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☆ Former German Spy Chief Founds New Right-Wing Party
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-17 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Thomas Escritt and Sarah MarshBERLIN (Reuters) - A former German spy chief who was sacked after being accused of averting his eyes to the threat posed by the far-right founded a new right-wing party on Saturday, holding an inaugural party congress on a boat near Germany's old capital Bonn. The Werteunion, or Values Union, is headed by Hans-Georg Maassen, who was dismissed as head of Germany's Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) in 2018. A former member of the opposition Christian Democrats, Maassen is himself now being monitored by the security agency he ran, he said last month. Maassen said on social media platform X, posting a photo of himself and colleagues in front of a German flag on the boat. Earlier this year, leftist politician Sahra Wagenknecht founded a new left populist party.

Persons: Thomas Escritt, Sarah Marsh BERLIN, Hans, Georg Maassen, Maassen, Heinrich XIII Prince Reuss, Sahra Wagenknecht, Sarah Marsh, Matthias Williams, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Values, Christian Democrats, Social Democrats Locations: Bonn, Germany, Chemnitz

☆ Madeleine McCann Suspect to Face Trial on Separate Sex Assault Charges
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN (Reuters) - The main suspect in the 2007 disappearance of British toddler Madeleine McCann goes on trial in Germany on Friday on separate charges relating to child sexual abuse crimes in Portugal. He has not yet been required to enter a plea and his legal team have made no public comment about the charges. Portuguese prosecutors in the disappearance of the British child identified as an official suspect a person whose details corresponded to that of Brueckner two years ago. Brueckner has denied being involved in the disappearance and has not been charged with any crime related to it. McCann disappeared from her bedroom on May 3, 2007, during a family holiday while her parents were dining with friends nearby in the resort of Praia da Luz.

Persons: Madeleine McCann, Christian Brueckner, McCann, Brueckner, Thomas Escritt, Alison Williams Organizations: BERLIN Locations: Germany, Portugal, Portugal's Algarve, Brunswick, Algarve, knifepoint, Praia da Luz

☆ Germany Silent on Putin's Call to Free Russian Hitman
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Rene Wagner and Thomas EscrittBERLIN (Reuters) - Germany declined to be drawn on Friday on whether talks were underway on swapping a Russian state hitman serving a life sentence in a German prison for detained U.S. journalist Evan Gershkovich, an idea floated by Russian President Vladimir Putin. "I can't say anything on that," deputy government spokeswoman Christiane Hoffmann said when asked if Russia was seeking such an exchange. "I don't want to address this concrete case, please," she added when asked if Germany was in touch with the United States on the matter. People in the entourage of Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who is visiting Washington for talks with President Joe Biden, also declined to comment. (Additional reporting by Andreas Rinke in Washington, writing by Thomas Escritt, editing by Rachel More and Angus MacSwan)

Persons: Rene Wagner, Thomas Escritt BERLIN, Evan Gershkovich, Vladimir Putin, Gershkovich, Christiane Hoffmann, Olaf Scholz, Joe Biden, Putin, Vadim Krasikov, Kai Cornelius, Andreas Rinke, Thomas Escritt, Rachel More, Angus MacSwan Organizations: U.S, Wall, Hamburg University Locations: Germany, Russian, Russia, United States, Washington, Berlin, Chechen, Georgia, Moscow

☆ Tractors Converge on Berlin for Farmers' Protest
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-14 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN (Reuters) - Farmers and their tractors rumbled towards Berlin from every corner of Germany on Sunday ahead of a giant protest demanding a rethink of plans to tax farmers more. But farmers, with the vocal backing of the opposition conservatives and the far-right, say this does not go far enough. "Farmers will die out," said farmer Karl-Wilhelm Kempner on Sunday as he boarded a bus in Cologne heading for the demonstration. Finance Minister Christian Lindner will address the protest and coalition party leaders have invited leaders of the demonstrations for talks. Disruption caused by protests and train strikes last week hurt coalition parties in the polls and propelled the far-right Alternative for Germany party to new heights.

Persons: Chancellor Olaf Scholz's, Karl, Wilhelm Kempner, Christian Lindner, Scholz, We've, Thomas Escritt, Ros Russell Organizations: BERLIN, Farmers, Finance Locations: Berlin, Germany, Berlin's, Cologne

☆ Scholz, Zelenskiy Discuss Military Support, Push for Peace -Berlin
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz reiterated Berlin's unwavering support for Ukraine in a telephone call with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Thursday, a government spokesperson in Berlin said. The two leaders agreed to continue their exchange, "also with a view towards the global support for a peaceful solution" to the conflict, the spokesperson said in a statement. Zelenskiy, in his nightly video address, said he expressed thanks for assistance in telephone calls with Scholz, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Bulgarian Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov. Our agreements...are all being implemented," Zelenskiy said. (Writing by Rachel More, editing by Thomas Escritt and Ron Popeski)

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, Scholz, Rishi Sunak, Nikolai Denkov, Rachel More, Thomas Escritt, Ron Popeski Organizations: BERLIN, Ukraine, British, Bulgarian Locations: Berlin

"I feel really alone and if somebody with the status of an elected official can’t be protected then how must others feel?” said Omar. Official data shows a significant, smaller increase in anti-Muslim incidents in Britain and is patchy for the other two countries. "The vast majority of Muslims do not file a complaint when they are victims of such acts. A spokesperson for France's national police acknowledged data on anti-Muslim incidents was "incomplete", and relied on victims filing a complaint. For some Muslims in Germany, which has welcomed about a million Syrians and just under 400,000 Afghans in recent years, rising hostility came as a surprise.

Persons: Jian Omar, Lisi Niesner, ”, Omar, Zara Mohammed, Geert Wilders, Ben Badis, Rachid Abdouni, Khalil Raboun, Tell Mama, Mama, Abdallah Zekri, Zekri, Rima Hanano, Gerald Darmanin, Reza Zia, Emmanuel Macron, Zia, Ebrahimi, fomented, Aiman, Germany's, Reem Alabali, Radovan, Ghalia Zaghal, Zaghal, Layli Foroudi, Thomas Escritt, Sarah Marsh, Andrew MacAskill, Frank Jack Daniel Our Organizations: Hamas, REUTERS, Reuters, Muslim Council of, Ministers, Local, French Muslim Council, HISTORY, Kings College London, Amnesty, German Muslim Council, Thomson Locations: German, Kurdish, Israel, Palestinian, Berlin, Germany, BERLIN, LONDON, Europe, Gaza, London, France, Britain, Muslim Council of Britain, British, Dutch, Netherlands, United States, Nanterre, Paris, French, Moroccan, Western, Syria

☆ German government unveils budget fixes as way out of crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Christian Kraemer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The government said the spillover effects from the energy crisis that hit in 2022 after Russia's invasion of Ukraine and caused rocketing prices had created an emergency situation that justified suspending the debt brake. The leader of Scholz's SPD urged the government to consider suspending the debt brake next year, a move rejected in particular by the fiscally hawkish Free Democrats (FDP). "The debt brake must remain." The debt brake, introduced after the global financial crisis of 2008-2009, was first suspended in 2020 to help the government support firms and health systems during the COVID-19 pandemic. On Monday he stressed the need to give companies, which have been worried by the uncertainty caused by the budget crisis, clarity as quickly as possible.

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Christian Lindner, Robert Habeck, Annegret, Olaf Scholz's, finalising, Scholz's, Christian Duerr, Bijan Djir, Christian Kraemer, Riham Alkousaa, Amir Orusov, Rachel More, Matthias Williams, Thomas Escritt, Alison Williams, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: Finance, Climate, REUTERS, Free Democrats, ZDF, Greens, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Germany, BERLIN, Ukraine, Sarai, East Germany

Tayyip Erdogan's first visit to Germany since 2020 comes ahead of municipal elections at which he hopes to win back the cities of Ankara and Istanbul. Erdogan will also need Chancellor Olaf Scholz's blessing if he is to buy the 40 Eurofighter Typhoon warplanes Turkey said on Thursday it wanted. In a sign of the visit's importance, Scholz took pains not to respond directly to Erdogan's loud condemnation of Israel's war against Hamas, in which many thousands of Palestinians have been killed. The response was decidedly mild given the fierce condemnation that far more muted criticisms of Israel typically draw in Germany, traditionally one of Israel's closest allies. Germany has expressed strong solidarity with Israel, while urging a focus on limiting the impact of the war on Gaza's civilians.

Persons: Tayyip Erdogan's, Erdogan, Olaf Scholz's, Scholz, Israel's, Israel, Aydin Yasar, It's, Thomas Escritt, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: Trade, European Union, Eurofighter Typhoon, Airbus, Hamas, German, SWP, NATO, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: Germany, Turkey, Gaza, BERLIN, Moscow, Ukraine, Berlin, Ankara, Istanbul, Israel, Turkish, Stockholm, Greece, Europe

☆ Awkward Allies: Gaza Overshadows Erdogan's Germany Visit
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

Tayyip Erdogan's first visit to Germany since 2020 comes ahead of municipal elections at which he hopes to win back the cities of Ankara and Istanbul. In a sign of the visit's importance, Scholz took pains not to respond directly to Erdogan's loud condemnation of Israel's war against Hamas, in which many thousands of Palestinians have been killed. The response was decidedly mild given the fierce condemnation that far more muted criticisms of Israel typically draw in Germany, traditionally one of Israel's closest allies. Germany has expressed strong solidarity with Israel, while urging a focus on limiting the impact of the war on Gaza's civilians. With some three million people with Turkish roots in Germany such encounters are always fraught, but now the risk was judged too great.

Persons: Thomas Escritt BERLIN, Tayyip Erdogan's, Erdogan, Olaf Scholz's, Scholz, Israel's, Israel, Aydin Yasar, It's, Thomas Escritt, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: European Union, Eurofighter Typhoon, Airbus, Hamas, German, SWP, NATO Locations: Moscow, Ukraine, Germany, Berlin, Ankara, Istanbul, Turkey, Israel, Gaza, Turkish, Stockholm, Greece, Europe

An Eli Lilly and Company pharmaceutical manufacturing plant is pictured at 50 ImClone Drive in Branchburg, New Jersey, March 5, 2021. The company declined to comment on the plans but news conferences are planned in Alzey, where sources say the plant will be built, and Berlin on Friday. Other people familiar with the plans told Reuters that at least 1,000 jobs would be created. Eli Lilly said it would unveil "far-reaching investment plans" at Friday's news conference, which will be attended by Germany's economy and health ministers. Mounjaro's success helped Lilly post a 37% gain in third-quarter revenues to $9.5 billion, topping Wall Street estimates.

Persons: Eli Lilly, Mike Segar, Mounjaro, TSMC, Lilly's, Lilly, Rene Wagner, Klaus Lauer, Andreas Rinke, Ludwig Burger, Thomas Escritt, Madeline Chambers, Miranda Murray, Christina Fincher Organizations: Company, REUTERS, Basf, Reuters, BASF, U.S ., U.S, Intel, European Union, Novo Nordisk, U.S . Food, Drug Administration, Thomson Locations: Branchburg , New Jersey, BERLIN, Germany, Alzey, Berlin, U.S, Ukraine, European, Indianapolis, Danish, Eisai

An Eli Lilly and Company pharmaceutical manufacturing plant is pictured at 50 ImClone Drive in Branchburg, New Jersey, March 5, 2021. REUTERS/Mike Segar/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBERLIN, Nov 15 (Reuters) - U.S. pharma company Eli Lilly (LLY.N) plans an investment in the single-digit billion dollar range in a new plant in western Germany, people familiar with the matter told Reuters after the company called a news conference for Friday. Eli Lilly said it would unveil "far-reaching investment plans" at Friday's news conference, which will be attended by Germany's economy and health ministers. Mounjaro's success helped Lilly post a 37% gain in third-quarter revenues to $9.5 billion, topping Wall Street estimates. The group's market value has ballooned to around $580 billion, up more than 65% so far this year.

Persons: Eli Lilly, Mike Segar, Mounjaro, TSMC, Lilly's, Lilly, Rene Wagner, Klaus Lauer, Ludwig Burger, Thomas Escritt, Chizu Nomiyama, Jane Merriman Organizations: Company, REUTERS, Rights, . pharma, Reuters, U.S ., U.S, Intel, European Union, Novo Nordisk, U.S . Food, Drug Administration, Thomson Locations: Branchburg , New Jersey, Germany, Rhineland, Palatinate, U.S, Ukraine, European, Indianapolis, Danish, Eisai

Scholz was speaking at a ceremony at a Berlin synagogue to mark "Kristallnacht" alongside Jewish leaders. "Every form of antisemitism poisons our society," said Scholz, who was wearing a kippah, the traditional Jewish cap, as is customary in a synagogue for men. A 10-minute video by German Economy Minister Robert Habeck expressing concern over rising antisemitism went viral last week. Indeed, new citizenship rules make clear that anyone who is antisemitic cannot receive German citizenship, Scholz said on Thursday. It was one of the world’s 10 largest Jewish centres, and many of Germany’s leading scientists were Berlin Jews.

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Beth Zion, JOHN MACDOUGALL, Scholz, Molotov, RIAS, Robert Habeck, Israel, Germany’s, Hitler, Sarah Marsh, Andreas Rinke, Thomas Escritt, Bernadette Baum Organizations: REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Jewish, Hamas, German, Thomson Locations: Beth, Berlin, Germany, Austria, Nazi, Israel, Palestinian

REUTERS/Tobias Schlie/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsBERLIN, Nov 7 (Reuters) - Antisemitism has risen in Germany since Hamas's attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, the head of a German anti-discrimination think-tank said, warning that Germans had become too willing to ignore their own past crimes and criticise Israel. Sociologist Beate Kuepper said 5.7% of the population showed antisemitic attitudes, three times the level of two years ago. "In these debates, the role of Israel-related antisemitism was diminished," he said. "They said it was fine to criticise Israel from the country of the Shoah." "In many milieus that see themselves as progressive, anti-Israel positions are almost a matter of good taste," Lelle said.

Persons: Tobias Schlie, Israel, Nikolas Lelle, Antonio Amadeu Foundation's, Beate Kuepper, Adolf Hitler's Nazis, Lelle, David, Felix Klein, Thomas Escritt, Rachel More, Alex Richardson Organizations: Police, REUTERS, Rights, Israel's, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Germany, Israel, German, Turkey, Russia, Gaza, Germany's

☆ How the surge in antisemitism is affecting countries around the world
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Smoke rises following an Israeli strike inside the Gaza Strip, as seen from Israel, October 31. BRAZILJewish leaders have noticed a rise in antisemitic discourse online, and incidents such as graffiti defacing a synagogue in Rio de Janeiro. BRITAINLondon's police force said there had been a 14-fold increase in incidents of antisemitism since the Oct. 7 attack. GERMANYA survey by a civil society observatory, the RIAS, found a 240% year-on-year increase in antisemitic incidents in the period of Oct. 7-15. CHINANo figures are available on antisemitic incidents.

Persons: Evelyn Hockstein, Karen Bass, Justin Trudeau, Ricardo Berkiensztat, Hitler, Gerald Darmanin, Darmanin, Eddo, David Saks, we'll, Rabbi Alexander Boroda, Andrew MacAskill, Layli Foroudi, Julia Harte, Chen Lin, Eliana, Maytaal Angel, Andrew Osborn, Carien du Plessis, Steven Grattan, Wa Lone, Thomas Escritt, Stephanie Van Den Berg, Estelle Shirbon Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, UNITED STATES, Defamation League, White, CANADA, Argentine, Local, BRAZIL Jewish, Jewish Federation of, State of, Community Security Trust, FRANCE Interior, Hamas, SOUTH, South African Jewish Board, Deputies, Russia's Federation of Jewish, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Israel, Los Angeles, Canada, Toronto, ARGENTINA, Buenos Aires, Argentine, BRAZIL, Rio de Janeiro, State, State of Sao Paulo, BRITAIN, Britain, FRANCE, GERMANY, NETHERLANDS, SOUTH AFRICA, RUSSIA, Dagestan, Tel Aviv, CHINA, Beijing, Nazi, Wa

In London, girls in a playground are told they are "stinking Jews" and should stay off the slide. In China, posts likening Jews to parasites, vampires or snakes proliferate on social media, attracting thousands of "likes". She was describing what was in the minds of those behind antisemitic incidents. The most chilling antisemitic incident globally was the storming of an airport in Russia's Dagestan region on Sunday by an enraged crowd looking for Jews to harm after a flight arrived from Tel Aviv. Rabbi Alexander Boroda, president of Russia's Federation of Jewish Communities, said in response that anti-Israeli sentiment had morphed into open aggression towards Russian Jews.

Persons: Anna Gordon, Anthony Adler, Adler, Nonna Mayer, France's, Israel, Mayer, Rabbi Alexander Boroda, Shneor Segal, Akiva Carr, Layli Foroudi, Julia Harte, Chen Lin, Maytaal Angel, Andrew Osborn, Carien du Plessis, Steven Grattan, Eliana, Wa Lone, Thomas Escritt, Stephanie Van Den Berg, Estelle Shirbon, Angus MacSwan Organizations: REUTERS, Russia's Federation of Jewish, Cornell University, Center for Jewish, Thomson Locations: Golders Green, London, Britain, Gaza, Los Angeles, China, Israel, United States, France, Germany, South Africa, Russia's Dagestan, Tel Aviv, Azerbaijan, Caucasus, Buenos Aires, New York, Johannesburg, Western Europe, Dagestan, Wa

☆ Far-Right German Legislator Arrested After 'Sieg Heil' Salutes Heard
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

BERLIN (Reuters) - A legislator with the far-right Alternative for Germany party was arrested on Monday on charges including displaying forbidden totalitarian symbols, with neighbours of his fraternity complaining of often hearing the Nazi "Sieg Heil" victory salute. Newly elected Daniel Halemba, 22, is due to take up his seat in the Bavarian regional parliament on Thursday. He is a member of the Teutonia Prague student fraternity, whose premises were raided by police in September. The party, second in polls in several eastern states, achieved record results in the western states of Bavaria and Hesse on Oct. 8. Halemba, who joined the fraternity as a law student in Wuerzburg, has named Bjoern Hoecke, leader of the AfD's far-right wing, as his political role model.

Persons: Daniel Halemba, Halemba, Maximilian Krah, Hoecke, Thomas Escritt, Rachel More, Nick Macfie Organizations: BERLIN, Bavarian Locations: Germany, Prague, Bavaria, Hesse, Wuerzburg

REUTERS/Phil Noble/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsFRANKFURT/MUNICH, Oct 26 (Reuters) - German technology groups have warned they are being hit by delays in getting China-bound exports through customs, following the introduction of a German government strategy to reduce economic dependence on demand from China. German chip-making kit supplier Suess MicroTec (SMHNn.DE) late on Wednesday cut its sales forecasts for the second time in three months, blaming tightened controls for exports to China. German customs and the Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Export Control (BAFA) did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Lobby group Asia-Pacific Committee of German Business (APA) told Reuters the BAFA office was appearing to scrutinise export requests more closely or escalate requests to the economy ministry more often. Still, the German chamber of commerce said the political environment was hobbling exports to China.

Persons: Phil Noble, Suess, Friedolin Strack, Burkhardt Frick, Martin Wansleben, Alexander Huebner, Rene Wagner, Christian Kraemer, Thomas Escritt, Anneli, Ludwig Burger, David Holmes Organizations: REUTERS, Federal Office, Economic Affairs, Export Control, Pacific Committee, German Business, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Hamburg, Germany, FRANKFURT, MUNICH, China, Asia, Munich, Berlin, Duesseldorf, Frankfurt

☆ German chip kit supplier hit by tightened China export scrutiny
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MUNICH, Oct 25 (Reuters) - German chip-making kit supplier Süss MicroTec (SMHNn.DE) cut its sales forecasts for the second time in three months, blaming tightened government controls for exports to China, sending shares tumbling 11%. The south German company said on Wednesday that deliveries worth 23.5 million euros ($24.86 million) were stuck at customs, adding that, though rules had not changed, customs appeared to have significantly stepped up their inspections for deliveries to China since August. German customs did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Süss Microtec expects sales of between 300 and 340 million euros this year, compared to 299.1 million euros last year, a smaller increase than they expected earlier. ($1 = 0.9454 euros)Reporting by Alexander Hübner, writing by Thomas Escritt; Editing by Rod NickelOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Süss Microtec, Alexander Hübner, Thomas Escritt, Rod Nickel Organizations: Thomson Locations: MUNICH, China

☆ Germany's far-left star quits post-Communists to found populist party
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

German politician and member of the Bundestag for The Left party Sahra Wagenknecht attends a press conference to present the "Alliance Sahra Wagenknecht, BSW" in Berlin, Germany October 23, 2023. "Many no longer know who to vote for or vote for the right out of rage and despair," she said. "At a time of crisis.... Left legislators should concentrate on doing their job," said Left party leader Janine Wissler. That fragmentation has let the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party come second in several recent elections - drawing on a pool of voters the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance could also tap. A Civey poll for T-Online found some 20% of voters could imagine voting for her new party.

Persons: Sahra Wagenknecht, Annegret, Germany's, Chancellor Olaf Scholz's, Janine Wissler, Putin, Wagenknecht, Thomas Escritt, Barbara Lewis Organizations: Bundestag, The Left, REUTERS, Rights, Ukraine, Christian Democrats, Left, Sahra, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Germany, East Germany, Ukraine

☆ Threats to Jewish life in Germany an outrage, says President
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/6] A person wears a sign that reads "Against terror and radicalism, for peace and humanity", as they attend the rally "Against terror and antisemitism! The Holocaust meant that Germany had a particular responsibility to protect Jewish lives, Steinmeier told a solidarity rally convened in Berlin by its five main democratic parties, its Jewish community, trade unions and employers' organisations. Every attack against Jewish residents or institutions in Germany was an "outrage", Steinmeier added. Some Jewish parents have stopped taking their children to school out of fears for their safety. Steinmeier said terror was also impacting people on the Gaza Strip "whose interests Hamas only pretends to represent."

Persons: Frank, Walter Steinmeier, Steinmeier, David, Thomas Escritt, John Stonestreet Organizations: Germany's Central, of, Police, Thomson Locations: Israel, Brandenburg, BERLIN, Germany, Berlin, Gaza

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

☆ Scholz on synagogue attack: 'Antisemitism has no place in Germany'
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/5] Police secure the area after two Molotov cocktails were thrown at the Skoblo Synagogue and Education Center overnight in Berlin, Germany, October 18, 2023. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch Acquire Licensing RightsBERLIN, Oct 18 (Reuters) - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz voiced outrage on Wednesday at an attack outside a synagogue in Berlin in which police say two Molotov cocktails were thrown at the building. In a social media post, he added: "Attacks on Jewish institutions and acts of violence on our streets are despicable and cannot be tolerated. Security has been stepped up around Jewish institutions in Germany since Hamas's deadly attack on Israel and resulting Israeli reprisals inflamed opinion in the country's Arab-speaking and Jewish communities. Police have declined most requests to hold pro-Palestinian demonstrations since Hamas's attack and have dispersed a number of impromptu gatherings.

Persons: Fabrizio Bensch, Olaf Scholz, Scholz, Thomas Escritt, Rachel More, Christina Fincher Organizations: Police, Education Center, REUTERS, Rights, Security, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Germany, Egypt, Israel

☆ Hapag Lloyd expects three tough years for shipping industry -Welt am Sonntag
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BERLIN, Oct 14 (Reuters) - The head of German shipping firm Hapag Lloyd (HLAG.DE), Rolf Habben Jansen, expects the next three years to be difficult because demand for shipping services is growing more slowly than available shipping capacity, he told the Welt am Sonntag newspaper. Freight rates had fallen by around 60% year-on-year, he added. "Container shipping has always been a cyclical business," he told the newspaper. "I don't think it will be as bad as in 2008 and 2009, though." Reporting by Thomas Escritt; Editing by Kirsten DonovanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Hapag Lloyd, Rolf Habben Jansen, Thomas Escritt, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Welt, Sonntag, Container, Thomson

☆ 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

☆ British, French, German, U.S. Leaders to Discuss Middle East Situation in Call
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( Oct. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN (Reuters) - The leaders of the United States, Britain, France and Germany are expected to discuss the situation in Israel and the Palestinian Territories on Monday evening, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said. "The U.S., Britain, France and Germany agree it must not become a wildfire in the region," Scholz told reporters in Hamburg. Scholz was standing next to French President Emmanuel Macron who was visiting the north German port for a joint session of the two countries' governments. Expressing his "full solidarity" with the Israeli people, Macron said he spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu again on Monday morning. "The fight against terrorism is a common cause that we will continue to pursue with Israel and our allies.

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Scholz, Emmanuel Macron, Macron, Benjamin Netanyahu, Michel Rose, Thomas Escritt, Andrew Heavens Organizations: BERLIN, Reuters TV Locations: United States, Britain, France, Germany, Israel, Palestinian Territories, U.S, Hamburg, Paris

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