Page 23 - Germany

Elon Musk, German govt spar on X over maritime migrant rescue operations

Germany's government rebuked X owner Elon Musk after he criticised the recent work of migrant rescue ships that German humanitarian groups operate in the Mediterranean Sea. Musk late Friday shared a video that showed migrants and aid workers on a boat. The right-wing account that first put the content on X, formerly known as Twitter, praised the populist far-right Alternative for Germany party, which has taken a hard line on migration issues. Is the German public aware of this? Musk wrote in his repost. The German Federal Foreign Office replied to Musk directly on X, writing: Yes. And it's called saving lives. Musk responded that he doubted the German public supports the actions of non-governmental organisations that take asylum-seekers from unseaworthy vessels in the Mediterranean. He also asserted it was surely a violation of Italy's sovereignty for German-operated ships to bring rescued migrants to Italian territory. So you're actually proud of it. Interesting, he wrote to th

Germany bans racist group for indoctrination of children with Nazi ideology

The German government on Wednesday banned a far-right, racist group known for its indoctrination of children as police raided dozens of homes of its members and other buildings early in the morning. A statement from the German interior ministry said it banned the Artgemeinschaft group, an anti-democratic association with around 150 members. All of its sub-organisations, including the Gefaehrtschaften, Gilden, Freundeskreise, and Familienwerk e.V., were also banned, the ministry said. We are banning a sectarian, deeply racist and antisemitic association," Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said. This is another hard blow against right-wing extremism and (those) who continue to spread Nazi ideologies to this day, she said, adding that the organisation had attempted to indoctrinate their children and young people with their anti-democratic ideology. Under the cover of a pseudo-religious Germanic belief in gods, the Artgemeinschaft spread its Nazi world view, the ministry said. The group'

Maharashtra CM Shinde postpones UK, Germany tour scheduled for Oct 1

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's visit to the United Kingdom and Germany, scheduled from October 1 to 8, has been postponed, an official from the CMO said on Tuesday. The new dates are being worked out now, the official said. No reason has been given for the tour postponement. Shinde was to lead a delegation of representatives from the industries and other departments for investment conferences and signing of memorandums of understanding (MoUs) between cities of Maharashtra and Germany. Also, an MoU was to be signed to bring back the 'wagh nakh' (tiger claws), an iron weapon shaped like tiger claws that was used by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, from the UK. The CMO official said details of the tour programme were being worked out. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray in a post on X on Monday said, "The illegal cm has planned a week long foreign trip. While I have no objection to foreign trips that bring investment or recognition to our nation or state, it cannot be l

Poland accuses Germany of meddling for seeking answers on visa scheme

Poland's foreign minister accused Germany of trying to interfere in his country's internal affairs after German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Warsaw needs to clarify allegations that Polish consulates in Africa and Asia sold temporary work visas to migrants for thousands of dollars each. Poland's right-wing ruling party, Law and Justice, is facing questions about the alleged scheme ahead of an October 15 national election in which it is seeking a third term in power. Scholz, whose government is under pressure to do more to limit migration to Germany, called on neighbouring Poland on Saturday to provide clarification of what was happening. I don't want people to just be waved through from Poland and only for us to have a discussion about asylum policy afterward, Scholz said in comments reported by the German news agency dpa. Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau retorted late Sunday on X, formerly Twitter, that Scholz's statement violates the principles of the sovereign equality of ...

India, Brazil, Germany, Japan should be permanent members of UNSC: Cleverly

UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly emphasised that Africa deserves a louder voice on the world stage

Germany announces aid package worth 400 million Euros for Ukraine

German minister further said, "Munitions are what Ukraine needs most of all"

China lodges protest with Germany over labelling President Xi as dictator

China on Monday lodged a diplomatic protest with Germany over its Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock labelling President Xi Jinping as a dictator. "If (President Vladimir) Putin were to win this war, what sign would that be for other dictators in the world, like Xi, like the Chinese president? Therefore, Ukraine has to win this war, Baerbock said in an interview on Friday during her trip to the US. The Chinese Foreign Ministry took exception to Baerbock's remarks, saying that the comments were an open political provocation." "We deplore and reject the remarks by the German side which are preposterous and extremely irresponsible," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said while responding to a question at a media briefing on the German Minister's comments. The remarks are contrary to facts and a breach of diplomatic protocol and China lodged a diplomatic protest to Germany, Mao said. Earlier this year, US President Joe Biden also called Xi a dictator. Xi, 70, heads the r

Euro 2024: Ticket sales for European Championship to start soon at $32

More than 1.2 million tickets for soccer's 2024 European Championship in Germany go on sale next month with seats priced from 30 euros ($32) at group-stage games up to 1,000 euros ($1,072) for the final, UEFA said. The most expensive seats of all the 2.7 million tickets for the 51 games will be in a new high-end Prime Seats category that more than doubles the highest prices from Euro 2020. The prime halfway line spots will go on sale in December at 400 euros ($429) for group-stage games and 2,000 euros ($2,146) for the final at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin on July 14, UEFA said. Soccer tournaments in Germany are traditionally high-revenue events and the cheapest hospitality package prices next year are about 40% more expensive than at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. UEFA said in April it expects total revenue of at least 2.4 billion euros ($2.6 billion) from Euro 2024 as it seeks to rebuild its cash reserves above 500 million euros ($536 million) since they dipped during the COVID-19

Germany beat France 2-1, ending winless run days after removing Hansi Flick

From jeers to cheers inside three days. Germany beat World Cup runner-up France 2-1 in a friendly on Tuesday in a dramatic turnaround from being whistled by the crowd in a 4-1 loss to Japan on Saturday. That defeat cost Hansi Flick his job as coach the following day. The win lifts some of the gloom around the team hosting the European Championship next year. We really threw ourselves into it and I think people saw that, goalkeeper Marc-Andr ter Stegen told broadcaster ARD. These have been strange, difficult days and it was all the better that we could turn things around with the win. I think it gives us confidence and that was what we definitely need right now. Thomas Mller scored early on and Leroy San added a second on a late counterattack, ending the run of five winless games which led to Flick being ousted Sunday. The search is on for a new permanent coach ahead of games against the United States and Mexico next month. Against France, Germany was coached by a three-person ...

Germany wins maiden Basketball World Cup, holds off Serbia 83-77 for gold

Have a summer, Germany. Dirk Nowitzki went into the Basketball Hall of Fame, and now his homeland stands atop the men's international basketball world. Dennis Schroder scored 28 points, Franz Wagner added 19 and Germany capped off an unbeaten run through the World Cup by holding off Serbia 83-77 in the final on Sunday night. It was Germany's first World Cup title; before now, its top showing in the event was a bronze at Indianapolis in 2002. Germany went 8-0 in the tournament, becoming the fifth consecutive champion to go unbeaten. Aleksa Avramovic scored 21 and Bogdan Bogdanovic added 17 for Serbia (6-2), which lost the title game for the second time in the last three tournaments. It was routed by the U.S. 129-92 in the 2014 gold-medal game, and little was expected of the team this summer merely because its best player, Nikola Jokic of the NBA champion Denver Nuggets, decided not to play and instead opted to rest for the coming season. But Serbia went on a surprise run, fueled by

Ukraine war affects price, energy, food security: German Chancellor Scholz

What cannot be not talked about is the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine and the destruction it is wreaking in Ukraine, he said

Biden to Kishida, what G20 leaders had to say about economic corridors

From strengthening connectivity to enabling global cooperation, leaders a the 2023 G20 Summit speak about the progress, achievement and potential of partnership of global infrastructure and investment

German cuisine is adding a twist to the plate for the Indian palette

Culinary crossroads: German chefs and a clutch of German eateries are spicing up India with a fusion of tastes

Scholz dismisses talk of keeping nuclear energy option open in Germany

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz dismissed a suggestion by a junior coalition partner that the country should keep open the option of using its closed nuclear power plants, declaring that atomic energy is a dead horse in Germany. Germany switched off its last three nuclear reactors in April, completing a process that received wide political support after Japan's Fukushima nuclear reactor disaster in 2011. But some argued for a rethink after energy prices spiked because of the war in Ukraine. Among those who advocated a reprieve were members of the Free Democrats, a pro-business party that is part of Scholz's governing coalition. This week, the Free Democrats' parliamentary group approved a policy statement saying that it wants to stop the dismantling of the nuclear power plants that are still fit to use as part of efforts to be prepared for worst-case scenarios. That is the only way we will remain capable of acting in every situation, it said. Scholz brushed aside the suggestion in a

Germany's inflation trauma of 1923 strikes an unpleasant chord today

Soaring energy costs helped trigger a recession that's exposed economic frailties. Heightened inequality, meanwhile, is fueling a resurgence of far-right political forces

German central bank sees economy stagnating again in third quarter

Germany's central bank anticipates that the country's economy, Europe's biggest, will be more or less stagnant again in the current quarter adding to a string of weak performances. German gross domestic product stagnated in the second quarter after declining in both of the two previous quarters as the country struggled with high energy prices, rising borrowing costs and weakness in China, which has been a key trading partner. The International Monetary Fund forecast last month that Germany would be the globe's only major economy to shrink this year, even with feeble economic growth around the world amid rising interest rates and the threat of growing inflation. A monthly report Monday from the Bundesbank, Germany's central bank, indicated that the picture isn't about to improve. In the third quarter of 2023, German economic output will probably remain largely unchanged again, it wrote. The bank said that, while private spending should continue to recover thanks to stable employmen

German embassy praises India's UPI, shares video of minister making payment

The German embassy on Sunday described digital infrastructure in India as one of its success stories and shared a footage of its Digital and Transport Minister Volker Wissing using UPI at a vegetable shop here. "One of India's success story is digital infrastructure. UPI enables everybody to make transactions in seconds. Millions of Indians use it," the embassy said on X. It said Germany's Federal Minister for Digital and Transport Volker Wissing was able to experience the simplicity of UPI payments first hand and is very fascinated. Unified Payments Interface (UPI) is an instant payment system.

Indian air pistol team clinches first bronze in World Championship

The Indian men's 10m air pistol team, comprising Shiva Narwal, Sarabjot Singh and Arjun Singh Cheema won the country its first medal -- a bronze -- in the ISSF World Championship, which got underway here on Thursday. Their aggregate score of 1,734 was nine points adrift of Germany, who clinched the silver medal. China took the gold medal in the event. Narwal shot 579, Sarabjot 578 and Cheema 577 to aggregate 1,734 points. The World Championship also serves as the 2024 Paris Olympics qualification tournament. The Chinese team of Zhang Bowen (587), Liu Junhui (582) and Xie Yu (580) took the top podium with an aggregate of 1749 points, while the German team, comprising Robin Walter (586), Michael Schwald (581) and Paul Froehlich (576) bagged the silver medal with an aggregate score of 1743. However, none of the three Indian shooters could make the eight-player final and are not in contention for individual medals.

Rain in Germany causes flooding, leads to flight cancellations in Frankfurt

Heavy rain in parts of Germany caused flooding and led to dozens of flight cancellations at Frankfurt Airport, the country's busiest and a major European hub, authorities said Thursday. The airport said large quantities of water accumulated on the tarmac Wednesday evening and ground handling was suspended for more than two hours, German news agency dpa reported. The airport website showed about 70 flights were cancelled by 11 pm, when flying is ordinarily halted for the night, while 23 flights headed for Frankfurt were diverted to other airports. Downpours in parts of southwestern and central Germany led to flooded basements and streets. In Gelsenkirchen, in the western Ruhr district, the fire service said people were rescued from their cars where several highway underpasses were under water.

Child onboard Frankfurt flight injuried, expenses to be reimbursed: Vistara

Vistara on Wednesday said a child onboard a flight from the national capital to Frankfurt last week sustained injuries due to spillage of hot beverage and that all medical expenses due to the incident will be reimbursed by the airline. The incident happened on flight UK25 on August 11. The girl child, around 10 years old, was travelling with her parents, according to a person in the know. In a detailed statement, the airline also said it is reviewing and refining processes, wherever required, to avoid such situations in the future. An unfortunate incident occurred where a child sustained injuries due to spillage of hot beverage on the body, an airline spokesperson said. "Our cabin crew had served hot chocolate to the child on the request of her parents, however, the hot water spilled on her since the child was playful during the service. In line with the SOPs, our crew immediately provided first-aid as warranted for the spill, and sought support from a paramedic onboard, who ...