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Germany pledges major investment in Africa

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz attends a press conference with visiting French President Emmanuel Macron at the German Chancellery in Berlin, capital of Germany, May 9, 2022. (Xinhua/Ren Pengfei/IANS)

The compact with Africa is based on the initiative launched by the German government whilst chairing the G20 group of leading sovereign nations…reports Asian Lite News

The German government pledged to invest four billion euros into green energy projects in Africa until 2023, with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz saying that African countries should reap greater reward from their raw materials.

The pledge was announced at a news conference at the G20 Compact with Africa summit in Berlin. Scholz did not mention any specific projects but said the materials used in green energy should be processed in the African nations they come from, Euronews reported.

“This creates jobs and prosperity in these countries,” Scholz was cited as saying. “And the German industry gets reliable suppliers.”

The compact with Africa is based on the initiative launched by the German government whilst chairing the G20 group of leading sovereign nations.

The Compact with Africa includes Egypt, Ethiopia, Benin, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Guinea, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Morocco, Rwanda, Senegal, Togo and Tunisia.

It aims to improve the economic conditions of developing countries and to make them more attractive to foreign private investment.

“Africa is our partner of choice when it comes to intensifying our economic relations and moving toward a climate-neutral future together,” Scholz said.

When asked about China’s influence in the African continent, several African leaders said it was open to other partnerships.

“Perhaps China was more audacious, perhaps they have more vision and perhaps they trusted the potential in Africa,” Moussa Faki, the chairperson of the African Union Commission, said.

“The African continent is open to different partnerships,” he added. “We wish for you to place your trust in us, to impose less conditions and create the conditions together.”

“Improving governance, that’s our responsibility, and therefore this shared vision could allow, I’m certain of it, for a large capital that could be invested in the continent,” Faki said according to a CNN report. (ANI)

ALSO READ-Israel seals $3.6 bn defense deal with Germany

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Israel seals $3.6 bn defense deal with Germany

The Arrow 3 missile defense system constitutes the forefront of global technology, designed to intercept exo-atmospheric ballistic missiles…reports Asian Lite News

On Thursday, the Director General of Israel’s Ministry of Defense, Major General (Res) Eyal Zamir, signed what was called a “landmark” agreement for Germany’s to acquire the Arrow 3 missile defense system, valued at approximately $3.6 billion.

This milestone, marked by the final signing conducted by German and Israeli officials, concludes the acquisition process that commenced with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant’s visit to Germany in September 2023.

The Arrow 3 missile defense system constitutes the forefront of global technology, designed to intercept exo-atmospheric ballistic missiles. The Arrow 3 system also carried out its first operational interception during the Swords of Iron war, successfully destroying a target launched towards Israel in the Red Sea region.

The Arrow 3 system is co-developed and co-produced by the Israel Missile Defense Organization (IMDO) in the Israel Ministry of Defense and the United States Missile Defense Agency (MDA). Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) is the primary contractor for the weapon system’s development and production, the “Arrow” interceptors, and the radar detection system.

Elbit Systems is responsible for the development of the Command and Control system. Tomer and Rafael Advanced Systems are the main subcontractors for the development and production of the “Arrow 3” interceptor. (ANI/TPS)

ALSO READ-Netanyahu should be thrown out now, says ex-PM Olmert

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Healthcare Crisis in Germany

Germany already has a particularly severe staff shortage in the healthcare sector…reports Asian Lite News

Healthcare workers in Germany have started two-day strike, with university hospitals hit particularly hard and many operations canceled, paralysing the entire sector.

Employees from six hospitals in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia alone had taken part in the strike that began on Thursday, Xinhua news agency quoted trade union Verdi as saying.

According to German news outlet dpa, about 300 employees from the University of Leipzig Medical Centre and 1,200 employees from several psychiatric centers in Baden-Wuerttemberg were also on strike.

Verdi’s call for a strike affects all university hospitals with a state collective agreement, as well as psychiatric centers.

Employees are calling for an income increase of 10.5 per cent, but at least 500 euros ($545) per month.

“Those who care for sick people and save lives every day must be able to pay their rent and live well on their wages,” said Verdi national board member Sylvia Buehler , warning of a further increase in staff shortages.

Germany already has a particularly severe staff shortage in the healthcare sector.

According to the auditing and consulting firm PwC (Germany), this could rise sharply to 1.8 million by 2035.

Only one in three doctors or nurses say they plan to continue working in their profession until they retire.

The general shortage of skilled workers in Germany has already contributed to a number of high wage settlements this year, for example in the transport sector.

However, strikes by various groups continue.

ALSO READ-UN Flags Disturbing Health Crisis Among Women in Afghan Prisons

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Germany Boosts Military Aid to Ukraine

Boris Pistorius gave no information about whether Ukraine could receive Taurus long-range cruise missiles from Germany…reports Asian Lite News

Visiting German Minister of Defence Boris Pistorius announced a fresh military support package for Ukraine worth 1.3 billion euros.

“This package includes four further IRIS-T SLM systems, 155mm shells, and anti-tank mines,” Pistorius said during a joint press conference with Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov.

In 2024-2025, Germany will provide a total of 160,000 rounds of ammunition to Ukraine, Pistorius said, also pledging to support Kiev with air defence means.

However, he gave no information about whether Ukraine could receive Taurus long-range cruise missiles from Germany.

On his part, Umerov said he was “grateful for all the military assistance that Germany provides for training our soldiers, as well as for all the diplomatic and political support”.

Since Russia launched its ongoing war against Ukraine in February 2022 and until July 2023, Germany has provided more than 17 billion euros worth of military aid for Kiev, becoming the second-largest defence support contributor after the US, according to media reports.

Pistorius arrived in Kiev on Tuesday for his second visit in his capacity as the Defence Minister.

ALSO READ: Germany Rules Out Anomalies in Aid to Palestinians

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Germany Rules Out Anomalies in Aid to Palestinians

Annalena Baerbock, the Chancellor candidate of Germany' Green Party(Photo:twitter.com/ABaerbock)

The German announcement of the aid review had sparked a mixed reaction at home and elsewhere, with critics saying the Palestinian people were not responsible for the Hamas attacks…reports Asian Lite News

Germany’s Foreign Ministry declared on Saturday that it has thoroughly examined humanitarian aid payments to the Palestinian territories, finding no evidence of misuse. This review was prompted by the October 7 attacks by Hamas on Israel. Europe stands as a primary source of aid for the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories, with around 2.1 million people, including 1 million children, estimated by the United Nations to require humanitarian assistance.

The German announcement of the aid review had sparked a mixed reaction at home and elsewhere, with critics saying the Palestinian people were not responsible for the Hamas attacks, news agency Reuters reported.

Despite pledging unwavering support for Israel, Berlin emphasizes Israeli security as its “reason of state,” rooted in its responsibility for the Holocaust, during which approximately six million Jews were killed in Nazi Germany, it was reported.

The Foreign Ministry assured that the review of humanitarian aid revealed no anomalies related to possible indirect aid for terrorist organizations. However, a separate review by the Development Ministry, leading to the suspension of development aid after the Hamas attacks, is still ongoing, according to a ministry spokesperson.

On October 9, the European Commission initially declared the suspension of aid to Palestinians, only to reverse the decision later that day after complaints from EU countries, citing overstepping boundaries.

The German Development Ministry had allocated 250 million euros ($272 million) for bilateral projects in the Palestinian territories for this and the next year, although the amount disbursed thus far remains undisclosed. Of the pledged 71 million euros for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), funds were released, with an additional 20 million euros made available. These funds aim to sustain basic services for displaced people in Gaza and support Palestinian refugees in Jordan.

In total, Germany has provided humanitarian aid amounting to around 161 million euros ($175.6 million) for people in Palestinian territories this year, it was reported.

ALSO READ: NZ Gives Further Humanitarian Support Amid Gaza War

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Germany braces for nationwide rail strike

GDL Chairman Claus Weselsky defended the decision to call for warning strikes…reports Asian Lite News

Germany is bracing for a short-notice nationwide rail strike that is scheduled to start on Wednesday evening local time and last 20 hours.

The German Train Drivers’ Union (GDL) and state-owned rail operator Deutsche Bahn have been in negotiations for a new collective agreement since last week. The second round of negotiations had been slated for the coming days.

Following the announcement of the warning strike, Deutsche Bahn canceled the upcoming negotiations. “We will not be negotiating with the train drivers’ union this week. Either you go on strike or you negotiate, you can’t do both at the same time,” Deutsche Bahn Board member Martin Seiler said.

In the first round, the rail company offered an 11-percent pay increase and an inflation compensation premium of up to 2,850 euros (3,093 U.S. dollars). The union’s demand for a four-day, 35-hour workweek with no loss of pay was “not feasible,” Seiler said.

GDL Chairman Claus Weselsky defended the decision to call for warning strikes. “We are putting a bit more pressure on the employer to be willing to negotiate a reduction in weekly working hours,” he told Deutschlandfunk radio on Wednesday.

“The strike will have a massive impact on all German rail operations,” Deutsche Bahn wrote on a blog. Passengers were asked to “refrain from non-essential travel” or to “postpone their journey.”

On Monday, Transport Minister Volker Wissing spoke out against rail strikes during the Christmas season, when people want to visit relatives and friends. He appealed to all parties involved to “be aware of their special responsibility and to design possible measures in such a way that people do not have to suffer as a result.”

ALSO READ-UK, US, Germany tell citizens to leave Lebanon

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UK, US, Germany tell citizens to leave Lebanon

Separately, the US Department of State issued a global alert warning its citizens that tensions in the Middle East could increase the potential for violent attacks against Americans…reports Asian Lite News

The governments of the United States, United Kingdom, and Germany have advised their citizens to leave Lebanon, amid growing concerns that the Israeli assault on the beseiged Gaza Strip could trigger a wider conflict in the region.

The three nations issued advisories on Thursday, as Israeli forces continued to exchange fire with armed groups in southern Lebanon, where the Iran-backed Hezbollah group is the dominant force.

“We recommend that US citizens in Lebanon make appropriate arrangements to leave the country; commercial options currently remain available,” a statement from the US Embassy in Beirut said.

Separately, the US Department of State issued a global alert warning its citizens that tensions in the Middle East could increase the potential for violent attacks against Americans.

The move comes as Israel prepares for an anticipated ground invasion of Gaza, and rising fears that a ground incursion would heighten the risk of a wider regional war.

Iran and some groups that it backs throughout the region, including the formidable Hezbollah in Lebanon, have suggested that they may not sit on the sidelines if fighting between Hamas and Israel continues to spiral.

An explosion at a hospital in Gaza on Tuesday, for which Israel and the armed group Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) have traded blame, sparked a wave of protests in cities across the region against Israel’s continuing bombardment of the Gaza Strip.

Israel launched its campaign of air raids on October 7 after Hamas fighters attacked southern Israel, killing at least 1,400 people, according to Israeli officials. More than 3,700 people have been killed in the Israeli assault on Gaza, according to Palestinian officials.

The US State Department raised its travel advisory for Lebanon to the highest level on Tuesday, and countries including France, Canada, Australia and Spain have also warned citizens against travelling there.

Analysts say the cross-border exchanges between Israel and armed groups in southern Lebanon have remained relatively contained, but Hezbollah has said it was fully ready to contribute to the conflict with Israel.

Israel’s defence minister said on October 15 that Israel had no interest in waging war on its northern front, and that if Hezbollah restrained itself then Israel would also keep the situation along the border as it was.

The US has sought to deter other armed groups in the region, including groups with ties to Iran in Lebanon, Iraq, and Syria, from joining Hamas to fight Israel. Washington has dispatched two aircraft carriers to the region and is preparing 2,000 military service members for potential deployment to assist Israel.

While a wider confrontation would likely be costly for any parties involved, it remains unclear if the precarious balance will hold. The Reuters news agency reported on Thursday that Ain al-Asad air base in Iraq, which hosts US troops, had been attacked by missiles and drones. Separately, the Pentagon confirmed that a US warship shot down a series of missiles and drones over the Red Sea, saying that they were launched from Yemen. The warship was in the vicinity, but not the target of the attack, it said.

It is not immediately clear who carried out the attacks and whether they are related to the fighting in Israel-Palestine.

ALSO READ-Yousaf signals change in independence strategy

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German envoy Ackermann hails ties with India  

The Prime Minister played an Indian song sung by Cassandra Mae…reports Asian Lite News

During the German National Day celebrations in Delhi on Thursday, the Ambassador of Germany to India, Philip Ackermann, said that the previous year was “very good for the ties between the two countries.”

Flaunting his Hindi speaking skills at the event, Ackermann said, “Pichla saal Bharat aur Germany ke sambandho ke liye accha raha, mujhe yakeen hai aane wala saal aur bhi accha hoga. Today, we are celebrating 33 years of German Unity…(last year was good for India-Germany ties, I am sure the coming year will be even more amazing).”

He said that as Germany celebrates 33 years of its Unity (German Unity Day is the national day of Germany), there is no need for a long speech on the occasion.

The celebrations took place with full fervour as people danced to the tunes of energetic music.

At the same event, Union Minister of State for External Affairs Meenakshi Lekhi also hailed the tie between India and Germany.

She said, “We (India and Germany) are working very very closely. Like the previous premier of Germany to the latest premier of Germany who visited India in 2022 and 2023 during the G20 Summit, share a very close proximal relationship with PM Modi.”

“German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and PM Modi have signed several cooperations and agreements together. Being the fourth and the fifth largest economies, we are working together…,” the minister added.

In May this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz reviewed the progress in bilateral relations and exchanged views on regional developments and global challenges.

The two leaders met on the sidelines of the 49th summit of the Group of Seven (G7) in the Japanese city of Hiroshima in May recently.

During the meeting, PM Modi welcomed Germany’s support for the India-EU trade and investment agreements, and for India’s G20 Presidency. Later, during the G20 Summit that took place in India in the month of September this year, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, too visited India.

India, and Germany connection do not just end there. In an episode of his monthly radio broadcast ‘Mann Ki Baat’, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in September, appreciated Germany’s Cassandra Mae Spittmann for her passion for Indian music and culture.

In his address to the nation, PM Modi said, “Indian culture and Indian music are now global. More and more people worldwide are getting attracted to them.”

The Prime Minister played an Indian song sung by Cassandra Mae.

“Such a melodious voice…and every word reflects emotions. We can also feel her attachment to God. You would be surprised to know that this voice is of a daughter from Germany. Her name is CassMae. 21-year-old Cassmae on Instagram is quite famous these days. German national Cassmae has never visited India. But, she is extremely fond of Indian music,” PM Modi said after the song presentation.

Calling the German singer’s passion “inspiring,” the Prime Minister further added, “Such interest of someone who has never visited India, is inspiring. Cassmae is visually impaired since birth. But this challenge could not stop her from achieving this extraordinary…her passion for music and creativity was such that she started singing in childhood itself.”

PM Modi said that Cassandra does not only sing in Hindi but in various other Indian languages as well. (ANI)

ALSO READ-Jaishankar meets German envoy Ackermann

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Germany reaffirms solidarity with Israel

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz delivers his first government statement at the Reichstag building in Berlin. (Xinhua/Shan Yuqi/IANS)

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz arrived in Israel to hold meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog and other officials….reports Asian Lite News

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Tuesday met Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and reiterated its support to Israel in its ongoing war with Hamas, The Times of Israel reported.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz arrived in Israel to hold meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog and other officials. Scholz attended a joint press conference with PM Netanyahu in Tel Aviv on Tuesday, noting Berlin’s support for the Jewish state.

He said that Berlin would always stand beside the Jewish state, citing its responsibility following the Holocaust, The Times of Israel reported.

“As I said last week in the Bundestag, in hard times, Germany has only one place, and it is alongside Israel,” Scholz said during the joint press conference. “It is very important to say this today here during these difficult times in Israel, Germany’s history and the responsibility it had for the Holocaust requires us to help maintain the security and existence of Israel,” he said.

Scholz further said that “no (outside) actor should see it as a good idea to intervene in this conflict.”

Meanwhile, Netanyahu at the press conference emphasized that the Hamas massacre of Israelis on October 7 marks “the worst crimes committed against Jews since the Holocaust…” According to The Times of Israel, Netanyahu said that these atrocities by Hamas remind us of the Nazi crimes of the Holocaust.

“The decapitation of people; the shooting of little children with bound hands; the murder of children in front of their parents; the murder of parents in front of their children; the hiding of babies in the attic and the murderers who came to the attic to murder the babies; the rape and murder of women; the abduction of families, the tearing of grandmothers and Holocaust survivors into captivity; the death pits that remind us of Babyn Yar, where jeeps surround a depression in the ground where they crowd young people in, and they shoot them with machine-guns — this is the savagery that we only remember from the Nazi crimes of the Holocaust,” he said.

Emphasizing that Hamas are the new Nazis, he said, “Hamas are the new Nazis, Hamas is ISIS, in some instances worse than ISIS. And just as the world united to defeat the Nazis, just as the world united to defeat ISIS, the world has to stand united behind Israel to defeat Hamas.”

He further said that the Iran-Hezbollah-Hamas “axis of evil” has “the open goal to eradicate the state of Israel.” Hamas’s open goal is to kill as many Jews as it can, reported The Times of Israel.

“They would have killed every last one of us, murdered every last one of us if they could; they just don’t have the capacity. But they murdered an extraordinary 1,300 civilians… in American terms, many, many, many 9/11s…. We must take action to defeat Hamas, and to ensure this does not happen again,” he added.

Noting that it is the battle against barbarism, Netanyahu said, “But this is not only our battle — it is our common battle, the battle of civilization against barbarism. If it’s not stopped here, this savagery will reach you very soon, and reach the entire world.”

“We appreciate the fact that you come here to stand with us in this battle for the future of civilization,” Netanyahu concluded.

Upon his arrival, Scholz was greeted at the airport by Foreign Minister Eli Cohen who welcomed him on “this important visit, which proves that Germany stands by the State of Israel and supports its struggle for the safety of its citizens.”

According to the latest update, the IDF is currently striking Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, the Israel Defence Force said.

Moreover, earlier today, the chief of the Hamas military brigade Ayman Nofal was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza, reported The Times of Israel.

ALSO READ: Germany invites UK to reach improved Brexit trading deal

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Germany invites UK to reach improved Brexit trading deal

Šefčovič has insisted the Brexit deal will not be “put in the shredder”….reports Asian Lite News

The German finance minister has issued an open invitation to the UK to reach a new deal to improve Brexit trading relations that would reduce trade barriers and “obstacles in daily business life”.

Christian Lindner told the BBC: “This is a standing invitation for the UK: if you want to intensify your trade relationship to the EU, call us. We really appreciate the United Kingdom and its values, its people … and I would really, really appreciate it if we can intensify [the trade relationship] again.”

His comments will come as a surprise to the European Commission vice-president, Maroš Šefčovič, who negotiated the Brexit trade deal, and they throw the door open to the Labour leader, Keir Starmer, who has said he will seek “a much better” relationship with the EU if he wins the next general election.

Šefčovič has insisted the Brexit deal will not be “put in the shredder”. He is also resisting calls from the car industry in the UK and the EU for a three-year suspension of tariffs, scheduled to come into force in January, on electric car exports.

It is understood he may, however, agree to a one-year suspension as a compromise. Lindner said Brexit had created “obstacles in daily business life” and was making trade with the UK more difficult.

“In the daily life of German corporates, there are new obstacles since Brexit … I don’t think [the] United Kingdom is benefiting from Brexit,” he said.

Experts have said that even without a root and branch review of the Brexit deal, there are ways to reduce barriers.

The UK’s House of Lords identified 72 areas where improvements could be made earlier this year, including easier visa arrangements for touring musicians and theatre performers, a return to the mutual recognition of qualifications for professionals, such as accountants, and a loosening of the rules for visiting schoolchildren.

Lindner’s comments are the first from one of the EU’s biggest economies to suggest the Brexit deal negotiated by Boris Johnson and David Frost is also hurting EU businesses.

There have been fears that the German economy has moved into a “slowcession”, with expectations that it will have shrunk by 0.4% this year as result of high inflation, high energy prices and weak international trade.

The government had predicted growth of 0.4% for 2023 in its April forecast, but weakness in the industrial sector and the highest interest rates in a decade are spurring fears of another recession this year in the eurozone’s largest economy.

Germany is the UK’s second-largest trading partner, according to UK government statistics released in September, accounting for 8% of total UK trade.

The daily cost of doing trade has changed, however, with customs and standards paperwork and certification needed after the UK left the single market.

The car industry has called for a three-year suspension of the pending tariff, but the EU is split. Its commissioner responsible for the internal market, Thierry Breton, recently told the Guardian it could not offer special protection for one industry over another.

Critics say the car industry is to blame, not the Brexit deal, for not accelerating the production of chemicals needed to make electric motor batteries and allowing Chinese rivals to steal a march on it.

A UK government spokesperson said: “The trade and cooperation agreement is the world’s largest zero-tariff, zero-quota free trade deal.

“It secures the UK market access across key service sectors and opens new opportunities for UK businesses across the globe.

“Following the Windsor framework, both the UK and EU have publicly committed to maximising the opportunities of the TCA even further.”

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