Tag: Germany

Germany closes Russian darknet marketplace Hydra

  by Femke COLBORNE Agence France Presse BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — German police said Tuesday they have taken down Russian-language illegal darknet marketplace Hydra, the largest such network in the world, and seized bitcoins worth 23 million euros ($25 million). Founded in 2015, Hydra sold illegal drugs but also stolen credit card data, counterfeit currency and fake identity documents, masking the identities of those involved using the Tor encryption network. The marketplace had around 17 […]

Germany looks to farm fumes in breakup with Russian gas

by Florian CAZERES Agence France-Presse RIBBECK, Germany (AFP) – As Germany scrambles to reduce its dependence on Russian energy, the pungent fumes from the manure and other organic waste in Peter Kaim’s farm could be part of the solution. An hour’s drive west of Berlin, a strong smell emanates from three large cylinders in the middle of a muddy field on Kaim’s property shared with 100 dairy cows. Every day, tonnes of organic waste — […]

Germany moves to wean itself off Russian energy

  BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — Germany said Friday it was drastically slashing its energy purchases from Russia amid Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, with oil imports to be halved by June and coal deliveries to end by the autumn. “In recent weeks, together with all relevant players, we have made intensive efforts to import less fossil energy from Russia and broaden out our supply base,” said Economy Minister Robert Habeck. “The first important milestones have been […]

Germany bets on tax relief, cheaper trains to combat energy crisis

by Michelle FITZPATRICK Agence France-Presse BERLIN, Germany (AFP) – Germany’s coalition government unveiled a slew of measures Thursday to ease the burden from soaring petrol and heating bills, from a 300-euro ($330) energy subsidy to the “cheapest ever” public transport for 90 days. The relief package — agreed after days of wrangling between Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats, the ecologist Greens and the liberal FDP — comes as Germany tries to reduce its reliance on […]

Germany to ‘fast-track’ gas terminals as part of Qatar deal

DOHA, Qatar (AFP) – Germany has committed to “fast track” the construction of two liquefied natural gas terminals as part of a new long-term deal with Qatar as it looks to reduce dependence on Russian gas, the Gulf state said Sunday. Economic Affairs Minister Robert Habeck secured the accord during talks in Doha with its emir and energy minister who have been pressing European nations to strike long-term deals to guarantee their supplies. European states […]

Germany in a quandary over Russian energy

by Sophie Makris Agence France-Presse BERLIN, Germany (AFP) – Germany has rejected a complete ban on Russian gas and oil imports over Russia invading Ukraine, but voices are growing louder for Berlin to ditch its economic imperative to take a moral stand. After the United States and Britain imposed a ban on Russian oil, pressure has mounted on German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government and other G7 members to follow suit. A group of climate activists, […]

Germany calls on OPEC to increase oil output

FRANKFURT, Germany (AFP) – German Economy Minister Robert Habeck on Tuesday issued an “urgent appeal” to OPEC oil producers to ramp up output following a spike in prices and supply fears due to the Ukraine crisis. Habeck called on top oil producing nations to “increase production in order to create relief on the market”. “That would be a contribution” to easing the stress on firms and households, he said at a Berlin press conference, adding […]

German ministers warn against boycotting Russian oil

FRANKFURT, Germany (AFP) – Germany’s finance and foreign ministers cautioned Sunday against banning Russian energy imports as the West searches for ways to tighten the screws on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine. With his country fighting for its existence two weeks since the incursion, Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky has urged his Western allies to levy additional sanctions against Moscow, including boycotting its lucrative oil and gas sector. Earlier Sunday, chief US diplomat Antony Blinken said […]

Germany’s Scholz urges Gerhard Schroeder to quit Russian posts

  German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Thursday urged former leader Gerhard Schroeder to quit his posts with Russian energy giants Rosneft and Gazprom following Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. “I find that it is not correct for Gerhard Schroeder to hold these offices. And I think it would be correct for him to give them up,” said Scholz in an interview with public broadcaster ZDF. Schroeder, who was Germany’s chancellor from 1998 to 2005, is […]

Germany begins slow move away from Russian gas after Ukraine invasion

by Florian CAZERES Agence France-Presse BERLIN, Germany (AFP) – The invasion of Ukraine has thrown Germany’s problematic dependence on Russian gas into stark relief, forcing Europe’s largest economy to urgently reshape its energy mix. In a previously unthinkable step for Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s young government, the crisis even has politicians considering delaying Germany’s planned exit from nuclear energy and coal to keep the lights on. “We will change course to overcome our import dependence,” Scholz […]

DHL suspends deliveries to Russia and Belarus

  FRANKFURT, Germany (AFP) — German logistics giant DHL announced Wednesday it was stopping deliveries to Russia and Belarus, joining a growing list of Western businesses to cease operations in the countries after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. The “inbound services to Russia and Belarus have been suspended”, DHL said in a statement, adding that it was “not accepting shipments to those countries until further notice”. DHL, one of the world’s largest logistics groups, also closed […]

Germany’s Scholz visits Israel amid Ukraine war, Iran talks

JERUSALEM, Undefined (AFP) – German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Wednesday made his first visit to Israel since taking office, amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and international efforts to forge a new Iran nuclear deal. Scholz toured Jerusalem’s Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial with Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and laid a wreath. He was later due to meet Foreign Minister Yair Lapid and visit the Knesset, or parliament. The two heads of government — both relatively new to […]