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Finland's president has 'no concerns' about Biden's capacity to lead
Finnish President Alexander Stubb said on Thursday that he has "no concerns" about US President Joe Biden's capacity to lead, amid growing anxiety among supporters of his Democratic Party that the 81-year-old is no longer mentally fit enough. "I have absolutely no concerns about the capacity of the current president of the United States to lead his country and to lead our fight for Ukraine and to lead NATO," Stubb told reporters at a NATO summit in Washington, which began on Tuesday. "I've had the opportunity to speak to President Biden on many occasions during the past 48 hours," Stubb said. "We human beings, when we're treated in the public eye, we're never as good as we sometimes look, and we're never as bad." At a speech opening the summit on Tuesday, Biden was able to read a speech from a teleprompter without significant slip-ups, though he occasionally slurred his words. Concerns about his mental capacity have been brewing for some time, but escalated after an election debate last month with his opponent Donald Trump, in which Biden appeared to lose his train of thought and ramble incoherently.
German president seeks soul-searching as GDR jail memorial opens
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier called on Thursday for more information on forced labour in the former German Democratic Republic (GDR) and for holding former profiteers in the West accountable. Steinmeier, speaking at the opening of a memorial in the former Hoheneck women's prison, spoke of a dark chapter in inner-German history. Prisoners had been forced to do piecework and their labour was exploited for foreign currency, Steinmeier said in his speech in Stollberg near Chemnitz. In addition to the former East German state, West German companies that received cheap goods also profited from this. "I would like companies that imported products manufactured in...
Germany strikes deal to phase out Chinese-made parts from 5G network
The German government has reached an agreement with Chinese telecommunications providers Huawei and ZTE to remove Chinese-made components from the German 5G mobile network by 2029. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser on Thursday confirmed that a deal has been struck, saying that the government had closely examined the risks involved. "We have now made a clear and strict decision," she said, adding: "Critical components may no longer be used in the core network by the end of 2026 at the latest. In the access and transport networks, the critical management systems must be replaced by the end of 2029 at the latest." The core...
VW in solid-state battery licensing deal with US QuantumScape
Germany's Volkswagen Group has concluded a licensing deal with US company QuantumScape that will allow VW to produce solid-state batteries for up to a million electric cars a year, VW battery subsidiary PowerCo announced on Thursday. PowerCo did not say where production would be sited, nor when it would start. It currently makes batteries in Salzgitter in Germany, Valencia in Spain and in Canada. The technology, which promises greater range, lower weight and quicker charging, is not yet ready for series production. "Electric vehicles are the future of mobility, and this agreement with QuantumScape will ensure the Volkswagen Group's global fleet has access...
German Minister Faeser satisfied with Euro 2024 security so far
German Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser said ahead of the Euro 2024 final that she's is satisfied with the security situation at the tournament. "For a sporting event of this size, there have only been a few security-related incidents so far," Faeser said. She thanked the thousands of volunteers and emergency services for the security surrounding the tournament. They made a major contribution to ensuring that the Euros has gone so well so far, she said. "The police forces of the federal states in particular, but also our federal police, have made a decisive contribution to the fact that we have had a largely peaceful tournament so far," Faeser praised, but stressed that security remains the top priority for Sunday's final between Spain and England in Berlin. Despite minor disruptions and fan hooligan violence on the periphery of some matches, the security concept has been considered successful by the authorities. According to Faeser, around seven and a half million people have visited the stadiums and fan zones in Germany so far. "I hope that this great European Championship in our country will come to a peaceful conclusion, with the focus remaining on sport and togetherness," she said.
Georgian leaders not upset by NATO omission of possible accession
Georgian Defence Minister Irakli Chikovani has played down the fact that Georgian accession to NATO was not explicitly mentioned in the NATO summit declaration as has been the case in previous years. Even if Georgia was not mentioned as a candidate member in the declaration on Wednesday, NATO had made clear that membership is open to states in the South Caucasus, Chikovani said in Tbilisi. He is convinced that Georgia could eventually join the alliance. NATO did explicitly call for the withdrawal of Russian troops from the breakaway Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Chikovani said. Still, political analysts see the omission...
Spain defender Navas misses team training ahead of Euro 2024 final
Spain defender Jesus Navas didn't train with the team on Thursday ahead of the Euro 2024 final against England in Berlin. He just completed an individual session after being subbed off in the 58th minute of the 2-1 win against France in the semi-final on Tuesday. It's unclear whether he will be fit for Sunday's game. Navas initially replaced right back Daniel Carvajal against France, as his team-mate had to serve a yellow card suspension. Carvajal, however, is expected to return to the starting line-up against England. Robin Le Normand, who was also suspended, is to make a comeback as well. Navas is the last...
Israel has list of UNRWA staff allegedly also active for Hamas
Israel says it has compiled a list of employees of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) who are allegedly also active in Palestinian Islamist Hamas. Israel had identified 108 UNRWA employees to whom this applies and presented a list of them to UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini, the Israeli embassy in Berlin announced. Only a small number of the hundreds of UNRWA employees are said to be employed by Hamas or the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), the embassy said, in information that cannot be independently verified. A spokesman for the Israeli Foreign Ministry said the...
Samsung's Galaxy Ring an 'interesting bet', expert says
Samsung’s decision to release a smart ring makes sense because of the increasing demand for health tracking tech, but it remains a “niche” device for now, an industry expert has said. Ben Wood, chief analyst at CCS Insight, said the launch of the Galaxy Ring was an “interesting bet” by the technology giant. The ring is due to be launched later this month, and Samsung says it will come with a battery life of up to seven days and is designed to be worn 24 hours a day to help users monitor their health stats during the day, but also while they...
Will my car run on e-fuels? German tests say yes
E-fuels may seem like a viable low-emissions alternative to fossil fuels, yet many motorists ask themselves whether regular cars can cope with the synthetics. A new study by Germany's huge ADAC motoring club, which commissioned experts at the TU Darmstadt university, has shed light on this and concluded that most modern cars can indeed tolerate e-fuels without any modifications. The test used Eco100Pro petrol, certified as 100% non-fossil, and the scientists ruled that there was no technical risk to modern engines after putting motors through a rigorous set of tests. The motors were used in bench trials, on the racetrack in the ADAC...
Pepsico updates revenue growth outlook after Q2 beats estimates
US drinks maker PepsiCo shares were losing around 2.4% in the pre-market activity on the Nasdaq. While the company reported higher profit and revenues in its second quarter above market estimates, it slightly adjusted the fiscal 2024 organic revenue growth view. The company further maintained its forecast for annual core earnings growth. Chairman and CEO Ramon Laguarta said, "For the balance of the year, we will further elevate and accelerate our productivity initiatives and make disciplined commercial investments in the marketplace to stimulate growth. These investments will focus on surgically providing optimal value propositions within certain portions of our North America convenient foods...
Germany strikes deal to phase out Chinese-made parts from 5G network
The German government has reached an agreement with Chinese telecommunications providers Huawei and ZTE to remove Chinese-made components from the German 5G mobile network by 2029. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser on Thursday confirmed that a deal has been struck, saying that the government had closely examined the risks involved. "We have now made a clear and strict decision," she said, adding: "Critical components may no longer be used in the core network by the end of 2026 at the latest. In the access and transport networks, the critical management systems must be replaced by the end of 2029 at the latest." The core...
Ford’s Capri returns as electric SUV
Ford has returned one of its most famous nameplates for its latest electric model – Capri. Launched in the late 1960s the original Capri came on song in the 1980s where its long bonnet and muscle-car focus made it a European interpretation of America’s famous ‘pony cars’. Built in the UK for much of its life, the Capri claimed cult status on these shores, appearing in a number of iconic television shows such as The Professionals. Having retired for decades, the Capri name is now used for a completely different vehicle – an electric SUV. Sitting atop the MEB platform used underneath a...
Italy cracks down on mobile phones in classrooms
Mobile phones are set to be banned from Italian classrooms in the new school year, under a decree issued on Thursday by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's right-wing administration. The measure was introduced by Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara from the nationalist League party and aims to prohibit the use of smartphones in schools, including for teaching purposes. Tablets and computers can still be used with teachers' consent. The ban on mobile phones is intended to improve pupils' behaviour. In addition, schoolchildren are to be encouraged to improve their handwriting skills. Valditara further announced the reintroduction of a "school calendar" in which tasks must be written down by hand, allowing parents to keep track of their children's education. "We need to get our children used to pen and paper again," said the minister. A ban on mobile phones in Italian schools has been in place for several years, but was not widely enforced. Other countries have introduced similar measures in recent years to create a better learning environment for schoolchildren. Italy's education ministry was renamed the Ministry of Education and Merit after Meloni's right-wing coalition took office in October 2022. The change is intended to reflect a stronger emphasis on individual achievement.
Poland says thousands of Ukrainian refugees to join volunteer brigade
Thousands of Ukrainian citizens living in Poland have signed up to join a planned volunteer brigade, Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said in Washington on Wednesday. On the sidelines of the NATO summit, Sikorski said: "Many of them really want to serve and make a difference to their compatriots on the front line, but they say: 'We don't want to be sent into battle without the right training and equipment.'" Poland, which has hosted almost 1 million Ukrainian refugees since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, is to train and equip the volunteers before their deployment in Ukraine, Sikorski said. The volunteer brigade...
Guirassy's move to Dortmund on hold due to medical check issue
The planned transfer of forward Serhou Guirassy from VfB Stuttgart to Borussia Dortmund is on hold for the time being due to problems during the medical check. According to dpa information, a new medical check isn't planned until the beginning of the coming week. A video from the Ruhr Nachrichten newspaper showed Guirassy making his way back to Stuttgart from the Dortmund airport after failing the medical tests. Dortmund said on X on Wednesday: "During a medical examination of Serhou Guirassy, an injury was discovered and it requires further clarification." According to media reports, the player has already agreed to a four-year contract with...
The joke's on us: AI is now better than humans at writing comedy
Chatbots don't have or show any emotions - but still they just might be good for some funny jokes, two IT experts in Los Angeles say. Drew Gorenz and Norbert Schwarz of the University of Southern California (USC), in a recent paper in the scientific journal PLOS ONE, contend that ChatGPT can already compete with professional satirists in joke-writing and creating headlines. The researchers conducted three tests with participants who were kept in the dark as to who or what wrote the jokes being presented to them. One guidepost for the comparisons was the popular US satire magazine The Onion and its...
German Greens demand explanation on stationing US missiles
The Greens, a junior partner in German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition, demanded an explanation on Thursday of why US long-range cruise missiles are to be stationed in Germany, following a decision announced at the NATO summit in Washington. Green parliamentary security spokeswoman Sara Nanni criticized Scholz for not explaining the decision, which was announced in a joint US-German government statement on Wednesday. "It can even increase fears and leaves room for disinformation and incitement," Nanni told the Rheinische Post regional newspaper. She noted also that Scholz had provided little information on the actual threat facing NATO. The statement, issued on the sidelines of...
European Commission accepts Apple concessions in 'Tap and Go' row
The US tech giant Apple has made concessions in a long-running EU competition probe into the company's pay system that may avert huge fines, the European Commission said on Thursday. Apple legally committed to allow rivals access to their one-touch payment system called Tap and Go, which "opens up competition in this crucial sector," EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said in a statement. In May 2022, a commission investigation provisionally found that the Apple Pay system is infringing EU competition rules by restricting rivals access to essential technology and distorting the market. The commission - the European Union's top competition regulator - said...
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