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Berlin plans Olympic beach volleyball at Brandenburg Gate if chosen

Berlin plans Olympic beach volleyball at Brandenburg Gate if chosen

Yahoo27-05-2025

People stand in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. Berlin would hold the Olympic beach volleyball next to the Brandenburg Gate if it is chosen as Germany's bidder for the 2036 or 2040 Games. Paul Zinken/dpa
Berlin would hold the Olympic beach volleyball next to the Brandenburg Gate if it is chosen as Germany's bidder for the 2036 or 2040 Games.
The plans were included in the city's official bid submission to the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB), which was made available on Tuesday.
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"This is a huge opportunity. An opportunity for sport, an opportunity for Berlin, an opportunity for Germany," Berlin mayor Kai Wegner said at the city's Olympic Stadium, which was the centre point of the 1936 Games under Nazi rule.
Berlin, bidding together with the German states of Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein as the conceptualized Berlin+, wants to host the Olympics exactly 100 years later to show how much the city has changed.
In addition to Berlin, Munich, Hamburg and North Rhine-Westphalia (with the Rhine and Ruhr region) also want to be Germany's bidder.
The final decision on the German bid is to be made by the third quarter of 2026.
The NOlympia Berlin initiative wants to prevent an Olympic Games in the capital and plans to force a referendum against the proposals.

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Royal letters, famous golfers and rehearsed pitches: The tips and tricks to a successful Trump meeting
Royal letters, famous golfers and rehearsed pitches: The tips and tricks to a successful Trump meeting

Politico

time18 minutes ago

  • Politico

Royal letters, famous golfers and rehearsed pitches: The tips and tricks to a successful Trump meeting

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Trump Set to Square Off With New German Chancellor Merz on Trade, Ukraine
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Newsweek

time19 minutes ago

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Trump Set to Square Off With New German Chancellor Merz on Trade, Ukraine

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. President Donald Trump will meet Thursday with new German Chancellor Friedrich Merz for the first time since Merz swept into power vowing to distance Germany from the United States. The centrist conservative German leader won an election in February with a promise to establish "independence" from Washington, signaling a potential break between the U.S. and one of its most important European allies. "Merz will be trying to create a positive working relationship, but he probably won't just come into the Oval Office and endorse Donald Trump's view of the world," said Jeff Rathke, the president of the American-German Institute, a think tank in Washington. The White House meeting between Trump and Merz will take place amid a backdrop of tensions between the U.S. and Europe over issues ranging from free speech to trade to Russia's war in Ukraine. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz takes part in the Bundestag's topical hour on transatlantic relations. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz takes part in the Bundestag's topical hour on transatlantic relations. Kay Nietfeld/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images Berlin and Washington have maintained a close relationship for decades, with Germany — the largest economy in Europe — serving as a key ally on economic and national security issues. Former President Joe Biden and Merz's predecessor, Olaf Scholz, maintained close ties even as they debated how to best aid Ukraine in its fight with Russia. But Merz signaled a new approach after winning the February election and forming a coalition government with his center-right Christian Democratic Union party and Scholz's center-left Social Democrats. 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"Real independence, depending on how you define it, would be a major shift." Merz's approach will be tested on issues like aiding Ukraine in the war with Russia. Trump is eager to end the conflict, but he has been far more critical of Ukraine than Russia since returning to the White House. More recently, the president's tone has shifted somewhat, marked by social media posts in which Trump wondered aloud "what the hell happened" to Vladimir Putin, who had gone "absolutely crazy." It's also unclear if Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress will approve more military aid for Ukraine once the current tranche of funding runs out later this year. From left, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk speak at the Presidential Palace in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday May... From left, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk speak at the Presidential Palace in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday May 10, 2025. More Stefan Rousseau/Pool Photo via AP In contrast, Germany and other EU nations have promised to continue aiding Ukraine even without a negotiated peace in sight. Germany is the third-largest provider of aid to Ukraine, trailing only the U.S. and European Union as a whole. Merz has also joined other foreign leaders in criticizing Trump's trade war, a topic that will be front and center when the leaders meet at the White House. The administration is negotiating tariff deals with individual countries as well as the EU. The German leader would be wise to avoid provoking Trump on tariffs, said Emily Kilcrease, the director of the Energy, Economics and Security Program at the Center for a New American Security. 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FILE - Vice President JD Vance, right, speaks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, as President Donald Trump listens in the Oval Office at the White House, Feb. 28, 2025, in Washington. FILE - Vice President JD Vance, right, speaks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, as President Donald Trump listens in the Oval Office at the White House, Feb. 28, 2025, in Washington. Mystyslav Chernov/AP The two leaders are scheduled to attend a lunch together Thursday and also meet separately with a small group of advisers. Analysts said not to expect the public fireworks that marked Trump's meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa. "Merz is not coming here to pick a fight," Rathke said. Germany understands "there are major tectonic shifts underway on the international scene, but they also want to preserve the transatlantic relationship to the extent they can."

Jeremie Frimpong transfer imminent as Liverpool trigger release clause
Jeremie Frimpong transfer imminent as Liverpool trigger release clause

Yahoo

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  • Yahoo

Jeremie Frimpong transfer imminent as Liverpool trigger release clause

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