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☆ German budget hole puts industry at risk, steel sector warns
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( Christoph Steitz | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Steel coils are waiting for delivery at the storage and distribution facility of German steel maker ThyssenKrupp in Duisburg, Germany, November 16, 2023. Bernhard Osburg, president of the German steel association and CEO of Thyssenkrupp's (TKAG.DE) steel division, the country's top steelmaker, told reporters that it was vital for Germany to protect its future competitiveness. His comments highlight major uncertainty within Germany's industrial firms, which are already struggling with local economic conditions and are increasingly looking to alternative, more favourable, markets, such as the United States. So he called on Berlin to hold a summit soon with German industry leaders to provide answers on how these investments could be protected, warning of an "utmost pressure to act". Germany's steel sector, which apart from Thyssenkrupp also includes Salzgitter (SZGG.DE), directly employs around 80,000, while around 4 million jobs indirectly depend on it.

Persons: Wolfgang Rattay, Bernhard Osburg, Osburg, Berlin, Chancellor Olaf Scholz's, Christoph Steitz, Miranda Murray Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Duisburg, Germany, Berlin, FRANKFURT, United States, decarbonisation, Thyssenkrupp

Scholz, who has visited Africa several times since taking office in late 2021, will hold bilateral talks with several African countries on Sunday, before hosting a German-African investment summit at Berlin's Marriott Hotel on Monday morning. African countries have long complained that while Europe talks about investment, China actually provides financing without any moral lecturing. Still, Chinese lending in Africa is in decline, while European interest is rising as it seeks to diversify supply chains. Nearly two thirds of German companies want to expand their business in Africa, according to a study by KPMG and the German-African Business Association. The member countries of the G20 Compact are Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Senegal, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Burkina Faso, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo and Ethiopia.

Persons: jostling, Scholz, Macron, Ursula von der Leyen, Emmanuel Macron, Mark Rutte, Olaf Scholz, Sarah Marsh, Andreas Rinke, Mike Harrison Organizations: Africa, Dutch, African Union, KPMG, African Business Association, Democratic, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Africa, Macron BERLIN, Germany, Berlin's, Europe, United States, Russia, China, Asia, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Senegal, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Burkina Faso, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia

And while the local government says Berlin has sufficient space to build over 100,000 apartments, there is no sign the housing crisis gripping the city will ease. But as Europe's largest economy teeters near recession, economists warn that high rents will feed inflation and reduce household consumption. In Berlin, local opposition has frustrated plans to build, while regulation creates a two-tier rental market that is cheap for some long-term tenants and expensive for new renters. Rising property demand saw private companies develop luxury apartments that offered a higher yield - in part, Buch said, because government permissioning for more affordable housing projects was so slow. OPPOSITIONSome building projects have since faced local opposition while a recent attempt to curb rent increases backfired.

Persons: Lisi Niesner, Rolf Buch, Buch, you've, Konstantin Kholodilin, Marwa, Monika Neugebauer, Goldman Sachs, Neugebauer, Gesa Crockford, Martin Pallgen, Anna Hohnrath, Hohnrath, Matthias Inverardi, Matthias Williams, Catherine Evans Organizations: Berlin, REUTERS, Rights, Vonovia, Reuters, DIVISION, International Union of Tenants, European, West, Foreigners, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Germany, San Francisco, California, City, Tempelhof, Valencia, Spain

☆ Colourful Euro 2024 ball to reflect energy of tournament, say organisers
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/5] Soccer Football - Euro 2024 - Organisers Present the Official Match Ball - Maifeld, Berlin, Germany - November 15, 2023 General view of the Euro 2024 match ball 'Fussballliebe' REUTERS/Annegret Hilse Acquire Licensing RightsBERLIN, Nov 15 (Reuters) - Organisers of Euro 2024 on Wednesday unveiled the official ball for the continental tournament next year, with its colourful pattern designed to reflect the energy of the event and with built-in technology to assist in VAR decisions. Organisers said the design, featuring black wing shapes with colourful edges, curves and dots, was a reflection of the tournament's energy. Germany is hosting its first major international football tournament since the 2006 World Cup, which at the time had triggered an unprecedented wave of enthusiasm with large fan zones across the country and the event dubbed the "summer fairytale". Illustrations of each of the stadiums appear on the ball alongside the name of each host city. The ball also features some built-in technology to track all elements of its the movement and help with VAR decisions.

Persons: Annegret, Philipp Lahm, Manuel Neuer, Karolos, Christian Radnedge Organizations: Soccer Football, REUTERS, Rights, Wednesday, Adidas, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Germany

☆ German government supports Siemens Energy with $8 bln guarantees
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( Christian Kraemer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Miniatures of windmill, solar panel and electric pole are seen in front of Siemens Energy logo in this illustration taken January 17, 2023. Private banks were expected to provide Siemens Energy with guarantees worth 12 billion euros while Siemens Energy would seek another 3 billion from other sources, the statement said, adding it was conditional on the final sign-off of all parties. "We are pleased with the German government's clear support for Siemens Energy and the commitment to the rapid implementation of projects to make the energy transition a success," Siemens Energy said in a statement. Shares in Siemens AG rose 2.7% at 1517 GMT on the deal while Siemens Energy shares were up 0.3%. Siemens AG, which spun off Siemens Energy in 2020, is also expected to provide support by buying most of the 24% stake Siemens Energy owns in Siemens Ltd (SIEM.NS), an Indian joint venture, sources have told Reuters.

Persons: Dado, Marco Buschmann, Buschmann, Christian Kraemer, Alexander Hübner, Christoph Steitz, Linda Pasquini, Madeline Chambers, Matthias Williams, Kirsti Knolle, David Evans Organizations: Siemens Energy, REUTERS, Rights, Siemens AG, Reuters, Siemens Ltd, Siemens, RTL, ntv, Thomson Locations: Indian

☆ The top Christmas markets for 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-12 | by ( Tamara Hardingham-Gill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +22 min

Basel Christmas Market, SwitzerlandBasel Christmas Market is made up of decorated stalls selling Christmas spices, decorations and candles. Strasbourg Christmas Market, FranceOne of Europe’s oldest Christmas markets, Strasbourg began back in 1570, but it’s evolved considerably since then. Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square Christmas markets, Prague, Czech RepublicTo say the city of Prague goes all out at Christmas is something of an understatement. Skansen’s Christmas Market, StockholmStockholm isn’t exactly lacking when it comes to Christmas markets, but none are more traditional than Skansen. St. Stephen’s Basilica and Vörösmarty Square markets, Budapest, HungaryBudapest has two main festive markets: St. Stephen’s Basilica Christmas market, or Advent Bazilika, and Vörösmarty Square Christmas market.

Persons: Wiener, Wiener Christkindlmarkt, it’s, Kleber, Laia Ros, Wenceslas, Santa Llucia, Mercati Natale, Piazza Santa, there’s, you’ll, Walt Disney, Lucia’s, Tuomaan, Emperor Alexander II, Santa Claus, Bazilika, Germany Gendarmenmarkt, Massimo Borchi, Dom, Deutscher Dom, Bavaria’s, Gendarmenmarkt, Jeff J Mitchell, Scott, Dominika, Glowny, Adam Mickiewicz, Steve Russell, Colin Miller, Manhattan’s, Josephine Shaw Lowell Fountain Organizations: CNN, City Hall, Basel, Switzerland Basel Christmas, Getty, Belgium’s, Bourse, Monnaie, Sainte, Marche aux Poissons, Fira, Barcelona Cathedral, Santa, Cisco Pelay, Piazza Santa Croce, Santa Croce, Tivoli Gardens, Estonia Estonia's, Markkinat, Vörösmarty, Nuremberg, Hyde, London Hyde, Food, Edinburgh, Scotland Scottish, Street Gardens, Scottish, Street, Edinburgh Castle, Andrew, George, East, Poland Krakow Christmas, Bratislava, Slovakian, Distillery, Toronto Star, Toronto, Distillery District, , New York Skaters, Bank of America, The Bank of America, Christkindlmarket Chicago, Daley, RiverEdge, Christkindlmarket Locations: Vienna, Germany, Switzerland, Singapore, New York, Austria, Barfüsserplatz, St, Basel, Strasbourg, France, Belgium, Brussels, Sainte Catherine, Marche, Belgian, Place, Prague, Czech Republic, Czech, Old, Santa Llucia, Barcelona, Santa, Florence, Italy, Heidelberg, Piazza del, Zagreb, Croatia, Advent, Tivoli , Copenhagen, Denmark, Danish, Tivoli, Tallinn, Estonia, Estonia Estonia's Tallinn, Estonian, Stockholm Stockholm, Djurgarden, Skansen’s, Tuomaan Markkinat, Helsinki, Ryhor, Helsinki’s, Stephen’s, Budapest, Hungary Budapest, Gendarmenmarkt, Capital, Berlin, Nuremberg, London, United Kingdom, Christmas, Edinburgh, Krakow, Poland Krakow, Polish, Europe, Mary’s, Slovakia, Bratislava, Bay, Toronto, Distillery, Bryant, , New, Manhattan’s Bryant, Chicago, Windy City, Aurora

☆ Germany pledges to make its military 'the backbone of defence in Europe'
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Sabine Siebold | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay/File... Acquire Licensing Rights Read moreBERLIN, Nov 9 (Reuters) - Germany will strengthen its military to make it the backbone of deterrence and collective defence in Europe, its defence minister pledged on Thursday as Berlin issued new defence policy guidelines for the first time in over a decade. The 19-page document details what the "Zeitenwende" - the major shift of policy German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 - means for the workings of the Bundeswehr. "With the Zeitenwende, Germany becomes a grown up country in terms of security policy," Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said as he presented the guidelines, the first since 2011 when Berlin suspended conscription. "As the most populous and an economically strong country at the heart of Europe, Germany must be the backbone of deterrence and collective defence in Europe," Pistorius said. German forces needed to be refocused on their core mission -the credible defence of Germany and its allies - and be "ready to fight a war", he said.

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Wolfgang Rattay, Boris Pistorius, Pistorius, Sabine Siebold, Toby Chopra, Ed Osmond Organizations: Patriot, Bonn Air Force, Territorial Command, Bundeswehr, REUTERS, Berlin, Thomson Locations: Cologne, Wahn, Germany, BERLIN, Europe, Ukraine, Berlin, prioritise, Lithuania

☆ Napoli stumble to 1-1 draw as eliminated Union snap losing run
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NAPLES, Italy, Nov 8 (Reuters) - Union Berlin's David Fofana scored a second-half equaliser against the run of play to snatch a 1-1 Champions League draw at Napoli on Wednesday and snap a 12-game losing run, but it was not enough to keep the German side's knockout hopes alive. The draw left Napoli in second place in Group C on seven points, two behind leaders Real Madrid who face Braga, on three points, later on Wednesday. "This feels really good," said Union captain Christopher Trimmel. They did break the deadlock before halftime when a deflected shot bounced off Politano's chest and into the goal. Napoli had 18 corners to the Germans' five but despite late pressure and a string of chances they failed to score again.

Persons: David Fofana, Matteo Politano, Fofana, Braga, Christopher Trimmel, Frederik Ronnow, Piotr Zielinski, Andre Frank Zambo, Josip Juranovic's, Napoli, Karolos, Toby Davis Organizations: League, Napoli, Wednesday, Real Madrid, Champions League, Europa League, Union, Napoli napping, Thomson Locations: NAPLES, Italy, German, Germans

☆ Germany approves stakes by Bosch, Infineon and NXP in TSMC chip plant
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company's (TSMC) logo is seen while people attend the opening of the TSMC global R&D center in Hsinchu, Taiwan July 28, 2023. REUTERS/Ann Wang/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 7 (Reuters) - The German cartel office has approved stakes by Bosch (ROBG.UL), Infineon (IFXGn.DE) and NXP (NXP.N) in TSMC's (2330.TW) new semiconductor plant in the German city of Dresden, the regulator said in a statement on Tuesday. The companies would each acquire 10% of shares in the European Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (ESMC), founded by TSMC, it said. "The recent geopolitical upheavals have shown how important secured access to semiconductors is, especially for the German industry," Andreas Mundt, president of the cartel office, said in a statement. He added that both the European Union and Germany were committed to locating more semiconductor production in Europe and Germany.

Persons: Ann Wang, Andreas Mundt, Linda Pasquini, Rachel More, Matthias Williams Organizations: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, REUTERS, Bosch, Infineon, European Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, TSMC, European Union, Thomson Locations: Hsinchu, Taiwan, TSMC's, German, Dresden, Germany, Europe, China

The meeting was aimed at garnering state leaders' support for such moves and addressing local authorities' complaints that public coffers and infrastructure are overburdened. The leader of the central state of Hesse put the total volume of aid at 3.5 billion euros. "Our shared goal is to push back irregular migration," said Scholz, after describing the agreement as a "historic moment." Some 230,000 people requested asylum in Germany in the first nine months of this year, more than in the full year 2022. His government has also agreed changes to existing rules to enable asylum seekers to enter the labour force more rapidly and to punish human traffickers with longer prison sentences.

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Hesse Boris Rhein, Lower Saxony Stephan Weil, Angela Merkel, Scholz, Sarah Marsh, Andreas Rinke, Miranda Murray, Rachel More, Barbara Lewis, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Lower, REUTERS, European Union, Thomson Locations: Hesse, Lower Saxony, Germany, Berlin, BERLIN, Russia, Scholz's

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

☆ 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

Germany and Austria earlier on Monday said they were suspending bilateral development aid to Palestinians, while others such as Italy had said suspending aid was not up for discussion. It is unclear whether the suspensions in development aid will also apply to such assistance. Varhelyi said all new budget proposals for Palestinian aid were also postponed until further notice. The Israeli flag has been hoisted above the chancellor's office and the Foreign Ministry after the shock Hamas assault. Asked if Italy would follow Germany and Austria in suspending development aid, the foreign ministry spokesperson said this was not under discussion.

Persons: Amir Cohen, Oliver Varhelyi, Varhelyi, Mahmoud Abbas, Fatah, Alexander Schallenberg, Svenja Schulze, Rishi Sunak, Andrew Gray, Francois Murphy, Sarah Marsh, Markus Wacket, Angela Amante, Kate Holton, Mark Heinrich, Alison Williams, Nick Macfie Organizations: REUTERS, BRUSSELS, European, United Nations, Union, EU, EU Commission, West Bank, Palestinian Authority, Austrian, European Union, Foreign Ministry, Social Democrats, Greens, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Ashkelon, Israel, Germany, Austria, Italy, BERLIN, Europe, West, Berlin, Palestinian, Berlin's, Brandenburg, United Nations, Britain, Brussels, Vienna, Rome, London

☆ Strained France-Germany ties slow EU decision making
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( Michel Rose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

From joint defence programmes to nuclear energy or relations with China, Paris and Berlin are at odds over a growing number of issues. In an August speech Macron made his frustration public, calling Germany's position on nuclear energy "a historic mistake". Germany decided to phase out nuclear energy after Japan's Fukushima disaster in 2011, closing its last reactors in April. It is unclear if France and Germany can hash out a deal in Hamburg ahead of a crucial EU energy meeting on Oct. 17, but analysts are doubtful. Although the concept was criticised for having failed with Russia, German officials believe trade ties with a country like China could prevent conflict.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Olaf Scholz, Sarah Meyssonnier, Macron, Detlef Seif, Marc, Antoine Eyl, Wolfgang Munchau, hasn't, Wandel, Handel, Noah Barkin, Sarah Marsh, Kate Abnett, Michel Rose, Rachel Armstrong, Elaine Hardcastle Organizations: Weimar, REUTERS, German Christian Democratic Union, BASF, Reuters, EDF, Franco, GMF, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, Hamburg, Berlin, China, German, Germany, Ukraine, Europe, EU, Franco, Italian, Russia, Brussels, Beijing

☆ Choppy waters as Europe navigates China-US rivalry
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( Mark John | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The fracturing of the rules and bonds tying the global economy together - so-called "geo-economic fragmentation" - seemed implausible only a few years ago. Nowhere is it more pressing than for Europe, whose wealth has always relied on trade, from its rapacious colonial history through to its reinvention as self-styled champion of WTO rules. Both the United States and Europe have been hardening their stance towards Beijing while stressing the rules of world trade must be fairly applied. The main EU concern is that the U.S. proposals could break WTO rules by discriminating against third parties. "And we really hope ... that after the election in the United States this is going to continue."

Persons: Jon Nazca, Gordon Brown, Brown, Brad Setser, Biden, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Trump, Wang Huiyao, Petra Sigmund, Philip Blenkinsop, Joe Cash, Belen Carreno, Mark John, Catherine Evans Organizations: Triple, Majestic, APM, REUTERS, Trade Organization, USA, International Monetary, European, Reuters, for, Thomson Locations: Algeciras, Spain, China, Europe, America, American, United States, Moroccan, Marrakech, Beijing, Washington, Brussels, U.S, EU, for China, IMF, Madrid

BERLIN (AP) — Christian Thielemann has been chosen as the new general music director of Berlin's Staatsoper, months after Daniel Barenboim ended his three-decade reign, the city government said Wednesday. The 64-year-old German conductor will take the job at the Staatsoper, or State Opera, on Sept. 1, 2024. He moved on to serve as music director of Berlin's Deutsche Oper from 1997-2004 and of the Munich Philharmonic from 2004-11. Now 80, he was general music director from 1992 until he stepped down at the end of January, saying that his health had become too poor to carry on. Barenboim said in Wednesday's statement that he has known Thielemann since he was his assistant at the Deutsche Oper as a 19-year-old.

Persons: Thielemann, Daniel Barenboim, “, Joe Chialo, ”, Herbert von Karajan, Barenboim, Richard Wagner, Elisabeth Sobotka Organizations: BERLIN, Berlin's, Staatsoper, State Opera, Nuremberg’s, Deutsche Oper, Munich Philharmonic, Vienna Philharmonic, Richard Wagner Festival Locations: Berlin's Staatsoper, Berlin, Munich, Dresden, Bayreuth, “, East Berlin, Germany's

☆ Germany's KfW bank will no longer grant promotional loans to China from 2026
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Ralph Orlowski/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsFRANKFURT/BERLIN, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Germany will no longer grant promotional loans to China from 2026, the Federal Development Ministry (BMZ) confirmed on Tuesday, in the latest measure to reduce Germany's strategic dependence on China. The German ministry informed the Chinese Ministry of Finance in mid-September of the federal government's decision to permanently stop granting promotional loans to China. Contracts for promotional loan projects between German state-owned KfW Bank and the Chinese Ministry of Finance can only be signed up to and including 2025. "These promotional loan projects must have ambitious impacts in the areas of climate and environment," the ministry said. From 2013 to 2022, promotional loans with a total volume of 3.451 billion euros were agreed with China.

Persons: Ralph Orlowski, Svenja Schulze, Andreas Rinke, Emma, Victoria Farr, Leslie Adler Organizations: KfW, REUTERS, Federal Development Ministry, Chinese Ministry of Finance, KfW Bank, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Frankfurt, Germany, FRANKFURT, BERLIN, China

☆ Athletics-Ethiopia's Assefa smashes women's marathon world record in Berlin
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-24 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Tigist Assefa from Ethiopia wins the race with the new world record of 2:11:52h during the 2023 BMW Berlin-Marathon on September 24, 2023 in Berlin, Germany. Ethiopia's Tigst Assefa shattered the women's marathon world record in Berlin on Sunday, lopping off more than two minutes from the previous best to clock an official time of two hours 11 minutes and 53 seconds. Her remarkable victory overshadowed men's world record holder Eliud Kipchoge's record fifth victory on Berlin's quick and flat inner-city course. She clocked an hour six minutes 20 seconds at the halfway mark and was one of six women to be on world record time at that stage as the Berlin marathon lived up to its reputation as one of the world's fastest. She had no problem maintaining her pace and at the 37km mark she was just three seconds per kilometre slower than Kipchoge's time at the same stage, cruising to a sensational world record.

Persons: Tigist Assefa, Ethiopia's, Assefa, lopping, Kenyan Brigid Kosgei's, Eliud Organizations: Kenyan Locations: Ethiopia, Berlin, Germany, Paris

☆ Ethiopia's Assefa smashes women's marathon world record in Berlin
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BERLIN, Sept 24 (Reuters) - Ethiopia's Tigst Assefa shattered the women's marathon world record in Berlin on Sunday, lopping off more than two minutes from the previous best to clock an official time of two hours 11 minutes and 53 seconds. "I knew I wanted to go for the world record but I never thought I would do this time," said the 26-year-old, a former 800-metre runner. Her remarkable victory overshadowed men's world record holder Eliud Kipchoge's record fifth victory on Berlin's quick and flat inner-city course. Compatriot Vincent Kipkemoi was second, with a time of two hours three minutes 13 seconds and Ethiopia's Tadese Takele third. She had no problem maintaining her pace and at the 37km mark she was just three seconds per kilometre slower than Kipchoge's time at the same stage, cruising to a sensational world record.

Persons: Assefa, lopping, pulverise Kenyan Brigid Kosgei's, Eliud, Kipchoge, Vincent Kipkemoi, Tadese, Workenesh Edesa, Sheila Chepkirui, Tanzania's Magdalena Shauri, Karolos Grohmann, Hugh Lawson Organizations: pulverise Kenyan, Ethiopian Olympic, National Committee, Climate, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Paris, Kenya

☆ Berlin's Brandenburg Gate spray-painted by climate activists
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/5] People walk in front of the Brandenburg Gate after Last Generation ("Letzte Generation") climate activists threw paint on the columns of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, September 17, 2023. REUTERS/Swantje Stein Acquire Licensing RightsFRANKFURT, Sept 17 (Reuters) - Climate activists sprayed orange and yellow paint on the columns of Berlin's landmark Brandenburg Gate on Sunday to push demands for a stop to the use of fossil fuels by 2030. "Members of the so-called 'Last Generation' sprayed the columns on the east side of the Brandenburg Gate with orange paint from fire extinguishers during the morning," Berlin police said on X, formerly known as Twitter. It added that police officers noticed a hydraulic lift was being operated at the gate and they kept the protesters from scaling the landmark building. Germany aims to reach net-zero emissions by 2045, but it missed annual targets for the last two years.

Persons: Swantje Stein, Ludwig Burger, Christina Fincher Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Thomson Locations: Brandenburg, Berlin, Germany, Europe

☆ African skulls pillaged during German colonial rule have been matched to living relatives after DNA tests
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

German invaders pillaged thousands of skulls from East African colonies and brought them back. Using DNA analysis, a museum has managed to find relat of three of the skulls. These are thought to have belonged to indigenous Nama and Herero tribes who were killed in brutal wars by German invaders almost a century earlier, Science Magazine reported in 2011. AdvertisementAdvertisementIn the case of eight of the skulls, the museum collected enough information to seek out potential relatives. But we do know Meli met a brutal end when he was hanged and decapitated after leading an uprising against German invaders in 1900, per the BBC.

Persons: Mangi Meli, Meli Organizations: Service, Berlin's Museum, Berlin's Charité, BBC, Science Magazine Locations: Wall, Silicon, East Africa, Namibia, Kilimanjaro Region, Tanzania

☆ Exclusive: German guarantees for China investments plummet -document
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Andreas Rinke | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The flags of Germany and China are seen ahead of a meeting between German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Berlin, Germany, June 19, 2023. Only 51.9 million euros ($56.26 million) in guarantees have been issued so far this year, according to the document seen by Reuters, less than a tenth of the 745.9 million euros in guarantees issued over the whole of last year. Slowing growth, however, has concentrated minds in Berlin, where officials fret that ever-more-advanced Chinese manufacturing poses a threat to Germany's economic model. "China has changed, and that's why our policy towards China also needs to change," Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on Tuesday. Companies can invest without government guarantees, meaning real changes in levels of German FDI in China may have fallen by less.

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Li Qiang, Fabrizio Bensch, Annalena Baerbock, Andreas Rinke, Thomas Escritt, Rachel Armstrong, Kirsti, Marguerita Choy Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Germany's, Companies, U.S, Thomson Locations: Germany, China, Berlin, Ukraine

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

Germany, which has been courting the world's largest contract chipmaker since 2021, will contribute up to 5 billion euros to the factory in Dresden, capital of the eastern state of Saxony, German officials said. "There is going to be a real ecosystem for semiconductor manufacturing in Germany," said economy minister Robert Habeck. VOTE OF CONFIDENCETSMC said it would invest up to 3.499 billion euros into a subsidiary, European Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (ESMC), of which it will own 70%. Semiconductor makers Intel (INTC.O) and Wolfspeed (WOLF.N) have already taken advantage of the subsidies on offer to set up shop in Germany. TSMC said in a statement after a board meeting that approved the German investment that it had also approved a capital injection of not more than $4.5 billion for the Arizona plant as part of the overall $40 billion investment.

Persons: Robert Habeck, TSMC, Germany's Bosch, Habeck, Ben Blanchard, Thomas Escritt, Louise Heavens, Mark Potter Organizations: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, European Union, Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Infineon, Semiconductor, Intel, EU, Sony, Thomson Locations: Dresden, Arizona, TAIPEI, BERLIN, Germany, Europe, Taiwan, China, Asia, United States, Saxony, Netherlands, Ukraine, U.S, Japan

☆ Missing Mexican woman Maria Fernanda Sanchez found dead in Germany
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MEXICO CITY, Aug 5 (Reuters) - Police in Germany, reported on Saturday that they found the body of a 24-year-old Mexican woman who disappeared in Berlin at the end of July and whose case has caused garnered widespread attention in Mexico. Authorities said the body of Maria Fernanda Sanchez, for whom Interpol had issued a yellow search notice, was found floating in a canal by a person walking along a bridge in Berlin's Adlershof neighborhood. The Mexican Foreign Ministry communicated on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, that German authorities reported the discovery of a deceased woman that fit Sanchez's description. Earlier in the week, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said that he would ask the German president to bolster the search for Sanchez, who, according to local media, was a masters student in Germany. Reporting by Stefanie Eschenbacher and Adriana Barrera; Writing by Alexander Villegas; Editing by Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Maria Fernanda Sanchez, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Sanchez, Stefanie Eschenbacher, Adriana Barrera, Alexander Villegas, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: MEXICO CITY, Police, Authorities, Interpol, Mexican Foreign Ministry, Thomson Locations: MEXICO, Germany, Berlin, Mexico, Berlin's Adlershof

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