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☆ Still filming, Spielberg, 76, wins Berlin lifetime award
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Hanna Rantala | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/7] Director Steven Spielberg gestures during a news conference ahead of receiving the Honorary Golden Bear Award for Lifetime Achievement, at the 73rd Berlinale International Film Festival in Berlin, Germany, February 21, 2023. REUTERS/Annegret HilseBERLIN, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Director Steven Spielberg, picking up a lifetime achievement award at the Berlin Film Festival, said the prospect of making new films continued to excite him at 76, and unveiled new details of his planned HBO series. "We're mounting a large production for HBO based on Stanley's original script 'Napoleon'," he said. Reflecting on the past two years of frenetic film-making, Spielberg said the pandemic prompted him to revisit his childhood in "The Fabelmans". "If you want to be a movie director, first of all write," he said.

BERLIN, Feb 20 (Reuters) - German Finance Minister Christian Lindner considers the budget demands made by his government coalition partners to be excessive and "simply unrealistic", he told Reuters in a TV interview on Monday. Lindner said the requested additional spending amounted to about 70 billion euros ($70.78 billion) compared with earlier plans. According to the finance minister, the demands head into the range of 100 billion euros more per year for the years 2025 and onward. The new Defence Minister Boris Pistorius wants 10 additional billion euros for the defence budget next year, according to people with knowledge of the matter. "However, what is clear is that 10 billion euros more in 2024 than now is an unrealistic figure," he said.

[1/4] Cast member John Malkovich attends a photocall to promote the movie 'Seneca' at the 73rd Berlinale International Film Festival in Berlin, Germany, February 20, 2023. "Seneca - On the Creation of Earthquakes" seeks an answer to this question, both very contemporary and eternal, in the last night of the first-century Roman philosopher's life, after he learns the Emperor Nero has ordered his death. "He talks a lot," said Malkovich. "And sometimes it was hard not to think, OK, but die and, you know, be quiet." He asks his young wife, played by an ethereal Lilith Stangenberg, to die with him to lend theatrical weight to his death and his dictums.

"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.

[1/5] Former tennis player Boris Becker attends a news conference to promote documentary 'Boom! The World vs. Boris Becker' at the 73rd Berlinale International Film Festival in Berlin, Germany, February 19, 2023. "You have to be a bit crazy to cross the line and do things nobody else has ever achieved before." "You expect world champions in a sport to be like everyone else but we aren't," he told a news conference. "What I liked about Boris is that unlike many athletes he is a great storyteller," Gibney said.

☆ Assassin and mother: Korean thriller explores extreme work-life balance
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( Hanna Rantala | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jeon plays Boksoon, a highly skilled contract assassin in the Netflix movie. "As a mother and raising a whole person, a human being, it's very tough because you yourself are unstable, insecure, and there's so much that you just don't know," she said. "Being a mother really makes you see your shortcomings," Do-yeon added. "Kill Boksoon", which is screening in the sidebar Berlinale Special section at the Berlin Film Festival, is due to be released by Netflix on March 31. Reporting by Hanna Rantala Editing by Thomas Escritt and Helen PopperOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[1/2] Director Sean Penn attends a photo call on the red carpet to promote the documentary 'Superpower' at the 73rd Berlinale International Film Festival in Berlin, Germany, February 17, 2023. REUTERS/Nadja WohllebenBERLIN, Feb 17 (Reuters) - Late in the evening of Feb. 24, 2022, just some 15 hours after Russia triggered its invasion of his country, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy found time to receive American actor Sean Penn. Sitting in a bare, apparently windowless room, Zelenskiy speculated on Vladimir Putin's motives for the invasion. In fighting against the Russian invasion, Ukraine is "fighting a fight on all of our behalf," Penn told the audience at the premiere. "You're Sean Penn.

BERLIN, Feb 15 (Reuters) - This year's Berlin International Film Festival marks a resurgence for the global film industry after years in the doldrums due to the COVID-19 pandemic, industry expert Scott Roxborough said on the eve of the event. "The film industry is starting to come out of the pandemic, starting to revive itself," said Roxborough, Europe bureau chief of the Hollywood Reporter. "It's going to be here in Berlin where we really see the green shoots of the future of cinema." Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy will address Thursday's opening night gala by video link, the festival announced on Wednesday. One of China's biggest stars, her lengthy absence had prompted speculation she had fallen foul of China's leadership.

☆ Record surge in films at Berlin festival marks industry revival post-COVID
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BERLIN, Feb 15 (Reuters) - This year's Berlin International Film Festival, known as the Berlinale, marks a resurgence for the global film industry after years in the doldrums due to the COVID-19 pandemic, industry expert Scott Roxborough said on the eve of the festival. And, after a three-year pandemic lull, the volume of movies seeking distributors or financing is setting records, with 827 films from 121 countries chasing 1,168 buyers, according to the festival. "The film industry is starting to come out of the pandemic, starting to revive itself," said Roxborough, Europe bureau chief of the Hollywood Reporter. "It's going to be here in Berlin where we really see the green shoots of the future of cinema." One of China's biggest stars, her lengthy absence had prompted speculation she had fallen foul of China's leadership.

☆ Berlin chooses change in rerun election with clear lead for conservatives
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( Riham Alkousaa | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/7] Berlin?s frontrunner for the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Kai Wegner, for the rerun of state elections reacts at the regional state parliament in Berlin, Germany, February 12, 2023. The Social Democrats, who have governed the German capital in a coalition with the environmentalist Greens and hard-left Die Linke, scored 18.2%. "Berlin chose change", CDU top candidate Kai Wegner said of the results, adding that there was a clear mandate for his party to form a state government. Berlin's left-wing mayor Franziska Giffey acknowledged the election defeat but said the CDU would still need a stable majority to govern in the city. Talk of a possible two-way coalition with the CDU was received with booing at the Greens election party on Sunday.

[1/6] German Economy Minister Robert Habeck and French Minister for Economy, Finance, Industry and Digital Security Bruno Le Maire hold a joint news conference in Washington, U.S., February 7, 2023. "It's a process, and in a process you go step by step," Le Maire told reporters. After meetings with Yellen, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and White House officials, Habeck and Le Maire emerged with few specifics other than pledges to be clear about their competing green subsidies. Noting the agreement on both sides on the need for transparency on subsidies, Habeck said, "We will (create) a technical group to make this transparency work." But Commerce said she applauded the TTC's work to promote transparency for U.S. and EU semiconductor subsidies and support supply chains.

☆ Volkswagen boosts earnings in 2022, high inventory drags down cash flow
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Victoria Waldersee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Earnings of 22.5 billion euros ($24.11 billion) put Volkswagen at the higher end of the 7-8.5% margin it had forecast in March of last year, with sales beating 2021 figures at around 279 billion euros compared with 250.2 billion the year prior. Still, net cash flow came to only around 5 billion euros, under the target of matching 2021's 8.6 billion euros, which the company blamed on an unstable supply chain leaving it sitting on high inventories of unfinished goods, supplies and materials. "Current planning for 2023 suggests that this year-end 2022 increase in working capital will largely reverse during the year," it added in its statement. Volkswagen also warned in January that the outlook for 2023 remained clouded by weak economies and supply-chain shortages. ($1 = 0.9331 euro)Reporting by Victoria Waldersee in Berlin Editing by Thomas Escritt and Matthew LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Volkswagen earnings meet forecast, inventory weighs on net cash flow
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, Feb 7 (Reuters) - Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) reaped an 8.1% earnings margin in 2022, at the upper end of its outlook, but net cash flow was far lower than hoped as supply chain issues left the carmaker weighed down with unfinished goods and raw materials, it said on Tuesday. Volkswagen, which is due to report full-year results on March 14, said in a preliminary announcement that sales over the year were around 279 billion euros ($298.95 billion), up from 250.2 billion in 2021, with operating profit at 22.5 billion euros. Net liquidity in the automotive division was around 43 billion euros, including around 16 billion euros in cash inflows from the IPO of sportscar brand Porsche in September 2022. Volkswagen had warned in October that supply chain troubles were the new norm after reporting stagnated earnings in the third quarter. ($1 = 0.9334 euros)($1 = 0.9333 euros)Reporting by Victoria Waldersee, editing by Thomas EscrittOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Volkswagen meets expected earnings forecast for 2022, net cash flow below target
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Companies Volkswagen AG FollowBERLIN, Feb 7 (Reuters) - Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) reported a return on sales of 22.5 billion euros ($24.10 billion) in 2022 off sales of 279 billion euros, yielding an earnings margin of 8.1%, in line with the carmaker's forecast. Net cash flow was significantly below target at 5 billion euros, down from 8.6 billion euros last year, which the company attributed to supply chain disruptions particularly at the end of the year leaving it with high inventories of finishd goods, raw materials and supplies. ($1 = 0.9334 euros)Reporting by Victoria Waldersee, editing by Thomas EscrittOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

WASHINGTON, Feb 7 (Reuters) - France and Germany's economy ministers said they would push for the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act to embrace European companies as fully as possible as they headed into talks with their Washington counterparts on Tuesday. While Canadian and Mexican companies are eligible to benefit from many of its provisions, the act does not help European competitors. Le Maire and his German counterpart Robert Habeck, who are due to put their case to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, trade representative Katherine Tai and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, fear European companies could be disadvantaged. "A strong green industrial market in the U.S. and a strong green industrial market in Europe will help each other," Habeck told reporters from a noisy Washington street corner before they headed into their meetings. Le Maire said Europe needed transparency on the exact subsidies and tax credits that were on offer to ensure "fair competition" between industries on both sides of the Atlantic.

☆ German govt security council OKs delivery of 178 Leopard 1 tanks to Ukraine - source
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, Feb 7 (Reuters) - The German government's security council has approved delivery of 178 Leopard 1 tanks to Ukraine from industry stocks, considerably more than previously announced, a source said, confirming an earlier Spiegel magazine report. "The export of 178 Leopard 1s is approved," said the person, who was familiar with the situation. The report emerged as German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius made a surprise appearance in Kyiv. Some would be sent in the summer but the bulk of the Leopard 1s would be delivered next year, Der Spiegel reported. The move follows the German government's decision last month, amid mounting international pressure, to deliver more modern Leopard 2 battle tanks from army stocks.

"They fire, we hire," said Rainer Zugehoer, Chief People Officer at Cariad, the software subsidiary of automaker Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE). Spooked by inflation and the prospect of recession, Google parent Alphabet (GOOGL.O), Microsoft (MSFT.O) and Facebook owner Meta (META.O) have announced a combined almost 40,000 job cuts. Germany, with one of the world's oldest populations, has gaping holes in its labour force: according to IT industry group Bitkom, 137,000 IT jobs are unfilled. Gerlach added, adding Munich's famed beer festival to the strong labour protections that might prove attractive to the newly jobless. "Bureaucracy in Germany is utterly crippling for most highly-qualified workers when they first encounter it, especially if they don't speak German," said Diana Stoleru of Berlin startup Lendis.

☆ Jump or be pushed: German conservatives turn on ex-Nazi hunter over race comments
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BERLIN, Jan 30 (Reuters) - Once he was Germany's top Nazi hunter. Now the conservative opposition want to kick former domestic security chief Hans-Georg Maassen out of their party for allegedly repeating anti-Semitic and racist tropes. But the long-time member and one-time parliamentary candidate of former Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU) lost that job after being accused of ignoring video evidence of far-right gangs chasing immigrants in riots. Maassen, who has always strongly denied charges of racism, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Under German party democracy laws introduced to prevent the re-emergence of dictatorial parties like Hitler's Nazis, expulsion can only follow a series of quasi-judicial hearings to establish whether a member is in conflict with the party's values.

☆ German arrested for allegedly passing on intelligence to Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, Jan 26 (Reuters) - A German citizen was arrested at the Munich airport on suspicion of treason for allegedly colluding with an intelligence service employee to pass on intelligence to Russia, the prosecutor general's office said on Thursday. The man, identified as Arthur E., was arrested on Sunday upon arriving in Germany from the United States, the prosecutor said in a statement. He is said to be an associate of Carsten L., an employee of the German foreign intelligence service (BND) who was arrested in December on suspicion of spying for Russia. Arthur E., who is not a German intelligence employee, is believed to have passed on to the Russian intelligence service information he had obtained from Carten L., according to the prosecutor's statement. German authorities have warned of likely heightened Russian spying given the Kremlin's stand-off with the West over the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

☆ Two killed in knife attack on German train - authorities
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/5] Forensic experts stand next to a train on which an incident involving a knife attack took place, at a railway station in Brokstedt, Germany, January 25, 2023. REUTERS/Fabian BimmerBERLIN, Jan 25 (Reuters) - Two people were killed and several others injured in a knife attack on Wednesday on a regional train travelling between Kiel and Hamburg in northern Germany, authorities said. Earlier, the Bild newspaper had said five people were injured in the attack. Police were investigating at the train station in Brokstedt, the German railway Deutsche Bahn said on Twitter, adding some services between the two cities had been cancelled. "Federal and state police are working closely together on investigating this case," state interior minister Sabine Suettelin-Waack said in a statement.

Still, many Germans feel Scholz is not doing a very good job of explaining his thinking. Scholz has so far neither said he would give the green light nor if he would send tanks from Germany. A main reason given is that Russia could see the deliveries of tanks as tantamount to Germany becoming a party to conflict. The Kremlin would be less inclined to retaliate if another nuclear power such as the United States also sent tanks. Already, Russia's invasion of Ukraine has forced Germany to overcome taboos such as exporting arms to war zones.

☆ 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.

☆ Germany charges five with plot to kidnap minister, overthrow government
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, Jan 23 (Reuters) - Prosecutors brought high treason charges against five people who allegedly planned to kidnap the health minister and were prepared to kill in order to topple the German government, the attorney general said on Monday. The group, formed in mid-January 2022, had set itself the goal "of triggering civil war-like conditions in Germany by means of violence" in the hope of overthrowing the government and parliamentary democracy, the prosecutor said in a statement. All five have been in custody since last year, when authorities first revealed the details of the alleged plot. According to prosecutors, the suspects had made increasingly concrete preparations and formed two separate branches of their group, one military and the other administrative. In a three-step plan, they wanted to cause a nationwide blackout, abduct Health Minister Karl Lauterbach, kill his bodyguards if necessary, and then call an assembly to depose the government and appoint a new leader.

☆ No need for German, U.S. tanks to be sent to Ukraine simultaneously -defence minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BERLIN, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Germany's new Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said he did not know of any requirement that Ukraine receive U.S. and German tanks simultaneously, before a meeting on Friday at which future supplies to Kyiv will be discussed. Younger people were also more reluctant to send tanks than older respondents in the survey. A German government source earlier said that Berlin had not so far received any requests for a licence to re-export Leopard tanks. Poland and Finland have already said they will send Leopard tanks to Ukraine if Germany gives approval for export. Berlin has veto power over any decision to export its Leopard tanks, fielded by NATO-allied armies across Europe and seen by defence experts as the most suitable for Ukraine.

People and businesses across Europe are increasing their use of such smart thermometers to keep an eye on how much gas they are using. In the winter of 2021-22, the proportion of homes with heating switched on across Europe passed 90% on November 28. The European Union imports 80% of its gas and gas represents 22% of Europe's energy consumption and meets 32% of households' energy needs, according to the EU. "Some 79% of energy consumption in a private home is heating and hot water," said Tado's Managing Director Christian Deilmann. It is still too early to tell from Tado's data whether households' energy discipline is slackening.

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