Latest news with #VolkerWissing
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Natural Hazards Portal launched in Germany
Germans seeking information and advice about extreme weather events or any other natural disasters can turn to a new centralized website. The Natural Hazards Portal (NGP) will help citizens answer the urgent question: Is my house or the place where I am located at risk? said Digital Minister Volker Wissing on Friday. "This makes life in Germany safer," Wissing said at the launch of the portal in the city of Offenbach. The website brings together current warnings, scientific analyses and forecasts in a clearly understandable way, said Sarah Jones, who heads the German Weather Service. The portal contains information in German and English for preparing for imminent dangers such as flooding or extreme cold, and tips in the event that citizens find themselves affected by extreme weather. Germany already has a nationwide system of warnings sent to mobile phones in the event of an imminent emergency. The NGP was developed by the weather service together with Germany's 16 federal states and the Office of Civil Protection. The site currently focusses on hydrological hazards such as flooding and storm surges. However, the portal is set to gradually be expanded to include other natural hazards such as ozone pollution, forest fires, drought, avalanches and earthquakes.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
EU aims to remove barriers to AI development
The European Commission launched a strategy on Wednesday to remove barriers to the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and better equip Europe's companies for global competition. At the presentation of its new AI strategy, the Brussels authority announced that it would simplify rules, promote investment and massively expand the establishment of its own data centres. The aim of the AI Continent Action Plan was to "transform Europe's strong traditional industries and its exceptional talent pool into powerful engines of AI innovation and acceleration," according to a press release. There has been criticism from the tech industry that European regulations such as the AI Act are too bureaucratic and hostile to innovation. One focus of the new strategy is on infrastructure and data centres. The commission is calling on member states to apply for the construction of so-called "AI gigafactories" to train particularly powerful AI models. A total investment of €20 billion ($22 billion) is to be earmarked for this purpose. According to the Brussels authority, only 13.5% of companies in Europe currently use AI technologies, a figure the commission wants to increase significantly. So far, the EU has lagged behind China and the US in AI technologies, for example. Germany's outgoing digital minister, Volker Wissing, welcomed the plan and called for less bureaucracy and better investment conditions. The German AI Association on the other hand said the strategy had little new substance. "The European AI sector does not need any more announcements regarding previously known measures and small-scale individual strategies, but functional funding and award procedures that can keep pace with the speed of technological development," said association head Jörg Bienert.
Local Germany
02-04-2025
- Local Germany
A100 to S-Bahn: Where Berliners are facing travel disruptions this spring
It's spring in Berlin, which can only mean one thing: the sounds of heavy-duty drills and angle grinders roaring at building sites across the capital. Amid the hum of activity that tends to kick off in the warmer months, several big construction projects are affecting Berlin transport in almost all corners of the city. For the coming months - and in some cases even coming years - commuters will have to navigate disruptions on popular roads and transport routes. Here's the lowdown on local disruptions. A100: Motorway and S-Bahn disruption Since the middle of March, major renovations on the crumbling A100 bridge in Charlottenburg have been underway after a widening crack was discovered. The works affect the Funkturm motorway junction - one of the busiest stretches of road in the country - that connects the A100 with the A115. The bridge is currently closed to northbound traffic, with an emergency lane set up on the opposite carriageway for people travelling in the direction of Spandau. Heavy goods vehicles are not allowed to use the emergency lane and must take a wide diversion via Berlin's A10 ring-road or through the streets of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf. Due to the closed lanes, heavy traffic and long delays are also expected in this area. Advertisement Due to safety concerns, a stretch of S-Bahn track that runs under the bridge has also been cordoned off. S41 and S42 Ringbahn trains run between Tempelhof and Halensee at 10-minute intervals, while a rail replacement bus services will connect Halensee and Westend. For those wanting to transfer to the S3, S5, S7 and S9, a service between Halensee and Charlottenburg runs every 20 minutes. READ ALSO: What happens next after Berlin's two-day public transport strike? The S46 is also affected, with the train from Königs Wursterhausen now terminating at Bundesplatz. In order to limit disruption for commuters, Berlin mayor Kai Wegner (CDU) is pushing for "round the clock" work on the site, and Transport Minister Volker Wissing has poured €150 million into the repairs. However, it appears the bridge will have to be completely dismantled and rebuilt - which Wegner believes will take at least two years. Heavy traffic on Berlin's A100 motorway in Charlottenburg. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Soeren Stache Diversions on A115 near Potsdam If you regularly travel by car between Berlin and Potsdam-Babelsberg, be sure to bring some positive mantras with you and a fair bit of patience. On the A115 motorway - which normally has three lanes open in Brandenburg and two in Berlin - a number of lanes are closed between the city limits and Spanische Allee in Zehlendorf, causing traffic to grind to a halt. Exit and entry lanes here have also been closed for construction. The scale of disruption means that motorists should expect agonising waits in this part of town - and not just during rush hour. If you still have some patience left, you'll need it, as the work isn't due to end until July 2026. Temporary U12 between East and West The short-term U12, which recently started running between Ruhleben and Warschauer Straße, looks set to stay in service until June amid disruption on the U1, U2 and U3. The U12 is a kind of Frankenstein's U-bahn cobbled together out of parts of the U2 (between Ruhleben and Wittenbergplatz) and U1 (between Wittenbergplatz and Warschauer Straße). A map of the temporary U12 line in Berlin. Source: BVG The actual U1 is only running on a small part of the track in the West between Uhlandstraße and Wittenbergplatz, meaning commuters must switch to the U12 to continue eastwards. Similarly, the U3 only is only running as far as Nollendorfplatz. Those hoping to switch onto the U2 will need to do so at Gleisdreieck, where the route splits off from the U2 and takes passengers towards to Pankow. Bülowstraße will be closed for construction, but the M48 and M85 buses will take passengers to U-Kurfürstendamm. Advertisement Construction at Hauptbahnhof Since the middle of February, just four of the eight platforms on the underground level of Berlin's central station have been useable. This is having a knock-on effect on timetables. Commuters travelling on regional trains from Hauptbahnhof are advised to check for diversions or other changes to their route before travelling - especially if their train normally leaves from the lower floor. One major adjustment is that the RB23 between Potsdam and BER airport now runs every two hours rather than hourly, so be sure to check the times if you need to catch a flight. Work on the lower platforms will run until April 22nd. READ ALSO: Nightjet sleeper train from Berlin to Brussels axed from end of March S-Bahn Wollankstraße In the north of the city, another bridge renovation is causing headaches for local residents. In March, a 3.5-year project to rebuild the Wollankstraße S-Bahn bridge began, kicking off months of travel delays and adjustments. In the latest phase, which will run until June, the northbound platform at Wollankstraße has been closed, meaning passengers here can only take S-Bahn trains in one direction - toward the city centre. Workers lay new rails during previous construction on the Berlin S-Bahn near Wollankstraße. The railway overpass here will be rebuilt over the next 3 years, with serious disruptions reported during the month of March, and replacement services to follow. Photo: picture alliance / dpa | Max Nikelski Passengers travelling to Wollankstraße from the city will need to travel further, to the station to S-Schönholz and then take the train back in the opposite direction. Passengers travelling north from Wollankstraße need to travel one station south to S-Bornholmer Straße and then take a northbound train from there. A number of bus stops around Wollankstraße station - including the M27 and 255 - have also been relocated for the time being. READ ALSO: Where rail passengers can expect disruptions in Berlin and Brandenburg in 2025 U6 rail replacement Residents of Wedding or Reinickendorf will know the drill by now: the northern stretch of the U6 has been closed since 2022, and there are still no signs of it reopening. In concrete terms, this means that trains continue to terminate at Kurt-Schumacher-Platz, with a rail replacement bus covering the last six stations to Alt-Tegel. Advertisement In classic Berlin style, the timetable for finishing the work is vague: on the BVG website, it informs passengers that the U6 will be closed "until further notice". The transport operator had previously set its sights on 2026 for a potential reopening.
Reuters
15-02-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Mother and child die from injuries after car ramming attack in Munich
Item 1 of 2 German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Minister for Justice and Transport Volker Wissing and Munich mayor Dieter Reiter lay flowers as they visit a makeshift memorial for the victims of a suspected ramming attack where a 24-year-old Afghan asylum seeker drove a car into a crowd, as the Munich Security Conference (MSC) takes place in Munich, Germany February 15, 2025. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach [1/2] German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Minister for Justice and Transport Volker Wissing and Munich mayor Dieter Reiter lay flowers as they visit a makeshift memorial for the victims of a suspected ramming attack where a 24-year-old Afghan asylum seeker drove a car into a crowd, as the Munich Security... Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab Read more
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
German minister: German AI can also prosper after DeepSeek's rise
The success of Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) start-up DeepSeek shows that German firms can also prosper in the industry, German Digital Minister Volker Wissing said on Tuesday. DeepSeek, only launched a week ago, has threatened US dominance in AI and Wissing said it demonstrates how quickly and cost-effectively new models can be rolled out. "The good news is that we in Germany are doing particularly well in this area," Wissing told Deutschlandfunk public radio on Tuesday. "We are one of the leading countries in the field of AI research and development." The AI strength of the US lies in the ability to mobilize a great deal of venture capital to bring developments to market quickly. German needs to work on this, Wissing added, but believes Europe has an advantage in competition with China. "We can capitalize on the fact that our artificial intelligence is trustworthy. The world has confidence in the European community of values," he said. That is why it was right for the EU to introduce regulation to make the industry trustworthy and safe, Wissing added. "If I don't know whether I'm getting the right answers, whether the algorithm is being manipulated, then I'm very reluctant to use that AI," he said.
