Tag: Germany

Germany to send Leopard 1 battle tanks to Ukraine
Europe

Germany to send Leopard 1 battle tanks to Ukraine

Berlin — The German government has issued an export licence for Leopard 1 battle tanks to Ukraine, spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said in Berlin on Friday, without giving further details. Until now, the government had only decided to approve the delivery of modern Leopard 2 battle tanks from the military stocks of the Bundeswehr. German daily Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ) had reported that manufacturers Rheinmetall and FFG wanted to refurbish dozens of Leopard 1 tanks and could supply them to Ukraine for the fight against Russia. According to other media reports, Rheinmetall has 88 Leopard 1 tanks at its disposal. However, the SZ report added that there had been problems so far with procuring ammunition.   The refurbishment is expected to take many months. “Even if the decision is made ...
Opinion: “an expression of neo-colonialism” – Germany and its dealings with Chile
Energy and Geopolitics

Opinion: “an expression of neo-colonialism” – Germany and its dealings with Chile

By Horst Teubert and Dr. Peer Heinelt (Opinion) Germany relies more heavily than ever on Chile for its supply of green energy sources and key raw materials for the transition. During his visit to the South American country, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz expanded a “raw materials partnership” for ten years. In particular, German access to lithium and copper is to be strengthened. Berlin will also purchase green hydrogen produced with the help of renewable energy sources on a large scale from Chile. German companies are involved in profitable hydrogen projects in the country. Accompanying this, on Dec. 9, the EU expanded its free trade agreement with Chile, which has existed since 2002. In its new version, it exempts 99.9 percent of all exports from the EU from taxes; conversely, it pr...
Germany planning new strategy in Africa to compete with China
Africa, Europe

Germany planning new strategy in Africa to compete with China

Germany intends to replace 'Marshall Plan with Africa' with new strategy to keep Germany in race for Africa against China. BERLIN With a new strategy for the African continent, Germany is preparing to compete against China in search of energy, raw materials, and new markets. In the "Dark Continent," which is remembered for its poverty, the capital problem, drought, and never-ending domestic turmoil make Africa's struggle for industrialization difficult, but the rich mineral deposits and young population continue to attract the attention of developed countries. This increased interest in the continent also leads to an increase in competition between countries. It is noteworthy that Chinese, Turkish, Italian and Indian investments in African countries have increased in recent years, on t...