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☆ EU's von der Leyen says she will tackle US green subsidies, overcome e-fuels impasse
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen walk following a closed German cabinet meeting at the government's guest house in Schloss Meseberg, near Gransee, Germany, March 5, 2023. REUTERS/Fabrizio BenschFRANKFURT, Germany, March 5 (Reuters) - EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Sunday she is determined to counter challenges from U.S. subsidies for green technologies and to speed a currently blocked law on phasing out combustion engines from 2035. A Commission report on competitiveness, due at the same time, would help lower barriers inside the internal EU market and address shortages of specialised labour, which von der Leyen called a "brake on growth." Scholz and von der Leyen said that trade agreements were also being eyed with Indonesia and India. Von der Leyen also said the EU was keeping a close watch on whether China sticks to commitments not to help arm Russia in the Ukraine war.

☆ Ukraine's allies mark anniversary of war around the world
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Dave Lucas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Boards reading "V. Zelenskiy Square 1" are seen on the remains of a destroyed Russian T-72 tank, secured from the Ukrainian village of Dmytrivka, outside Kyiv which are on display near the Russian embassy at Unter den Linden boulevard, during an...moreBoards reading "V. Zelenskiy Square 1" are seen on the remains of a destroyed Russian T-72 tank, secured from the Ukrainian village of Dmytrivka, outside Kyiv which are on display near the Russian embassy at Unter den Linden boulevard, during an event to mark the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in Berlin, Germany, February 24, 2023. REUTERS/Fabrizio BenschClose

☆ German peace activists park rusty tank outside Russian embassy
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Berlin, Feb 23 (Reuters) - Activists protesting against Russia's invasion of Ukraine parked a destroyed, rusty tank directly in front of the Russian embassy in Berlin on Friday, bringing a piece of the battlefield to the centre of the German capital. The Russian embassy was not available for comment. They said it was transferred to Germany with the help of the Ukrainian Defence Ministry and the Ukrainian National Museum of Military History. The district office of Berlin's Mitte borough rejected Lenze's and Giebel's application to display the tank last year, citing concerns including road safety. The tank will subsequently tour through Europe and may end up in a German tank museum.

☆ Airbus' defence arm says Berlin delaying exports worth billions
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( Sabine Siebold | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] An Airbus A400M military transport aircraft of the German Air Force is pictured in the air during the ILA Berlin Air Show 2022, in Berlin, Germany June 22, 2022. REUTERS/Fabrizio BenschMUNICH, Feb 19 (Reuters) - Slow German government export approvals are holding up Airbus Defence & Space (AIR.PA) defence exports worth several billions of euros, the company's chief executive said on Sunday, urging Berlin to speed up the process. Unfortunately we are having difficulties to get the German export licences on time," Michael Schoellhorn told Reuters in an interview at the Munich Security Conference. "Our problem is that we haven't received any contracts yet from the Zeitenwende and important exports are not being approved. Asked whether in future space developments Europe will have to fall back on Elon Musk's SpaceX company following Airbus Defence & Space's loss of two satellites on a Vega C rocket, Schoellhorn said any such solution would be temporary.

"We started making a film on the last war in Europe and then a new war broke out," Sicin-Sain told reporters. "It's about the resilience of all of us and that's a wonderful thing to put out into the world, particularly now," Damon told Reuters. His production company is in the early stages of researching a film about the war in Ukraine, he added. Footage of Bosnian Serb general Ratko Mladic - now serving a life sentence for genocide - denying war crimes makes the parallels with today's war inescapable. Reporting by Thomas Escritt; Additional reporting by Hanna Rantala; Editing by David HolmesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ ChatGPT has investors scrambling to get on the AI bandwagon so much that obscure stocks are soaring just like big-name chip companies
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

That's that for the latest Fed talk — but today, we're taking a closer look at the AI hype train passing through the stock market. And small-cap tech stocks with names that nod to bots like BigBear.ai and SoundHound AI have similarly notched gains so far this year. Tech stocks have come back with a "vengeance," Fundstrat's Mark Newton said. It's a necessary step for policymakers to take, the group said, even if it means declines in stock market returns. Wall Street's biggest firms are warning their clients not to trust the stock market rally.

☆ Ukraine, Iran's quests for freedom to dominate Berlin Film Festival
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A pin, Berlinale bear in Ukrainian flag's colors, is seen on the sweater of a staff member during a news conference ahead of the 73rd Berlinale International Film Festival in Berlin, Germany, January 23, 2023. REUTERS/Fabrizio BenschBERLIN, Jan 23 (Reuters) - Sean Penn's documentary portrait of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, filmed as Russia invaded Ukraine a year ago, will be among headliners at next month's Berlin Film Festival, where a life achievement award will go to Steven Spielberg. "And maybe Berlin is more relevant than other places, because we are close to Ukraine, because Ukrainian people live in Berlin." The competition will also make space for animation with "Suzume" by Japan's Makoto Shinkai, described by Chatrian as the "poet of youth". Described as a journey through the Japanese archipelago, the film stands out for its bold colouring.

☆ FIFA to re-think 2026 format as they face spoiling winning recipe
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Mark Gleeson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Preview, Doha, Qatar - November 18, 2022 The FIFA World Cup logo on the Corniche Promenade is pictured ahead of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 REUTERS/Fabrizio BenschDOHA, Dec 14 (Reuters) - Having just delivered the most exciting group stage ever seen at a World Cup, with a tried and tested format that keeps hundreds of millions of fans enthralled, FIFA now faces the prospect of ripping it all up. The 2026 format has the 48 teams reduced to 32 after the group phase and then the tournament becomes a knockout affair. The 32-team World Cup in Qatar has a total of 64, completed in 29 days, and, for now, the 2026 finals will be 80 games over 32 days. More matches, however, would mean more television rights money and as the World Cup brings in some 90% of FIFA's revenue, its leaders will be tempted. The World Cup in Qatar has earned $7,5-billion in rights and sponsorship revenue, one billion more than for 2018 finals in Russia, FIFA said last month.

☆ Former Wirecard boss goes on trial in fraud scandal that rocked Germany
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Jörn Poltz | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] Wirecard's former boss Markus Braun listens, ahead of testifying before a German parliamentary committee in Berlin, Germany, November 19, 2020. Braun has denied embezzling money from Wirecard and accused others of running a shadow operation without his knowledge. However, within days, Wirecard became the first-ever DAX member to file for insolvency, owing creditors nearly $4 billion. Following Wirecard's demise, the head of German financial regulator BaFin resigned and the head of Germany's accounting watchdog also stepped down. Scholz also criticised Wirecard's auditor, EY, for failing to catch the fraud.

☆ The rise and fall of Wirecard
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

July 2: The head of Germany's financial watchdog calls the accounting scandal at Wirecard "a massive criminal act". July 6: German prosecutors arrest the head of a Dubai-based subsidiary of Wirecard. 2021Jan. 29: Felix Hufeld, president of German financial watchdog BaFin, steps down. 2022Jan. 14: German prosecutors file first charges in Wirecard fraud, the Financial Times reports. Sept. 21: A Munich district court said it had admitted charges against former Wirecard executives, paving way for a trial.

Still, politics have spilled into the World Cup, the first to be held in a Middle East country. We don't have voice in Iran," said an Iranian living in the United States who gave his name only as Sam. Steve Garcia, from Phoenix, Arizona, said the United States and Iran had their differences but could come together in sport. The United States has imposed sanctions on Iranian officials over the crackdown on protesters. When their soccer teams clashed in the 1998 World Cup, Iran emerged with a 2-1 victory.

A defeat against Spain after Germany's shock 2-1 opening loss to Japan would have left Hansi Flick's men facing a huge challenge to get into the knockout phase. Spain coach Luis Enrique said he was left ruing his side's failure to hold on to their lead. Spain top the standings with four points and now need only a draw in their final Group E game against Japan to progress. They need to win against Costa Rica on Thursday and their hopes then depend on Japan losing. If Japan draw it would come down to goal difference or goals scored by Germany and Japan.

☆ Weah gives U.S. 1-0 halftime lead against Wales
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Nick Said | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

[1/3] Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - Group B - United States v Wales - Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan, Qatar - November 21, 2022 Timothy Weah of the U.S. celebrates scoring their first goal REUTERS/Fabrizio BenschAL RAYYAN, Qatar, Nov 21 (Reuters) - United States winger Timothy Weah scored with a finish his illustrious father would have been proud of to give his side a deserved 1-0 halftime lead over Wales in their World Cup Group B clash at a raucous Ahmad bin Ali Stadium on Monday. The son of former World Player of the Year George Weah timed his run perfectly to beat the offside trap, before collecting a beautifully weighted pass from Christian Pulisic and slipping the ball past goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey after 36 minutes. Reporting by Nick Said; Editing by Ken FerrisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Soccer Qatar's Bedouin roots star in World Cup opening ceremony
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( Andrew Mills | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"From Qatar, from the Arab world, I welcome everyone to the World Cup 2022," Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani said. "How lovely it is that people can put aside what divides them to celebrate their diversity and what brings them together." Then, fireworks exploded from the roof of Al Bayt stadium, 44 km (27 miles) north of the capital, Doha. Earlier, the nearly full stadium erupted in cheers when Sheikh Tamim arrived at the stadium flanked by FIFA president Gianni Infantino. The ceremony featured video footage of Sheikh Tamim as a boy playing soccer in the desert, which seemed aimed at countering the argument made by Qatar's critics that the Gulf Arab state has no soccer tradition.

[1/2] A general view shows Pearl Island, an artificial island spanning nearly four square kilometres, ahead of the FIFA 2022 World Cup soccer tournament at Katara Cultural Village in Doha, Qatar November 17, 2022. "What happens when the World Cup is over? I know gay men in workers' camps wouldn't be able to live the same way." Qatari organisers of the World Cup have warned visitors against public displays of affection but say that everyone, no matter their sexual orientation or background, is welcome at the event. The furore has been fuelled by comments from public figures including former Qatar player and World Cup ambassador Khalid Salman who told a German broadcaster that homosexuality was "damage in the mind".

☆ World's dash for natural gas endangers climate goals -report
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Kate Abnett | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Germany's future LNG terminal is under construction amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in Lubmin, Germany, September 19, 2022. Among the projects are new gas drilling in Canada and liquefied natural gas (LNG) import capacity in Germany and Vietnam. By October, Russian gas had plummetted to 7.5% of Europe's gas imports, down from 40% in recent years. The dash to replace those supplies has bolstered plans to expand fossil fuel infrastructure, even as the European Union has proposed higher renewable energy targets to attempt to mostly replace Russian fuel with clean energy. The International Energy Agency has said no new oil and gas fields should be opened if the world is hit the 1.5C goal.

☆ The US and other NATO allies are rushing to get air defense systems to Ukraine after Russia let loose a barrage of missiles and explosive suicide drones
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The US and other NATO allies have in turn stepped up efforts to send Ukraine air defense systems. Among these advanced systems are the IRIS-T SLM and NASAMS. Since then, NATO countries like the US, Germany, and the Netherlands have publicly expressed a desire to quickly get air defense systems into the hands of Ukrainian forces. Germany's defense ministry said on Monday that it was delivering the first of four IRIS-T SLM air defense systems to Ukraine, adding that the recent attacks show "how important the air defense capability for Ukraine's self-defense is." The advanced IRIS-T SLM can defend against missiles as far as 25 miles away and hit targets flying at an altitude of around 12 miles.

☆ German inflation at highest level in over 25 years
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Full shelves with groceries are pictured in a supermarket during the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Berlin, Germany, March 17, 2020. REUTERS/Fabrizio BenschSummary EU-harmonized inflation at 10.9%Energy costs up 43.9% year-on-yearAnalyst: ECB must act quickly, vigorouslyBERLIN, Sept 29 (Reuters) - German inflation was at its highest in more than a quarter of a century in September, driven by high energy prices, data showed, as analysts warned that the energy crisis has yet to make itself fully felt. Consumer prices, harmonised to make them comparable with inflation data from other European Union countries (HICP), increased by 10.9% on the year, the federal statistics office said. That was the highest reading since comparable data going back to 1996. Dwindling gas supplies from Russia have pushed energy prices, and correspondingly inflation, to highs not seen in decades, with the massive loss in consumer purchasing power adding to the likelihood that a recession is on the way.

☆ Lions Gate focusing on spinning off studio business over Starz
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Actors and staff pose as they arrive for the world premiere of "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2" in Berlin, Germany, November 4, 2015. REUTERS/Fabrizio BenschSept 28 (Reuters) - Lions Gate Entertainment Corp (LGFa.N) said on Wednesday it was focusing on spinning off its studio business first, even as it explores alternative options for its cable and streaming division, Starz. The company's film and TV studios have an extensive library, with hits such as "Hunger Games, "The Expendables" and "Mad Men". "As negotiations progress, we have increased our focus on the possibility of spinning our studio business, creating a number of financial and strategic benefits." Lionsgate also announced it would rebrand its international streaming service, Starzplay, to Lionsgate+ in 35 countries.

☆ How Germany's industrial giants are preparing for winter
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Victoria Waldersee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Some industrial giants in particular gas-heavy industries like chemicals have begun shifting production and sourcing from elsewhere, while others are switching from gas to coal or oil - spelling trouble for their carbon footprint. read moreBMW (BMWG.DE)BMW consumes around 3,500 gigawatt hours (GWh) of energy annually in Germany and Austria, three-quarters of which comes from natural gas. The carmaker can reduce its gas intake by at least 15% compared to last year, the company's chief financial officer said on Monday. LINDEThe world's largest industrial gas company said in July it produced gases which were critical from a medical or process safety perspective and so believed it would be prioritised for gas allocation from Germany' government. read moreA spokesperson declined to provide further information, saying an update would be provided later in October in line with third quarter results.

☆ Factbox: How Germany's industrial giants are preparing for winter
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Victoria Waldersee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Industrial giants, in particular gas-heavy industries like chemicals, have begun shifting production and sourcing from elsewhere. It is now sourcing some of its ammonia from outside of Europe, where prices are lower, a spokesperson said. read moreBMW (BMWG.DE)BMW consumes around 3,500 gigawatt hours (GWh) of energy annually in Germany and Austria, three-quarters of which comes from natural gas. Chief executive Dominik von Achten said the company was shifting production at plants to times when power prices were lower, such as weekends. LINDEThe world's largest industrial gas company said in July it produced gases which were critical from a medical or process safety perspective and so believed it would be prioritised for gas allocation from Germany' government.

☆ Denmark to raise preparedness level after leaks on gas pipelines
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Security walk next to the landfall facility of the Baltic Sea gas pipeline Nord Stream 1 in Lubmin, Germany, September 19, 2022. REUTERS/Fabrizio BenschCOPENHAGEN, Sept 27 (Reuters) - Danish authorities have asked that the country's level of preparedness for the power and gas sector be raised after three leaks occurred on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines near Denmark and Sweden, Energy Minister Dan Jorgensen said on Tuesday. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Stine Jacobsen, editing by Anna RingstromOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Security walks in front of the landfall facility of the Baltic Sea gas pipeline Nord Stream 2 in Lubmin, Germany, September 19, 2022. "Yesterday, a leak was detected on one of the two gas pipelines between Russia and Denmark - Nord Stream 2. Russia slashed gas supplies to Europe via Nord Stream 1 before suspending flows altogether in August, blaming Western sanctions for causing technical difficulties. 'EXTRA WATCH'"There are two leaks on Nord Stream 1 - one in Swedish economic zone and one in Danish economic zone. It said the gas leak would only affect the environment locally, which means that only the area where the gas plume in the water column is located would be affected.

A pressure gauge is seen at the landfall facility of the Baltic Sea gas pipeline Nord Stream 2 in Lubmin, Germany, September 19, 2022. "Overnight the Nord Stream 2 landfall dispatcher registered a rapid gas pressure drop on Line A of the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline," Nord Stream 2's operator said in a statement. European countries have resisted Russian calls to allow the Nord Stream 2 pipeline to operate and accused Moscow of using energy as a weapon. Gazprom (GAZP.MM) referred questions about the incident to the Nord Stream 2 operator. Russia has cut off gas supplies to several countries and also halted flows through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, blaming Western sanctions for hindering operations.

☆ Group of countries to push EU for gas price cap
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Kate Abnett | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Fabrizio BenschBRUSSELS, Sept 26 (Reuters) - A group of European Union countries want to push Brussels to produce plans this week for a bloc-wide cap on the price of gas, according to a draft letter seen by Reuters. The EU proposed a package of emergency measures to tackle soaring energy prices earlier this month, but has steered clear of a gas price cap, an idea which has split the bloc's 27 member states. Addressed to EU energy commissioner Kadri Simson, the draft letter called for a price cap on all wholesale gas transactions. Other states oppose capping gas prices, raising doubts as to whether any EU proposal would win sufficient support. EU countries are negotiating those proposals and aim to approve them when EU energy ministers meet on Friday.

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