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☆ Germany only has 20,000 high explosive artillery shells left - report
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, June 19 (Reuters) - Germany's armed forces only have around 20,000 high explosive artillery shells left, magazine Der Spiegel wrote on Monday citing confidential defence ministry papers prepared to convince the budget committee of the need for urgent purchases. Germany's military needs to build up an inventory of some 230,000 shells by 2031 to comply with NATO goals to have enough artillery to withstand 30 days of intensive combat, Der Spiegel wrote. The defence ministry did not immediately reply to a request for comment. The ministry aims to present the budget committee with nine contracts for the accelerated purchase of artillery and tank ammunition in coming months, Der Spiegel wrote. Reporting by Sabine Siebold and Sarah Marsh; Editing by Christina FincherOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Der Spiegel, Sabine Siebold, Sarah Marsh, Christina Fincher Organizations: NATO, Thomson Locations: BERLIN, Germany, Ukraine, Russia

They are to be built on some of the 33,000 hectares (330 square km) of former coal mines in Lusatia by 2030. The plans are emblematic of the drive by Chancellor Olaf Scholz's government to accelerate the phase-out of coal power towards a carbon neutral economy by as early as 2030 versus the agreed target of 2038. Many of LEAG's 8,000 coal workers are expected to retire by 2030 or retrain in renewable energy. Only 18% of locals believe politicians are doing enough to counteract the consequences of the coal phase-out, a survey published in May by broadcaster rbb showed, while 70% worry electricity could become expensive. "It is fundamentally unrealistic that the coal phase-out can be achieved in 2030," Christine Herntier, mayor of the town of Spremberg, told Reuters.

Persons: LEAG, Chancellor Olaf Scholz's, Ute Liebsch, Liebsch, Knut Abraham, Abraham, rbb, Christine Herntier, Rainer Schiller, Schiller, Ben Schueppel, Ingolf Arnold, Matthias Williams Organizations: Green, Reuters, Park, Thomson Locations: Berlin, FORST, Germany, Czech, Lusatia, Brandenburg, Saxony, Spremberg, Herntier

☆ Vladimir Putin was never the Soviet super spy he'd like us to believe. He was merely a KGB 'errand boy,' report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-04 | by ( Nathan Rennolds | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin has been portrayed as an elite KGB intelligence officer in the 1980s. But a new report from Der Spiegel suggests he was never the super spy he was thought to be. Horst Jehmlich, a former Stasi officer who also worked in Dresden, told Der Spiegel that Putin was nothing more than an "errand boy." Putin worked for the KGB, the Soviet Union's intelligence service, for nearly two decades. Officially he retired from active KGB service with the rank of lieutenant colonel.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Der Spiegel, —, Spiegel, Der, Putin, Horst Jehmlich, Oleg Kalugin Organizations: Service, Red Army, Dresden University, KGB, RFE Locations: Soviet, West Germany, Dresden, East Germany, Germany, Russia

CNN —Hundreds of far-left protesters clashed with police in the eastern German city of Leipzig on Saturday night, during demonstrations over jail terms handed down to several people convicted of vigilante attacks against neo-Nazis. Groups sympathetic to Lina E., who is from Leipzig, have been protesting the verdict. Police tried at first to accommodate the demonstration, but when it turned violent and officers came under attack, authorities responded with force. Five people were arrested, all male German citizens aged 20 to 32 years old, Leipzig police said. “All the information available to the Leipzig police department suggests that protesters will still gather in Leipzig on Saturday despite the ban,” a Leipzig police spokesperson told CNN on Friday.

Persons: Lina E, –, Der, ”, Jan Woitas, Lina ”, Lennart A, Jannis, Jonathan M, Germany’s Organizations: CNN, Der Spiegel, Police, ”, Saturday, Prosecutors Locations: German, Leipzig, Dresden, Leipzig –, ” Leipzig, Europe, Germany, Hamburg, Berlin, Wurzen, Eisenach, Thuringia

CNN —German police are preparing to mobilize in cities across the country on Saturday, with protests expected amid a mounting backlash after a court sent several left-wing militants to prison over attacks on neo-Nazis. The city of Leipzig – where most of the attacks took place – has already banned an anti-fascist march dubbed ‘Day-X’ because of fears for public safety. As well as in Leipzig, protests are also expected in the cities of Bremen, Hanover, Hamburg and Berlin on Saturday. The accusations leveled against the group were the most serious faced by Germany’s radical left in recent years. The far-right Alternative for Germany party, which has come under its own scrutiny from security services for its ties to extremists, welcomed the verdict by the Dresden court.

Persons: Lina E, –, Der, Marcus Brandt, ”, “, Lennart A, Jannis, Jonathan M, Germany’s, Lina ”, Jan Woitas, Lina, Nancy Faeser, Faeser, Timon Dzienus Organizations: CNN, Der Spiegel, Protesters, AP Leipzig, Saturday, Prosecutors, Guardian, Germany, Germany’s Green Party, Twitter Locations: Dresden, Leipzig, Europe, Bremen, Hanover, Hamburg, Berlin, Wurzen, Eisenach, German, Thuringia, Germany

Even if the whole world stands with him, we will bring him to justice," said Houaida Muhi Aldeen, a 49-year-old Syrian living in France and a former political detainee in Syrian prisons. Muhi Aldeen and other workshop attendants are among millions of Syrians displaced by the 12-year war. They found Assad's reintegration into the Arab League after more than a decade of isolation frustrating, but not surprising. "This is the goal of this (normalization) step, to sow despair and frustration among Syrians," said Anwar al-Bunni, a lawyer helping prosecute Syrians suspected of war crimes in Germany. Arab normalisation with Assad would make it more difficult for Syrian refugees to return, said Muhi Aldeen.

☆ Der Spiegel cartoon of India reopens old wounds in world's new most populous country
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

The illustration, published last month in German news magazine Der Spiegel, shows a throng of jubilant Indians on an old and overcrowded locomotive – many standing on the roof – as it overtakes a sleek Chinese bullet train. But more than three quarters of a century later, critics of the Der Spiegel cartoon say it is unfair to view India through the lens of poverty. CNN has reached out to Der Spiegel for comment. Sankhadeep Banerjee/NurPhoto/Getty Images‘Suck up to China’The Der Spiegel cartoon “plays with very old fashioned clichés,” Germany’s ambassador to India, Philipp Ackermann, told Indian news agency ANI. “Der Spiegel caricaturing India in this manner has no resemblance to reality,” Gupta, the senior government adviser wrote on Twitter.

Berlin's ruling coalition last month agreed that almost all newly installed heating systems in Germany should run on 65% renewable energy from 2024, both in new and old buildings. Houses could also use heat pumps that run on renewable electricity, district heating, electric heating or solar thermal systems as acceptable alternatives to fossil fuel heating, according to the bill, which was seen by Reuters. Such a shift could cost Germans around 9.16 billion euros ($10 billion) annually until 2028, the draft bill showed. Germany's push to phase out gas in heating became more urgent after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine prompted Berlin to halt Russian fossil fuel imports. Heating uses up more than 40% of Germany's annual gas consumption as almost half of the country's 41 million households heat with natural gas while almost 25% use heating oil.

[1/5] A demonstrator takes part in a protest against the shut down of the last three German nuclear power plants, in Berlin, Germany, April 15, 2023. An estimated 50,000 protesters in Germany formed a 45-kilometre long (27-mile) human chain after the Fukushima disaster from Stuttgart to the Neckarwestheim Nuclear Power Plant. One of the long-running movement's early successes came in the 1970s when it managed to get plans for a nuclear plant in Wyhl in western Germany overturned. It was a Greens-coalition government that introduced the country's first nuclear phase-out law in 2002. "The nuclear phase-out is a Greens project ... and all parties have practically adopted it," said Rainer Klute, head of pro-nuclear non-profit association Nuklearia.

[1/5] A general view shows the Neckarwestheim nuclear power plant, as Germany shuts down its last nuclear power plants in Neckarwestheim, Germany, April 14, 2023. Following years of prevaricating, Germany pledged to quit nuclear power definitively after Japan's 2011 Fukushima disaster sent radiation spewing into the air and terrifying the world. Germany's commercial nuclear sector began with the commissioning of the Kahl reactor in 1961: eagerly promoted by politicians but met with scepticism by companies. With the end of the atomic power era, Germany has to find a permanent repository for around 1,900 highly radioactive casks of nuclear waste by 2031. The government also acknowledges that safety issues remain given that neighbours France and Switzerland still depend heavily on nuclear power.

[1/5] Chess prodigy Hussain Besou, 11, of Syrian origin plays chess with Andreas Kuehler, his former coach of LSV Turm Lippstadt chess club, at his home in Lippstadt, Germany, April 4, 2023. Hussain and his family immigrated as refugees in 2016 and now he will play for the German national team at the Mitropa Cup in Croatia as the youngest national player in the history of the German Chess Federation. Now 11, Besou will play for the German national chess team at the Mitropa Cup in Croatia later this month, making him the youngest German national player in the history of the German Chess Federation. German national youth trainer Bernd Voelker says Besou is an exceptional player. Despite not yet having full German citizenship, Besou will play with the German team as the youngest player in their history.

☆ Siemens investigating report employee worked for Russian hacking firm
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ZURICH, March 31 (Reuters) - Siemens (SIEGn.DE) has launched an investigation after Der Spiegel reported a former programmer from Russian IT company NTC Vulkan - which has reported links to Russian security services - worked for the German engineering and tech company. Der Spiegel reported on Friday that more than 90 former staff from NTC Vulkan worked for a several other European companies. The magazine said NTC Vulkan maintains close ties to all three major Russian intelligence services: FSB, GRU and SWR. Its so-called "Vulkan Files" said the company builds cyber programmes for the security services aimed at attacking critical infrastructure facilities. NTC Vulkan did not respond to requests for comment.

BERLIN, March 26 (Reuters) - Berlin votes on Sunday on making the city climate neutral by 2030, in a binding referendum that will force the new conservative local government to invest heavily in renewable energy, building efficiency and public transportation. "At the moment, climate policy is simply not sufficient to ensure a future worth living in our city," Jessamine Davis, a spokesperson for Climate New Start Berlin, told Reuters. "The new version will automatically apply if Berlin population votes if favour," Davis said. According to the initiative organizers, around 455,000 Berliners have requested to cast their votes via mail so far. In addition to a majority of positive votes, the initiative needs at least 608,000 "Yes" votes to make the results binding.

BERLIN, March 24 (Reuters) - Germany's transport minister on Friday said he was optimistic a dispute between Berlin and Brussels over the future of combustion engine cars running on e-fuels was close to resolution, though some questions still needed clarifying. The original law would effectively ban registration of combustion engine cars after 2035, but Germany seeks an exemption for cars that run exclusively on climate-neutral e-fuel and legal assurances from the Commission. In a letter to the Commission seen by Reuters on Friday, Germany's transport ministry welcomed the EU executive's proposals but asked for legislation to ensure its implementation. Berlin's demand for an exemption had "now been answered by the EU Commission with a letter that makes me optimistic," German Transport Minister Volker Wissing told a news conference on Friday. The European Commission declined to comment on the latest proposals.

☆ Jehovah's Witness mass shooter presented himself as a business guru charging clients $266,000 a day to get rich, says local report
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-11 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A German gunman who killed six people previously claimed he could make millions for business clients. The deadly shooting was at a Jehovah's Witness hall in the city of Hamburg. The gunman, identified as Philipp F., shot and killed himself when police arrived at the scene. German authorities identified the shooter only as Philipp F. — a former Jehovah's Witness and member of the congregation he later attacked. The four men and two women killed in the attack were all German nationals, and an injured pregnant woman lost her baby.

☆ Nord Stream mystery: the tanker Minerva Julie spent 7 days idling near the attack site
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Mattathias Schwartz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Days before the explosions, a tanker called the Minerva Julie was drifting nearby in the Baltic Sea. He discovered that the Minerva Julie, a 600-foot Greek-flagged tanker, was headed east from Rotterdam when, on September 6, it came to an abrupt stop in the middle of the Baltic Sea. From September 6 through September 13, the Minerva Julie drifted near the site of the September 26 explosions, AIS data show. The Minerva Julie stayed there, alternately idling and crossing a roughly 200-square-nautical-mile area above the two natural-gas pipelines, for seven days, from September 6 until September 12. The Minerva Julie, a 600-foot oil and chemical tanker, near the port of Rotterdam in 2020.

Eight other people were wounded, including a seven-months pregnant woman who lost her unborn daughter, police and prosecutors said at a news conference. Authorities identified the gunmman only as Philipp F. The 35-year-old, a German citizen and former Jehovah's Witness, began shooting through a window at the hall, where dozens of people were gathered, before entering. Following the previous shootings, Germany introduced stricter gun ownership rules and the government has announced plans to tighten controls further. Jehovah's Witnesses are an international Christian denomination that was founded in the United States in around 1870. The officials said about 50 people were at an event held in the Jehovah's Witness Kingdom Hall in the Alsterdorf district of the city when the shooting started.

☆ European Investment Bank proposes new fund to counter US green subsidies - Spiegel
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BERLIN, Feb 28 (Reuters) - The European Investment Bank could set up a new fund to counter subsidies offered by the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act, which pressure companies to move their production there, its president said in an interview published on Tuesday. Werner Hoyer told German news magazine Der Spiegel a fund set up to help companies stay afloat during the coronavirus pandemic could serve as a model for a fund to help safeguard European industry. "In principle, every investment project that has not yet received final approval is currently being put to the test." The European Commission earlier this month proposed allowing increased levels of state aid so that Europe can compete with the United States. The $430-billion act was passed by U.S. Congress last August and offers subsidies and tax incentives for a swathe of domestically produced green industry products.

☆ Chinese company discusses sending Russia drones -Der Spiegel
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, Feb 23 (Reuters) - Russia is in talks with a Chinese manufacturer about buying 100 drones, with a delivery date of April, German magazine Der Spiegel reported on Thursday, without citing specific sources. Der Spiegel said Chinese drone manufacturer Xian Bingo Intelligent Aviation Technology had said it was prepared to make 100 prototypes of its ZT-180 drone, which the magazine said could carry a 35-50kg warhead. It said the drone was similar to Iran's Shaheed-136, with which Russia has launched countless attacks on Ukraine, claiming hundreds of lives and damaging civilian infrastructure. The magazine also said Bingo had plans to help establish a production site for the drone in Russia, where up to 100 aircraft could be made a month. It added that there had been earlier plans for a company controlled by the Chinese army to send Russia spare parts for its SU-27 warplane.

☆ Jeff Bezos' $500 million megayacht sets sail for its first sea trials — watch video of the 417-foot vessel hitting open water
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Sarah Jackson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Jeff Bezos' new $500 million megayacht hit the open water this week to undergo tests. Sea trials are usually one of the last phases of construction, bringing the yacht one step closer to full sail. The yacht previously caused uproar for nearly requiring that a historic bridge be dismantled for it to pass. The boat's sea trials come after a turbulent year for the megayacht, which was built in the Netherlands. Watch the latest video of Bezos' yacht here:

☆ We've already been condemned, says Man City's Guardiola over charges
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"It's the same as what happened after UEFA (charges). And I think the Premier League, supported by 19 teams, are going to take good lawyers too to defend their position. "But if the same situation with UEFA happens and we are innocent, what happens to restore or pay back our damage?" Guardiola also warned that other clubs should look at their own affairs before condemning Manchester City. The charges against City, the world's highest revenue-generating club last season according to Deloitte, will be heard by an independent commission.

☆ Wolfgang and Helene Beltracchi fooled the art market — and made millions
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Oscar Holland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

“The forgery was almost incidental,” Wolfgang told Fischer. “They are storytellers, together, which is why they did a lot of research,” Fischer told CNN in a video call. Wolfgang told her that he only produced pictures he considered beautiful, and he believed the owners enjoyed them as much as the art market profited from them. In 2014, Wolfgang told CBS’ “60 Minutes” that in addition to the court-imposed damages, he had settled lawsuits worth $27 million. From her conversations with Wolfgang, Fischer concluded that both of his parents were “severely traumatized” by their experiences during World War II.

Persons: Wolfgang Beltracchi, Heinrich Campendonk —, Steve Martin, Wolfgang, Helene, Heinrich Campendonk, Peter Endig, Max Ernst, Fernand Léger, Kees van Dongen, Derain, Jeannette Fischer, Fischer, ” Wolfgang, “, ”, ’, ” Fischer, Paul Hahn, Hendrick Avercamp, Christie’s, Robin Hood, hadn’t, CNN Fischer, Picasso, —, aren’t, Leonardo da Vinci’s, Salvador Mundi, Andy Warhol, Vincent van Gogh Organizations: CNN, New York Times, Der, Art, CBS, Scheidegger Locations: Halle, Germany, Hitler’s Germany, Switzerland, France, Cologne, ”, Stalingrad

☆ 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.

☆ Man City charged by Premier League over alleged financial rule breaches
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

City were acquired by their Abu Dhabi-based owners, City Football Group, in 2008. If the charges are proved City, could face a range of sanctions, including a points deduction or expulsion from the Premier League. City are also alleged to have failed to cooperate with and assist the Premier League in its investigations from December 2018 to date. "The members of the Commission will be appointed by the independent Chair of the Premier League Judicial Panel," the Premier League said in a statement. "The Premier League will be making no further comment in respect of this matter until further notice."

☆ The Western-made tanks heading to Ukraine are unique — but that creates unique problems for Ukraine's military
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

While most modern tanks run on diesel, the Abrams uses a Honeywell 1,500-horsepower gas-turbine engine that functions best when burning JP-8 jet fuel. Challenger tanks were credited with destroying 300 Iraqi tanks. When Turkish Leopard 2s battled ISIS fighters in Syria in 2016, the results were less than impressive. Leopard manufacturer Rheinmetall has 22 Leopard 2s and 88 older Leopard 1s in its inventory, but those can't be made battle-ready until at least 2024. What matters is how many Ukraine will receive — 31 Abrams and 14 Challenger 2s are not a lot — and how Ukraine's military uses them.

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