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☆ Inside the Deadly Hunt for "Blood Jade" Marred by Heroin and Violence
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-22 | by ( Olivia Nemec | Tyler Merkel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

Myanmar's Kachin State is believed to hold up to 90% of the world's most valuable jade. Demand for it is growing in China, where the stone is considered sacred. But hunting for it is one of the most dangerous jobs in the world, and many end up trapped, addicted to the heroin they say replaces their wages.

Locations: Kachin State, China

☆ Putin scores a resounding win, but what’s next for Russia?
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-17 | by ( Nathan Hodge | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

Sovfoto/Universal Images Group via Getty Images Putin poses for a picture with his wife, Lyudmila, and daughters, Yekaterina and Maria. Brooks Kraft LLC/Corbis via Getty Images Putin rides a horse during a vacation in Southern Siberia in August 2009. Dmitry Astakhov/RIA Novosti/AFP via Getty Images Putin plays with his dogs Yume, left, and Buffy at his home in Novo-Ogaryovo, Russia, in March 2013. Chris McGrath/Getty Images Putin and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attend the G20 summit in Buenos Aires in November 2018. Getty Images Putin speaks with American right-wing pundit Tucker Carlson during an interview in February 2024.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, ”, Dmitry Kiselyov, Mikhail Mishustin, Ukraine –, Kiselyov, “, Maria Putina, Archivio GBB, ZUMA Press Wire Putin, Laski, Maria, Vladimir, Anatoly Sobchak, Lyudmila, Yekaterina, Boris Yeltsin, Yeltsin, Fidel Castro, Reuters Putin, George W, Bush, Stephen Jaffe, Camp David, Brooks Kraft, Alexey Druzhinin, Alexey Nikolsky, Mikhail Metzel, Ivan Sekretarev, AP Putin, Dmitry Medvedev, Dmitry Astakhov, Buffy, Angela Merkel, Jochen Lübke, Thomas Bach, Medvedev, Vladimir Konstantinov, Alexei Chalyi, Sergei Aksyonov, Sergei Ilnitsky, Kirill Kudryavtsev, Alexander Lukashenko, Merkel, Francois Hollande, Petro Poroshenko, Mykola Lazarenko, Barack Obama, Ban, Chip Somodevilla, Turkey Andrei Karlov, Karlov, Donald Trump, Chris McGrath, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, LUDOVIC MARIN, Emmanuel Macron, Volodymyr Zelensky, Eliot Blondet, Joe Biden, Antony Blinken, Biden, Sergey Lavrov, Denis Balibouse, Macron, Sergey Ponomarev, Mikhail Gorbachev, —, Alexander Nemenov, Alexey Danichev, Xi Jinping, Pavel Byrkin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Prigozhin, Pavel Bednyakov, Kim Jong Un, Kim, Tucker Carlson, Zuma Press Putin, Maxim Shemetov, – what’s, Alexey Navalny, Navalny, ” Putin Organizations: CNN, coy, Kremlin, Getty, Russian, ZUMA Press, Putin, KGB, ZUMA Press Wire, Getty Images, Reuters, US, White House, Camp, Brooks, Brooks Kraft LLC, RIA Novosti, AP, AFP, International Olympic, Crimean, Ukrainian, United Nations, UN, Assembly, Russian Foreign Ministry, Sputnik, World, Saudi Arabia's Crown, Macron, SPUTNIK, New York Times, Central Clinical Hospital, AP Putin, Belarus, State Russian Museum, AP North Korean, Vostochny, Tucker Carlson Network, Zuma Press Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Putin Russia, Russian, Bakhmut, St . Petersburg, Leningrad, Germany, Moscow, AFP, Kazan, Cuba, Soviet Union, Southern Siberia, Russia's Tver, Novo, Ogaryovo, Hanover, Sevastopol, Crimea, Belarusian, Minsk, Belarus, France, Turkey, Helsinki, Finland, Buenos Aires, Ukrainian, Paris, Geneva, Switzerland, Taganrog, Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Tsiolkovsky, Russia's, North Korea, United States

European leaders have paid tribute to jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny following reports of his death in prison on Friday. It is terrible that a courageous, fearless voice that stood up for his country has been silenced by terrible methods." Meanwhile, President of the European Council Charles Michel wrote in a post on X: "Alexey Navalny fought for the values of freedom and democracy. President of the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said she was "deeply disturbed and saddened" by news of the death of Navalny. "Navalny fought for democratic values and against corruption.

Persons: Alexei Navalny, Olaf Scholz, Navalny “, Scholz, Angela Merkel, Navalny, Charles Michel, Alexey Navalny, Ursula von der Leyen, Putin, Mark Rutte Organizations: European, EU Commission Locations: Russian, Russia, Germany, Soviet, Siberian, Omsk, Berlin, Berlin’s Charite

☆ Opinion: Is Putin serious about preferring Biden? Ask Fidel Castro
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Opinion Frida Ghitis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

She is a weekly opinion contributor to CNN, a contributing columnist to The Washington Post and a columnist for World Politics Review. CNN —Russian President Vladimir Putin fired off a few intriguing statements during a Wednesday television interview with loyal journalist Pavel Zarubin. Among them was his claim that he would prefer that President Joe Biden win the 2024 US presidential election. After his first summit in Geneva with Biden as president, back in 2021, Putin sounded a similar note. But on Wednesday, the Russian president was contemptuous.

Persons: Frida Ghitis, Vladimir Putin, Pavel Zarubin, Joe Biden, Fidel Castro, Al Gore, George W, Bush, Castro, Fidel, Zarubin, Putin, Biden, “, ” Putin, Angela Merkel, Merkel’s, —, Tucker Carlson, Carlson, Carlson “, didn’t, Donald Trump, Castro didn’t Organizations: CNN, Washington Post, Politics, Texas Gov, Russia “, KGB, Fox News, CIA, Russia, Ukraine Locations: Havana, Cuba, Russia, Geneva, Labrador, Europe, Russian, Ukraine

☆ Opinion: How serious is Trump about pulling out of NATO? Very
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Peter Bergen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The idea that foreign countries are freeloading off the United States plays well with his base, but Trump either doesn’t understand how NATO works or chooses not to. Meanwhile, in 2014, all NATO countries agreed to spend at least 2% of their GDP on defense by this year. Every US president since Barack Obama has pressed NATO countries to reach that expenditure level, but at the time of the agreement, only three NATO countries — the US, United Kingdom and Greece — were doing so. In 2017, NATO European countries and Canada spent around $270 billion on their defense, while the United States spent around $626 billion. No matter how wrong-headed it might be, according to his close advisers Trump seems quite serious about getting out of NATO.

Persons: Peter Bergen, ”, Donald Trump’s, James Mattis, Trump, “, ” Trump, Barack Obama, Greece —, Vladimir Putin, Olaf Scholz, Monday, Putin, United States isn’t “, Angela Merkel, Merkel, John Bolton Organizations: New, Arizona State University, Apple, Spotify, Trump Administration, CNN, NATO, Trump, New York Times, United, Canada Locations: New America, Russia, United States, United Kingdom, Greece, Trump , Russian, Ukraine, Estonia, Lithuania, Romania, Germany, Canada, Japan, Saudi Arabia, New Hampshire, Germans, Washington, New York City, Afghanistan, France

Many worry that a second term for Trump would be an earthquake, but tremors already abound — and concerns are rising that the U.S. could grow less dependable regardless of who wins. Photos You Should See View All 21 ImagesBiden, in contrast, has made support for Ukraine a key priority and moral imperative. But many of America's European NATO allies are worried that with or without Trump, the U.S. is becoming less reliable. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he was “currently on the phone a lot with my colleagues and asking them to do more” to support Ukraine. Dalton, a former U.K. ambassador to Iran, said prospects for the Middle East would be “slightly worse” under Trump than Biden.

Persons: Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Emmanuel Macron’s, Trump, Germany’s Angela Merkel, Britain’s Theresa May, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Vladimir Putin, Viktor Orbán “, ”, Biden, Richard Dalton, Olaf Scholz, “, Scholz, Macron, ” Macron, Boris Johnson, ” Johnson, Putin, Johnson, ” Bronwen Maddox, ” Trump, hasn't, —, Dalton, implore Biden, Itamar Ben, Israel, Turkey’s Erdogan, Sergey Lavrov, George W, Zhao Minghao, ” “, Jiwon, Kirsten Grieshaber, Dasha, Suzan Fraser, Nomaan Merchant Organizations: U.S, Trump, NATO, Congressional Republicans, Centre, Politics, University College London, Mail, Associated Press, Hamas, White, Russian, CBS, Biden, Fudan University Locations: U.S, gridlock, Congress, Ukraine, Europe, United States, British, German, Germany, ” Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, Russia, Tehran, Dalton, Israel, Gaza, Turkey, Shanghai, Seoul, South Korea, Berlin, Dasha Litvinova, Tallinn, Estonia, Ankara, Washington

☆ Biden’s verbal slip-ups over dead European leaders put the focus on his most potent political weakness: His age
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Michael Williams | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Two verbal slip-ups in the last few days are again bringing the concerns about the president’s cognition to the forefront. A January NBC poll of 1,000 registered voters found that three quarters of all voters, including half of Democrats, had concerns about Biden’s physical or mental health. The White House did not immediately provide a response to this story. In last year’s physical, Biden’s physician said an “extremely detailed” neurologic exam found no findings that would be consistent with stroke, multiple sclerosis or Parkinson’s disease. As with his previous physical in 2021, the White House did not say whether Biden underwent any cognitive tests, which some doctors recommend for older adults.

Persons: Joe Biden’s, juggles, Biden, – François Mitterrand, Helmut Kohl –, Robert Hur’s, Beau, Trump, Karine Jean, Pierre, Mike Johnson, Sean Hannity, ” Jean, Pierre said, –, I’ve, ”, Biden misspeaks –, Emmanuel Macron, Mitterrand –, Kohl, Angela Merkel, Olaf Scholz, “ Helmut Kohl, ‘ Joe, ” Biden, Biden’s, Dean Phillips, Nikki Haley, Donald Trump, Haley, Nancy Pelosi, ” Haley, Jean, Kevin O’Connor, “, Covid, ” O’Connor, O’Connor, Kevin Liptak, MJ Lee Organizations: Washington CNN, House, White, NBC, Senate, London Times, Democratic, Republican South, United Nations, Trump, CNN, Biden Locations: Israel, Germany, New York, Republican South Carolina, United States

☆ Europe wants to Trump-proof in case of a second term. But that is not an easy task
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-14 | by ( Luke Mcgee | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —Former US President Donald Trump briefly returned as a central character in European politics earlier this week. Multiple EU officials and diplomats noted to CNN that his sudden recollection came at a particularly sensitive time, as the EU attempts to build its own defense capabilities outside of the US-led NATO alliance. Whether Trump actually made these comments or not is largely immaterial to European officials. And his hostility toward the Ukraine war effort has an impact even now, playing into the Republican Party’s reluctance to pass more US funding for Ukraine. Christine Lagarde, head of the European Central Bank, said only this week that Trump’s return would be a “threat” for Europe.

Persons: Donald Trump, Thierry Breton, Trump, Ursula von der Leyen, ” Breton’s, Russia’s Vladimir Putin, Letitia James, Spencer Platt, ”, Joe Biden, Europe’s, Ian Bond, ” Donald Trump, Jim Watson, Angela Merkel, Jesco Denzel, there’s, Christine Lagarde Organizations: CNN, Former, European, Republican, NATO, New York, Getty, Ukraine, “, Trump, EU, Centre, Economic, European Central Bank Locations: Europe, Iowa, Ukraine, New York City, Brussels, EU, United States, America, China, Davos, AFP, Russia, Beijing, Moscow, Charlevoix , Canada, European

Tunnels have run under Gaza for decades. But when Hamas took over, the underground network expanded into what Israel calls its biggest military threat. We decoded the long history of the Gaza tunnels to find out what makes it so hard to destroy.

Persons: Israel Locations: Gaza

☆ Op-ed: Europe is leaving a void in a multipolar world
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Kevin Klowden | Chief Global Strategist At The Milken Institute | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The Russian invasion of Ukraine only three months later served to provide an immediate driver for greater political unity within Europe. China, Russia and even the United States under Donald Trump have expressed dissatisfaction with institutions such as the World Trade Organization, the G7 and the United Nations. watch nowThe void is particularly apparent at the WTO, where the lack of European leadership on trade as the U.S. turned inward is particularly felt. Perhaps nothing shows the consequences of the lack of European strength in preserving these institutions than the Russian invasion of Ukraine. However, the combination of a split over Ukraine, and internal divisions within Europe, have prevented any way for Europe to play a key role with China.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Ursula von der Leyenââ, Pedro Sanchez Perez, Klaus Iohannis, Chancellor, Germany, Olaf Scholz, Charles Michel, Dursun, Angela Merkel, Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, Merkel, Ursula von der Leyen, Xi Jinping Organizations: European Commission, European, European Union, Anadolu Agency, Getty, World Trade Organization, United Nations, WTO, EU, NATO, APEC Locations: Spain, Romania, Brussels, Belgium, United States, China, Europe, Russia, Ukraine, Israel, U.S, Germany, Moscow, India, Southeast Asia, EU, East, Africa

☆ German budget crisis tests limits of its 'debt brake'
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The ruling has sent budget talks into disarray and sparked calls within Chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition to suspend a constitutionally enshrined "debt brake" that sets legal limits on borrowing. WHAT IS THE DEBT BRAKE AND WHY WAS IT INTRODUCED? HAS GERMANY SUSPENDED ITS DEBT BRAKE BEFORE? Some analysts say the debt brake is ripe for reform and a more flexible fiscal policy would let governments take on more debt to fund much-needed investments. The government is still weighing options, including suspending the debt brake or curtailing spending.

Persons: Kai Pfaffenbach, Chancellor Olaf Scholz's, Angela Merkel's, Christian Lindner, Carsten Brzeski, Philippa Sigl, Robert Habeck, Riham Alkousaa, Holger Hansen, Matthias Williams, Christina Fincher Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Finance, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Frankfurt, Germany, GERMANY, Ukraine

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

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni reacts during a meeting of European heads of state or government in Granada, Spain October 6, 2023. REUTERS/Juan Medina/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsROME, Nov 3 (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Friday that her chief diplomatic adviser had resigned, carrying the can for a prank call fiasco that led to the release of unfiltered remarks on Ukraine and migration. "This matter was not handled well, we are all sorry, Ambassador (Francesco) Talo took responsibility for it," Meloni said, announcing that her aide had quit. Meloni's office confirmed on Wednesday that she had a phone conversation with a Russian comedian who successfully posed as a high-ranking African Union official. Reporting by Angelo Amante and Alvise Armellini, editing by Keith WeirOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Giorgia Meloni, Juan Medina, Francesco, Talo, Meloni, Angela Merkel, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Britain's Prince Harry, Angelo Amante, Alvise, Keith Weir Organizations: Italian, REUTERS, Rights, NATO, African Union, Kyiv, Democratic Party, Lexus, Thomson Locations: Granada, Spain, Ukraine, Israel, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Russian, Italy, Russia, Kremlin

☆ Li Keqiang: Death of China’s former premier offers glimpse into discontent with Xi Jinping
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Cnn Staff | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

CNN —The sudden death of China’s former Premier Li Keqiang has spurred an outpouring of grief and mourning across the country. But for many, it also appears to offer a rare opening to air pent-up discontent with top leader Xi Jinping and the direction he has taken the country. His death, just months after his retirement, shocked the Chinese public. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang review a guard of honor prior to a meeting at the Chancellery on July 9, 2018 in Berlin, Germany. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang visits a hospital in Wuhan on January 27, 2020, days after the city was placed under a complete lockdown to curb the raging Covid-19 outbreak.

Persons: Li Keqiang, Xi Jinping, Li, Xi –, ”, Alfred Wu, Lee, “, Xi, Angela Merkel, Sean Gallup, Zhang Lun, Mao Zedong, Zhang, “ I’ve, Wu, Li Tao, Zhou Enlai, Mao, Hu Yaobang, Fish Leong, ” Zhang Organizations: CNN, Communist, Lee Kuan Yew, of Public Policy, Getty, Studies, University of Cergy, Peking University, Li, AP Party, Communist Party, Xinhua, CPC, Party Locations: Shanghai, China, Singapore, German, Berlin, Germany, Pontoise, France, Communist China, Wuhan, AFP, Yunnan province, Weibo, Malaysian, Hefei, Anhui, Zhengzhou, Henan, Beijing

Experts say there has been an unprecedented number of fake claims about the Israel-Hamas war circulating online. Bellingcat's open-source investigators showed us how they find out the truth.

Locations: Israel

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition unveiled in July a strategy toward de-risking Germany's economic relationship with China, calling Beijing a "partner, competitor and systemic rival". German investment in Asia excluding China is rising as a share of overall investment. "No company is going to say that it will leave China," said Sandra Ebner, senior economist at Union Investment, Germany's second-largest fund manager. "But what companies are increasingly doing is to produce in China for China and to position themselves around China for the remaining Asian or global market." In July, German Economy Minister Robert Habeck travelled to India with a delegation of executives to discuss opportunities for German companies.

Persons: Thomas Nuernberger, Nuernberger, Olaf Scholz's, Volker Treier, Munk, Ferdinand Munk, Scholz, Angela Merkel's, Martin Brudermueller, Max Zenglein, Juergen Matthes, Markus Horn, Matthias Bianchi, Joe Biden, Wolfgang Niedermark, Jan Roennfeld, Roennfeld, Sandra Ebner, BDI's Niedermark, Robert Habeck, Christoph Steitz, Sarah Marsh, Maria Martinez, Aditya Kalra, Sarita Chaganti Singh, Xinghui, Orathai, Brenda Goh Organizations: Reuters, Commerce and Industry, Volkswagen, Mercedes, Benz, BASF, IW Institute, Big, Mercator Institute for China Studies, Economic Institute, Horn, German Association of, Indonesian Chamber of Commerce, Union Investment, Thomson Locations: FRANKFURT, BERLIN, Berlin, Beijing, China, Taiwan, India, Asia, Germany, Europe, Vietnam, South Korea, Indonesia, South China, European, Thailand, United States, Mexico, Indonesian, Eastern Germany, Malaysia, Frankfurt, New Delhi, Xinghui Kok, Singapore, Bangkok, Shanghai

☆ Berlin needs to get its act together after state election results, former Siemens CEO says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Hannah Ward-Glenton | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Joe Kaeser delivers a speech during the Siemens Annual Shareholders' Meeting on February 3, 2021 in Munich, Germany. Pool | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesThe results of two state elections in Germany sent "a clear message" to Berlin that the government needs "to get their act together," Joe Kaeser, chairman of the Supervisory Board at Siemens Energy, told CNBC. The execution I think is something which has potential for improvement," Kaeser, the former CEO of Siemens, said in an interview with CNBC's Annette Weisbach Tuesday. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party gained votes in the two key regions. The AfD's candidate in Hesse, Robert Lambrou, had anticipated that voters would swing toward his party, saying that people were "heavily disappointed by the policy of the government."

Persons: Joe Kaeser, CNBC's Annette Weisbach, Angela Merkel's, Robert Lambrou, Kristalina Georgieva Organizations: Siemens, Getty, Board, Siemens Energy, CNBC, Conservative, Christian Democratic Union, CDU, Christian Social Union, Social Democrats, Greens, Free Democrats, IMF Locations: Munich, Germany, Berlin, Hesse, Bavaria, Germany's

☆ Germany, France Hold Unprecedented Cabinet Retreat to Oil Creaky EU Motor
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

"Macron and Scholz are simply very different personalities," Anton Hofreiter, chair of the German parliament's Committee on European Union Affairs and member of the Greens. "Ultimately the point of bilateral relations is to overcome differences- that is the core of the EU," a French cabinet member said, on condition of anonymity. The informal team-building exercise is in keeping with the German tradition of holding cabinet "Klausur" or retreats. The stakes are high, said Detlef Seif, a leading German Christian Democratic Union lawmaker on EU affairs. (Reporting by Sarah Marsh and Andreas Rinke in Berlin; Additional Reporting by Michel Rose in Paris; Editing by Ros Russell)

Persons: Sarah Marsh, Andreas Rinke BERLIN, Jacob Ross, Emmanuel Macron, Angela Merkel, Olaf Scholz, Macron, Scholz, Anton Hofreiter, Detlef Seif, Andreas Rinke, Michel Rose, Ros Russell Organizations: German, Foreign Relations, European Union Affairs, Greens, German Christian Democratic Union, EU, Reuters Locations: France, Hamburg, Europe, Ukraine, China, Brussels, Russian, Berlin, United States, Germany, German, Paris

CNN —The German states of Bavaria and Hesse vote in regional elections on Sunday, in what is widely being seen as a test-case for Germany’s shifting political landscape. In Hesse – home to Frankfurt, Germany’s financial hub – dissatisfaction with Germany’s federal government threatens to deliver a blow to Scholz’s coalition. German flags are carried at an AfD election campaign event. Bavarian Premier Söder chose not to dismiss Aiwanger following the allegations, amid calls from across Germany’s political spectrum for the economy minister’s resignation. Hesse, which was formerly a stronghold for the SPD, is currently governed by the CDU in coalition with the Greens.

Persons: Hesse –, Martin Schutt, shockwaves, of Bavaria, Markus Söder, Angela Merkel, Kirill Kudryavtsev, Charlotte Knoblauch, Katrin, Ebner Steiner, AfD’s, ” Steiner, ”, Hubert Aiwanger, Aiwanger, ” Hubert Aiwanger, Sven Hoppe, Söder, Thomas Kreuzer, Chancellor Scholz’s, Nancy Faeser, Kreuzer, “, ” Kreuzer, Faese, Faeser, Der Organizations: CNN, Social Democratic Party, SPD, Free Democratic Party, Greens, Scholz’s SPD, Bavaria, Christian Social Union, CSU, Christian Democratic Union, CDU, Free Voters, Getty, INSA, New, Central Council of, Germany’s Süddeutesche Zeitung, Zeitung, FW, Bavarian, Greens . Center, ”, Der Spiegel, Interior Ministry Locations: Bavaria, Hesse, Germany, –, Frankfurt, Germany’s, AFP, Saxony, Bavarian, Munich, “, Germany’s Süddeutesche

[1/2] Police detain suspects as they patrol along the German-Polish border to prevent illegal migration near Klinge, Germany, September 20, 2023. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser urged Germany's 16 states on Wednesday to provide asylum seekers with material benefits rather than cash, to reduce the country's pull factor. Migration analysts say much of the tougher stance is electioneering ahead of elections in Hesse and Bavaria on Sunday and in three eastern German states next year. Vorlaender noted that even if tougher controls worked, Germany risked creating a bigger problem for transit countries by bottling in migrants there. Germany's tougher stance on migration isn't so much a policy reversal as an evolution, said Susan Fratzke at the Migration Policy Institute.

Persons: Lisi Niesner, Nancy Faeser, Germany's, Olaf Scholz, Angela Merkel, Scholz, Russia's, Hannes Schammann, SHAM, Merkel, Friedrich Merz, “, ” Merz, Merz, Alberto ‑ Horst Neidhardt, Hans Vorlaender, Vorlaender, Ludovit, Susan Fratzke, Schammann, Sarah Marsh, Riham, Jan Lopatka, Alan Charlish, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Police, REUTERS, Authorities, EU, EU's Agency for Asylum, University of Hildesheim, Christian Democratic Union, European, Faeser, Migration Policy Institute, Berlin, Thomson Locations: Klinge, Germany, Berlin, BERLIN, Hesse, Bavaria, Europe, Poland, Czech Republic, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Turkey, Ankara, Prague, Warsaw

☆ Poland Election Turns Germany Into Punchbag, Straining Western Alliance
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +7 min

In another dispute, Warsaw resisted a German offer to station Patriot missile air defence units in Poland before eventually agreeing to it. Among the sticking points, one German source said Poland was asking for too much money for the repair works. Another source, a German diplomat, said the talks failed partly because German companies were reluctant to share technical information. SOURING RELATIONSWhile ties between Poland and Germany have been frosty since PiS first came to power in 2015, Poles now see them worsening. Just 47% think relations are good, according to a German Polish barometer poll this year, down from 72% in 2020.

Persons: Marek Strzelecki, Sabine Siebold, Anna Koper, Donald Tusk, PiS, Mateusz Morawiecki, Tusk, Angela Merkel, Olaf Scholz, General Ben Hodges, Krauss, Maffei, Sebastian Chwalek, Thomas Kleine, Berlin, mushroomed, Camp David, ” Hodges, Joe, Biden, Andrzej, Duda, Chancellor Scholz, Justyna Pawlak, Anna Wlodarczak, Alan Charlish, Sarah Marsh, Andreas Rinke, Matthias Williams, Mark Heinrich Organizations: Anna, Anna Koper WARSAW, NATO, Justice, Nazi Wehrmacht, Patriot, Law, Justice Party, U.S, Army, Reuters, Rheinmetall, Polska, Patriots, Foreign, German Marshall Fund Locations: BERLIN, Germany, Berlin, Ukraine, Polish, Nazi, EU, Slovakia, Poland, Warsaw, U.S, Europe, German, PiS, Japan, South Korea

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Andrzej Duda, Thibault Camus, Donald Tusk, PiS, Mateusz Morawiecki, Tusk, Angela Merkel, General Ben Hodges, Krauss, Maffei, Sebastian Chwalek, Thomas Kleine, Berlin, mushroomed, Camp David, ” Hodges, Joe, Biden, Andrzej, Duda, Chancellor Scholz, Justyna Pawlak, Marek Strzelecki, Anna Koper, Anna Wlodarczak, Alan Charlish, Sarah Marsh, Sabine Siebold, Andreas Rinke, Matthias Williams, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Russia, goading, NATO, Justice, Nazi Wehrmacht, Patriot, Law, Justice Party, U.S, Army, Reuters, Rheinmetall, Polska, Patriots, Foreign, German Marshall Fund, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Berlin, Germany, Russia Berlin, goading Warsaw, WARSAW, BERLIN, Polish, Nazi, EU, Slovakia, Poland, Warsaw, U.S, Europe, German, PiS, Japan, South Korea

☆ Germany's political landscape is shifting, with the far-right AfD party ahead in the polls
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( Hannah Ward-Glenton | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The AFD party leadership (front row) holds a banner reading OUR LAND FIRST! during a protest against the rising cost of living in a demonstration organized by the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) political party on October 8, 2022 in Berlin, Germany. The Christian Democratic Union party (CDU), formerly led by chancellor of 16 years, Angela Merkel, currently polls the highest. "First of all you need a political will to stop it and we don't see this will among the other parties. "There is a backlash clearly … The population is now moving to the right," Sinn said, referring to the popularity of the AfD.

Persons: Omer Messinger, Angela Merkel, Robert Lambrou, Lambrou, CNBC's Annette Weisbach, Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Manfred Knof, Hans, Werner Sinn, Sinn Organizations: Getty, Social Democrats, Greens, Free Democrats, Christian Democratic Union, CDU, CNBC, Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs, Handelsblatt Locations: Germany, Berlin, Hesse, Frankfurt, Bavaria, Munich, Sonneberg, Thuringia, Europe

CNN —Germany announced Wednesday that it is ramping up its border controls with neighboring Poland and the Czech Republic to “limit human trafficking,” as the country faces fierce debate on its migration policy while asylum applications surge. Police will carry out “additional flexible checks and mobile controls along the smuggling routes at the borders with Poland and the Czech Republic,” Interior Minister Nancy Faeser told the press. The announcement came as the interior minister raised the possibility of implementing fixed controls along the borders with its two eastern neighbors this week. Until now, the southern state of Bavaria on the Austrian border was the only part of Germany with stationary border controls, a legacy of the 2015-2016 migration crisis when Europe’s leading economy took in over a million refugees. “We are fighting to keep internal border controls open within the European Union.

Persons: CNN —, Nancy Faeser, Lisi Niesner, Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s, Faeser, Italy –, Berlin’s, ” Alexander Handschuh, Handschuh, Angela Merkel’s Organizations: CNN, Police, ”, Immigration, Scholz’s Social Democratic Party, European Union, Office, Migration, Refugees, German Federal Police, German Association of Towns Locations: Poland, Czech Republic, Czech, Bavaria, Austrian, Germany, Polish, Forst, Hesse, Italy, Berlin, –, Brussels, “, Ukraine, Municipalities

It follows Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the loss of Moscow's cheap natural gas — an unprecedented shock to Germany’s energy-intensive industries, long the manufacturing powerhouse of Europe. The loss of cheap Russian natural gas needed to power factories “painfully damaged the business model of the German economy,” Kullmann told The Associated Press. One hotly debated solution: a government-funded cap on industrial electricity prices to get the economy through the renewable energy transition. However, squabbling among the coalition government over the energy price cap and a law barring new gas furnaces has exasperated business leaders. “The perception of Germany's underlying strength may also have contributed to the misguided decisions to exit nuclear energy, ban fracking for natural gas and bet on ample natural gas supplies from Russia,” he said.

Persons: “, Christian Kullmann, Kullmann, ” Kullmann, Evonik, Robert Habeck, Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Angela Merkel, —, Biden, Scholz, Evonik's Kullmann, Gerhard Schroeder, Holger Schmieding, ”, ” Schmieding, Schmieding Organizations: Jobs, International Monetary Fund, European Union, Evonik Industries, Associated Press, Greens Party, Social Democrat, Free Democrats, Companies, Schott AG, ” Locations: ESSEN, Germany, Ukraine, Europe, Europe's, Essen, Russia, Moscow, China, Bavarian, U.S, Lafayette , Indiana, Brussels, Berlin, Chile, Qatar, ” Germany, Berenberg

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