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Top EU officials to hold boycott of meetings hosted by Hungary
The European Commission will carry out a partial boycott of Hungary's EU presidency, according to a spokesman on Monday, in the wake of controversial trips taken by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán which angered top officials. Informal meetings of EU ministers will not be attended by EU commissioners, but only by senior officials "in light of recent developments marking the start of the Hungarian presidency," a spokesman for European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote on X. The decision comes after Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán met Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin just days after Hungary assumed the EU presidency at the start of July. Orbán said he was on a "peace mission" but EU leaders strongly condemned the trip and stressed that he did not have an EU mandate for the talks. Chief spokesman Eric Mamer also announced that the European Commission would forego its traditional inaugural visit to Hungary to welcome in the Hungarian presidency.
VW Design Centre employees protest against planned closure
Employees of the Volkswagen Group Future Centre in Potsdam - a design centre with around 100 employees - are protesting against the planned end to the unit's operations at the end of the year. More than 50 employees protested at a rally organized by the IG Metall union against the closure of the almost 20-year-old site in eastern Germany on Monday. "I want a fair chance," said works council chairman Anno Stake. "We did great projects here, we are still doing great projects." Around two thirds of the site's budget has been cut over the past one and a half years due to...
US Secret Service increases security measures after attack on Trump
Security measures for the US Republican Party convention and for Donald Trump have been stepped up following the assassination attempt on the former president. Planning for the security of the meeting in Milwaukee in the US state of Wisconsin has been "reviewed and strengthened" following the assassination attempt on Saturday, said the director of the secret service, Kimberly Cheatle. The agency is responsible for protecting the occupant of the White House and former presidents. It was criticized after Saturday's assassination attempt, in which a gunman shot at Trump from a nearby rooftop during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. The plan for the security...
Germany's Baerbock tours Dakar bus grid on two-day West Africa visit
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock began her two-day trip to West Africa on Monday with a tour of an electric express bus project in the Senegalese capital Dakar. Dakar's Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system went into operation in May, with financing from the European Investment Bank and the World Bank. Along with the TER suburban train, the transport network aims to facilitate mobility and reduce environmental damage. The population of the greater Dakar area has increased tenfold since 1970, with around 4 million people officially living in the region. Although the city lies on a peninsula by the sea, it suffers some...
Bayern start preparations for new season with medical tests
Bayern Munich started preparations for the 2024-25 season with mandatory medical tests on Monday, but without the players who played at Euro 2024 and at the Copa America. A number of stars of the German record champions, including Leon Goretzka and Serge Gnabry - who were not part of Germany's Euro 2024 squad - underwent various radiological and cardiological tests at Munich's Barmherzige Brüder hospital. Lung function and blood tests were also on the agenda. In the afternoon, the players completed various tests for stamina, reaction and agility in individual groups in the club's performance centre. The second part of the performance diagnostics...
Case dismissed against Trump in secret government documents affair
A US judge on Monday dismissed the case against former president Donald Trump concerning the retention of secret government documents. Judge Aileen Cannon said her decision was based on doubts about the legality of the US Justice Department's appointment of the special investigator in charge of the case. Trump - who survived an assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday - said the decision was a "first step" that should be "followed quickly by the dismissal of all the witch hunts." Writing on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump called the various criminal cases brought against him an "election...
Syria's 4th parliamentary vote after uprising criticized as 'farce'
For the fourth time since the start of the Syrian civil war in 2011, residents in government-controlled areas are going to the polls in what critics call an electoral farce to help shore up President Bashar al-Assad's standing. Voting started on Monday in all 8,151 electoral centres distributed across 15 voting districts in government-held areas, with 1,516 candidates competing for the 250 seats in parliament. "We are in a new phase in which we look forward to building a modern Syria," Syrian Prime Minister Hussein Arnos said, while casting his vote. The judge responsible for overseeing the elections told the state-run SANA...
Spain land in Madrid to celebrate Euro 2024 with fans
European champions Spain have landed in Madrid on Monday afternoon as they prepare to join fans in a big celebration after their Euro 2024 triumph. Spain defeated England 2-1 in Berlin on Sunday to claim a record fourth European title. "The flight was marked by the same good atmosphere that has reigned throughout the training camp, and which undoubtedly has been one of the key pillars of the success of this team," the Spanish football federation RFEF said in a statement. The squad is to be received by King Felipe VI, who attended Sunday's game, at the Zarzuela Palace. After that, the team will visit Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez at the Moncloa Palace. Finally, coach Luis de La Fuente and his players will parade through the city in an open-top vehicle on their way to the Palacio de Comunicaciones, where a big party for the fans will take place in the evening. The team is expected to arrive at around 1915 GMT. La Roja became the first team to win all seven matches at one Euros as they moved one ahead of Germany with a fourth Euro title, the previous ones coming in 1964, 2008 and 2012.
Taylor Swift even larger than life ahead of German leg of Eras Tour
A huge acrylic portrait of Taylor Swift is being created in the western German city of Gelsenkirchen, which is hosting three shows on the pop superstar's record-breaking Eras Tour. The artwork will be 90 square metres in size and three-dimensional - depending on the perspective, it will seem as if Swift is jumping out of the ground towards the viewer. It took artists Vanessa and Lydia Hitzfeld four days to paint the artwork in the centre of Gelsenkirchen. Vanessa specializes in 3D street art and has been painting projects together with her mother Lydia for several years. "What particularly appeals to me is...
Syria holds fourth parliamentary elections since 2011 uprising
For the fourth time since the start of the Syrian civil war in 2011, residents in government-controlled areas are going to the polls in what critics call an electoral farce to help shore up President Bashar al-Assad's standing. Voting started on Monday in all 8,151 electoral centres distributed across 15 voting districts in government-held areas, with 1,516 candidates competing for the 250 seats in parliament. "We are in a new phase in which we look forward to building a modern Syria," Syrian Prime Minister Hussein Arnos said, while casting his vote. The judge responsible for overseeing the elections told the state-run SANA...
Zelensky reiterates Ukraine's need for 25 Patriot systems
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeated his view that Ukraine needs more than two dozen Patriot air defence systems to secure the country. "According to our military, we need 25 Patriot systems to completely secure Ukraine," he said at a press conference in Kiev. He avoided mentioning the number of Patriot systems already in place, but stressed that Patriots are not enough, and that systems with other ranges and capabilities are also required for a complex air defence system. The Ukrainian leader noted that he was promised five additional Patriot batteries or comparable systems at the recent NATO summit in Washington. A month...
Switzerland winger Shaqiri retires from international football
Switzerland winger Xherdan Shaqiri is retiring from international football, the player said on Monday. "Seven tournaments, many goals, 14 years with the Swiss national team and unforgettable moments. It's time to say goodbye to the national team," he wrote on X. "Great memories remain and I say to you all: THANK YOU!" Shaquiri has played 125 matches and scored 32 goals. His last tournament for Switzerland was the Euro 2024, which ended on Sunday with Spain's 2-1 win against England, who eliminated Switzerland in the quarter-finals. Shaqiri is the only player who has scored at every Euros or World Cup since 2014. Since 2022, the former Bayern Munich winger plays at Chicago Fire in the United States. His contract expires at the end of the year.
Wholemeal, whole-grain bread: A whole lotta health benefits
It's a dietary tip we've all heard a hundred times: Wholemeal and whole-grain bread are healthier than white bread. How so? Both are made from whole grains: the fibre-rich outer bran layer, starchy middle endosperm layer and nutrient-rich germ layer. In wholemeal bread, they're milled to a fine texture. Whole-grain bread has a dense wholemeal flour base with added grains and seeds. White flour has been refined to remove the bran and germ. In the following interview, German nutritionist Gabriela Freitag-Ziegler explains why it's better to eat wholemeal or whole-grain bread, and why objecting that it's dry, hard and takes forever to...
Using AI to write your cover letters? Be careful, experts say
Be it ChatGPT or Perplexity, chatbots using artificial intelligence (AI) can be valuable helpers in drafting a text. However, when applying for a job, only use AI-generated cover letters or resumes as inspiration, HR experts say. "When I don't know how to start, ChatGPT can provide impulses and inspiration for formulations," says Sebastian Kohler, co-founder and managing partner of the Munich-based HR consulting firm Kempkens X Kohler. Be careful, however, as with a cover letter that's too perfectly written, credibility might become an issue. ChatGPT, for example, has a tendency to produce texts that sound "too generic" and "almost too perfect," Kohler...
Visiting Austria's Innsbruck? Why not explore the city on a raft
It's 9.30 am on a Tuesday. The meeting point is a sandbar on the southern banks of the Inn River, a few kilometres west of the Tyrolean regional capital of Innsbruck. River guide Jasper De Wandeler is waiting for his guests, getting ready to hand them drysuits, life jackets and helmets for the day's adventure: city rafting. Paddling along in an inflatable raft, the group will float downstream and eastwards for about two and a half hours, through the city framed by the massive Tyrolean Alps. But before the adventure can start, De Wandeler first instructs his guests on safety precautions...
German chemicals company Evonik lifts outlook after solid quarter
Evonik Industries, a German speciality chemicals company, on Monday said it currently expects adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization, or adjusted EBITDA, for the second quarter to be €578 million ($630 million). That was above market expectations of €531 million. "In addition to continued strict cost discipline, good volume development in Speciality Additives, as well as a price recovery in Animal Nutrition and lower production costs were drivers of the sequential increase," the Essen-based company said in a statement. Subsequently, Evonik has raised its full-year adjusted EBITDA outlook to €1.9 billion to €2.2 billion from the previous guidance of €1.7 billion to €2 billion. On a preliminary basis, sales for the second quarter of €3.9 billion were just around the level of the previous year.
Germany to invest billions in 23 green hydrogen projects
Germany is set to invest billions in pioneering hydrogen projects, aiming to boost the production, storage and transport of a potentially transformative source of green energy. "With the funding of hydrogen projects, we are taking an important step towards a climate-neutral and sustainable economy in Europe and beyond," said Economy Minister Robert Habeck in Berlin, according to a ministry statement. The German federal government - as well as a number of state governments - has earmarked a total of €4.6 billion ($4.9 billion) for 23 projects. Habeck said a powerful hydrogen infrastructure could play a key role in the decarbonization of German industries and the energy sector. "Hydrogen pipelines will be the lifelines of industrial centres. This creates the precondition for climate-neutral growth," said Habeck. The projects are centred on the large-scale production of green hydrogen, but also innovative and secure storage solutions as well as transport infrastructure spanning up to 2,000 kilometres. Part of the funding comes from the European Union, while businesses involved in the projects are due to invest another €3.3 billion. According to the ministry, the total investment will thus represent €7.9 billion by 2030.
Germany's Müller retires from international football
Germany's 2014 world champion Thomas Müller is retiring from international football, he said in a video posted on social media on Monday. "After almost 14 years and 131 international games, I have decided to end my career at the Germany national team," the Bayern Munich midfielder said. The announcement comes one day after the end of the Euro 2024 in Germany, which was Müller's last tournament for the national team. Hosts Germany were eliminated by champions Spain in the quarter-finals. "I want to say thank you to all fans and members of the national team. Thank you for your support in the past...
German minister praises Euro 2024 security, effective border controls
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser drew positive conclusions from Euro 2024, which ended on Sunday with a Spanish 2-1 win over England, as her ministry reported thousands of offences and some 170 arrests. "We have experienced the fantastic football festival in the heart of Europe that we all wanted. Our country has presented itself as a good host," Faeser said in a press release. Germany's federal and state police registered around 2,340 offences relating to the European Championships during the football tournament. These included around 700 cases of bodily harm, 120 thefts and 200 of trespassing. There were 140 offences of violence against...
Germany again rejects calls to deliver fighter jets to Ukraine
The German government on Monday again rejected calls for the delivery of fighter jets to Ukraine, after opposition leader Friedrich Merz from the centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) said he supported the idea. Government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said Ukraine is already due to receive a number of F-16 jets, which Germany does not possess, from Western partners this summer. "It makes no sense to hand over different types of fighter jets to Ukraine," Hebestreit said. "Even though fighter jets may look similar from the outside, they are very different to handle. It involves long-term training," he added. Merz had on Sunday demanded further...
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