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☆ This tailor is in high demand for Oktoberfest — there's a 6-month wait for his authentic leather lederhosen, which can cost nearly $2,000
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-16 | by ( Matthias Schrader | Kirsten Grieshaber | Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Klaus Bensmann is a tailor who has been handmaking leather lederhosen for the past 38 years. Bavarians have worn lederhosen — knee-long leather pants with suspenders and embroidery — for hundreds of years. Revelers preferring a more classic look book an appointment with leather tailor Klaus Bensmann for customized, handmade britches fashioned from deer or cow leather. AP Photo/Matthias SchraderBensmann offers different cuts of Bavarian lederhosen, traditional knee-longs, short ones that end mid-thigh, and longer, looser knickerbockers. But instead of working as a tanner, he decided to become a leather tailor, and in 1985 he opened his store and workshop, Leder Bensmann.

Persons: Klaus Bensmann, Bensmann's, Matthias Schrader Bensmann, Claus, Bensmann, Matthias Schrader, Leder, Lederhosen Organizations: Service, AP, Associated Press, Bavarian Locations: Munich, Wall, Silicon, Germany, Germany's, Bavaria, China, Bad, Bavarian, Austrian, Germany's Saxony, North Rhine – Westphalia, Canada, Hindelang

☆ Until 3183 A.D., This Public Sculpture Is a Work in Progress
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Richard Fisher | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

One of the biggest sticking points was the use of concrete, which some residents found ugly and drab, Barbara Laber said. He may have been seeking to make time itself more concrete, more tangible, Schlecht said. In the late 20th century, Laber was not the only German artist exploring time’s reach across generations. Since then, several other long-term art projects have begun across Europe and beyond. But Michael Münker, whose day job is running a medical device firm in the Netherlands, recently established a network called L.T.A.P.

Persons: Barbara Laber, “, Klaus Schlecht, Laber, Schlecht, Joseph Beuys, Bogomir Ecker, Michael Münker Organizations: Pyramid Foundation, Hamburger Kunsthalle Locations: Kassel, Germany, Hamburger, Hamburg, Europe, Halberstadt, Dutch, Oxfordshire, England, Texas, Netherlands

Containers are seen at a terminal in the port of Hamburg, Germany November 14, 2019. Under a deal between MSC and the city of Hamburg, MSC will make a cash offer of 16.75 euros ($17.99) per share to acquire all listed class A stock in HHLA. The city of Hamburg, which owns 69% of HHLA's A shares and all of its unlisted S-shares, would retain control of Hamburg port with a 50.1% stake via the S-shares. A source familiar with the deal gave an enterprise value of 2.6 billion euros, including 1.4 billion euros in debt. HHLA said its management board would review the MSC offer.

Persons: Fabian Bimmer, Klaus, Michael Kuehne, Lloyd, Kuehne, Marc Zeck, Stifel, Nikolas Mauder, Kepler Cheuvreux, HHLA, Andrey Sychev, Sabine Wollrab, Rachel More, Emelia Sithole, David Holmes Organizations: REUTERS, Kuehne, Reuters, MSC, Thomson Locations: Hamburg, Germany, BERLIN, Hapag, HHLA, Germany's, Gdansk, Frankfurt

Containers are seen at a terminal in the port of Hamburg, Germany November 14, 2019. Under the deal between Switzerland-based MSC and the city of Hamburg, MSC will make a cash offer of 16.75 euros ($17.99) per share to acquire all listed class A stock in HHLA. The city of Hamburg, which currently owns 69% of HHLA's A shares and all of its unlisted S-shares, would retain control of Hamburg port with a 50.1% stake via the S-shares. A source familiar with the deal gave an enterprise value of 2.6 billion euros, including 1.4 billion euros in debt. HHLA said its management board would review MSC offer.

Persons: Fabian Bimmer, Klaus, Michael Kuehne, Hapag, Lloyd, Marc Zeck, Nikolas Mauder, Kepler Cheuvreux, Robert Habeck, HHLA, Andrey Sychev, Sabine Wollrab, Rachel More, Jason Neely, Mark Potter, Emelia Organizations: REUTERS, MSC, Reuters, Belgian, Thomson Locations: Hamburg, Germany, BERLIN, Switzerland, HHLA, Germany's, Swiss, China, Berlin, Gdansk, Frankfurt

☆ German small and medium-sized enterprises showed resilience in 2022
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BERLIN, Sept 12 (Reuters) - German small and medium-sized enterprises achieved strong results in 2022 despite the difficult overall economic situation, a report of the German Savings Banks Association (DSGV) showed on Tuesday. "When the impression is given these days that nothing in Germany works anymore, I answer that small and medium enterprises work," said Helmut Schleweis, president of the DSGV, at the presentation of a study about small and medium enterprises. Revenues rose last year by an average of 14% and profits by 17% year-on-year, the report showed. High energy prices in Germany could make companies shift more of their production abroad, Schleweis said, pointing to another big challenge for the German economy. "This would benefit not only a few large companies, but also medium-sized businesses."

Persons: Helmut Schleweis, Schleweis, Maria Martinez, Klaus Lauer, Rachel More Organizations: German Savings Banks Association, Thomson Locations: Germany

☆ Romania summons Russian charge d'affaires over drone fragments -Agerpres
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A crater visible at the presumed crash site of a Russian army drone, close to charred tree trunks and a blast area, near Plauru, Tulcea county, Romania, September 7, 2023. Inquam Photos/Ovidiu Micsik via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSept 10 (Reuters) - Romania's foreign ministry summoned the Russian charge d'affaires after the discovery on Romanian soil of new fragments of a drone similar to those used by the Russian military, the Agerpres website reported on Sunday. On Saturday, Romanian authorities found the second set of drone fragments to have crashed in the NATO member state in a week, amid Russian attacks on Ukraine's river ports, just hundreds of metres from the Romanian border. On Saturday, President Klaus Iohannis said the discovery of the fragments pointed to an unacceptable breach of Romania's air space. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Russian strikes near the border were "destabilising" even if there was no indication Russia intended to hit Romania, a NATO member state.

Persons: Micsik, Strategic Affairs Iulian Fota, Klaus Iohannis, Jens Stoltenberg, Alan Charlish, Elaine Hardcastle, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: REUTERS, NATO, Embassy of, Russian Federation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Strategic Affairs, Thomson Locations: Russian, Plauru, Tulcea county, Romania, Romanian, Bucharest, Ukraine, Russia, Moscow, Ukraine's, Constanta, Warsaw

☆ Romania finds new suspected Russian drone fragments on its territory
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"I firmly condemn this incident caused by Russian attacks on Ukrainian Danube river ports." The attacks on Ukraine's river ports, just hundreds of metres from the Romanian border, have increased security risks for NATO whose members have a mutual defence commitment. The defence ministry said Romania's Naval Forces deployed search teams after local authorities alerted them to suspected drone fragments discovered 2.5 km southeast of the village of Plauru, across the Danube from the Ukrainian port of Izmail. Since July, when Moscow abandoned a deal that lifted a de facto Russian blockade of Ukraine's Black Sea ports, it has repeatedly struck Ukrainian river ports that lie across the Danube from Romania. Ukraine had said on Monday that drones detonated in Romania during an overnight Russian air strike on Ukraine's Izmail, but Romanian officials initially denied the reports before finding fragments on Wednesday.

Persons: Klaus Iohannis, Iohannis, Jens Stoltenberg, Stoltenberg, Ukraine's, Luiza Ilie, Philip Blenkinsop, Ros Russell Organizations: NATO, U.S . State Department, Romania's Naval Forces, Thomson Locations: BUCHAREST, Romania, Ukraine, NATO, Romanian, Russian, Russia, Plauru, Izmail, Moscow, Ukraine's, Constanta, Brussels

☆ Romanian government reports new possible fragments of Russian drone on its territory
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-09 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Romanian Defense Minister Angel Tilvar speaks after signing a menorandum between Ukraine, Romain and Moldova at the Black Sea Security Conference under the auspices of Crimea International Platform in Bucharest, Romania on April 13, 2023. (Photo by Daniel MIHAILESCU / AFP) (Photo by DANIEL MIHAILESCU/AFP via Getty Images)New fragments of a drone similar to those used by the Russian military were found on Romanian soil, the defense ministry said on Saturday, and President Klaus Iohannis said this indicated an unacceptable breach of Romania's air space had occurred. In a statement, Iohannis said he had informed NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg about the pieces of drone - the second to crash in Romanian territory this week - and that Stoltenberg reiterated the alliance's complete solidarity with Romania. "The identification by Romanian authorities on Romanian territory near the border with Ukraine of new drone fragments ... indicates an unacceptable breach occurred of the air space of Romania, a NATO state, with real risks to the security of Romanian citizens in the area," Iohannis said.

Persons: Angel Tilvar, Daniel MIHAILESCU, DANIEL MIHAILESCU, Klaus Iohannis, Iohannis, Jens Stoltenberg, Stoltenberg Organizations: Romanian, Black Sea Security Conference, Getty Images, NATO Locations: Ukraine, Romain, Moldova, Crimea, Bucharest, Romania, AFP, NATO

☆ Fact Check-WEF did not sign an order canceling US elections
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The World Economic Forum (WEF) did not sign an order canceling U.S. elections nor does it have the power to do so, contrary to social media posts citing an opinion article by a WEF contributor discussing the idea of average citizens being elected instead of politicians. The article does not discuss handing elections over to elites, however, but instead the possible outcomes of randomly selected leaders and choosing average citizens to lead instead of politicians using a sort of lottery system. Regardless, the op-ed does not reflect WEF policy, as the People’s Voice article says. The People’s Voice did not immediately respond to Reuters request for comment. The World Economic Forum did not sign an order to cancel U.S. elections.

Persons: “, Klaus Schwab, Adam Grant, Grant, ”, ” Grant, ” Yann Zopf, Read Organizations: Economic, People’s, ”, “, Reuters Locations: Davos, Switzerland

Moscow aims to disrupt Ukraine's ability to export grain to world markets with a sustained campaign of attacks targeting Ukrainian Danube ports, and has attacked the port of Izmail four times this week, Ukrainian officials say. Across from Izmail, pieces apparently from a drone were found near the Romanian village of Plauru, Romanian Defense Minister Angel Tilvar said Wednesday. “In the first phase (of the war) things were calmer, but now it has come to our territory,” she said. “We are worried because nobody can guarantee that (a drone) won’t fall on our side of the river,” he said. Beyond trying to calm us down, the authorities can’t do much about it.”___Stephen McGrath reported from Sighisoara, Romania.

Persons: Angel Tilvar, Tilvar, Daniela Tanase, “, Klaus Iohannis, Iohannis, Mircea Franc, he’s, ”, Jens Stoltenberg, ” Stoltenberg, ” ___ Stephen McGrath, Lorne Cook Organizations: Romanian, European Union, Associated Press, Romania's Defense Ministry, EU, NATO Locations: BUCHAREST, Romania, Ukraine, Russian, NATO, Moscow, Izmail, Romanian, Plauru, European, Bucharest, Chilia Veche, Ukraine's, Danube Delta, Russia, ”, Sighisoara, Brussels

☆ Russian Missile Strike in Ukraine Kills 1: Live Updates
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Victoria Kim | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Mr. Blinken “affirmed our unwavering support to Romania, our NATO ally,” according to a State Department summary of the call. American military officials did not respond to requests for comment on Friday. Russian drones have struck the port city repeatedly in recent weeks as Moscow targets what has been a shipping lifeline for Ukraine. Throughout the war, NATO aircraft have frequently intercepted Russian fighter jets that have flown too close to allied nations’ airspace. Three weeks ago, British and Danish fighter jets were scrambled to confront Russian bombers that officials said were heading toward Scotland and the Netherlands.

Persons: Antony J, Blinken, Luminita, Blinken “, ”, Klaus Iohannis, Andrew Higgins Organizations: NATO, Department Locations: Ukraine, United States, Ukrainian, Russian, Romania, Kyiv, United, Bucharest, Eastern Europe, Izmail, Moscow, Danish, Scotland, Netherlands

☆ Suspected Russian drone debris is found in Romania.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Andrew Higgins | More About Andrew Higgins | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Romania said on Wednesday that debris from what could be a Russian drone had landed on its territory across the Danube River from Ukraine and said that if the wreckage turned out to be Russian, it would be “a serious violation” of a NATO member’s sovereignty. Russia has repeatedly attacked Ukrainian grain ports in the Danube delta, including Izmail, which lies less than 200 yards from Romanian territory and was blasted again by Russian drones on Tuesday. If confirmed, the presence of Russian drone wreckage inside Romania “would be completely unacceptable and a serious violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Romania, a NATO allied state,” the country’s president, Klaus Iohannis, said on his Facebook page. As a member of NATO, Romania is covered by the U.S.-led alliance’s commitment to collective security, which obliges all members to come to the defense of any state that requests assistance in the event of an attack. But Romania has avoided any hint that it might invoke Article 5, the cornerstone of the joint defense pact, over the debris found on Tuesday.

Persons: Klaus Iohannis Organizations: NATO Locations: Romania, Russian, Ukraine, Russia, Romanian, Plauru, U.S

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — A two-day summit in Romania began on Wednesday that brings together 12 European Union member states situated between the Baltic, Black and Adriatic Seas, as the grouping of mostly formerly communist countries aim to boost ties and connectivity amid Russia’s war in Ukraine. The Three Seas Initiative, which is being held in the capital, Bucharest, brings together high-ranking officials from EU countries as well as representatives from partner countries and aims to improve interconnectivity in the transportation, energy, and the digital fields. Romanian Foreign Minister Luminita Odobescu tweeted Wednesday that she had “excellent discussions” with the U.S. assistant secretary of state for energy resources, Geoffrey Pyatt, about joint projects that aim to bolster regional energy security. On the sidelines of the event, Moldovan President Maia Sandu met Wednesday with Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu. ___Stephen McGrath reported from Sighisoara, Romania.

Persons: Klaus Iohannis, isn’t, Luminita Odobescu, Geoffrey Pyatt, Odobescu, Iohannis, Maia Sandu, Marcel Ciolacu, Sandu, “, John Kerry, ___ Stephen McGrath Organizations: Union, Seas Initiative, U.S, EU, Romanian Locations: BUCHAREST, Romania, Black, Adriatic, Ukraine, Bucharest, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Austria, Estonia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Latvia, Lithuania, Romanian, Moldova, Greece, Moldovan, Sighisoara

REUTERS/Andreea Campeanu/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSept 6 (Reuters) - Parts of what could be a Russian drone fell on Romanian territory, Romania's Defence Minister Angel Tilvar said on Wednesday, two days after Ukraine said Russian drones had detonated on the NATO member's land. Romanian officials had earlier denied reports of drones falling on Romanian territory and said Russian attacks in neighbouring Ukraine did not cause a direct threat. On Wednesday, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said confirmation of the discovered parts belonging to a Russian drone would be a serious violation. "If it is confirmed that the components (found) belong to a Russian drone, such a situation would be inadmissible and a serious violation of Romania's sovereignty and territorial integrity," he said. Tilvar reiterated there was no direct threat and told Agerpres it was possible the drone did not explode upon impact but rather it simply fell or pieces landed on Romanian territory.

Persons: Andreea, Angel Tilvar, Klaus Iohannis, Tilvar, Iohannis, Agerpres, Alan Charlish, Luiza Ilie, Jason Hovet, Alexandra Hudson, Angus MacSwan Organizations: REUTERS, Romania's, NATO, CNN, Wednesday, Three Seas Initiative, Thomson Locations: Izmail, Plauru, Romania, Russian, Ukraine, Moscow, Ukraine's, Bucharest, Romania's, Poland, Ukrainian

[1/3] The port of Izmail seen from Plauru, Romania, September 5, 2023. The attack rattled windows in the Romanian border village of Plauru across the river and Popescu's trailer shook. Romania strongly denied it had been hit, but the attacks on Ukraine’s river ports, just hundreds of metres from the Romanian border, have increased security risks for NATO which has a collective defence commitment. "We have total control over our national space..."But, yes, we are concerned, because these attacks are taking place very close to the Romanian border. Since then, Russia has attacked Ukraine’s river ports Izmail and Reni repeatedly.

Persons: Andreea, beekeeper Gabi Popescu, Popescu, Klaus Iohannis, Reni, Daniela Tanase, Andreea Campeanu, Luiza Ilie, Nick Macfie Organizations: REUTERS, Russia, NATO, United, Thomson Locations: Plauru, Romania, Romanian, Ukrainian, Izmail, Ukraine, Russian, Poland, Russia, United Nations, Turkey

☆ 'We are ready to engage': Europe's biggest carmakers brace for China's EV challenge
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-04 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

BMW CEO Oliver Zipse speaks during the presentation of the new BMW "New Class" during an event ahead of the IAA motor show in Munich. Europe's dominant position in the automotive sector was established over many decades through its capacity to build superior combustion engines. The German behemoth has already created automotive software company CARIAD, as well as partnering with Chinese EV startup Xpeng, joint venture partner SAIC and autonomous driving company Horizon Robotics. watch nowHe added that Volkswagen has established "huge cost initiatives" and sees big opportunities to scale up its EV production while reducing battery production costs by 50%. Our electricity costs compared to China or North America are too high," Skoda CEO Klaus Zellmer told CNBC on Monday.

Persons: Oliver Zipse, Christophe Périllat, Luca De Meo, Ampere, De Meo, CNBC's Annette Weisbach, Oliver Blume, " Blume, Blume, Klaus Zellmer, Joe Biden's, BEV, Zellmer Organizations: BMW, IAA, Getty, CNBC, Volkswagen, Renault, IAA Mobility, SAIC, Horizon Robotics, Volkswagen Group, CRU Group, Skoda Locations: Munich, China, Europe, North America, U.S, Canada, Spain, Germany

☆ Fact Check-Inaccurate WEF Founder Klaus Schwab family tree shared online
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

A photo that claims to depict the family tree of World Economic Forum (WEF) Founder Klaus Schwab includes multiple inaccuracies. Posts online are taking it as evidence he is related to the Rothschild banking dynasty on his mother’s side. The same image of the family tree appeared online as early as July 2021 in a conspiracy thread on Reddit (here). KLAUS SCHWAB PARENTSThe family tree notes an accurate birth year for Klaus Schwab, but the names of his parents are incorrect. The photo shared on social media includes multiple inaccuracies to falsely link Klaus Schwab to the Rothschild banking dynasty.

Persons: Klaus Schwab, Rothschild, Mayer Amschel Rothschild, Schwab, KLAUS SCHWAB, Eugen Wilhelm Schwab, Erika Epprecht, Yann Zopf, “, ”, FRED, MARIANNE SCHWAB, Marianne Schwab, Marianne Rothschild, Marianne, Klaus, nee Rothschild, Louis, Melanie Rothschild, Fred Schwab, Leslie, Madeleine, Fred, Marianne’s, LOUIS ROTHSCHILD, Marianne Schwab’s, Louis Rothschild, Louis Nathaniel von Rothschild, Countess Hildegard Johanna Caroline Marie Auersperg, Louis Nathaniel’s, Salomon Albert Anselm von Rothschild, Bettina Caroline de Rothschild, Moritz, Emma Rothschild, Spokespeople, Read Organizations: Economic, Facebook, Zekelman Holocaust, Jewish, Rothschild, Getty, Reuters Locations: Ravensburg, Germany, Frankfurt, England, United States

The Ifo institute said on Friday that its business climate index stood at 85.7, down from 87.4 in July. Reuters Graphics"The German economy is not out of the woods yet," Ifo president Clemens Fuest said. The economy then posted zero growth in the second quarter compared to the previous three months, separate data from the statistics office showed on Friday. The Ifo survey showed sentiment among German managers had become more pessimistic across all sectors in August. The Ifo survey chimed with flash PMI data released on Wednesday, which showed that German business activity contracted at the fastest pace for more than three years in August.

Persons: Annegret, Clemens Fuest, Christian Lindner, Klaus Wohlrabe, Claus Niegsch, Niegsch, Andrew Kenningham, Carsten Brzeski, Maria Martinez, Friederike Heine, Mark Potter, John Stonestreet Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, . Finance, DZ Bank, Reuters Graphics, Capital Economics, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Germany, BERLIN, Europe

☆ German business sentiment is 'going down and down,' Ifo says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailGerman business sentiment is 'going down and down,' Ifo saysKlaus Wohlrabe, head of surveys at Ifo, says there's "a lot of bad news" when it comes to incoming orders in the manufacturing and services sectors.

Persons: Ifo, Klaus Wohlrabe

☆ Why some are calling the German economy 'the sick man of Europe'
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

London CNN —It’s been nearly two decades since Germany shrugged off its “sick man of Europe” label with a series of labor market reforms that ushered in years of economic outperformance. Sticky inflation and three straight quarters of falling or stagnating output have put Europe’s biggest economy in the doldrums. “Sticky” inflation is eroding Germans’ purchasing power, fueling “pessimism among households,” according to Thomas Obst, senior economist at the Cologne Institute for Economic Research. “[German] industrial order books have emptied over the last 12 months,” Carsten Brzeski, global head of macroeconomic research at ING, told CNN. “Germany is in a very singular position.”Bright spotsHolger Schmieding, the economist who first called Germany the “sick man of Europe” in 1998, thinks the “current wave of pessimism” over its economy is overdone.

Persons: London CNN — It’s, Stefan Kooths, Europe ”, Kooths, Thomas Obst, Obst, ”, Klaus Wohlrabe, Frank Soellner, ” Carsten Brzeski, Sam Reeves, Brzeski, David Hecker, Holger Schmieding, Schmieding, “ Organizations: London CNN, International Monetary Fund, Kiehl Institute, Cologne Institute, Economic Research, CNN, European Central Bank, ifo, Volkswagen, Siemens, Global, ING, Getty, China Locations: Germany, Europe, Berlin, ifo, Bad, China, Duisburg, AFP, Ukraine, Australia, France

The lawsuit says Kennedy's screenplay and "Stranger Things" have several similarities in their characters, plot, dialogue and themes. Kennedy accused an artist who developed concept art for both his project and "Stranger Things" of sharing his work with the Duffer Brothers. Netflix and the makers of "Stranger Things" denied the allegations in court filings and said the stories are "objectively different" by "virtually every imaginable measure." "Most glaringly, Stranger Things features a core group of children who fight off evil monsters while navigating teenage social issues," the defendants said. The case is Irish Rover Entertainment LLC v. Sims, U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, No.

Persons: Ross, Matt Duffer, Mario Anzuoni, Jeffrey Kennedy's, Ross Duffer, Kennedy, Patrick Arenz, Robins Kaplan, Jeremy Osher, Boren Osher, David Grossman, Loeb, Kelly Klaus, Munger Tolles, Blake Brittain Organizations: REUTERS, Netflix, Rover Entertainment, Irish Rover, Irish Rover Entertainment, U.S, Central, Central District of, Luftman, Olson, Thomson Locations: Los Angeles , California, U.S, Los Angeles, Indiana, South Bend , Indiana, Central District, Central District of California, Washington

☆ Germany economy ministry supports 'fair' distribution of wind power expansion costs
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Joachim HerrmannBERLIN, Aug 13 (Reuters) - Germany's economy ministry is in favour of distributing the network costs of expanding renewable energies "fairly" among the country's federal states, a spokesperson for the ministry said on Sunday. Prices in the north have been comparatively high due to connection costs for wind turbines to the power grid that are passed on to the residents of the regions where the turbines are located. The premiers of the northern states said the difference in prices was hurting local support for constructing new wind turbines. "It is important that they (the federal states) work together for a fair distribution," the spokesperson told Reuters. I can well understand the frustration of many citizens and regions," Mueller told Neue Osnabruecker Zeitung in an interview published on Saturday.

Persons: Joachim Herrmann BERLIN, Klaus Mueller, Mueller, Andreas Rinke, Hugh Lawson Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Neue Osnabruecker Zeitung, Thomson Locations: Oberharmersbach, Germany

☆ Researchers from Stanford and Google have made an entire AI village. The 25 bots that live there gossip, work, and plan Valentine's Day parties.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Kai Xiang Teo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Stanford and Google researchers created a virtual village where 25 AI bots live and form relationships. Memory and reflection enable these bots to believably plan parties, discuss elections, and select birthday gifts, per the researchers. A group of Stanford and Google researchers has created a virtual village where 25 AI agents lead lives that are eerily reminiscent of our own. These bots "wake up," chat about the latest town gossip, and even plan events like Valentine's Day parties. These tools help AI bots to produce conversations that mirror human interactions.

Persons: —, Sam, John Lin, John, Mei, Eddy, Joseph C, O'Brien, Carrie J, Cai, Meredith Ringel Morris, Percy Liang, Michael S, Bernstein, Isabella, Maria, Klaus, Isabella Rodriguez's Valentine's, McDonald's Organizations: Stanford, Google, Morning, Hobbs Locations: Geneva

☆ A Pianist Adapts to Life With Parkinson’s Disease
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( Jeffrey Arlo Brown | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In the fall of 2018, the pianist Nicolas Hodges noticed his body shaking. The doctor said it was probably stress, but recommended that he make an appointment with a neurologist. Dr. Klaus Schreiber, a neurologist and a classical music lover, observed Hodges performing a few minor physical tasks — walking across a room, undressing and dressing — before he sent him for a series of tests that confirmed Hodges had Parkinson’s disease. Dr. Schreiber estimated that Hodges had been performing with Parkinson’s for three years. Hodges, 53, is a leading interpreter of contemporary classical music.

Persons: Nicolas Hodges, Hodges didn’t, ”, Klaus Schreiber, Hodges, Schreiber, Parkinson’s Locations: Tübingen, Germany

☆ Pooping, splooting, spitting: How wild animals beat the heat
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( Jack Bantock | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Hottest day, hottest week, hottest month, and – increasingly likely – hottest year; 2023 has garnered unwanted records as the climate crisis escalates. From peculiar methods like “splooting,” to changing physiology altogether, here are four ways different creatures are trying to beat the heat. Splooting is a popular method of thermoregulation for squirrels, especially among larger species, as they do not lose much body heat through sweating, Devitz explained. A 2021 report noted that some animals are developing larger beaks, legs and ears to better regulate their body temperatures. Spitting and snottingTwo Australian animals put their bodily fluids to good use in the battle to beat the scorching temperatures of the outback.

Persons: –, you’ve, ”, splooting, Charlotte Devitz, Splooting, Devitz, “, Celal, ” Sara Ryding, Jami Tarris, Christine Cooper, Klaus, Dietmar Gabbert Organizations: CNN, Collins, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Deakin University Locations: New York City, Washington ,, Australian, Australia

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