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Tag: Germany

  • London is stage for NFL’s milestone 100th international game | CNN

    London is stage for NFL’s milestone 100th international game | CNN

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     — 

    The NFL returns to London on Sunday as the Minnesota Vikings (2-1) and New Orleans Saints (1-2) contest the first of five international slate of games scheduled this season.

    With Justin Jefferson and the Vikings taking on Alvin Kamara and the Saints at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Sunday’s game will mark the 100th game played outside of the US regular and preseason.

    After edging out a victory against the Detroit Lions in week 3, the Vikings are looking to reprise the magic of the ‘Minneapolis Miracle’ – Stefon Diggs scored a remarkable 61-yard touchdown in a NFC Divisional semifinal four years ago – against a struggling Saints team, which will be without starting quarterback Jameis Winston and All-Pro wide receiver Michael Thomas.

    This year, 10 teams will travel to three different countries, including the first-ever regular season game in Germany, when Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers host the Seattle Seahawks at Allianz Arena – home of Bundesliga football club Bayern Munich – in November.

    During weeks 4 and 5 over 200 players, coaches and executives will celebrate their heritage by sporting international flags on their helmets and attire.

    Amon-Ra St. Brown of the Detroit Lions in action against the Green Bay Packers.

    Players like Arizona Cardinals star Kyler Murray, who will don a South Korea flag, and Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown – Germany’s flag will be on his helmet – will highlight the NFL’s global diversity within the league.

    “My mom is from Germany, so having German grandparents, speaking German, every summer the heritage and culture has been a part of my whole life,” said St. Brown.

    “I’m half German. It’s a part of me. I love it. In my young career, I have already been amazed to see the influence my culture and heritage has had and I’m excited to continue to see the German representation have an impact within our game.”

    Minnesota Vikings Wide Receiver Justin Jefferson (18) lines up with Running Back Dalvin Cook (4).

    Brady and the Bucs (2-1) will play at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday night against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs (2-1).

    Earlier this week, the Bucs were forced to practice at the Miami Dolphins’ team facility due to the impact of Hurricane Ian, leaving the primetime matchup in Tampa in limbo.

    Despite the destruction caused by the hurricane, the team confirmed the game would go on as scheduled, with Brady highlighting how the match could serve as a moment where fans can come together.

    “I always feel like sports has brought people together over a long period of time,” Brady said on Thursday during a regularly scheduled media session.

    “Watching different adversities, whether that was 9/11, whether that was Katrina, sports has an amazing way of healing wounds and bringing people together and bringing communities together and start to cheer for a common interest for the common good.”

    Weather concerns aside, both teams enter week 4 coming off their first losses of the season.

    In a rematch of Super Bowl LV, in which Brady won his seventh career championship, the two superstar quarterbacks will meet again for a sixth time and first since the title game.

    Brady, who owns a 3-2 record over Mahomes, will enter Sunday’s game with the return of some much-needed offensive weapons – star wide receiver Mike Evans is back from his one-game suspension for an on field scuffle with New Orleans Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore.

    However receivers Chris Godwin and Julio, who have been out since the season opened with hamstring and knee injuries, are doubts for the Bucs.

    “Any time you get your starters back you’ll happy to have them back and have them healthy,” said Bucs head coach Todd Bowles on Friday about the possibility of having the three wide receivers back on the field. “So, we just want to make sure they’re all healthy when they come back.”

    The game on Sunday is at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC.

    Tom Brady looks on prior to the game against the Green Bay Packers.

    Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has started the season at a historic pace, tallying 12 total touchdowns through the first three weeks of the season while leading the team to a 2-1 record.

    Jackson, who is playing on the final year of his contract, will lead the Ravens against fellow MVP candidate Josh Allen and the tough Buffalo Bills defense.

    Both teams have suffered their only defeats this season in epic showdowns against the resilient Miami Dolphins.

    The 2018 NFL first round picks have been a big part of their team’s early success as Allen is coming off a 400-plus yard passing game against the Dolphins, and at nine passing touchdowns trails only Jackson for most this season.

    Jackson and Allen are the only two players in the NFL’s 103-year history to reach both nine touchdown passes and 100 rushing yards over the first three games of a season.

    Sunday’s showdown kicks off at 1 p.m. ET on CBS.

    Stefon Diggs (14) of the Buffalo Bills celebrates with teammate Josh Allen (17) after scoring a touchdown against the Tennessee Titans on September 19, 2022.

    The reigning Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams (2-1) will travel to San Francisco to take on the division and in-state rival 49ers (1-2) on Monday Night Football.

    In recent years, the 49ers have been the Rams’ Achilles heel, as Los Angeles has failed to notch a victory at Levi’s Stadium since 2018.

    Notably, before their victory in the NFC Championship last season, the Rams had lost six games in a row to San Francisco.

    After losing quarterback Trey Lance for the season with an ankle injury in week 2, Jimmy Garoppolo and the 49ers will look to continue their recent success against the Rams to fix a rough start to the season in which they sport a 1-2 record in the highly competitive NFC West.

    The game between the NFC West rivals kicks off on Monday at 8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN.

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  • Toxic algae blamed for 300 tons of dead fish in Oder River on German-Polish border:

    Toxic algae blamed for 300 tons of dead fish in Oder River on German-Polish border:

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    Germany said Friday that mass fish deaths in the Oder River were a “man-made environmental disaster,” blaming toxic algae growth sparked by the introduction of salt into the waters.

    Presenting a report into the disaster that saw at least 300 tons of dead fish pulled from the river in Germany and Poland this summer, the German environment ministry said the most likely cause was “a sudden increase in salinity.”

    The “introduced salt” led to “massive proliferation of a brackish water algae that is toxic to fish,” it said.

    Germany Oder
    A dead chub and other dead fish are swimming in the Oder River near Brieskow-Finkenheerd, eastern Germany, Thursday, Aug. 11, 2022. Huge numbers of dead fish have washed up along the banks of the Oder River between Germany and Poland. (Frank Hammerschmidt/dpa via AP)

    Frank Hammerschmidt / AP


    However, “due to a lack of available information, the experts had to leave open what caused the unnaturally high salt content,” it added.

    German Environment Minister Steffi Lemke said it was clear that “human activity” was to blame.

    Polish authorities had on Thursday released a separate report that also blamed toxic algae for the fish deaths.  More than 500 firefighters took part in the efforts to clean up the mess on the Polish side of the river this summer.

    But the Polish report said the disaster had most likely been caused by poor water quality as a result of high temperatures and very low water levels over the summer.

    Poland and Germany have long been at odds over the disaster.

    Berlin initially accused Warsaw of failing to communicate the problem, while Poland slammed Germany for spreading “fake news” about the discovery of herbicides and pesticides in the water.

    A report in Germany’s Der Spiegel magazine on Friday accused Polish authorities of failing to cooperate with their German counterparts to investigate the fish deaths.

    Polish authorities became “more and more reserved, in some cases almost secretive”, Lilian Busse, the head of the investigation, was cited as saying.

    The Spiegel report said Greenpeace investigations had shown high salt levels at a copper mine in the city of Glogow may have contributed to the disaster.

    “It is obvious to me that the Polish government wants to cover up the causes of the fish kill in the Oder,” Ralph Lenkert, environmental policy spokesman for the far-left Die Linke party, told the magazine.

    In August, Sascha Maier, a water policy officer at the BUND environmental organization, told CBS News that it was not only fish affected. Many other animals, including mussels and small vertebrates in and around the river have also suffered, Maier said.

    The ecosystem was already under great stress this summer, Maier told CBS News, thanks to extreme heat and hardly any rainfall. Those conditions very likely exacerbated the problem, at least, because the lower water volume means a higher concentration of any toxic substances present.

    “Because of the low water, we have a warm Oder River,” he said. That alone can cause significant physical stress for many fish species, and “if pollution is then added, they are less resistant.”

    Environmental disaster on the Oder River
    A ranger with the Brandenburg nature guard, stands with protective clothing in the German-Polish border river Westoder, near the junction with the main Oder River, and removes dead fish, August 16, 2022.

    Patrick Pleul/picture alliance/Getty


    Anna Noryskiewicz contributed to this report.

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  • Germany will borrow nearly $200 billion to cap consumers’ energy bills | CNN Business

    Germany will borrow nearly $200 billion to cap consumers’ energy bills | CNN Business

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    London
    CNN Business
     — 

    The German government announced plans to borrow €200 billion ($195 billion) to cap natural gas prices for households and businesses. That’s a bigger price tag than the £150 billion ($165 billion) the UK government is expected to borrow to finance its own price cap.

    Germany, Europe’s biggest economy, is trying to cope with surging gas and electricity costs caused largely by a collapse in Russian gas supplies to Europe. Moscow has blamed these supply issues on the Western sanctions that followed its invasion of Ukraine in February.

    “Prices have to come down, so the government will do everything it can. To this end, we are setting up a large defensive shield,” said German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Thursday.

    Under the plans, which are set to run until spring 2024, the government will introduce an emergency price brake on gas, the details of which will be announced next month. It is also scrapping a planned gas levy meant to help firms struggling with high spot market prices.

    A temporary electricity price brake will subsidize basic consumption for consumers and small and medium-sized companies.

    Sales tax on gas will fall sharply to 7% from 19%.

    The package will be financed with new borrowing this year, as Berlin makes use of the suspension of a constitutionally enshrined limit on new debt of 0.35% of gross domestic product.

    Finance Minister Christian Lindner has said he wants to comply with the limit again next year.

    Lindner, of the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) who share power with Scholz’s Social Democrats and the Greens, said on Thursday the country’s public finances were stable.

    “We can put it no other way: We find ourselves in an energy war,” said Lindner. “We want to clearly separate crisis expenditure from our regular budget management. We want to send a very clear signal to the capital markets.”

    Lindner also said the steps would act as a brake on inflation, which has hit its highest level in more than a quarter century.

    Consumer prices rose 10.9% in the year through September, provisional data from the country’s statistics office showed on Thursday.

    Germany has historically relied on Russian natural gas exports to fuel its homes and heavy industry. But a sharp drop in Moscow’s gas shipments since the start of the war has pushed some of Germany’s manufacturers to the brink.

    “The Russian attack on Ukraine and the resulting crisis on the energy markets are leading to a noticeable slump in the German economy,” Torsten Schmidt, head of economic research at RWI – Leibniz Institute for Economic Research, said in a Thursday report coauthored with three other top German economic institutes.

    While German GDP is expected to rise by 1.4% this year, it is likely to fall by 0.4% in 2023, the report predicts.

    The report said that, while tight gas supplies should ease over the medium-term, prices are likely to remain “well above pre-crisis levels.”

    “This will mean a permanent loss of prosperity for Germany,” it said.

    Industry groups welcomed the government’s plans.

    “This is important relief,” said Wolfgang Grosse Entrup, head of the chemicals industry trade group VCI. “Now we need details quickly, as firms increasingly have their backs to the wall.”

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  • Porsche shares quick off the line in one of Europe’s largest ever IPOs

    Porsche shares quick off the line in one of Europe’s largest ever IPOs

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    Shares in luxury carmaker Porsche AG rose on their first day of public trading after German parent company Volkswagen raised 9.4 billion euros ($9.1 billion) for one of the largest initial public offerings in European history.

    Shares traded at 85.68 euros on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange on Thursday, above the initial offering price of 82.50 euros established Wednesday after Volkswagen lined up investors to buy shares for a minority stake in the maker of the 911 sports car and Cayenne SUV.

    Volkswagen plans to use use the money to invest in software and electric vehicles as global auto industry shifts its focus to the energy transition.

    The IPO was a venture into turbulent markets, as the war in Ukraine, inflation, rising interest rates and a global energy crunch have raised fears of recession in major economies such as Europe and the U.S. Europe’s Stoxx 600 index last week fell into bear market territory.

    Still, investors snapped up the shares at the top end of the initial offer range, attracted by Porsche’s strong profit margins and recession-resistant luxury business.

    The state investment funds of Qatar, Norway and Abu Dhabi took stakes, along with money manager T. Rowe Price.

    Wolfsburg-based Volkswagen, whose other auto brands include Audi, Lamborghini, SEAT and Skoda, will remain the majority shareholder in Porsche and the companies’ industrial cooperation will continue. The sale is intended, however, to give Porsche more autonomy.

    Volkswagen CEO Oliver Blume, who kept his earlier role as head of Porsche, will continue in that dual role.

    Under the offering, 12.5% of Porsche was sold to investors in the form of non-voting shares. As part of the transaction, another 12.5% plus one share in voting shares was bought at a 7.5% premium by Porsche Automobil Holding SE, representing the Porsche and Piech families, descendants of automotive pioneer Ferdinand Porsche. Their holding is also Volkswagen’s controlling shareholder with 53% of voting shares.

    Volkswagen’s plans

    Volkswagen took over Porsche in 2012 after Porsche made a failed bid for Volkswagen and wound up laden with debt.

    Total proceeds from the sales of the two blocks of shares totaled 19.5 billion euros. Of that amount, 49% will be paid out as a dividend to Volkswagen shareholders. The rest is left for VW to fund its investments in future technologies.

    Volkswagen can use that money to invest in new factories, technologies and lines of business as the global auto industry pivots to electric vehicles in line with a worldwide focus on curbing climate-changing greenhouse gas emissions and as software development plays an ever-growing role in that shift.

    The deal ranks high among Europe’s biggest share offerings — behind Italian electrical utility Enel in 1999, valued at $16.6 billion, and Deutsche Telekom in 1996, valued at $12.5 billion, according to figures compiled by financial market data provider Refinitiv.

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  • Live Updates: Russia-Ukraine War

    Live Updates: Russia-Ukraine War

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    KYIV, Ukraine — STOCKHOLM — A fourth leak to the Nord Stream pipelines conveying natural gas from Russia to Germany has been reported off southern Sweden.

    Earlier, three leaks had been reported on the two underwater pipelines. Seismologists detected two explosions were detected before reports of the leaks which officials believe were “deliberate actions.”

    Some experts have said Russia is likely to blame for any sabotage — it directly benefits from higher energy prices and economic anxiety across Europe.

    Sweden’s coast guards told Swedish news agency TT on Thursday that the fourth leak was off Sweden. All the leaks are in international waters.

    ———

    KEY DEVELOPMENTS:

    — Russia poised to annex occupied Ukrain e after sham vote

    — US: Focus new Russia sanctions on oil revenue, arms supplies

    — Europe ramps up energy security after suspected sabotage

    — Moscow tries to draft fleeing Russian men at the borders

    ———

    OTHER DEVELOPMENTS:

    KYIV — Authorities say Russian missile fire targeted the eastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro overnight, killing at least three people and wounded five others.

    Valentyn Reznichenko, the governor of the wider Dnipropetrovsk region, said fire damaged homes, a market, cars, buses and electrical lines.

    ——

    KYIV — Authorities say the hometown of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has again been targeted by Russian missile fire.

    Ukrainian military officials said Thursday a Russian Kh-59 missile struck Kryvyi Rih on Wednesday night. The Russian fire struck a grain depot while others were shot down.

    Kryvyi Rih is some 350 kilometers (215 miles) southeast of Kyiv.

    ——

    KYIV — The Ukrainian military says it is sending undertrained fighters to the battle front as it tries to reinforce its positions in the eastern Ukrainian city of Lyman.

    The Ukrainian military’s general staff said Thursday that of seven Russian tanks sent to Lyman recently, Russian troops crashed two of them on the way there.

    It also said troops manning the tanks did not undergo training on how to use the vehicle’s weapons.

    The Ukrainian military did not elaborate on how it knew about the tank unit’s condition. But Ukraine’s intelligence services have played purportedly intercepted phone calls of Russian troops complaining about their conditions on the front line.

    ——

    KYIV — Britain’s military says the number of Russian military-age men fleeing the country likely exceeds the number of forces Moscow used to initially invade Ukraine in February.

    The British Defense Ministry made the estimate in its daily intelligence briefing Thursday amid a Russian push to mobilize more troops to replenish losses its forces have suffered in Ukraine.

    The ministry said those who are financially better off and better educated are over-represented amongst those attempting to leave Russia.

    It added that the economic impact from the call-up as a result of a loss of labor in combination with a ‘brain drain’ “is likely to become increasingly difficult.”

    ——

    KYIV — A Washington-based think tank says Ukrainian soldiers continue to advance around a key northeastern city occupied by Russian forces and may soon encircle it entirely.

    The Institute for the Study of War, citing Russian reports, said Thursday that Ukrainian forces have taken more villages around Lyman, a city some 160 kilometers (100 miles) southeast of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city.

    Lyman had been a key node in Russia’s front-line operations in the region before Ukrainian forces retook vast swathes of territory in the northeast earlier this month.

    The institute said a possible collapse of the Lyman pocket would allow Ukrainian troops to “threaten Russian positions along the western Luhansk” region.

    The institute suggested additional Russian losses would further erode morale amid a call-up of hundreds of thousands of men — the country’s first since World War II.

    — Follow the AP’s coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

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  • 8 things to know about the environmental impact of ‘unprecedented’ Nord Stream leaks

    8 things to know about the environmental impact of ‘unprecedented’ Nord Stream leaks

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    The apparent sabotage of both Nord Stream gas pipelines may be one of the worst industrial methane accidents in history, scientists said Wednesday, but it’s not a major climate disaster.

    Methane — a greenhouse gas up to 80 times more powerful than carbon dioxide — is escaping into the atmosphere from three boiling patches on the surface of the Baltic Sea, the largest of which the Danish military said was a kilometer across.

    On Tuesday evening, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen condemned the “sabotage” and “deliberate disruption of active European energy infrastructure.” 

    Here are eight key questions on the impact of the leaks.

    1. How much methane was in the pipelines?

    No government agency in Europe could say for sure how much gas was in the pipes.

    “I cannot tell you clearly as the pipelines are owned by Nord Stream AG and the gas comes from Gazprom,” said a spokesperson for the German climate and economy ministry. 

    The two Nord Stream 1 pipelines were in operation, although Moscow stopped delivering gas a month ago, and both were hit. “It can be assumed that it’s a large amount” of gas in those lines, the German official said. Only one of the Nord Stream 2 lines was struck. It was not in operation but was filled with 177 million cubic meters of gas last year.

    Estimates of the total gas in the pipelines that are leaking range from 150 million cubic meters to 500 million cubic meters.

    2. How much is being released?

    Kristoffer Böttzauw, the director of the Danish Energy Agency, told reporters on Wednesday that the leaks would equate to about 14 million tons of CO2, about 32 percent of Denmark’s annual emissions.

    Germany’s Federal Environment Agency estimated the leaks will lead to emissions of around 7.5 million tons of CO2 equivalent — about 1 percent of Germany’s annual emissions. The agency also noted there are no “sealing mechanisms” along the pipelines, “so in all likelihood the entire contents of the pipes will escape.”

    Because at least one of the leaks is in Danish waters, Denmark will have to add these emissions to its climate balance sheet, the agency said.

    But it is not clear whether all of the gas in the lines would actually be released into the atmosphere. Methane is also consumed by ocean bacteria as it heads through the water column.

    3. How does that compare to previous leaks?

    The largest leak ever recorded in the U.S. was the 2015 Aliso Canyon leak of roughly 90,000 tons of methane over months. With the upper estimates of what might be released in the Baltic more than twice that, this week’s disaster may be “unprecedented,” said David McCabe, a senior scientist with the Clean Air Task Force.

    Jeffrey Kargel, a senior scientist at the Planetary Research Institute in Tucson, Arizona, said the leak was “really disturbing. It is a real travesty, an environmental crime if it was deliberate.”

    4. Will this have a meaningful effect on global temperatures?

    “The amount of gas lost from the pipeline obviously is large,” Kargel said. But “it is not the climate disaster one might think.”

    Annual global carbon emissions are around 32 billion tons, so this represents a tiny fraction of the pollution driving climate change. It even pales in comparison to the accumulation of thousands of industrial and agricultural sources of methane that are warming the planet. 

    “This is a wee bubble in the ocean compared to the huge amounts of so-called fugitive methane that are emitted every day around the world due to things like fracking, coal mining and oil extraction,” said Dave Reay, executive director of the Edinburgh Climate Change Institute.

    Lauri Myllyvirta, lead analyst at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, said it was roughly comparable to the amount of methane leaked from across Russia’s oil and gas infrastructure on any given working week. 

    A leak was reported near the Nord Stream 2 pipeline off the coast of Denmark’s Bornholm island | Danish Defence Command

    5. Is the local environment affected?

    While the gas is still leaking, the immediate vicinity is an extremely dangerous place. Air that contains more than 5 percent methane can be flammable, said Rehder, so the risk of an explosion is real. Methane is not a toxic gas, but high concentrations can reduce the amount of available oxygen. 

    Shipping has been restricted from a 5 nautical mile radius around the leaks. This is because the methane in the water can affect buoyancy and rupture a vessel’s hull.

    Marine animals near the escaping gas may be caught up and killed — especially poor swimmers such as jellyfish, said Rehder. But long-term effects on the local environment are not anticipated.

    “It’s an unprecedented case,” he said. “But from our current understanding, I would think that the local effects on marine life in the area is rather small.”

    6. What can be done?

    Some have suggested that the remaining gas should be pumped out, but a German economy and climate ministry spokesperson on Wednesday said this wasn’t possible.

    Once the pipeline has emptied, “it will fill up with water,” the spokesperson added. “At the moment, no one can go underwater — the danger is too great due to the escaping methane.”

    Any repair would be the responsibility of pipeline owner Nord Stream AG, the Germans said.

    7. Should they set it on fire?

    Not only would it look impressive, setting the gas on fire would hugely slash the global warming impact of the leak. Methane is made of carbon and hydrogen, when burned it creates carbon dioxide, which is between 30 and 80 times less planet-warming per ton than methane. Flaring, as it is known, is a common method for reducing the impact of escaping methane.

    From a pure climate perspective, setting the escaping methane on fire makes sense. “Yes, definitely — it will help,” said Piers Forster, director of the Priestley International Centre for Climate at the University of Leeds. 

    But there would be safety issues and potential environmental concerns, including air pollution from the combustion. “With land — in particular the inhabited and touristic island of Bornholm — nearby, you would not venture into this,” said Rehder.

    No government has yet indicated that this is under consideration.

    8. How long will it last and what next?

    “We expect that gas will flow out of the pipes until the end of the week. After that, first of all, from the Danish side, we will try to get out and investigate what the cause is, and approach the pipes, so that we can have it investigated properly. We can do that when the gas leak has stopped,” Danish Energy Agency director Böttzauw told local media.

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  • EU aims for Israel reboot with summit

    EU aims for Israel reboot with summit

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    The EU is seeking to reset its often testy relationship with Israel next week, convening a summit on Monday of senior political figures for the first time in a decade. 

    The meeting format, known as the EU-Israel Association Council, has essentially been dormant since 2013, when Israel canceled a gathering in protest over the EU’s stance on Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Since then, the two sides have continued to clash over similar issues. 

    But the 2021 exit of hardline Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opened the door for current rapprochement. His replacement, Yair Lapid, who also holds the foreign minister role, has embraced a two-state solution with Palestine — a position more in line with many EU countries’ approach, even if several countries are still expected to express disapproval of Israel’s Palestinian policies on Monday. Brussels is also eager to shore up energy supplies from Israel amid Russia’s war in Ukraine.

    Lapid is expected to attend Monday’s council meeting. 

    “There’s a big hope that the upcoming association council between the EU and Israel will bring … a new wind into our relationship,” Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský told POLITICO last week at the United Nations General Assembly, expressing optimism that the development will be one of the key achievements of the Czechs’ six-month rotating EU presidency.

    Still, getting EU consensus on one of the world’s most notoriously contentious conflicts is not going to be easy. 

    Countries like Ireland and Sweden have traditionally taken a more pro-Palestinian stance — Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas stopped off in Dublin for a meeting with the Irish prime minister earlier this month en route to the U.N. annual gathering. On the other end of the spectrum, Israel has strong supporters within the EU. Hungary, for example, is a staunch ally with economic and ideological bonds forged over the years between Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Netanyahu.  

    Before the EU-Israel council went dark, it had served for more than a decade as a forum for officials to regularly meet and discuss these issues. Now, with the council set to be revived, member states are tinkering with an official communique that needs to satisfy the spectrum of views regarding EU-Israeli relations. 

    Finding common language can mean weeks of fighting over a single word while backroom deals are cut to appease the myriad interests at play. Palestinian officials are also watching closely, demanding not to be left out of a similar diplomatic engagement with Brussels. 

    The EU’s complicated role in the Israel-Palestine conflict has played out in numerous controversies this year alone. 

    This spring, the European Commission was forced to delay funding for the Palestinian Authority over the content of textbooks, which critics say included anti-Israeli incitements to violence. 

    The decision to block the funds was led by Hungarian EU Enlargement Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi. As POLITICO first reported, 15 countries sent a letter to the Commission in April blasting the move. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen finally announced the money would be disbursed during a visit to the Palestinian city Ramallah in July.

    EU commissioner for neighbourhood and enlargement Olivér Várhelyi | Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP via Getty Images

    Further tensions with Tel Aviv emerged following an Israeli raid in July on the offices of Palestinian NGOs. 

    Israel had accused the groups — some of which received funds from EU countries — of being terrorist organizations. But numerous EU countries weren’t convinced.

    In a joint statement at the time, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden all blasted Israel, saying it had not supplied “substantial information” to justify the raids. The bloc reiterated those “deep concerns” in August after further Israeli raids on civil society groups. 

    Another dynamic affecting the EU’s relationship with Israel is the Continent’s energy woes. As Europe scrambles to find alternative sources of Russian gas, furthering energy ties with Israel is one possible answer.  

    In a June visit to Israel, von der Leyen signed a memorandum of understanding with Israel and Egypt to boost gas exports. The EU is also Israel’s largest trade market and accounts for about a third of Israel’s total trade. 

    But while economic imperatives explain part of the new push for engagement with Israel, long-term observers say the outreach also reflects a new willingness to engage with Tel Aviv after Lapid came to power this summer. Lapid entered office as part of a power-sharing arrangement with Naftali Bennett, who held the job for a year prior to him. 

    “I think it is a genuine shift,” said Maya Sion-Tzidkiyahu, who helms the Israel-Europe Program at Mitvim Institute, an Israeli think tank. “The change of tone was made by Lapid, who shares much of the EU’s normative stance on the liberal democratic world order. It’s now much more positive than during Netanyahu’s government, even if Bennett and now Lapid government is not advancing the peace process.”

    Sion-Tzidkiyahu said mutually beneficial scenarios are helping to replace “megaphone diplomacy” with closer dialogue.

    “Disagreements on contentious issues such as the Palestinian or Iranian one will not disappear, but perhaps there are now better understanding for the concerns of each side,” she said.

    Lipavský, the Czech foreign minister, is aware of the concerns some EU countries have about the Israeli’s government actions in the West Bank and towards Palestinians. 

    “We need to discuss [these concerns] openly, but I don’t think that one issue should block the debate about the others,” he said.

    European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen poses for pictures with Israel’s Yair Lapid | Pool photo by Maya Alleruzzo/AFP via Getty Images

    Officially, the EU supports the two-state solution that sees a Palestinian state living side-by-side in peace and security with Israel — a vision also shared by the United States. But making that prospect a reality seems as far away as ever. 

    Sven Koopmans, the EU special representative for the Middle East peace process, wrote earlier this month that all parties needed to help identify ways to solve the man-made conflict.

    “The current situation is increasingly seen as a structural human rights problem, in which Israel has the upper hand,” he wrote in the Israeli outlet Haaretz. “That negatively affects how the world perceives Israel, and holds risks for the long-term. It should not be that way.”

    When it comes to resuming the peace process, Sion-Tzidkiyahu is not confident. 

    “Under the current political circumstances in the Palestinian Authority and Israel, such development is not foreseen,” she said. “At most, the EU can push for more practical steps by Israel to improve Palestinian’s condition.”

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  • Germany secures more gas shipments as Scholz visits Gulf

    Germany secures more gas shipments as Scholz visits Gulf

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    BERLIN (AP) — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz planted a tree at a mangrove park in the United Arab Emirates on Sunday, a token nod to environmentalism during a two-day visit to the Gulf region focused mainly on securing new fossil fuel supplies and forging fresh alliances against Russia.

    Germany is trying to wean itself off energy imports from Russia in response to the invasion of Ukraine, while avoiding an energy shortage in the coming winter months.

    To do so, the German government has sought out new natural gas suppliers while also installing terminals to bring the fuel into the country by ship.

    After visiting the Jubail Mangrove Park in Abu Dhabi, Scholz met with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to sign an accord on energy cooperation and discuss the country’s hosting of next year’s U.N. climate talks.

    German utility company RWE announced Sunday that it will receive a first shipment of liquefied natural gas from the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company this year. In a separate deal, RWE will partner with UAE-based Masdar to explore further offshore wind energy projects, the company said.

    From Abu Dhabi Scholz flew to Qatar to meet the emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and discuss bilateral relations, regional issues such as tensions with Iran and the Gulf nation’s upcoming hosting of soccer’s World Cup.

    Speaking to reporters in Doha, Scholz acknowledged that there had been progress on improving conditions for foreign workers involved in the construction of the venues for the tournament, but left open whether he would attend any of the games himself.

    The German leader’s first stop Saturday was Saudi Arabia, where he met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

    Human rights groups criticized the meeting because of Prince Mohammed’s alleged involvement in the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

    Scholz told reporters after the meeting that he had discussed “all the questions around civil and human rights” with the prince, but declined to elaborate.

    German officials noted ahead of the trip that Scholz is one of several Western leaders to meet with the Saudi crown prince in recent months, including U.S. President Joe Biden, former U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and French President Emmanuel Macron.

    German officials said all energy agreements will take into account the country’s plans to become carbon neutral by 2045, requiring a shift from natural gas to hydrogen produced with renewable energy in the coming decades.

    Saudi Arabia, which has vast regions suitable for cheap solar power generation, is seen as a particularly suitable supplier of hydrogen, they said.

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    Follow all AP stories about the impact of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine.

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    Follow all AP stories about climate change issues at https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environmental.

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  • NOT REAL NEWS: A look at what didn’t happen this week

    NOT REAL NEWS: A look at what didn’t happen this week

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    A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. None of these are legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. The Associated Press checked them out. Here are the facts:

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    Germany hasn’t stopped using COVID-19 vaccines

    CLAIM: Germany has halted the use of all COVID-19 vaccines because they are unsafe.

    THE FACTS: Germany continues to use COVID-19 vaccines and is expected to receive updated booster shots that also target omicron strains, according to health officials. Social media users in recent days have amplified a false claim that Germany has discontinued all COVID-19 vaccines. “BREAKING NEWS — GERMANY HALTS ALL C19 VACCINES, THEY ARE UNSAFE AND NO LONGER RECOMMENDED !!” reads one tweet shared more than 6,000 times. “NO ONE CAN GET IT & the vaccine license has been put on pause!!” On Telegram, posts advancing the erroneous claim included a news broadcast-style video in which a man identified as Stephan Kohn, a political scientist, pretends to be the new president of the Robert Koch Institute, Germany’s disease control agency. Kohn claims in the video that the government passed a “moratorium” and that COVID-19 vaccines are “not recommended any longer.” But that video was part of an event called “BasisCamp.live,” a fictional exercise that took place in Berlin in August. The Robert Koch Institute has actually been headed by Lothar Wieler since 2015. The suggestion that Germany has halted immunizations is false, a representative for the Federal Ministry of Health told the AP. “Germany has not banned or paused the COVID-19 vaccinations in Germany,” Kira Nübel said in an email. Nübel noted that Germany is currently slated to receive millions of more doses of Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines. The country will also receive deliveries of new combination or “bivalent” booster shots from Pfizer, which the European Commission authorized this week. The updated shots contain half the original vaccine that’s been used since December 2020 and half a formulation that targets today’s dominant omicron versions, BA.4 and BA.5, as the AP has reported.

    — Associated Press writer Angelo Fichera in Philadelphia contributed this report. ___

    Illinois law doesn’t make murder, other crimes ‘non-detainable’ offenses

    CLAIM: Suspects facing serious charges including second-degree murder, kidnapping, robbery, burglary and arson will no longer be held in custody until trial under a new, first-in-the-nation Illinois law abolishing cash bail statewide.

    THE FACTS: Judges in Illinois will still have discretion to order suspects for these and other serious crimes held in jail pending trial if they are deemed a threat to public safety or a flight risk, but the new law does impose higher standards to meet those conditions. Social media posts and conservative news outlets have been distorting how Illinois’ Pretrial Fairness Act, which is scheduled to take effect Jan. 1, will work. The posts list a range of violent crimes that they say will be considered “non-detainable,” including second-degree murder, kidnapping, robbery, burglary and arson. The posts also include dire warnings that Illinois communities will soon devolve into a real life version of “The Purge,” a horror movie where all crime is allowed on one night a year. “On January 1, 2023, Illinois will take its place in history when they become the first state to test out ‘The Purge’; in real life,” an Instagram user wrote on Monday. “The ironically named ‘SAFE-T’ act will charge and release criminals without cash bail for 12 now non-detainable offenses.” Illinois’ new law ends cash bail, or payments imposed by a judge, as a condition of a person’s release pending trial. It’s among the most contentious parts of the “Safe-T Act,” a wide-ranging criminal justice bill Illinois lawmakers passed in 2021 in response to the nationwide reckoning on racism and police brutality. But the law doesn’t create a new classification of “non-detainable” offenses, as critics claim. Suspects can still be jailed pretrial if they are considered a public safety risk or likely to flee to avoid criminal prosecution, said Lauryn Gouldin, a criminal law professor at Syracuse University in New York who studies pretrial detention and bail. The new law states: “Detention only shall be imposed when it is determined that the defendant poses a specific, real and present threat to a person, or has a high likelihood of willful flight.” Additionally, those charged with “forcible felonies,” ones in which probation isn’t an option if convicted, can also be detained pretrial under the law following a required court hearing, said Benjamin Ruddell, director of criminal justice policy at the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, which was among the local advocacy groups that supported the measure. That includes serious crimes such as first-degree murder and criminal sexual assault. Those arrested for forcible felonies such as second-degree murder, robbery, burglary, arson, kidnapping and aggravated battery — the crimes often cited by opponents of the bill on social media — are not required to have a detention hearing since they are offenses subject to probation. The suspects could, however, still be held in custody until trial if a judge determines they are a threat or flight risk. “Contrary to the false arguments advanced by opponents, the new pretrial system will not simply release every person arrested for a crime,” Jordan Abudayyeh, a spokesperson for Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker, wrote in an email. Still, the new law does impose higher standards for determining who is considered a public threat or a flight risk, and critics are concerned it will make it nearly impossible to detain a suspect ahead of trial. Prosecutors will now have to show a defendant poses a threat to a “specific, identifiable person or persons,” rather than a more general threat to the community, or they’d have to show that the person has a “high likelihood of willful flight.” “This is a much higher burden than commonly used today in courts throughout the country,” says Jon Walters, an assistant state’s attorney in the office of Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow, who has been a vocal critic of the new law. “The new standards could potentially be insurmountable.”

    — Associated Press writer Philip Marcelo in New York contributed this report.

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    UK didn’t cancel all funerals on same day as queen’s service

    CLAIM: All funeral services in the U.K. have been canceled on Sept. 19, the day Queen Elizabeth II is set to be buried.

    THE FACTS: While some families are opting to postpone or reschedule services set for the day of the queen’s funeral, Sept. 19, there has been no countrywide cancellation order for private funerals on that day. Following the announcement that Monday would be observed as a public holiday in the U.K. to commemorate the queen’s burial, some social media users shared the inaccurate claim that all coinciding funerals would be canceled in deference to Britain’s longest-serving monarch. “Omg so all funerals due on the 19 th have been cancelled !My heartfelt sympathy with all those bereft families involved,” one Twitter user declared, receiving more than 22,000 likes and nearly 4,000 shares. But this isn’t the case. No blanket cancellation orders have been issued to cover funerals scheduled for the day, according to representatives from three of England’s funeral and crematorial industry groups. “There is no truth in this coverage,” Brendan Day,​ secretary of the U.K.’s Federation of Burial and Cremation Authorities, wrote in an email to the AP. “The advice being circulated is that all funerals booked for the 19th September proceed as arranged.” Terry Tennens, chief executive of the National Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors, and Deborah Smith, a spokesperson for the National Association of Funeral Directors, both confirmed that there was no countrywide call for cancellations. Tennens called the situation a “mixed picture” and added that he knew of two local authorities that opted to close their crematoriums that day, but also noted that crematoriums operated by authorities in at least five other localities would remain open, as would cemeteries and crematoriums run by private operators. “Some funerals will go ahead, others are moving to a different date – led by the needs & wishes of the bereaved families involved and in consultation with their chosen funeral venue,” Smith wrote in an email. The government on Saturday announced that Sept. 19 would be deemed a national bank holiday “to allow individuals, businesses and other organisations to pay their respects to Her Majesty and commemorate Her reign” on the day of her state funeral. Time off is not mandated for bank holidays and “the government cannot interfere in existing contractual arrangements between employers and workers,” according to the guidance. Tanya Khan, a spokesperson for the U.K. government’s Cabinet Office, confirmed that organizations and businesses are “under no obligation” to close offices or otherwise cancel or postpone events, and that those decisions were at the discretion of employers. The queen died at Balmoral Estate, her summer residence in Scotland, on Thursday at age 96, ending her 70-year reign.

    — Associated Press writer Sophia Tulp in New York contributed this report.

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    Mourning period for queen doesn’t affect tech devices

    CLAIM: Nintendo and Apple devices as well as the Roblox gaming platform are displaying on-screen messages explaining that they are disabled during the national period of mourning for the late Queen Elizabeth II.

    THE FACTS: These messages aren’t real, and there are no such interruptions. As the U.K. mourns the death of Elizabeth, some social media users are spreading baseless claims that its national period of mourning is hobbling tech devices and gaming platforms. “Don’t play Roblox in the UK,” read one widely shared tweet, which featured an image designed to look like an alert message on the gaming platform. The image featured a photo of the late queen and the text, “Disconnected: Queen Elizabeth II 1926-2022. This experience is unavailable for the Royal period of Mourning and will continue to be until Monday 19 September.” An Instagram post made the same claim about Nintendo, featuring an image of a handheld game console from the brand with a similar message on its screen. Meanwhile, Twitter users falsely claimed Apple iPads would display the message for any users who selected British English in their language settings. “Friendly warning, DO NOT set your iPad’s language to British English or it will go into mourning mode for the next couple of days,” read the tweet, which was shared more than 8,000 times. While some posters shared the images in jest, others seemed to believe the false claims, asking if there were exceptions for emergencies or expressing gratitude that they used Android devices. However, the claims are unfounded. “There’s no truth to the rumor,” a Nintendo representative confirmed to the AP in an email. “There have been no changes to where Roblox is available globally,” said Roblox spokesperson William Nevius. Apple did not respond to a request for comment, but an AP journalist’s iPhone displayed no such message when its language settings were changed to U.K. English. Apple’s tracking page for system issues reported no ongoing issues on Wednesday. The mourning period for the queen extends beyond the date of Sept. 19 mentioned in the false posts. Elizabeth’s funeral is scheduled for that day, and the mourning period will extend for a week after that, according to the royal family.

    — Associated Press writer Ali Swenson in New York contributed this report.

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    Find AP Fact Checks here: https://apnews.com/APFactCheck

    ___

    Follow @APFactCheck on Twitter: https://twitter.com/APFactCheck

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  • Lenovo Connect Assists AIWAYS U5 in Completing the Longest Test Drive With Global Connectivity Services

    Lenovo Connect Assists AIWAYS U5 in Completing the Longest Test Drive With Global Connectivity Services

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    Press Release
    –


    updated: Sep 12, 2019


    BEIJING, September 12, 2019 (Newswire.com)
    –
    AIWAYS has announced the successful completion of EV prototype test journey in Frankfurt, Germany. It is a 14,231-mile journey across Asia and Europe from Xi’an, China, since it marks the start of the historically significant Silk Road trading route between the East and the West that took 53 days.

    As a partner of AIWAYS, Lenovo Connect provided great connectivity services in AIWAYS’s drive test journey and even to all AIWAYS products worldwide. Since March 2019, Lenovo Connect started to offer AIWAYS Automotive Grading SIM cards, CMP (Connectivity Management Platform) platform and e-Call service in succession. So AIWAYS could enjoy many valuable services, including abundant global communication resources, stable APN network scheme, professional operation support and more.

    At present, Lenovo Connect is actively developing 5G software-defined network and fusion communication device, edge computing and super-computing device, cloud storage device and platform to promote the smart applications in network communications infrastructure, IoV, driverless vehicles and so on. Next, Lenovo Connect will focus on initiating the overall solution based on the connectivity platform, which covers the vehicle terminal, mobile terminal, supervision terminal, operation-end, data center, SP/CP, etc.

    Furthermore, Lenovo Connect will continue to work closely with AIWAYS to provide users a safe, stable and smart driving experience, and jointly promote the development and landing of smart IoV industry.

    About Lenovo Connect

    Lenovo Connect is a subsidiary of Lenovo and is committed to becoming the world’s leading AIOT service provider. Lenovo Connect pools global network operators, hardware manufacturers, platform developers, system integrators and service providers to create an ICBAG enabling system integrating IoT, Cloud, Big Data, AI and Global Service. Lenovo Connect will converge global connectivity and service resources to empower the smart connectivity of all things.

    For more information, please visit: https://www.lenovoconnect.com/en/solution/car

    Or contact Ted Ji: jihe@lenovoconnect.com

    Source: Lenovo Connect

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  • Arvigor Trading & Co. GmbH is Incorporated in a Global USD 20.88 Tn. Export Market.

    Arvigor Trading & Co. GmbH is Incorporated in a Global USD 20.88 Tn. Export Market.

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    The launch of Arvigor Trading & Co. GmbH paves the way to synergize its trading, advisory and tech businesses.

    Press Release
    –


    updated: Oct 11, 2017


    BERLIN, October 11, 2017 (Newswire.com)
    –
     Arvigor Trading & Co. announces its incorporation as Arvigor Trading & Co. GmbH on Sept. 27, 2017, a multipurpose trading company based in Berlin, Germany. 

    Business and Trade

    The technological advancements in the last two decades, especially in global telecommunication, have created more fluid mechanisms for international trade. International diversification for businesses has become a standard instrument in this global economy. However, the global flow of information and business data also means that modern trade for businesses underscores the relevance of systematic and technical solutions.

    Duc Anh Do, Chief Executive Officer

    Today’s global and growing market for exports has changed the ways how traders, investors, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) compete for and do business. The build-up of internal trade departments absorbs resources and stretches organizational capacities.

    Arvigor Trading & Co. concentrates the operational workflow of SMEs with regard to their international business through its trade advisory & business consulting, ecommerce, public relations & trade marketing platform. Its use of algorithmic solutions and mathematical models to interconnected problems of international trade such as business-to-business matching, supply chain optimization or global sourcing boosts the structural efficiency and allocation of their investments.

    Communication and Diversification

    Arvigor Trading & Co. GmbH CEO, Mr. Duc Anh Do, reflected on the incorporation: “The technological advancements in the last two decades, especially in global telecommunication, have created more fluid mechanisms for international trade. International diversification for businesses has become a standard instrument in this global economy. However, the global flow of information and business data also means that modern trade for businesses underscores the relevance of systematic and technical solutions.”  

    Opportunities and Challenges

    Merchandise exports and the exports of commercial services by WTO members were valued at USD 20.88 tn in 2015, which represented roughly twice that value in 2005. Legal and political challenges such as the withdrawal from the European Union by the United Kingdom, however, have created uncertainty in global trade. By quantifying those types of risks, international businesses can enact suitable measures in advance and enhance their corporate decision-making processes.  

    About Arvigor Trading & Co. GmbH

    Arvigor Trading & Co. GmbH based in Berlin, Germany, is a private multipurpose trading company with a hybrid business model involved in international trade. It centralizes, structures and optimizes the trade operations of small and medium-sized enterprises through a multichannel platform to generate long-term value for its clients. Its trade advisory and business consulting solutions are built to enhance their competitive outlook and strategic perspective. Contact via: arvigortrading.com.

    # # #

    Media Contact:

    Email: media@arvigortrading.com
    Twitter: @arvigortrading
    Phone: +49 30 28867307
    Fax: +49 32 226412907

    Source: Arvigor Trading & Co.

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  • German International Business Schools on the Rise, Says Schiller International University

    German International Business Schools on the Rise, Says Schiller International University

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    Press Release
    –


    updated: Jun 29, 2017


    Heidelberg, Germany, June 29, 2017 (Newswire.com)
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     Due to recent political events in the U.K. and the U.S., Germany has become more attractive to international students. “Both the Brexit and the presidential election of Trump originated in stricter immigration controls,” says Tanja Ward, Director of Schiller International University Heidelberg. “Our business school, where only 5-8 percent of the current MBA class is German-born, is currently recording a growing number of international applicants.” Mrs. Ward acknowledges that Germany insists on students owning residence cards at an extra cost, but it offers visa-free entry not only to students arriving from the EU but also to applicants from the U.S., Canada, Australia, Morocco, South Korea and Japan. This is clearly an advantage German business schools have compared to the U.K. and the U.S.

    Apart from the low entry barriers, tuition costs are another advantage to business education in Germany. The € 21.000 fee for Schiller International University Heidelberg’s one-year MBA programme is low compared with business schools in the U.K. which charge around €60-80.000. Besides, Schiller International University offers students the unique opportunity to transfer between four international campuses and earn a double degree in Europe and the U.S.

    “Both the Brexit and the presidential election of Trump originated in stricter immigration controls. Our business school, where only 5-8 percent of the current MBA class is German-born, is currently recording a growing number of international applicants.”

    Tanja Ward, Director of Schiller International University Heidelberg, Germany

    Germany was known to underperform in business education until now
    However, charging students for degrees has been questioned by Germany’s publicly funded universities for a long time. And Germany has less highly ranked MBA institutions compared to the U.K. and France, Spain, Singapore and Australia, Schiller International University being among them. “The German higher education, historically focusing on the diploma, is part of the reason for this,” says Ward. The diploma took longer to complete than degrees in other countries but was seen as equivalent to a postgraduate qualification, like the MBA, in Germany. An expensive business education offered few advantages for those seeking promotion. But with the German education system radically changing, Germany is beginning to find its way and MBA recruiters are taking notice. “The future looks brighter,” says Ward. Applications at Schiller International University Heidelberg for the full-time MBA programme rose remarkably in the first quarter of this year compared to the last semester of 2016. And the fact that Germany has recently been attracting more international students looking to enter high-paying business sectors means that it will begin to compete with U.K. and U.S. business schools.

    Source: Schiller International University

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  • Scientific Games inks new contract with Lotto Bayern for its lottery gaming system SYMPHONY | Yogonet International

    Scientific Games inks new contract with Lotto Bayern for its lottery gaming system SYMPHONY | Yogonet International

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    Gaming technology and services provider Scientific Games announced a new contract with Staatliche Lotterie- und Spielbankverwaltung (LOTTO Bayern) in Munich, Germany, featuring the company’s most advanced lottery gaming systems technology, SYMPHONY. The new gaming system is powering the state lottery’s 3,300 retail points-of-sale as well as digital sales. SYMPHONY is now live for two German state lotteries.

    The new gaming system from Scientific Games advances LOTTO Bayern to fully modular, modern systems architecture that supports multi-channel sales, explains the firm. LOTTO Bayern products include Eurojackpot, LOTTO 6aus49, Spiel 77 and SUPER 6, as well as GlückSpirale, Die Sieger-Chance, Keno, Plus 5, TOTO, pull tab tickets and instant scratch games.

    Claus Niederalt, President of the Staatliche Lotterie- und Spielbankverwaltung, said: “Scientific Games is a long-term reliable technology and service partner who not only meets our very demanding architectural targets with their new SYMPHONY platform, but also offers a transformation path facilitating our transition from monolithic to new modular architecture.” 

    Staatliche Lotterie- und Spielbankverwaltung transfers more than 400 million euros to the Bavarian state budget each year. “These funds enable additional services, especially in the areas of sports and culture, monument preservation and other public areas and conservation, which would otherwise not be possible or only possible with difficulty, and thus is a benefit for all citizens in Bavaria,” noted Scientific Games.

    Matthias Müller, VP Strategic Sales & Marketing for Scientific Games, added: “Staatliche Lotterie- und Spielbankverwaltung (LOTTO Bayern), has taken a smart step toward the future with our new SYMPHONY gaming systems technology. This advanced, modular system from Scientific Games offers LOTTO Bayern the agility to adapt quickly to ever-changing consumer behaviors and rapidly evolving retail and digital sales environments.”

    Scientific Games has served Staatliche Lotterie- und Spielbankverwaltung since the mid-1990s and currently supplies the company with a digital lottery platform, sports betting engine, retail point-of-sale technology and a terminal management system, as well as instant scratch card games.

    The global lottery company provides retail and digital games, technology, analytics and services to 130 lotteries in 50 countries around the globe, including all 16 German state lotteries. Scientific Games bills itself as the largest lottery systems provider in Europe and the fastest-growing in the U.S. The company has more than 30 digital lottery customers globally, and powers the world’s largest government sports betting program in Turkey.

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  • IGT to empower WestLotto with its Aurora system technology in five-year contract extension | Yogonet International

    IGT to empower WestLotto with its Aurora system technology in five-year contract extension | Yogonet International

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    International Game Technology (IGT) announced Tuesday that its IGT Global Services subsidiary has signed a contract extension with Westdeutsche Lotterie, better known as WestLotto. Under the deal, IGT is set to deliver its Aurora system technology to the state-licensed operator, which is Germany’s largest lottery.

    “IGT has provided WestLotto with world-class lottery solutions for more than 20 years and is the trusted partner for us to provide the best possible player experiences and to drive growth responsibly for our business,” said Andreas Kötter, WestLotto Co-CEO.

    “We look forward to modernizing our central system further through the implementation of Aurora and the many benefits its modules will present to our Lottery.”

    The new agreement runs for five years, extending the current contract in place to at least 2031. The deal also comes with further contract extension options.

    “IGT’s global expertise and our extensive knowledge of the local lottery market complement each other perfectly,” said Christiane Jansen, WestLotto Co-CEO. “The partnership represents gaming of the future that is as innovative as it is secure and reputable.”

    As part of IGT’s OMNIA omnichannel solution for lotteries, Aurora was developed to drive lottery innovation and will offer “enhanced reliability for WestLotto’s high volume of transactions.” The product incorporates a suite of flexible solutions designed to manage, transform and further grow the Lottery’s business, says IGT.

    International Game Technology describes Aurora as providing intuitive, user-friendly applications, tools and reporting capabilities that will handle all of WestLotto’s transaction processing, game management and back-office operations.

    “As Germany’s largest lottery with over €1.7 billion in sales, WestLotto requires the sophistication, reliability and innovation that IGT’s Aurora central system delivers,” added Jay Gendron, IGT Chief Operating Officer, Global Lottery.

    “Our high-performing Aurora platform and its components will enable the Lottery to manage its business more efficiently, while providing premier player experiences and maximizing funds to good causes.”

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  • Gauselmann Group’s compliance officers gather to discuss gaming regulatory requirements | Yogonet International

    Gauselmann Group’s compliance officers gather to discuss gaming regulatory requirements | Yogonet International

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    Gauselmann Group‘s compliance officers, spanning 12 nations, recently came together for a two-day workshop at the company’s Espelkamp, Germany headquarters. The event focused on the constantly growing number of gaming laws and regulations worldwide, sources of law for the avoidance of risks, as well as new courses of action for the markets the company operates in. This was the fifth workshop of its kind since the introduction of a group-wide compliance management system in 2014.

    The workshop was attended by a total of 37 compliance managers from 12 nations, including Germany, Spain, Croatia, Austria, Serbia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Malta, the UK, Denmark, Mexico, and Peru. The participants convened at the company’s Schloss Benkhausen training center to bring each other up to date on a diverse range of topics in presentations and working groups.

    From risk management and the growing ESG requirements to the whistleblower system for reporting compliance violations, many current challenges for the corporate group were on the agenda. Additional topics, such as the German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act, regulations governing the protection of human rights, as well as player protection and responsible gaming measures, were also “met with keen interest among the workshop participants.”

    Ludwig Beckmann, Chief Compliance Officer at Gauselmann AG, said: “It is manifestly clear that the regulatory authorities are continually increasing and refining the requirements for our industry – and not just in Germany but worldwide. This means our compliance officers have to be constantly on the ball and abreast of developments to enable them to meet the challenges reliably and in compliance with the law.”

    “We are pleased and proud to have a team of highly professional and very well-trained compliance officers around the world who are dedicated to this responsible task,” he concluded.

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