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☆ Germany will own NATO's 2nd largest helicopter fleet after Chinook purchase, air force chief says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] A Boeing CH-47 Chinook helicopter is seen at the ILA Air Show in Berlin, Germany, April 25, 2018. REUTERS/Axel SchmidtBERLIN, Aug 11 (Reuters) - Germany will own NATO's second largest helicopter fleet with the 60 Chinooks it announced it was buying last month, German Air Force Chief Ingo Gerhartz was quoted as saying on Friday. "We will be the second largest helicopter nation in NATO after the U.S.," Gerhartz was quoted as saying by RND media network. Almost 50 Chinook helicopters would be stationed at the Holzdorf/Schoenewalde site in eastern Germany, where 1,000 additional soldiers will be also stationed, Gerhartz added. "The Schoenewalde site will play a unique key role for the Air Force, the entire Bundeswehr and Germany's security," he said.

Persons: Axel Schmidt BERLIN, Ingo Gerhartz, Gerhartz, Riham, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: Boeing, ILA, REUTERS, German Air Force, Reuters, NATO, Air Force, Bundeswehr, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Germany, U.S

France has used an anti-terrorism unit to question some climate activists, the police confirmed to Reuters. Britain’s National Police Chiefs’ Council did not immediately respond to a request for comment and its interior ministry did not comment. Germany does not have a national policy targeting climate activists, who the government considers mainly non-extremist, a spokesperson for the country’s interior ministry said. "Climate protesters can perhaps be locked away, but the climate catastrophe will come anyway," Lachner said after being convicted in Berlin in July for glueing incidents last year and fined 2,700 euros. In the January newspaper interview, the local office of the interior ministry confirmed both devices had been installed.

Persons: Yves Herman, Simon Lachner, he'd, “ radicalisation ”, Lachner’s, Lachner, Regensberg, Lafarge Holcim, SLT, Julien Le Guet, Le Guet, Pascale Leglise, Riham Alkousaa, Juliette Jabkhiro, Andrew MacAskill, William James, Katy Daigle, Frank Jack Daniel Our Organizations: REUTERS, GPS, Bavaria, Reuters, Britain’s National Police Chiefs ’, Los, Prosecutors, Bavarian, Berlin, Military, National Commission, Control, Thomson Locations: France, Sainte, Soline, BERLIN, Lachner, Britain, Germany, Berlin, Europe, Los Angeles, Brandenburg, Bavaria, Bavarian, Regensberg, French, Deux, Sevres, Nouvelle Aquitaine, SLT, Paris, London

The findings come as support for Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his coalition slumps and the AfD capitalises on voter insecurity. German inflation has been on a downward trend, but is still much higher than the European Union's 2% target. Low and middle income households have been generally hit harder by inflation, Florian Dorn, a researcher at Ifo told Reuters. Although higher energy import prices initially drove inflation in Europe and Germany, companies were also putting up prices beyond their cost inflation, WSI analysis showed. Companies' profit inflation rose by 7% in 2022 compared to an only 3.3% rise in labour costs.

Persons: Fabian Bimmer, Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Florian Dorn, Ulrich Schneider, Der, Riham, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: REUTERS, Kantar Public, Ifo, Reuters, Workers, Companies, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: Hamburg, Germany, Russia, Ukraine, Europe's, Europe

☆ Bosch opens chip test centre in Malaysia
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BERLIN, Aug 1 (Reuters) - Robert Bosch (ROBG.UL) has opened a new test centre for chips and sensors in Malaysia for 65-million-euro ($71.62 million) and plans to invest a further 285 million euros by the middle of next decade, the German technology group announced on Tuesday. Up to 400 jobs will be created by the mid-2030s, it added. Bosch currently carries out most of the final testing of its semiconductors from its factories in the German cities of Reutlingen, Germany, Suzhou, China and Hungary. Those locations will be joined by the new test centre in Penang, for which Bosch is receiving funding from Malaysia. ($1 = 0.9075 euros)Reporting by Ilona Wissenbach, Writing by Miranda Murray; Editing by Riham AlkousaaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Robert Bosch, Bosch, Ilona Wissenbach, Miranda Murray, Riham Organizations: Bosch, Thomson Locations: Malaysia, Reutlingen, Germany, Suzhou, China, Hungary, Penang

But their cheap food, often produced on an industrial scale, has a high environmental price. German agriculture was responsible for 55.5 million metric tonnes of greenhouse emissions last year, roughly 7.4% of the country's emissions. During the "true cost" campaign, which runs until Saturday, customers at Penny's 2,150 branches, will be charged a price for nine products, from yoghurt to sausages and vegan schnitzel, that includes climate, health, soil and water costs. According to figures provided by Penny, organic products had environmental costs of an average of 1.15 euros, while non-organic products that relied on chemicals had an average environmental cost of 1.57 euros. It is unclear, however, whether consumers are prepared to pay more to reduce their environmental impact.

Persons: Read, Penny, Stefan Goergens, Goergens, Holger Meckel, I'm, Riham, Barbara Lewis Organizations: European Union, Reuters, Germany's Greens, Technical University of Nuremberg, University of Greifswald, Thomson Locations: Europe, BERLIN, Spain, Italy, Germany, Frankfurt, Penny's

The German cabinet approved a new hydrogen strategy, setting guidelines for hydrogen production, transport infrastructure and market plans. Produced using solar and wind power, green hydrogen is a pillar of Berlin's plan to transition away from fossil fuels. "A domestic supply that fully covers demand does not make economic sense or serve the transformation processes resulting from the energy transition as a whole," the document said. But Germany's limited renewable energy space will make it heavily dependent on imported hydrogen, experts say. We simply need space for wind and photovoltaic to be able to produce the hydrogen," Philipp Heilmaier, an energy transition researcher at Germany energy agency, told Reuters.

Persons: Simone Peter, Bettina Stark, Watzinger, Philipp Heilmaier, Volker Wissing, Riham Alkousaa, Christian Kraemer, Rachel More, Kirsten Donovan, David Evans Organizations: Reuters, United Arab Emirates, Thomson Locations: BERLIN, Germany, Canada, Norway, United Arab, Australia

☆ Germany earmarks 20 billion euros for chip industry in coming years
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, July 25 (Reuters) - Germany plans to invest around 20 billion euros ($22.15 billion) in the semiconductor industry in the coming years, the economy ministry said on Tuesday, amid growing alarm over supply chain fragility and dependence on South Korea and Taiwan for chips. The money will be drawn from the Climate and Transformation Fund from 2024 onwards, the ministry said, adding that it could only give funding for individual projects after European Commission approval. It said Taiwanese semiconductor manufacturer TSMC (2330.TW) expressed interest in investing in a semiconductor production facility in Germany and that the ministry was in close contact with the company over an investment decision. Last month, Berlin agreed subsidies worth nearly 10 billion euros with the U.S. chipmaker Intel to build two facilities in the eastern city of Magdeburg. ($1 = 0.9029 euros)Reporting by Riham Alkousaa, Editing by Friederike HeineOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: TW, Riham Alkousaa, Friederike Heine Our Organizations: Transformation, U.S, Intel, Thomson Locations: BERLIN, Germany, South Korea, Taiwan, Berlin, Magdeburg

☆ Germany says preparing for possible China export control impact
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

In 2022, China supplied 27 tonnes of gallium to Germany, accounting for 55% of total imports. Regarding germanium, China supplied 3 tonnes, or 75%, according to data supplied by the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR). A German industry representative said earlier on Wednesday that China's decision may be in response to U.S. trade restrictions, but its impact will also be felt in Europe. "It is not yet possible to predict whether these measures will have an impact on our supply of these raw materials," Franziska Brantner, state secretary in Germany's economy ministry, told Reuters. "Based on what is known so far is initially only an export control measure, not restrictions," Brantner said.

Persons: Holger Kunze, Kunze, Franziska Brantner, Brantner, Germany's, Christoph Steitz, Riham, Rachel More, Friederike Heine, Alexander Smith, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Federal Institute for Geosciences, Natural Resources, Reuters, Thomson Locations: BERLIN, China, Beijing, United States, Germany, U.S, Europe, Brussels

Some also said the tragic end, when it came, was precipitated by the actions of the Greek coastguard. after a Greek coastguard vessel attached a rope to the bow of the trawler and began to pull it while picking up speed. The shipping ministry, which oversees the coastguard, told Reuters it couldn't comment on issues that were the subject of a confidential and ongoing investigation by prosecutors. Nikos Spanos, a retired admiral in the Greek coastguard, told Reuters it was unlikely that a coastguard vessel would have attempted such a dangerous manoeuvre as towing the stricken trawler. Three survivors told authorities they paid anywhere from 50 to 200 euros ($55-220) extra for places on the outer deck, considered safer.

Persons: Stelios Misinas, Adriana, haven't, Mohamed, Nikos Spanos, Renee Maltezou, Jonathan Saul, Riham, Rachel Armstrong, Pravin Organizations: Hellenic Coast Guard, REUTERS, Greek coastguard, coastguard, Reuters, GO, Thomson Locations: Greece, Kalamata, KALAMATA, North Africa, Italy, Greek, GO ITALY, Pylos, Syria, Egypt, Pakistan, Tobruk, Europe, Tunisia, Libya, Athens, London, Berlin

☆ Germany to earmark 900 mln euros in subsidies for e-car charging systems
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] An electric vehicle (EV) fast charging station is seen in the parking lot of a Whole Foods Market in Austin, Texas, U.S., December 14, 2016. REUTERS/Mohammad Khursheed/File PhotoBERLIN, June 29 (Reuters) - Germany is to earmark up to 900 million euros ($983 million) in subsidies to expand electric vehicle charging stations for households and companies, the transport ministry said on Thursday. High prices, limited range and a lack of charging stations, especially in rural areas, are seen as the main reasons for the lag in electric vehicle sales. From next summer, an additional 400 million euros will be earmarked for companies that want to build fast charging infrastructure for commercial cars and trucks. The German government in October approved a plan to spend 6.3 billion euros over three years to rapidly scale up the number of electric vehicle charging stations across the country.

Persons: Mohammad Khursheed, Riham Alkousaa, Christian Kraemer, Friederike Heine, Jan Harvey Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Austin , Texas, U.S, Germany, electromobility

The 13-year-old, who has Down's syndrome, is competing against over 100 gymnasts at the Special Olympics World Games in Berlin. It's great," Annabelle's father, Markus Tschech-Loeffler, told Reuters. Thousands of athletes with intellectual disabilities compete together in 26 sports over nine days at the Games. "Our core goal is to put the living situation of people with intellectual disabilities at the centre of society," Hauthal said. For Annabelle's father, making sure his daughter can focus on her routine and not get distracted by other competitors with thousands of people watching is the biggest challenge.

Persons: Annabelle, Mary, Markus, Jonathan, Read, Annabelle Tschech, Markus Tschech, Tom Hauthal, Hauthal, Olympiastadion, Nadine Baethke, Riham Alkousaa, Alison Williams Organizations: Federal, Special, Reuters, Games, Thomson Locations: BERLIN, Berlin, Germany, Nazi Germany

Berlin has agreed subsidies worth nearly 10 billion euros with the U.S. chipmaker, a person familiar with the matter said, more than the 6.8 billion euros it had initially offered Intel to build two leading-edge facilities in the eastern city. "Today's agreement is an important step for Germany as a high-tech production location – and for our resilience," Scholz said after Monday's signing. Globally, semiconductor manufacturing is expected to become a trillion-dollar industry by 2030, expanding from $600 billion in 2021, according to McKinsey. Initially, Intel wanted to invest 17 billion euros in the Magdeburg plant, an amount that has nearly doubled to more than 30 billion. About 7,000 construction jobs will be created in the first expansion, plus around 3,000 high-tech jobs at Intel and tens of thousands of jobs across industry, the U.S. chipmaker said.

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Pat Gelsinger, Scholz, Israel, Dado Ruvic, Robert Hermann, Taiwan's TSMC, Tesla, Robert Habeck, chipmaker, Gelsinger, Maria Martinez, Riham, Christoph Steitz, Rachel More, Jason Neely, Sharon Singleton, Catherine Evans Organizations: Intel, Intel Intel, Germany's, U.S, AMD, Nvidia, Samsung, Union, McKinsey, REUTERS, Germany Trade, Invest, Reuters, Germany, Thomson Locations: Germany, Frankfurt BERLIN, STOCKHOLM, Magdeburg, Europe, Berlin, Saxony, Anhalt, EU, chipmaking, Poland, United States, South Korea, Taiwan, Frankfurt, U.S, Ireland, France, Asia

They are to be built on some of the 33,000 hectares (330 square km) of former coal mines in Lusatia by 2030. The plans are emblematic of the drive by Chancellor Olaf Scholz's government to accelerate the phase-out of coal power towards a carbon neutral economy by as early as 2030 versus the agreed target of 2038. Many of LEAG's 8,000 coal workers are expected to retire by 2030 or retrain in renewable energy. Only 18% of locals believe politicians are doing enough to counteract the consequences of the coal phase-out, a survey published in May by broadcaster rbb showed, while 70% worry electricity could become expensive. "It is fundamentally unrealistic that the coal phase-out can be achieved in 2030," Christine Herntier, mayor of the town of Spremberg, told Reuters.

Persons: LEAG, Chancellor Olaf Scholz's, Ute Liebsch, Liebsch, Knut Abraham, Abraham, rbb, Christine Herntier, Rainer Schiller, Schiller, Ben Schueppel, Ingolf Arnold, Matthias Williams Organizations: Green, Reuters, Park, Thomson Locations: Berlin, FORST, Germany, Czech, Lusatia, Brandenburg, Saxony, Spremberg, Herntier

☆ Germany's photovoltaic system demand set for double-digit growth this year, lobby says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BERLIN, June 13 (Reuters) - German demand for photovoltaic power systems is expected to grow at a double-digit rate this year with solar storage system installations by mid-year topping 2022's total, the BSW solar power association said on Tuesday. Solar power systems are booming in Europe's biggest economy as consumers seek alternatives to expensive fossil fuels following a drop in Russian supply last year. BSW said it expected new solar power installed capacity this year to be between 9 to 11 gigawatts (GW), up from 7.4 GW in 2022, meaning an increase of up to 49%. A total output of 5.3 GW of solar power systems were installed in 2021. Annual solar parks production currently covers more than 10% of the country's electricity needs, BSW said, adding solar power expansion on commercial buildings was still weak compared to residential and solar parks.

Persons: BSW, Carsten Koernig, Riham, Jason Neely, David Evans Organizations: Private, Federal Network Agency, Thomson Locations: BERLIN, Ukraine

☆ Siemens plans new plant in Singapore in Asia expansion
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, June 13 (Reuters) - Siemens (SIEGn.DE) plans to build a new plant for its industrial automation division in Singapore, the company said on Tuesday, as it expands its business in Asia to serve booming orders for automation technology. "Siemens intends to build a new, state-of-the-art Digital Industries (DI) factory in Singapore - as part of its strategy to strengthen global diversification and resilience," a spokesperson for the company told Reuters. The company will announce further details of its plans on Thursday, the spokesperson said. The project's price tag is estimated to be at a low three-digit million-euro sum, Wirtschaftswoche magazine, which first reported the news, said, citing company sources. Reporting by Alexander Huebner and Riham Alkousaa; Editing by Sharon SingletonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Siemens, Roland Busch, Wirtschaftswoche, Alexander Huebner, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Siemens, Digital Industries, Reuters, Thomson Locations: BERLIN, Singapore, Asia, China, Amberg, Germany

☆ Eurozone investor mood darkens due to 'problem child' Germany, survey finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BERLIN, June 5 (Reuters) - Investors got more gloomy on prospects for the euro zone economy in June, dragged down by negative expectations for Germany, Europe's biggest economy, a survey showed on Monday. "A look at the Sentix data of the largest economy then clearly shows that the cause of the misery in Euroland is probably linked to the weakness of the German economy," it said. "The biggest problem child in the Eurozone remains Germany." The Sentix index for Germany in June fell to the lowest since November last year, at minus 21.1, from minus 14.5 the previous month. "No matter how hard the (German) Federal Minister of Economics tries, the story he is writing is not a positive summer fairytale," the survey said.

Persons: Sentix, Riham Alkousaa, David Holmes Organizations: Analysts, Reuters, Germany, Federal, of Economics, Thomson Locations: BERLIN, Germany, Europe's, Euroland

London generated $2 billion in venture capital funding in the first quarter of 2023, compared to Berlin's $800 million, a DEEP Ecosystems analysis of Dealroom data showed. Reuters Graphics Reuters GraphicsTOUGHER TIMESIn 2022, 501 startups were founded in Berlin, a fifth of Germany's total. About a fifth of openings at startups were vacant and more than half were struggling to fill posts, German Startups Association said. In Germany, it has been accompanied by the sharpest contraction in venture capital funding in Europe in the past 12 months, down 42%. The funding crunch is hitting Germany's push to encourage the growth of new renewables businesses, given manufacturing startups are particularly capital intensive.

Persons: Avitosh Sawhney, Christian, headwinds, Katharina Beck, Lindner, Maximilian Tayenthal, Christoph Stresing, Tobias Lechtenfeld, Chancellor Olaf Scholz's, Maria Martinez, Riham Alkousaa, Matthias Williams, Mark John, Edmund Blair Organizations: Wall, Greens, Reuters, Startup Heatmap, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Manpower, Association, European Central Bank, Tech, Zero Alliance, Free Democratic Party, Thomson Locations: Berlin, London, BERLIN, Paris, Germany, Europe

Even if the whole world stands with him, we will bring him to justice," said Houaida Muhi Aldeen, a 49-year-old Syrian living in France and a former political detainee in Syrian prisons. Muhi Aldeen and other workshop attendants are among millions of Syrians displaced by the 12-year war. They found Assad's reintegration into the Arab League after more than a decade of isolation frustrating, but not surprising. "This is the goal of this (normalization) step, to sow despair and frustration among Syrians," said Anwar al-Bunni, a lawyer helping prosecute Syrians suspected of war crimes in Germany. Arab normalisation with Assad would make it more difficult for Syrian refugees to return, said Muhi Aldeen.

☆ German cabinet publishes draft legislation on new citizenship rules
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

May 19 (Reuters) - Germany's interior ministry published draft legislation aimed at making it easier for people to apply for citizenship, as Berlin seeks to boost migration and open up the job market in Europe's biggest economy. The draft proposes a multiple citizenship option and cuts the required residency years before naturalization down to five or three years from the previous eight. German language requirements for citizenship would also be eased for members of the so-called "Gastarbeiter" generation, many of them Turkish, who came to Germany in the 1950s and 60s as migrant workers. At the end of 2021, around 72.4 million people with German citizenship and around 10.7 million with foreign citizenship were living in Germany, of whom around 5.7 million had been in Germany for at least 10 years. "Anyone who does not share these values or even acts contrary to them may not become a German citizen," it says.

☆ Five Germans handed jail sentence for Green Vault jewel heist
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The pieces stolen from the break-in at the Gruenes Gewoelbe (Green Vault) museum in Dresden contained more than 4,300 diamonds with an estimated value of more than 113 million euros. They included a breast star of the Polish Order of the White Eagle and an ornate diamond head-dress. Five members of the same family were handed sentences of between four years and four months and six years and two months. The treasures survived Allied bombing raids in World War Two, only to be carted off as war booty by the Soviet Union. They were returned to Dresden, the historic capital of the state of Saxony, in 1958.

☆ SAP raises 2025 outlook, launches 5 bln euro share buyback
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, May 16 (Reuters) - SAP (SAPG.DE) on Tuesday raised its 2025 total revenue outlook for continuing operations by around 4 billion euros ($4.40 billion) and announced a share buyback of up to 5 billion euros, boosted by strong demand for its cloud business. For 2025, the company now expects revenue of more than 37.5 billion euros with cloud revenue of more than 21.5 billion euros. It now sees non-IFRS operating profit of around 11.5 billion euros. "Our strong, resilient cloud growth drives accelerating total revenue and operating profit growth," Chief Executive Christian Klein said in a statement. Last month, SAP reported first-quarter revenue above analysts' expectations, backed by 24% growth in its cloud business revenue.

☆ Mercedes-Benz reports Q1 adjusted return on sales of 14.8%
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Companies Mercedes Benz Group AG FollowBERLIN, April 20 (Reuters) - Mercedes-Benz on Thursday posted first-quarter group adjusted return on sales of 14.8%, above market expectations, boosted by higher prices and strong demand. "Mercedes-Benz Cars delivered an adjusted return on sales of 14.8%, due to healthy net pricing, higher sales and a good product mix," the carmaker said in a statement. Analysts expected an average adjusted return on sales of 13.4%. First-quarter group earnings before interest and taxes rose to 5.5 billion euros and adjusted return and industrial free cash flow was at 2.2 billion euros. Adjusted return on sales of the vans division rose to 15.6% due to improved net pricing and higher sales, the company added.

SL Naturenergie's predicament is common in the renewables sector where companies, from startups to medium sized and blue-chip firms, are competing for a limited pool of labour with appropriate skills. Currently it faces a shortage of around 216,000 skilled workers needed for the expansion of the solar and wind energy sectors, a study by German organisation KOFA, or the Competence Centre for securing skilled labour, showed. In many jobs in the renewable energy sector, pay is above average, he said, citing a renewable energy wage premium of more than 10% in construction and installation activities, as well as architectural and engineering services. Volker Quaschning, a professor of renewable energy systems at HTW university in Berlin, says a third of places on these courses at HTW are unfilled. Last month Germany also unveiled draft reforms on skills training accreditation and promoting immigration in a bid to plug labour shortages in the economy.

☆ Germany to end Patriot air defence system deployments in Poland, Slovakia this year
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

"The nations have been informed about the plans," a spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence was quoted as saying by Funke media group. The deployment in Poland should end in June while the one in Slovakia will expire by the end of year, the spokesperson added. The German government has also delivered a Patriot system from army stocks will also be delivered to Ukraine this year. Germany had 36 Patriot units when it was NATO's frontline state during the Cold War. Today, the German forces are down to 11 Patriot units.

Berlin's ruling coalition last month agreed that almost all newly installed heating systems in Germany should run on 65% renewable energy from 2024, both in new and old buildings. Houses could also use heat pumps that run on renewable electricity, district heating, electric heating or solar thermal systems as acceptable alternatives to fossil fuel heating, according to the bill, which was seen by Reuters. Such a shift could cost Germans around 9.16 billion euros ($10 billion) annually until 2028, the draft bill showed. Germany's push to phase out gas in heating became more urgent after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine prompted Berlin to halt Russian fossil fuel imports. Heating uses up more than 40% of Germany's annual gas consumption as almost half of the country's 41 million households heat with natural gas while almost 25% use heating oil.

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