Germany

MUNICH (AP) — The top diplomats from the United States and China met on Saturday in the first high-level contact between their countries since the U.S. shot down an alleged Chinese spy balloon two weeks ago, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken sending the message that Beijing’s surveillance program had been “exposed to the world.”

Blinken and Wang Yi, the Chinese Communist Party’s most senior foreign policy official, held the hourlong talks in Munich, where they were attending an international security conference, according to the U.S. State Department.

Feb 18 (Reuters) - China has "neither stood by idly nor thrown fuel on the fire" regarding the crisis in Ukraine, and continues to call for peace and dialogue, top diplomat Wang Yi said at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday.

"I suggest that everybody starts to think calmly, especially friends in Europe, about what kind of efforts we can make to stop this war," said Wang, the director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee.

MUNICH, Feb 18 (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris on Saturday warned that Chinese support for Russia in its war in Ukraine would reward aggression, as the two powers traded barbs at a prominent security conference in Germany.

At the Munich Security Conference, Harris said the United States was "troubled that Beijing has deepened its relationship with Moscow since the war began."

"Any steps by China to provide lethal support to Russia would only reward aggression, continue the killing, and further undermine a rules-based order," she said.

MUNICH (AP) — The United States has determined that Russia has committed crimes against humanity in Ukraine, Vice President Kamala Harris said Saturday, insisting that “justice must be served” to the perpetrators.

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Harris said the international community has both a moral and a strategic interest in pursuing those crimes, pointing to a danger of other authoritarian governments taking advantage if international rules are undermined.

MUNICH (AP) — British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called on world leaders Saturday to “double down” on support for Ukraine, saying additional arms and security guarantees are needed to protect the country and the rest of Europe from Russian aggressio n now and in the future.

Sunak delivered the message in a speech to the Munich Security Conference, an annual meeting of heads of state, defense ministers and other world leaders. This year’s conference is focused on threats to the accepted rules of international relations nearly a year after Russian troops invaded Ukraine.

MUNICH (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy planned to give the opening address Friday at a major annual conference on international security policy, where Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was expected to dominate the event after almost a year of war that has produced worldwide repercussions.

About 40 heads of state and government, as well as politicians and security experts from almost 100 countries, including the United States, Europe and China, were expected to attend the three-day Munich Security Conference in Germany. Zelenskyy is participating by video link.

16 Feb 2023; MEMO: German power company, RWE, on Wednesday announced the delivery of the first shipment of liquefied natural gas from the UAE to Germany, the Abu Dhabi-based energy company, ADNOC, published on its official webpage.

A shipment of 137,000 cubic metres of the supercooled fuel was delivered to the Elbehafen floating LNG terminal in Brunsbuttel, and is the "first ever LNG cargo to be shipped to Germany from the Middle East", the company said.

BERLIN (AP) — Tens of thousands of revelers danced in the streets of Cologne, Duesseldorf, Bonn and other cities and towns across the Rhineland Thursday as they celebrated the traditional start of Carnival in Germany.

Dressed up in bright colors and creative costumes, they sang loudly and swayed to familiar tunes of brass bands and folklore music, and drank lots of beer.

It is the first time since the start of the pandemic that Carnival is being celebrated in Germany without any coronavirus restrictions.

15 Feb 2023; MEMO: A fire destroyed clothing donations for Turkish and Syrian earthquake victims, in what is suspected to be an arson attack in Germany.

In the German city of Recklinghausen, on Monday, arsonists were seen in online video footage breaking into a supermarket where clothes had been stored for earthquake victims in Turkiye and Syria, provided and collected by volunteers. The arsonists then burnt the clothes, which were estimated to be worth thousands of dollars.

BERLIN (AP) — Ford said Tuesday that it will cut 3,800 jobs in Europe over the next three years in an effort to streamline its operations as it contends with economic challenges and increasing competition on electric cars.

The automaker said 2,300 jobs will be eliminated in Germany, 1,300 in the United Kingdom and 200 elsewhere on the continent. It said its strategy to offer an all-electric fleet in Europe by 2035 has not changed and that production of its first European-built electric car is due to start later this year.