilot project for a small number of licensed shops in some regions to test the effects of a commercial supply chain of recreational cannabis over five years. Malta became the first European country to allow limited cultivation and possession of cannabis for personal use in late 2021. The legislation presented on Wednesday includes strict rules for growing weed - cannabis clubs of up to 500 associates must have burglar-proof doors and windows, with greenhouses fenced off.

Persons: Lisi Niesner, Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Karl Lauterbach, Lauterbach, Armin Schuster, Kristine Luetke, Sarah Marsh, Andreas Rinke, Angus MacSwan, Bernadette Baum Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Scholz's Social Democrats, Free Democrats, Thomson Locations: Brandenburg, Berlin, Germany, Europe, Saxony, Brussels, Netherlands, Switzerland, Malta

Poland's government, which faces October elections, is even suing Brussels over climate policies. Britain has already quickly gone from being a leader on the world stage to looking quite weak on green policies, he said. CITIZENS, BUSINESSESEurope's green policies are still more credible than U.S. ones, given see-sawing between electoral cycles in the United States, some analysts said. Rows over green policies have propelled right-wing populist parties to second place in both Dutch and German polls. "Otherwise citizens might start to feel that climate policy is always financially overwhelming and bad, and that sentiment is then exploited by populists."

Persons: Timm Reichert, Virginijus Sinkevicius, Sinkevicius, Anna Moskwa, Nathalie Tocci, Mats Engström, GREEN, Bob Ward, Ward, Rishi Sunak, Rob Jetten, Nina Scheer, Simone Tagliapietra, Tagliapietra, Kate Abnett, Sarah Marsh, Gloria Dickie, Anthony Deutsch, Angelo Amante, Pawel, Susanna Twidale, William James, Alexnder Smith Organizations: REUTERS, European Union, Reuters, European People's Party, European Council, Foreign, United States, Grantham Research, London School of Economics, Political, Climate, Energy, Democrats, Thomson Locations: Gruenberg, Germany, EU, BERLIN, BRUSSELS, Netherlands, Brussels, Europe, United States, Grantham, India, China, Britain, Berlin, London, Amsterdam, Rome, Warsaw

☆ Factbox: Resistance to green policies around Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

REUTERS/Kuba Stezycki/File PhotoAug 10 (Reuters) - Europe faces growing pushback against policies to address climate change and protect the environment, causing its green agenda to start to fray as severe heatwaves and wildfires rage. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak last month warned of climate policies that "unnecessarily give people more hassle and more costs", days after his ailing Conservatives unexpectedly clinched a local election after opposing charges for the most polluting vehicles. Riding a wave of protests against the government's environmental policies, it unexpectedly beat the conservative VVD party in regional elections in March. POLANDPoland's government, long conservative on environmental policies at home and facing elections in October, has gone a step further by suing Brussels. The row has helped propel the far-right Alternative for Germany to second place in the polls.

Persons: Kuba, Rishi Sunak, Sunak, Mark Rutte, Kate Abnett, Sarah Marsh, Gloria Dickie, Anthony Deutsch, Angelo Amante, Pawel, Susanna Twidale, William James Organizations: REUTERS, Union, EU, BRITAIN, Conservatives, Farmer, Movement, Justice, Greens, Thomson Locations: Gryfino, Poland, Europe, ITALY, Italy, BRITAIN Britain, Britain, NETHERLANDS, POLAND, Brussels, GERMANY, Germany, Berlin, Bremen, London, Amsterdam, Rome, Warsaw

The largest island, Tenerife, received 4% more tourists in June than in the pre-pandemic 2019. But there were 22% fewer Germans, a clear sign of how the energy crisis and economic woes have weighed on travel decisions. Meanwhile, hotels in traditional hotspots for German tourists, such as the town of Puerto de la Cruz in northern Tenerife, are now filling up with "weather tourists". This year, 18% fewer Germans went on summer holidays than in 2019, according to Germany's tourism industry group DRV. According to Spanish official data, in the first half of 2023, 14% fewer Germans visited Tenerife than in 2019.

Persons: Borja Suarez, Shizuko Hotta, Hotta, Diego Bejarano, Enrique Talg, Corina Pons, Sarah Marsh, Andrei Khalip, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Gran Canaria, REUTERS, Borja Suarez PUERTO, LA, la, Thomson Locations: Puerto Rico, Gran, Spain, LA CRUZ, Canary Islands, Africa, Tenerife, Puerto, la Cruz, Lake Constance, Germany, Spanish, United States, Canada, U.S, Europe

☆ BASF cuts 2023 earnings guidance on weak industrial demand
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

FRANKFURT, July 12 (Reuters) - German chemicals giant BASF (BASFn.DE) on Wednesday cut its full-year earnings guidance, the latest in a string of chemical companies caught out by weak demand from industrial clients and higher interest rates. In an unscheduled statement, BASF said earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) and adjusted for special items would be 4.0 billion euros to 4.4 billion euros ($4.90 billion) in 2023It had previously projected adjusted EBIT of 4.8 billion euros to 5.4 billion euros for the year, down from 6.9 billion in 2022. "Global chemical production declined perceptibly in the first half of 2023," BASF said in a statement, putting this down to slowing growth in industrial output. Chemical industry peers such as Croda (CRDA.L), Lanxess (LXSG.DE) , Victrex (VCTX.L) , Clariant (CLN.S) and Evonik (EVKn.DE) have recently cut their guidance, prompting several analysts to predict that BASF would be next. Second-quarter adjusted EBIT dropped 57% to 1.01 billion euros, down from 2.34 billion a year ago.

Persons: EBIT, VCI, Ludwig Burger, Sarah Marsh, Jane Merriman, Sharon Singleton Organizations: BASF, Thomson Locations: FRANKFURT, Europe, China

☆ Germany publishes new strategy on 'increasingly assertive' China
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] The flags of Germany and China are seen ahead of a meeting between German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Berlin, Germany, June 19, 2023. REUTERS/Fabrizio BenschBERLIN, July 13 (Reuters) - Germany published its long-awaited China strategy on Thursday, which took stock of an "increasingly assertive" Beijing and outlined possible responses such as outbound investment controls on cutting-edge technology with military use. However, it was also increasingly assertive in its attempts to change the rules-based international order with consequences for global security. Germany would expand its close relations with Taiwan while continuing to adhere to the "One China policy", which recognises the government of the People's Republic of China as the sole legal government of China. On the economy, the strategy outlined proposals to reduce critical dependencies on China, in line with what has previously been agreed by the European Union.

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Li Qiang, Fabrizio Bensch BERLIN, Chancellor Olaf Scholz's, Sarah Marsh, Andreas Rinke, Matthias Williams, Friederike Heine, Miranda Murray, Rachel More, Alex Richardson Organizations: REUTERS, European, Volkswagen, BASF, BMW, Government, Thomson Locations: Germany, China, Berlin, Beijing, West, Russia, Taiwan, People's Republic of China

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