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☆ Analysis-Scholz's Coalition Buckles but Unlikely to Break - for Now
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +6 min

The decision has increased tensions within Chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition, in particular between junior partners the Greens and the Free Democrats (FDP). But Scholz is unlikely to call for new elections as they would not benefit any of the coalition partners. "Scholz definitely wants to keep the government together and believes this will work as none of the three coalition partners stand to benefit from a break," a source close to the chancellor said. "In reality, the chancellor should dismiss his coalition partners now." "And the strength of the AfD is also the reason why no actors - not even the conservatives - currently have any interest in new elections."

Persons: Sarah Marsh, Holger Hansen, Andreas Rinke BERLIN, Chancellor Olaf Scholz's, Philipp Tuermer, Scholz, Stefan Marschall, Ursula Muench, Frank Decker, Friedrich Merz, Markus Soeder, Decker, Andreas Rinke, Alexander Ratz, Catherine Evans Organizations: Greens, Free Democrats, Scholz's Social Democrats, Tagesspiegel, Bertelsmann Foundation, SPD, University of Duesseldorf, University of Tutzing, Bonn University, Eurasia Group Locations: Ukraine, Germany, Bavarian

☆ 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

[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

☆ Germany announces extended border controls from this week
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[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. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner Acquire Licensing RightsBERLIN, Sept 27 (Reuters) - Germany will introduce extended border controls with Poland and the Czech Republic this week to curb illegal migration, the interior minister said on Wednesday, as a surge in migrant arrivals exposes the cracks in the European Union's asylum system. Germany, which took in around 1 million Ukrainian refugees over the past year, has also seen a sharp rise in asylum seekers from other regions. Germany's neighbour Poland on Tuesday began conducting checks on some vehicles crossing the Slovak border, suspecting they could be carrying illegal migrants. Reporting by Alexander Ratz, Writing by Rachel More, editing by Kirsti KnolleOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Lisi Niesner, Nancy Faeser, Alexander Ratz, Rachel More, Kirsti Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Thomson Locations: Forst , Germany, Germany, Poland, Czech Republic, Berlin, North Africa, Lampedusa, Germany's

☆ Germany to Provide Ukraine Additional 20 Million Eur in Aid -Baerbock in Kyiv
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany will provide an additional 20 million euros ($21.44 million) in humanitarian aid to Ukraine, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on Monday during a visit to Kyiv. The additional aid will bring Germany's total to 380 million euros this year, the minister said. Baerbock also warned that Russia would again target Ukraine's energy facilities this autumn and winter: "Russia's perfidious goal is to starve the people again this winter and to let them freeze to death." ($1 = 0.9329 euros)(Reporting by Alexander Ratz, Writing by Miranda Murray, Editing by Friederike Heine)

Persons: Annalena Baerbock, Baerbock, Alexander Ratz, Miranda Murray, Friederike Heine Organizations: BERLIN Locations: Germany, Ukraine, Kyiv, Russia

☆ Germany adds Georgia and Moldova to list of safe countries of origin
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Vladislav Culiomza/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBERLIN, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Germany's coalition government on Wednesday listed Georgia and Moldova as safe countries of origin in a bid to cut asylum applications from those nations, which are almost always rejected. The move means asylum applications from those countries could be processed more quickly and lead to faster deportations for failed applicants. According to ministry data, 99.9% of applications from both countries were rejected in 2022 and the first half of 2023. Some 8,865 Georgians and 5,218 people from Moldova applied for asylum in Germany last year. The ministry defines safe countries of origin as those where there is generally no fear of state prosecution and where the state protected its citizens.

Persons: Vladislav Culiomza, Nancy Faeser, Chancellor Olaf Scholz's, Pro Asyl, Asyl, Alexander Ratz, Matthias Williams, Mike Harrison Organizations: Moldovan, REUTERS, Rights, Pro, Thomson Locations: Chisinau, Moldova, Georgia, Schloss Meseberg, Berlin, Germany, Russia, Moldova . Georgia, South Caucasus

VILNIUS, July 10 (Reuters) - Ukraine's largest Western allies are still finalising a joint framework that would pave the way for long-term security assurances for Kyiv, and may wait until the end of a NATO summit this week to announce them, European diplomats say. The 31-member NATO alliance meets in Lithuania on Tuesday, aiming above all to give Ukraine some kind of path to membership, but still divided over how far to go. But it wants a firm commitment at the summit that it will be invited to join after the war. In the meantime, it has sought assurances of current and long-term security commitments to help it defend itself now and deter renewed aggression from Moscow once the war ends. The United States' military aid for Israel is worth about $3.5 billion a year, but the relationship also entails a great deal of political support.

Persons: Joe Biden, Washington, Andrew Gray, Sabine Siebold, Alexander Ratz Organizations: Kyiv, NATO, European Union, European Union . U.S, CNN, United, Thomson Locations: VILNIUS, Lithuania, Ukraine, Russia, Moscow, Britain, France, Germany, United States, Japan, Canada, Italy, Israel, Berlin

☆ EU ministers seek long-stalled migration deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Gabriela Baczynska | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A tentative deal on the table comes after years of damaging feuds between EU states since their cooperation collapsed in acrimony in 2015 as more than a million people - mostly fleeing the war in Syria - arrived across the Mediterranean. "We can only handle migration together as the whole EU." CAMPSFor nearly a decade, EU countries traded blame for handling new arrivals. On Thursday, the ministers will also discuss EU aid for Tunisia, which is a gateway for African migration to Europe and faces growing instability. Bad blood spilled over as eastern EU countries like Poland and Hungary refused to host anyone from the mainly-Muslim Middle East and North Africa.

Persons: Nancy Faeser, France's Gerald Darmanin, Benoit van Overstraeten, Bart Meijer, Alexander Ratz, Kristina, Gabriela Baczynska, Mark Potter Organizations: Home, European Union, Liberal, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, Syria, Spain, Tunisia, Europe, Italy, Greece, Germany, Sweden, Poland, Hungary, East, North Africa, EU, Budapest

BEIJING, June 2 (Reuters) - The Chinese envoy who toured European capitals last month seeking to promote Ukraine peace talks said on Friday that Beijing is considering another mission, after acknowledging that his trip may not produce immediate results. "China is willing to actively consider sending another delegation to relevant countries to engage in dialogue on resolving the Ukraine crisis," said Li, without elaborating on which countries. "As long as it's conducive to easing the situation, China is willing to do anything," he said. Earlier this year, China published a 12-point peace plan, calling for the protection of civilians and the sovereignty of all countries be respected. "I don't think we expect China to be a mediator, but it can use its influence on Russia and can help make it understand."

Persons: Li Hui, Li, Laurie Chen, Liz Lee, Ethan Wang, John Irish, Alexander Ratz, Robert Birsel, David Holmes Organizations: Thomson Locations: BEIJING, Ukraine, Beijing, Russia, Moscow, China, Kyiv, Warsaw, Paris, Berlin, Brussels, United States, Europe

☆ Germany's Scholz publicly backs Biden over Trump for re-election
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, May 22 (Reuters) - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Monday said he prefers U.S. President Joe Biden to his predecessor, Donald Trump, and hoped Biden would be re-elected for a second term in office. Addressing pupils at a primary school close to Berlin, Scholz accused Trump of being divisive and that he would be bad not only for the United States but also for Germany. Responding to a pupil's question, Scholz said: "I think the current president is better, so I want him to be re-elected." Biden's many years of public service mean he knows exactly "what you have to do to prevent the world from going to war," Scholz said. Recent polls show Biden with an edge over potential Republican challengers Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis as the November 2024 U.S. presidential election draws closer.

☆ Factbox: Why Ukraine is bidding for F-16 jets and will it succeed?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

WHAT KIND OF FIGHTER JETS COULD UKRAINE GET? Ukraine wants F-16s, which it says are "four or five times" more effective than Soviet-era jets it currently has. However, Polish President Andrzej Duda reiterated on Tuesday that Poland has too few F-16 jets to be able to give any to Ukraine. Britain will not send jets to Ukraine, a spokesperson for Sunak has said, since Britain does not have the F-16s that Ukraine wants. Denmark said in February it was "open" to the idea of sending fighter jets to Ukraine.

Still, Bremen is the first federal state to hold an election this year and as such, the results will be closely watched. The conservatives are polling in second place on 26-28%, meaning the SPD could win back its pole position in its traditional stronghold. But the Left party is on fragile ground at a national level due to internal strife which could have regional repercussions. That has given a boost to local right-wing populist party Buerger in Wut (Citizens in Rage). It is focusing on immigration and fighting crime and is now polling 9-10%, up from 3% a few months ago.

BERLIN, May 9 (Reuters) - Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang said on Tuesday that Beijing would maintain lines of communication with all parties to the war in Ukraine, including Germany, in seeking a ceasefire. European nations have repeatedly criticised China for its refusal to describe Russia's war in Ukraine as an invasion, or to call for a Russian withdrawal. "China is willing to maintain communication with relevant parties, including Germany, to achieve an early ceasefire." Qin said Beijing "firmly opposes some countries in using their so-called laws to impose long-arm jurisdiction and unilateral sanctions on other countries, including China". He added: "China will make necessary responses and resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and legitimate interests of Chinese enterprises."

BERLIN, May 3 (Reuters) - U.S. climate envoy John Kerry said on Wednesday China has invited him to visit "in the near term" for talks on averting a global climate change crisis even as diplomatic relations between the world's two biggest greenhouse gas emitters remain tense. The United States and China must work together to address climate change, Kerry said in an interview with Reuters on the sidelines of a conference on global warming in Berlin. China, for example, first must issue its plan to reduce methane emissions and advance in the transition away from coal, Kerry added. "We're not pointing fingers and we're not out there trying to, you know, make this part of the other issues that are out there" between the United States and China, Kerry added. "This (climate change) is a free-standing issue which affects China as it affects the United States."

☆ German public sector workers agree to wage deal with employers
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Annegret HilseBERLIN, April 22 (Reuters) - German public sector workers have agreed on a wage deal with employers, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser and the Verdi union said on Saturday, ending a dispute that has disrupted the transport sector in Europe's biggest economy. The agreement for around 2.5 million workers in the sector follows arbitration. Under the deal, each worker will receive a total of 3,000 euros in tax-free payments in instalments through to Feb. 2024 to help offset inflation, said the ministry in a statement. A surge in the cost of living this year has led to some of Germany's most disruptive strikes in decades. The tax-free payments will show up quickly in wallets," said Interior Minister Nancy Faeser.

☆ German public sector workers agree wage deal with employers
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BERLIN, April 22 (Reuters) - German public sector workers have agreed on a wage deal with employers, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said on Saturday, ending a dispute that has brought disruption to Europe's biggest economy. The agreement for around 2.5 million workers in the sector follows arbitration. Reporting by Alexander Ratz Writing by Madeline ChambersOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Germany's foreign minister: Parts of China trip 'more than shocking'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Alexander Ratz | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock speaks during a joint press conference with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang (not pictured) at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, China, April 14, 2023. Suo Takekuma/Pool via REUTERS/File PhotoBERLIN, April 19 (Reuters) - German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Wednesday described parts of her recent trip to China as "more than shocking" and said Beijing was increasingly becoming a systemic rival more than a trade partner and competitor. Beijing in turn asked Germany to support Taiwan's "reunification" and said China and Germany were not adversaries but partners. Speaking to the German Bundestag (lower house of parliament) on Wednesday about her China trip, Baerbock said "some of it was really more than shocking". China is Germany's largest trading partner, said Baerbock, but this did not mean Beijing was also Germany's most important trading partner.

☆ German coalition government ends dispute after marathon negotiations
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] A general view as German Chancellor Olaf Scholz holds a government statement during a plenary session of the lower house of parliament, Bundestag, in Berlin, Germany, March 16, 2023. REUTERS/Christian MangBERLIN, March 28 (Reuters) - Germany's ruling coalition government on Tuesday presented the results of 30-hour negotiations aimed at resolving a spat that has threatened to delay major policy initiatives in Europe's top economy. Scholz, whom critics have accused of not providing sufficient leadership, played down the differences among the parties by suggesting the coalition reached "some very good agreements" but did not give details. Earlier this month Finance Minister Christian Lindner of the FDP delayed his presentation of the draft budget due to coalition rifts. Notably, the FDP wants to rein in spending while the Greens want to invest more in the transition to a carbon neutral economy.

The Greens in particular, but also the SPD, want to invest more in the transition to a low-carbon economy. The FDP on other hand, seeks a return to solid public finances after signing off on hundreds of billions of euros of exceptional expenditure during the pandemic and energy crisis. German coalition disputes are also spilling over into European Union policymaking, sparking irritation among partners. Proportional representation, for example, means coalition governments are the norm, which can slow down decision-making. However singling out just one minister could could result in that minister's party exiting the coalition, he said.

Speaking alongside Netanyahu after talks in Berlin, Scholz said he hoped that a compromise on the reforms suggested by Israel's President Isaac Herzog was not off the table. Netanyahu visited Germany while protests erupted once again in Israel over the reforms by his far-right government that have triggered mass unrest in recent weeks. Netanyahu called criticism of the plans "absurd", assuring Scholz that "Israel will remain a liberal democracy". Netanyahu wanted the meeting with Scholz to focus on efforts to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. Netanyahu, who is on trial for corruption charges that he denies, says the judicial changes will strengthen democracy and boost business.

☆ Hundreds of foreign soldiers to help train Ukrainian troops in Germany, general says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Marlow's Special Training Command (STC) is part of a European Union military mission set up in November to train up to 30,000 Ukrainian troops in various skills to help Kyiv fight off Russia's year-old invasion. Courses in various European countries range from basic training to the operation of modern battle tanks such as the Leopard 2, air defence systems, rocket launchers and howitzers. Poland is another major training hub while Spain, France, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania and Italy are also running courses. Beyond the EU mission, U.S. and British troops are training Ukrainian troops in Europe as well. Marlow said he was impressed by the quick wits, skills and commitment of the Ukrainian troops.

The comments by Wang Yi further clouded the prospects of a meeting between Wang and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the sidelines of the gathering. "To have dispatched an advanced fighter jet to shoot down a balloon with a missile, such behaviour is unbelievable, almost hysterical," said Wang. "There are so many balloons all over the world, and various countries have them, so is the United States going to shoot all of them down?," he said. The balloon spat had prompted Blinken to postpone a planned visit to Beijing. China is as a permanent member of the UN Security Council obligated to use its influence to secure world peace."

☆ Ukraine's Red Cross to step up aid as fighting seen intensifying
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BERLIN, Jan 25 (Reuters) - The Ukrainian Red Cross is preparing for more aid to the civil population in the country's war-plagued zones in light of a possible new Russian offensive, the organization's general secretary said. "Everyone expects some intensification of the fighting," Maksym Dotsenko told Reuters during a visit to the German capital Berlin. The Red Cross, Ukraine's biggest civil organization, has no access to Russian-occupied territories in eastern and southern Ukraine, but is operating in the rest of the country. The Red Cross, he said, is ready to provide generators to hospitals and other places in case of more Russian attacks on critical infrastructure. "Of course, we need more financial support," he added, but there was no need for donations of clothing.

☆ Russian 'hacktivists' briefly knock German websites offline
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BERLIN, Jan 25 (Reuters) - Russian activist hackers knocked several German websites offline on Wednesday in response to Berlin's decision to send tanks to Ukraine, although Germany's BSI cyber agency said the digital blitz had little tangible effect. Hacking group Killnet said it was targeting government websites, banks and airports with a coordinated distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) campaign, a relatively unsophisticated attack which works by directing high volumes of internet traffic towards targeted servers in order to knock them offline. Killnet is a self-proclaimed Russian "hacktivist" group that has actively targeted opponents of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. U.S. cybersecurity firm Mandiant previously reported that Killnet is associated with another Russian hacktivist group, Xaknet, which claims it breached numerous Ukrainian organisations. Xaknet is likely connected to Russian intelligence services, Mandiant said.

☆ German minister promises Ukraine weapons, EU accession help on surprise trip
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

In a statement ahead of a meeting with Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, Baerbock expressed Germany's solidarity with Ukrainians living through Russia's invasion and harsh winter conditions. After Germany last week promised to send Marder fighting vehicles to Ukraine as part of increased military support, Baerbock promised more weapons, without specifying which ones. Senior Russian legislator Leonid Slutsky, echoing Moscow's line that it launched the war to "denazify" Ukraine, said history would harshly judge the comments by Baerbock. Baerbock also said it was important not to lose sight of Ukraine's place in Europe and its desire to join the EU. She said Germany would provide 20 million euros ($21.47 million) for demining efforts and another 20 million euros to boost Ukraine's access to Starlink internet terminals.

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