Page 17 - Germany

European Parliament elections begin today; check out the issues at stake

Nearly 400 million European Union citizens can go to the polls over the coming days to elect members of the European Parliament, or MEPs, in one of the biggest global democratic events. Far-right parties are seeking to gain more power amid a rise in the cost of living and farmers' discontent, while the wars in Gaza and Ukraine stay on the minds of voters. One of the biggest questions is whether European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will remain in charge as the public face of the EU. Here is a look at the election, which runs Thursday to Sunday, and the biggest issues at stake: WHEN IS THE VOTE? EU elections are held every five years across the 27-member bloc. This year marks the 10th parliamentary election since the first polls in 1979, and the first after Brexit. The vote takes place from June 6-9. Initial results can only be revealed on the evening of June 9, once polling stations have closed in all member states. HOW DOES VOTING WORK? The elections started on Th

Russia could provide weapons to others to strike Western targets: Putin

Taking questions from international journalists for the first time since his inauguration last month to a fifth term, Putin also said nothing will change in terms of Russia-US relations

Ukraine using German weapons to strike Russia 'dangerous step' warns Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Germany on Wednesday that use of its weapons by Ukraine to strike targets in Russia would mark a dangerous step" and ruin relations between Berlin and Moscow. Germany joined the United States recently in authorizing Ukraine to hit some targets on Russian soil with the long-range weapons they are supplying. Putin said that the deliveries of German tanks to Ukraine came as a shock to many in Russia. Now if they use missiles to strike facilities on the Russian territory it will completely ruin Russian-German relations, he said.

Netherlands emerges as India's 3rd largest export destination in 2023-24

The Netherlands has emerged as India's third largest export destination after the US and UAE during 2023-24, even as the country's merchandise shipments dipped by over 3 per cent, according to the commerce ministry data. The main commodities which registered healthy exports growth in the Netherlands include petroleum products (USD 14.29 billion), electrical goods, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals in the last fiscal. India's trade surplus with the Netherlands has increased to USD 17.4 billion in the last fiscal from USD 13 billion in 2022-23. The Netherlands has taken over major destinations such as the UK, Hong Kong, Bangladesh and Germany. India's exports to the Netherlands rose by about 3.5 per cent to USD 22.36 billion in 2023-24 as against USD 21.61 billion in 2022-23, the data showed. In 2021-22 and 2020-21, the outbound shipments to the European country stood at USD 12.55 billion and USD 6.5 billion, respectively. The exports have been registering healthy growth continuously

Germany likely to miss 2030 climate goal, advisors calls for new policy

Expert Council on Climate Issues, which has independent authority to judge the country's climate performance, said Germany is unlikely to meet its goal to cut 65% of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030

GDP growth slows down in USA and Japan; remains same in Germany

The OECD expects the US and China, the two largest economies, to slow down in 2025

Germany's new visa rules: Great opportunity for skilled foreign workers

Country needs some 4,00,000 skilled employees annually to cover a labour shortage in specialised fields

German inflation higher than expected ahead of ECB rates decision

Economists will pay close attention to the data ahead of the release of inflation figures from the wider euro zone on Friday

Two-day G7 finance summit kicks off seeking unity on Ukraine, China

The G7 will also address a proposed global wealth tax on billionaires, promoted by Brazil and France among the broader Group of 20 developed countries

Germany backs ending EU tax break that helps Shein, Temu keep prices low

Under current EU regulations, packages purchased online from a non-EU country are not subject to customs duties if their value is under 150 euros

Vodafone reports slight rise in net profit helped by gains in UK, Germany

On Tuesday it said it expected core earnings this year to be broadly flat at around 11 billion euros, while free cash flow would be at least 2.4 bn euros, slightly ahead of current market forecasts

How to avoid last-minute Schengen visa rejection and save money: Explained

Over 100,000 Indians faced Schengen visa rejections in 2022, translating to a loss of Rs 87 crore due to non-refundable trip expenses

German carrier Lufthansa looks to strong summer to shake off strike costs

The airline confirmed its forecast of full-year adjusted earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) of 2.2 billion euros ($2.3 billion)

Top UN court to rule on Nicaragua's plea for Germany to halt aid to Israel

The United Nations' top court is ruling Tuesday on a request by Nicaragua for judges to order Germany to halt military aid to Israel, arguing that Berlin's support enables acts of genocide and breaches of international humanitarian law in Gaza. Nicaragua's case is the latest legal bid by a country with historic ties to the Palestinian people to stop Israel's offensive. Late last year, South Africa accused Israel of genocide at the court. The cases come as Israel's allies face growing calls to stop supplying it with weapons, and as some including Germany have grown more critical of the war. On Monday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Israel must still do more to increase the flow of humanitarian aid into the besieged Gaza Strip. At hearings early this month, Nicaragua's Ambassador to the Netherlands Carlos Jos Argello Gmez told the 16-judge panel that Germany is failing to honour its own obligation to prevent genocide or to ensure respect of international humanitarian .

German inflation creeps up to 2.4% in April on back of higher food prices

Euro zone inflation is expected to remain at 2.4%, unchanged from the previous month, according to economists polled by Reuters

Infosys to acquire German firm in-tech in 450 mn euro all-cash deal

Infosys will acquire a 100% stake in the German engineering R&D services provider, expanding its footprint in Europe

Germany nabs 2 for spying for Russia, planning sabotage against Ukraine aid

Two German-Russian men have been arrested in Germany on suspicion of espionage, one of them accused of agreeing to carry out attacks on potential targets including US military facilities in hopes of sabotaging aid for Ukraine, prosecutors said Thursday. The two, identified only as Dieter S. and Alexander J. in line with German privacy rules, were arrested Wednesday in the Bavarian city of Bayreuth, federal prosecutors said. They said Dieter S. had been discussing possible acts of sabotage in Germany with a person linked to Russian intelligence since October, and that the main aim was to undermine military support given by Germany to Ukraine. The suspect declared himself willing to carry out bombing and arson attacks on infrastructure used by the military and industrial sites in Germany, prosecutors said in a statement. He gathered information on potential targets, including US military facilities, they added. Alexander J. allegedly helped him to do so starting in March at the latest

Tesla plant likely in India: A look at its gigafactories in other countries

Tesla has six Gigafactories in Fremont, California; Sparks, Nevada; Berlin, Germany; Shanghai, China; Austin, Texas; and Buffalo, New York

Russian invasion of Ukraine threatens global security: Olaf Scholz in China

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told Chinese leader Xi Jinping who hosted him in Beijing on Tuesday that Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine threatens global security, in an apparent call for China to apply greater pressure on its neighbor and close strategic partner to resolve the conflict. Scholz also told Xi at their meeting that the use of nuclear weapons in the 2-year-old war should not even be threatened, German media reported. Russian President Vladimir Putin warned last month that Russia is ready to use nuclear weapons if its sovereignty or independence is threatened, his latest such threat since invading Ukraine. Scholz told Xi that Germany's core interests were impacted by the war against Ukraine, which has threatened to spread into a regional conflict and has disrupted energy and global food supplies and other trade. Russia's actions "violate a principle of the United Nations Charter and the principle of the inviolability of national borders, Scholz was quoted as saying

Observing world's biggest election with admiration: German envoy on polls

German Ambassador Philipp Ackermann on Monday said his country is observing with admiration the world's biggest election that is starting in India on April 19, and that no matter who wins it, "more of India" will be seen on the international stage. Addressing a gathering at an event hosted by a leading private university here, he also said the Indian Presidency of the G20 "gave us a little taste of that". In his speech, he cited the Iran-Israel conflict, the Russia-Ukraine conflict and many other ongoing or unresolved conflicts around the world. "In the midst of this very, very difficult situation, I can't remember the world being in such a difficult times than now. We see from Europe, from European Union's perspective, clearly how much India is rising. We observe with admiration the world's biggest election that is starting on Friday. This is quite an exercise, this is a festival of democracy," Ackermann said. The envoy said "no matter what happens in these elections, no matter wh