Latest news with #FriederikeHeine
The Star
4 days ago
- Business
- The Star
German army prepares to develop deep-strike drones, Handelsblatt reports
BERLIN (Reuters) -The German armed forces are preparing to develop long-range combat drones capable of striking targets deep in enemy territory, the Handelsblatt newspaper reported on Monday. Three consortia are working on concrete concepts after the Luftwaffe airforce sent a request for deep-strike drones to leading defence companies and startups, the report said. According to the report, Airbus Defence is contributing to the project alongside U.S. startup Kratos, while Germany's Rheinmetall has teamed up with drone specialist Anduril. Munich-based startup Helsing is also involved, the report said. The German defence ministry confirmed preparations for such a project to Handelsblatt, saying that initial talks had taken place but that no formal tender had been issued. The ministry and the companies mentioned did not respond to emailed requests for comment from Reuters. (Writing by Friederike Heine, Editing by Rachel More)
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
WTO grants Chinese request for panel on Canadian tariffs, trade official says
BERLIN (Reuters) -The dispute settlement body of the World Trade Organization (WTO) has agreed to a request from China for a panel regarding additional import duties imposed by Canada on certain Chinese products, a Geneva-based trade official said on Monday. (Writing by Friederike HeineEditing by Ludwig Burger)
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Germany's Merz says court ruling will not stop migration crackdown
By Friederike Heine and Andreas Rinke BERLIN (Reuters) -Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Tuesday a court ruling that German authorities acted unlawfully when border police expelled three Somali asylum seekers could restrict his government's migration crackdown but would not stop it altogether. People would continue to be turned away at the German border, he said. A Berlin administrative court said on Monday the expulsion of the three unnamed Somalis, who were sent back to Poland after arriving at a train station in eastern Germany, was "unlawful". It said the asylum application should have been processed by Germany under the European Union's so-called Dublin rules that determine which country is responsible for processing a claim. The ruling was a setback for Merz's government, which won a federal election in February after promising a crackdown on migration that has caused concern in neighbouring countries. The court ruling has "possibly further restricted the scope for manoeuvre here," Merz told a local government congress. "But the scope is still there. We know that we can still reject people." "We will, of course, do this within the framework of European law, but we will also do it to protect public safety and order in our country and to relieve the burden on cities and municipalities," he said. Migration is among German voters' biggest concerns and a backlash against an influx of new arrivals has contributed to a rise in the popularity of the far-right Alternative for Germany party, which came second in February's election. It is a big shift since Germany's "Refugees Welcome" culture during Europe's migrant crisis in 2015 under Merz's conservative predecessor, Angela Merkel. Merz's government issued an order in May to reject undocumented migrants, including asylum seekers, at Germany's borders. Monday's ruling was seized on by critics as evidence that Merz's migration policy was unworkable. "The administrative court has determined that Dobrindt's policy of rejecting asylum seekers is unlawful, contrary to European law, and now the Federal Ministry of the Interior should really start thinking about how to finally put an end to this nonsense," Karl Kopp of the pro-immigration advocacy group Pro Asyl told Reuters. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt defended the expulsions, saying he would provide the court with justifications for banning entry. (Writing by Matthias Williams, Editing by Timothy Heritage)
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Berlin says aid that entered Gaza this week is 'too little, too late'
BERLIN (Reuters) -The aid trucks that Israel has allowed into the Gaza Strip this week are "too little, too late," a spokesperson for the German government said on Friday. "This is far too little, too late and too slow," the spokesperson said. "Now it's a matter of increasing it significantly ... and ensuring that these aid supplies reach the people so that the suffering in the Gaza Strip comes to an end," he added. (Writing by Friederike Heine; editing by Matthias Williams)
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
UN humanitarian office rejects Israeli plan to shut down current aid system in Gaza
BERLIN (Reuters) - The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs on Tuesday rejected a plan by Israeli authorities to shut down the existing aid system in Gaza. "We do not accept a proposal and a plan that does not live up to the core fundamental humanitarian principles of impartiality, neutrality, and independent delivery of aid," said OCHA spokesperson Jens Laerke in Geneva. Israel's plan is "designed to further control and restrict supplies, which is the opposite of what is needed," Laerke added. (Reporting by Friederike Heine; editing by Matthias Williams)
