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[1/4] A view of the turbines at an offshore wind farm near Nysted, Denmark, September 4, 2023. Time is short: The EU has a legally binding goal to nearly double renewable sources as a share of total energy by 2030, to 42.5%, requiring a rapid expansion of offshore wind. But of the governments surveyed, only Britain and Poland said they had invested or budgeted for steps to improve the security of offshore infrastructure. It requires a lot of effort from the government side," said Mattia Cecchinato, senior adviser for offshore wind at WindEurope. It said it would establish a permanent coast guard base close to where offshore wind farms are planned.

Persons: Tom Little, Thomas Almegaard, Vladimir Putin, Mads Nipper, Orsted, Ewa Skoog Haslum, James Appathurai, Germany's RWE, Anitta, Mattia Cecchinato, Rasmus, Krzysztof Jaworski, Orsted's Errboe, Benjamin Mallet, Riham, Elizabeth Piper, Toby Sterling, Andrius Sytas, Marek Strzelecki, Sara Ledwith Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Baltic Seas, EU, NATO, NewNew, Sweden's, Soaring, Emerging, Research, Solutions, Internal, Fund, Military, Naval Operations Centre, Polish Navy, Thomson Locations: Nysted, Denmark, Europe, Baltic, Nord, Finland, Sweden, Estonia, Russian, Russia, NewNew Shipping, Netherlands, Britain, Poland, Germany, North, Swedish, Copenhagen, Moscow, Sofia, European, Anitta Hipper, Belgium, Norway, France, Lithuania, Latvia, Baltic . Poland, Paris, Berlin, London, Amsterdam, Vilnius, Warsaw

[1/7] Khadjeh Chehadeh Abu Stateh, 84, left, a Palestinian refugee who fled the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, and her daughter, Zahra Ahmed Abu Stateh, 51, sit at their residence in Bourj al-Barajneh Refugee Camp in Beirut, Lebanon, October 25, 2023. 'BATTLE OF THE WHOLE NATION'Many of the Palestinians who arrived in Lebanon and their descendants still live in 12 refugee camps around the country, which now hosts about 174,000 Palestinian refugees. The walls in Burj al-Barajneh, like other camps, are covered in graffiti backing Palestinian factions, which are effectively in control. Security and governance is in the hands of Popular Committees and Palestinian factions, the United Nations Palestinian refugees agency UNRWA says. Meanwhile, many in Gaza, a narrow strip of land just 40 km (25 miles) long where 2.3 million people live, most of them also Palestinian refugees from what is now Israel, have been displaced again.

Persons: Abu Stateh, Zahra Ahmed Abu Stateh, Amr Alfiky, Gazans, Bidur Al Habet, Kayyal, Zahra Steitiyeh, Khadijeh Astateh, Riham Alkousaa, Edmund Blair, Giles Elgood Organizations: REUTERS, Hamas, Popular Committees, United Nations Palestinian, UNRWA, Israel, West Bank, Thomson Locations: Bourj, Beirut, Lebanon, Burj, BURJ, Gaza, British, Palestine, Israel, Acre, Palestinian, Asylos, Burj al, Lebanese, Al Aqsa, Jordan, Egypt, Safed

[1/5] Rabab Youssef, 57, a survivor of the Israeli airstrike in 2006 that killed dozens, sits beside her daughter's grave in Qana, Lebanon October 24, 2023. You just wait," said Rabab Yousef, a 57-year-old mother who lost a daughter under the rubble of an Israeli airstrike in 2006. When conflict erupted over Gaza after Palestinian group Hamas - an ally of Hezbollah - launched its devastating raid on Israeli soil on Oct. 7, violence quickly flared on Israel's flashpoint northern border with Lebanon. An Israeli inquiry after the 2006 incident said it had been a mistake. Israel voiced regret at the 1996 incident, which prompted it to wind down its Lebanon operation at the time.

Persons: Rabab Youssef, Zohra, Jesus, Rabab Yousef, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Nabih Berri, Ghazi Hussein Ai Deebh, Qana, Israel, Jamil Salameh, Kefah, won’t, Nasrallah, Sabah Krecht, Riham Alkousaa, Edmund Blair Organizations: REUTERS, Hamas, Thomson Locations: Qana, Lebanon, Israel, Lebanese, Cana, Gaza, Palestinian, Nabih Berri . South Lebanon

GENEVA/BEIRUT, Oct 23 (Reuters) - Almost 20,000 people have been internally displaced in south Lebanon and elsewhere since early October, a U.N. agency said on Monday, as violence escalates on the Lebanese-Israeli border following the eruption of the Gaza war. The International Organization for Migration said 19,646 people had been displaced inside Lebanon since it began tracking movements on Oct. 8, the day after an assault on Israel by Hamas militants and an Israeli counteroffensive on Gaza. It said the movements were mostly by those fleeing the south of Lebanon, while some people have also moved from other areas. Many who have fled south Lebanon have moved north to the coastal city of Tyre, which is 18 km (11 miles) from the border. "We cannot open all schools because schools are still operating, every school we open (for the displaced) we’re depriving its pupils from using it," she added.

Persons: Lebanon's, Ezzeddine, Yolla Ali al Swaid, Ali al Swaid, Swaid, Emma Farge, Riham, Edmund Blair, Alison Williams Organizations: Lebanese, Organization for Migration, Reuters, Thomson Locations: GENEVA, BEIRUT, Lebanon, Gaza, Israel, Tyre, Dhaira, Geneva, Beirut

But supporters of the Palestinians say they feel blocked from publicly expressing support or concern for people in the Hamas-controlled enclave of Gaza without risking arrest, their jobs or immigration status. French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin clamped a nationwide ban on pro-Palestinian protests last week, citing the risk of public disorder. In Germany, Berlin police have approved two requests for pro-Palestine protests since the initial Hamas attacks, a police spokesperson said. Even before the Hamas attack on Israel, Germany was restricting pro-Palestinian demonstrations, with Berlin authorities banning several on public safety grounds. On Wednesday, in response to an appeal against Darmanin's instructions, a court said local authorities should ban protests on a case by case basis.

Persons: Kai Pfaffenbach, Messika Medjoub, Gerald Darmanin, Olaf Scholz, Darmanin, doesn't, Benjamin Ward, Germany we're, Saleh Said, Felix Klein, Hortense La Chance, Riham Alkousaa, Thomas Escritt, Layli, Kate Holton, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Police, Hamas, REUTERS, Paris, Palestine, EU, Human Rights Watch, Reuters, Amnesty, Thomson Locations: Israel, Frankfurt, Germany, France, BERLIN, PARIS, Gaza, Paris, Berlin, Hungary, Austria, Europe, FRANCE, Palestine, London

☆ King Abdullah on Gaza: 'No refugees in Jordan, no refugees in Egypt'
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Jordan's King Abdullah II go to shake hands, as they attend a press conference, at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany, October 17, 2023. REUTERS/Annegret Hilse Acquire Licensing RightsBERLIN, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Jordan's King Abdullah on Tuesday warned against trying to push Palestinian refugees into Egypt or Jordan, adding that the humanitarian situation must to be dealt with inside Gaza and the West Bank. "That is a red line, because I think that is the plan by certain of the usual suspects to try and create de facto issues on the ground. No refugees in Jordan, no refugees in Egypt," King Abdullah said at a news conference following a meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin. Reporting by Riham Alkousaa, Editing by Rachel MoreOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Jordan's King Abdullah II, Annegret, King Abdullah, Riham Alkousaa, Rachel More Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, West Bank, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Germany, Egypt, Jordan, Gaza

☆ Important to Avoid Hezbollah's Intervention in Israel-Hamas Conflict - German Chancellor
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-14 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz agreed in a phone call on Saturday with Israel's prime minister that it was important to avoid a wider Middle East war as well as Hezbollah's intervention in the Israel-Hamas conflict, a spokesperson for the Chancellery said. "Chancellor Scholz renewed Germany's full solidarity with the people of Israel in these difficult times and emphasized that Germany stands unwaveringly at Israel's side," the spokesperson added in a statement. Baerbock, who arrived on Saturday morning in Cairo for discussion with her Turkish and Egyptian counterparts, said Israel's fight against Hamas must be carried out with consideration for the humanitarian situation in Gaza. "The fight against Hamas must be carried out with the greatest possible consideration for the humanitarian situation ... (Reporting by Riham Alkousaa and Alexander Ratz; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise and Mark Potter)

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Chancellor Scholz, Annalena Baerbock, Berlin, Baerbock, Israel's, Riham Alkousaa, Alexander Ratz, Emelia Sithole, Mark Potter Organizations: BERLIN, German, United Nations Locations: Israel, Germany, Gaza, Egypt, Berlin, Cairo

☆ Germany Bans Pro-Palestinian Group Samidoun
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany will ban the pro-Palestinian group Samidoun, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Thursday, adding that its members were celebrating Islamist Hamas "terror" in Israel on German streets. And we, as a strong constitutional state, will draw this sword," Scholz said in an address to parliament in Berlin. The group, which identifies as a Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network, posted photos on Instagram on Sunday of pro-Palestinian activists distributing sweets in Berlin in celebration of Saturday's Hamas attack in Israel. The group has been organising pro-Palestinian protests and is now monitored by Berlin's domestic intelligence agency, according to German magazine Der Spiegel. (Reporting by Riham Alkousaa, Miranda Murray and Thomas Escritt; Editing by Rachel More)

Persons: Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Scholz, Der Spiegel, Riham Alkousaa, Miranda Murray, Thomas Escritt, Rachel More Organizations: BERLIN, Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network Locations: Germany, Israel, Berlin

[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

Meanwhile, Germany is examining options including trade protections to shield local solar manufacturers from falling global prices, a government document seen by Reuters showed. "Tariffs are not a good answer to the current challenges in the European solar industry," said Gunter Erfurt, Board Director at industry group SolarPower Europe, whose members include producers, large buyers and companies involved in installation. "Instead of sanctioning the entire industry through tariffs, we must incentivize solar installations that originate from resilient European solar production. This way, the deployment of solar energy can continue undisturbed while the European solar manufacturing can grow steadily," said Erfurt, who is CEO of Swiss solar cell maker Meyer Burger. But industry fears restricting Chinese supplies would cause a repeat of the 2013-2018 period, when Europe's solar energy installations dipped temporarily - coinciding with EU limits on tariff-free imports of Chinese solar panels and cells.

Persons: Gunter Erfurt, ", Meyer Burger, Kate Abnett, Philip Blenkinsop, Riham Alkousaa, Hugh Lawson Organizations: Meyer Burger Technology, European Commission, Reuters, EU, Thomson Locations: China, Brussels, Europe, Germany, Erfurt, Swiss, EU

☆ Germany halts e-cars solar subsidy programme amid high demand
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] A logo depicting an electric car is seen on the floor of a charging bay inside an ALDI supermarket car park in Manchester, Britain, September 8, 2023. REUTERS/Phil Noble Acquire Licensing RightsBERLIN, Sept 27 (Reuters) - Germany's state-owned KfW bank on Wednesday said it had halted a new subsidy programme for charging electric vehicles with solar power at home a day after its launch as the funds were exhausted immediately due to high demand. The programme is aimed at boosting the switch to electric cars and reducing the need for public charging stations. The transport ministry had allocated some 500 million euros for the programme, but 200 million euros were reserved for next year under a "first-come, first-served principle". ($1 = 0.9463 euros)Reporting by Riham Alkousaa and Andreas Rinke, Editing by Friederike HeineOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Phil Noble, Riham Alkousaa, Andreas Rinke, Friederike Heine Our Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Manchester, Britain

☆ Germany to halve federal aid for refugees next year - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Migrants who were found in a van by police during their patrol along the German-Polish border to prevent illegal migration, gather near Forst, Germany, September 20, 2023. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBERLIN, Sept 25 (Reuters) - Germany plans to halve the federal aid it allocates for states to cover expenses of receiving and integrating refugees next year as part of budget-tightening amid soaring inflation after years of generous spending, sources told Reuters on Monday. The federal government did not promise that it will match 2023 funding in the following years. The government will eliminate its contribution to the costs of caring for and integrating Ukrainian refugees as well, the sources added. ($1 = 0.9447 euros)Reporting by Andreas Rinke Writing by Riham Alkousaa and Sharon SingletonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Lisi Niesner, Andreas Rinke, Riham Alkousaa, Sharon Singleton Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Forst, Germany, Ukraine, Berlin

☆ EU set to demand e-fuel cars have no climate impact
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Kate Abnett | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

All new cars sold in the EU from 2035 must have zero CO2 emissions, under the EU's main climate policy for cars, which countries agreed earlier this year. A draft EU legal proposal, seen by Reuters, showed Brussels plans to set strict conditions for e-fuel cars - requiring them to run on fully CO2 neutral fuels. E-fuels are considered carbon neutral when they are made using captured CO2 emissions that balance out the CO2 released when the fuel is combusted in an engine. The draft rules would be stricter than the low-carbon fuel rules in some other EU climate policies. For example, countries can use certain fuels to meet EU renewable energy targets if they achieve a 70% emissions saving, rather than 100%.

Persons: Jan Schwartz, Ralf Diemer, Kate Abnett, Riham Alkousaa, Philip Blenkinsop Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, European, European Commission, Reuters, eFuel Alliance, Manufacturers, Thomson Locations: Allersberg, Germany, Hamburg, Munich, Rights BRUSSELS, Brussels, Berlin

☆ German housing prices show sharpest drop since 2000 year over year, statistics office says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Residential property prices fell by 9.9% year-on-year, the steepest decline since the start of data collection in 2000, the federal statistics office said. Prices fell by 1.5% on the quarter, with steeper declines in larger cities than in more sparsely populated areas. In cities such as Berlin, Hamburg and Munich, apartment prices fell by 9.8% and single and two-family house prices dropped by 12.6% on the year. Building permits for apartments in Germany declined 31.5% in July from a year earlier, the statistics office disclosed on Monday, as construction prices rose by almost 9% on the year. German housing industry association GdW on Friday sounded the alarm over the situation calling for government support for construction companies.

Persons: GdW, Riham Alkousaa, Klaus Lauer, Kirsti Knolle, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Reuters, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Germany

☆ Germany says France's iPhone 12 process has guiding function for Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, Sept 14 (Reuters) - Germany will examine radiation concerns about Apple's (AAPL.O) iPhone 12 for the German market if France's probe advances sufficiently, its network regulator said on Thursday, adding that the French procedure has a guiding function for Europe as a whole. "The Federal Network Agency is in close contact with the responsible authority in France," the regulator told Reuters. Researchers have conducted a vast number of studies over the last two decades to assess health risks resulting from mobile phones. According to the World Health Organisation, no adverse health effects have been established as being caused by mobile phone use. Reporting by Riham Alkousaa Editing by Miranda MurrayOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Riham, Miranda Murray Organizations: France's Agence Nationale des, Apple, Federal Network Agency, Reuters, World Health, Thomson Locations: Germany, Europe, France's, France

BERLIN, Sept 13 (Reuters) - The Earth's life-support systems are facing greater risks and uncertainties than ever before, with most major safety limits already crossed as a result of planet-wide human interventions, according to a scientific study released on Wednesday. The authors said crossing the boundaries did not represent a tipping point where human civilisation would just crash, but could bring irreversible shifts in the Earth's support systems. "We can think of Earth as a human body, and the planetary boundaries as blood pressure. Over 120/80 does not indicate a certain heart attack but it does raise the risk," Richardson said. "It is a complete failure ...and it's a large risk... We're still following a pathway that takes us unequivocally to disaster."

Persons: Katherine Richardson, Richardson, Ueslei Marcelino, We're, Johan Rockström, I've, Rockström, Riham, David Stanway, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: University of Copenhagen, REUTERS, Potsdam Institute, Climate Impact, United Nations Global, Thomson Locations: Seca, Uruara, Para State, Brazil, Dubai

☆ German engineering production to fall further in 2024- VDMA association
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBERLIN, Sept 12 (Reuters) - Germany's engineering association (VDMA) expects production in the sector to extend its decline next year, falling 2% dragged by weak orders domestically and abroad, its Chief Economist Ralph Wiechers said. Wiechers confirmed VDMA production forecast for 2023 of a 2% drop, adding that losses in the second half of the year would eat up the 1.7% growth recorded in the first six months. "2024 will be a kind of transition year," Wiechers told Reuters. German exports to China grew by 4.4% in the first half of the year but growth was still significantly less than in the United States where sales rose by 21.6%. Reporting by Tom Kaeckenhoff; Writing by Riham Alkousaa; Editing by Tomasz JanowskiOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Kuka, Mercedes Benz, Kai Pfaffenbach, Ralph Wiechers, Wiechers, Tom Kaeckenhoff, Riham Alkousaa, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: Daimler, REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Rastatt, Germany, Ukraine, China, United States

The report, culminating a two-year evaluation of the 2015 Paris climate agreement goals, distils thousands of submissions from experts, governments and campaigners. "The Paris Agreement has driven near-universal climate action by setting goals and sending signals to the world regarding the urgency of responding to the climate crisis," it said. "While action is proceeding, much more is needed now on all fronts." More than 20 gigatonnes of further CO2 reductions were needed this decade - and global net zero by 2050 - in order to meet the goals, the U.N. assessment said. Commitment was needed to phase out fossil fuels, set 2030 targets for renewable energy expansion, ensure the financial system funds climate action, and raise funds for adaptation and damage, he said.

Persons: Tom Evans, Sultan Al Jaber, U.N, Antonio Guterres, David Stanway, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: United Nations, United Arab Emirates, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Dubai, Paris, UAE, Singapore, Berlin

[1/5] A view shows a sign for a heavy haulage convoy during transport of a nacelle of a wind turbine near a wind farm, in Biegen, Germany August 31, 2023. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner Acquire Licensing RightsBERLIN, Sept 7 (Reuters) - Germany's wind power expansion is facing an unexpected roadblock: builders need permits to transport the heavy turbines down the country's roads, and they are waiting months to get them. "Assuming nothing changes, it could cost 115 million euros extra by the end of the year," Felix Rehwald, a spokesperson for wind turbine manufacturer Enercon, told Reuters. Transport permits are needed to drive heavy loads over bridges and highways. The cost of applications had jumped to more than 1,000 euros per permit in 2021 from 100 euros, Nordex said.

Persons: Lisi Niesner, Felix Rehwald, Rehwald, Nordex, Kai Westphal, VDMA, Sebastian Steul, Steul, Morten Arnskov Boejesen, Soren Andersen, " Westphal, Johannes Gotfredsen, Toby Sterling, Riham, Thomas Escritt, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Transport, GmbH, Wednesday, of, of Danish Industry, Danish, Directorate, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: Biegen, Germany, Netherlands, Denmark, of Danish, Copenhagen, Amsterdam

☆ Germans question value of working after new welfare increases - survey
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Michael Dalder/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsBERLIN, Sept 5 (Reuters) - More than half of Germans believe work is not worthwhile after the government's planned increase in welfare payments and child benefits, a survey showed on Tuesday. Welfare payments, dubbed "citizens' money", for more than 5.5 million jobless in Germany will rise to 563 euros ($605.06)from 502 euros per month for single people from next year. They will receive up to 636 euros per month for their first child and another 530 euros for every other child. Germans are divided whether the increase in welfare payments is justified with 45% in favour and 44% against it, the survey of 1005 respondents showed. Finance Minister Christian Lindner said last week in a presentation on the basic child allowance that benefits should not discourage people from working.

Persons: Michael Dalder, it's, pollster INSA, Christian Lindner, Lindner, Riham Alkousaa, Maria Martinez, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Bild, Finance, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: Munich, Germany

Some experts caution that progress may be slow, noting parts of Germany's administrative machinery are already creaking under a big backlog of existing citizenship applications. German citizenship is not a condition of employment for migrants, but Germany wants to establish itself as a migration destination for foreign talent, like the U.S. and Canada, and Berlin hopes the prospect of a smoother, quicker path to German nationality will attract skilled migrants. But with German authorities already overwhelmed by thousands of backlogged naturalisation applications, some experts doubt the reforms can quickly achieve their main goal of luring global talent to fill hundreds of thousands of vacancies. Migrants complain of long waits even for a first citizenship consultation appointment. "Even with this reform in Germany, access to citizenship is still much easier in traditional immigration countries like Canada.

Persons: Fabrizio Bensch, Holger Kolb, Kolb, Mediendienst Intergation, Nancy Faeser, Tariq Tabbara, Tabbara, Riham Alkousaa, William Maclean Organizations: Office of Health, Social Affairs, REUTERS, Rights, Integration, Reuters, Berlin University of Economics, Law, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Germany, U.S, Canada, Turkey, Europe, Germany's, Cologne, Dresden, Bielefeld, Hamburg, Munich, Chemnitz

☆ Germany's climate efforts not enough to hit 2030 targets, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Lukas Barth/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBERLIN, Aug 22 (Reuters) - Germany's greenhouse emissions gap will probably be bigger than the government's estimates in 2030 even if planned emission reduction measures are fully implemented, a council of climate experts that advises the government said on Tuesday. The largest economy in Europe aims to cut its carbon dioxide emissions by 65% by 2030 compared with 1990. The German government's planned CO2 cuts for the energy and industrial sector could cut emissions significantly, but the buildings and transport sectors' efforts are lagging, the council said in a report. The transport ministry's assumptions on the effectiveness of the planned measures for cutting emissions are also "optimistic," the council said. "There is a lack of a coherent and consistent overall concept and an overarching framework of measures," the report concluded.

Persons: Lukas Barth, Hans, Martin Henning, Riham Alkousaa, Paul Simao Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Free Democratic Party, Thomson Locations: Munich, Germany, Europe

☆ German MP says she was detained in Turkey for social media posts
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BERLIN, Aug 13 (Reuters) - A German lawmaker said on Sunday she was detained for several hours when entering Turkey earlier this month based on social media posts she made in 2019, adding that she would still travel to Turkey and speak her mind about its government. Akbulut, a Turkey-born German citizen of Kurdish heritage, was released after making contact with the German foreign ministry, she said. It was not clear exactly what she was referring to, nor which social media posts she believed triggered the Turkish arrest warrant. The German embassy in Ankara and the consulate in Antalya were in contact with lawmaker, a source at the German foreign ministry told Reuters. Reporting by Riham Alkousaa in Berlin Additional reporting by Ece Toksabay in Ankara Editing by Ros RussellOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Goekay, Tayyip Erdogan's, Akbulut, Riham Alkousaa, Ros Russell Organizations: Linke, Kurdish, Turkish Parliamentary Group, Reuters, Kurdistan Workers Party, European Union, Toksabay, Thomson Locations: Turkey, Antalya, Turkish, Germany, Berlin, Ankara, Syria, Akbulut, United States

☆ Germany economy ministry supports 'fair' distribution of wind power expansion costs
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Joachim HerrmannBERLIN, Aug 13 (Reuters) - Germany's economy ministry is in favour of distributing the network costs of expanding renewable energies "fairly" among the country's federal states, a spokesperson for the ministry said on Sunday. Prices in the north have been comparatively high due to connection costs for wind turbines to the power grid that are passed on to the residents of the regions where the turbines are located. The premiers of the northern states said the difference in prices was hurting local support for constructing new wind turbines. "It is important that they (the federal states) work together for a fair distribution," the spokesperson told Reuters. I can well understand the frustration of many citizens and regions," Mueller told Neue Osnabruecker Zeitung in an interview published on Saturday.

Persons: Joachim Herrmann BERLIN, Klaus Mueller, Mueller, Andreas Rinke, Hugh Lawson Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Neue Osnabruecker Zeitung, Thomson Locations: Oberharmersbach, Germany

☆ Rheinmetall to deliver Luna drone system to Ukraine by year end
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BERLIN, Aug 13 (Reuters) - Germany's Rheinmetall (RHMG.DE) will deliver a Luna New Generation drone system to Ukraine by the year end, Bild am Sonntag reported on Sunday, citing company sources. Ukraine is desperate to boost its weapons arsenal, from drones and munitions to tanks, as it battles to repel Russia's invasion. The "Drones Package" consists of a ground control station with several drones, a launch catapult and military trucks, Bild said, adding the drone system could be used as a reconnaissance system, provide an LTE network and intercept or jam communications. The company was not immediately available for comment. Reporting by Riham Alkousaa, editing by David EvansOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Sonntag, Bild, Riham Alkousaa, David Evans Organizations: Germany's Rheinmetall, Thomson Locations: Ukraine

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