OLAF SCHOLZ

(Bloomberg) -- The US and Germany remain stuck on efforts to send battle tanks to Ukraine, as officials contend with logistical issues and Europe’s own defensive requirements, along with concern about escalating tensions with Russia, according to people familiar with the discussions.Most Read from BloombergGermany Suspects Sabotage Hit Russia’s Nord Stream PipelinesApple Ditches iPhone Production Increase After Demand FaltersAlzheimer’s Progression Slowed by Drug in Major TrialPutin’s Mobilizati

"It's really important that economic growth, energy security and climate action must be worked at together," said Mariam Almheiri.

Denmark believes “deliberate actions” caused big leaks in two natural gas pipelines that run under the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany, and seismologists said powerful explosions preceded the leaks.

BERLIN — (AP) — Denmark's maritime authority said Monday that a gas leak had been observed in a pipeline leading from Russia to Europe underneath the Baltic Sea that is dangerous to shipping traffic. The operator of Nord Stream 2 confirmed that a leak in the pipeline had been detected southeast of the Danish island Bornholm in the Baltic Sea. Although the pipeline isn't used to import gas, it is nevertheless filled, dpa reported. The leak comes a day before the inauguration of a new pipeline, Baltic Pipe, which will bring Norwegian gas through Denmark to Poland. The Norwegian gas is meant to have an important role in replacing Russian gas.

BERLIN — (AP) — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has tested positive for the coronavirus, his spokesman told the news agency dpa on Monday. Government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said Scholz has mild symptoms and immediately entered isolation. He has canceled all public appearances this week but plans to take part virtually in internal government meetings, Hebestreit said. Scholz returned from a two-day official trip to the Gulf States on Sunday and before that was at the U.N. General Assembly in New York. Scholz was not the only government official to contract the virus this week: Interior Minister Nancy Faeser announced on Twitter Monday morning that she had also tested positive.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz's spokesman says the German leader has tested positive for the coronavirus.

Europe’s largest economy is sending recession signals.

Europe is staring down a winter energy crisis.

To do so, the German government has sought out new natural gas suppliers while also installing terminals to bring the fuel into the country by ship. German utility company RWE announced Sunday that it will receive a first shipment of liquefied natural gas from the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company this year. From Abu Dhabi Scholz flew to Qatar to meet the emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and discuss bilateral relations, regional issues such as tensions with Iran and the Gulf nation’s upcoming hosting of soccer's World Cup. Human rights groups criticized the meeting because of Prince Mohammed's alleged involvement in the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Scholz told reporters after the meeting that he had discussed “all the questions around civil and human rights” with the prince, but declined to elaborate.

To do so, the German government has sought out new natural gas suppliers while also installing terminals to bring the fuel into the country by ship. The German leader's first stop Saturday was Saudi Arabia, where he met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Human rights groups criticized the meeting because of Prince Mohammed's alleged involvement in the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Scholz told reporters after the meeting that he had discussed “all the questions around civil and human rights” with the prince, but declined to elaborate. Saudi Arabia, which has vast regions suitable for cheap solar power generation, is seen as a particularly suitable supplier of hydrogen, they said.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz planted a tree at a mangrove park in the United Arab Emirates in a token nod to environmentalism during a two-day visit to the Gulf region focused mainly on securing new fossil fuel supplies and forging fresh alliances against Russia.

The German government has scrambled to wean Europe's biggest economy off Russian oil, coal and gas since coming to office last December. While imports from Russia have declined sharply since then, there are fears that Germany, like other European countries, could face an energy shortage in the coming months. “Of course this trip is being closely watched and we're going to encounter difficult partners there," one German official said. German officials said all energy agreements will take into account the country's plans to become carbon neutral by 2045, requiring a shift from natural gas to hydrogen produced with renewable energy in the coming decades. Saudi Arabia, which has vast regions suitable for cheap solar power generation, is seen as a particularly suitable supplier of hydrogen, they said.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has arrived in Saudi Arabia for the first stop of a two-day, three-country visit aimed at striking new energy deals and forging fresh alliances.

Four occupied regions in eastern and southern Ukraine are set to start voting Friday in Kremlin-engineered referendums on whether to become part of Russia, setting the stage for Moscow to annex the areas in a sharp escalation of the nearly seven-month war.

Leaders from Europe, the Americas and Africa are calling for urgent action and funding to ease a growing global food security crisis.

Welcome to Elements, Bloomberg’s daily energy and commodities newsletter. Today’s s take looks at the stunning surge in lithium prices. Back in the world of Europe’s gas crunch, Germany is spending billions more to buy LNG as Chancellor Scholz flies to the Middle East with his eye on long-term supply deals. Finally, to get this email direct into your inbox every week day, click here.

Natural gas supplier Uniper says it’s in “final discussions” for Germany to nationalize the company.

World leaders are gathering at the United Nations this week under the shadow of Europe’s first major conflict since World War II.

Germany's reticence has prompted critics to look for ulterior motives for its reluctance — with some citing World War II.

BERLIN — (AP) — Germany’s foreign minister is putting pressure on Chancellor Olaf Scholz to decide soon whether to supply Ukraine with advanced tanks as it seeks to reclaim more of its captured territory from Russia. The far-right Alternative for Germany party, which is not in government and has close ties to Moscow, warned, meanwhile, against providing tanks to Ukraine. “The Ukraine war is not our war,” said its co-leader, Tino Chrupalla. He called instead for Germany to open the Nord Stream 2 pipeline so the country can import gas from Russia. ___Follow all AP stories on the impact of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine.

Germany’s foreign minister is putting pressure on Chancellor Olaf Scholz to decide soon whether to supply Ukraine with advanced tanks as it seeks to reclaim more of its captured territory from Russia

Germany’s foreign minister is putting pressure on Chancellor Olaf Scholz to decide soon whether to supply Ukraine with advanced tanks as it seeks to reclaim more of its captured territory from Russia.

Germany’s foreign minister is putting pressure on Chancellor Olaf Scholz to decide soon whether to supply Ukraine with advanced tanks as it seeks to reclaim more of its captured territory from Russia. Kyiv has said it would like to get German Leopard-2 tanks, but Berlin has so far rebuffed that request while delivering other weaponry, such as howitzers and self-propelled anti-aircraft weapons. In an interview with daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung published Thursday, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said a decision on delivering modern battle tanks to Ukraine could only be taken jointly by Germany’s governing three-party coalition and its international partners.

The organization that handles claims on behalf of Jews who suffered under the Nazis says Germany has agreed to pay approximately $1.2 billion (euros) for home care and compensation for Holocaust survivors living around the world in 2023

Ukrainian authorities have found a mass burial site near a recaptured northeastern city previously occupied by Russian forces.

After stunning success in ousting Russian troops from Kharkiv, Ukraine says it urgently needs armor for its southern offensive but Germany is refusing to send battle tanks

Germany, along with France, Britain, Russia and China, is still a party to the deal. Iran earlier this month responded to a final draft of a roadmap for parties to return to the tattered nuclear deal. Iran’s hard-line president, Ebrahim Raisi, has said that the IAEA investigation into the issue must be halted in order for the 2015 deal to be renewed. U.S. intelligence agencies, Western nations and the IAEA have said Iran ran an organized nuclear weapons program until 2003. Iran long has denied ever seeking nuclear weapons.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has made clear that he doesn’t expect an agreement with Iran in the immediate future to restore Tehran’s tattered nuclear deal with world powers, though he said there’s no reason for Iran not to sign up and European countries would remain “patient.”.

Officials say the cost of the German chancellery’s planned building extension will rise to 777 million euros ($773 million), which is 177 million euros more than initially planned

After decades of neglect and the stigma of its Nazi past, Germany warms up to the idea of rebuilding its army, thanks to the war in Ukraine.

BERLIN — (AP) — Germany is well-placed to get through this winter with enough energy thanks to efforts to shore up supplies, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Wednesday, dismissing criticism from the opposition. He pointed to a decision to require filling natural gas storage facilities for the fuel used to heat homes, generate electricity and power industry. Those facilities are now over 86% full, at a time when Russia has cut off gas supplies through the main pipeline to Germany, Nord Stream 1, as tensions mount over the war in Ukraine. Scholz noted that his government has moved to build liquefied natural gas terminals, the first of which are due to open this winter, and reactivate coal-fired power plants. Germany is “in a situation in which we can say we will probably get through this winter, despite all the tensions, with the preparations we have made,” Scholz said.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says the country is well-placed to get through this winter with enough energy thanks to his efforts to shore up supplies.

French President Emmanuel Macron is calling for a sharp 10% reduction in the country’s energy use in coming weeks and months to avoid the risk of rationing and cuts this winter.

Since the United States provided Ukraine with 16 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (or HIMARS), the launchers are changing the face of battle, becoming a key weapon in Ukraine's counteroffensive against invading Russian forces. CBS News national security correspondent David Martin visits the Lockheed Martin plant where the highly-effective precision rocket launchers are built; and a test range where HIMARS crews are trained to "shoot and scoot."

BERLIN — (AP) — Germany will invest an additional 65 billion euros (dollars) in a new round of measures aimed at easing the sting of inflation and high energy prices for consumers, the country’s governing coalition announced Sunday. In addition to the previously announced one-off 300-euro payments for workers to help offset energy costs, the government plans to offer one-time payments for other groups. To keep energy costs lower for individuals and families, the government announced a “price brake” on energy prices, saying it plans to offer a to-be-determined basic amount of energy to all at a lower rate. The government will also develop a successor to its "9-euro ticket," a nationwide ticket allowing unlimited travel on local and regional public transit. Scholz’s government has faced pressure in recent weeks to indicate how it planned to follow through on its promise to help consumers shoulder the costs of inflation and higher energy prices.

French President Emmanuel Macron vowed to keep up France’s humanitarian, economic and military support to Ukraine and to bolster European unity as a way to pile pressure on Russia and prevent it from winning its war in the country.

The stench is gone and, slowly, the fish are returning to the Emscher, a river through western Germany’s industrial heartland that for decades was not just a blot on the landscape but officially deemed an open sewer

Mikhail Gorbachev was enduringly popular in Germany for enabling the country’s reunification after four decades of post-World War II division — and setting the scene for the peaceful collapse of communism that made it possible.

BERLIN — (AP) — German prosecutors have raided the office of JPMorgan Chase & Co. in Frankfurt as part of a broader tax evasion investigation targeting numerous banks in Germany and beyond. Cologne prosecutors said Wednesday that dozens of investigators began searching the offices Tuesday of a Frankfurt-based financial institution and several auditing and tax firms. In a statement, JPMorgan confirmed that its Frankfurt offices were “visited” this week. “We continue to cooperate with the German authorities on their ongoing investigation,” the bank said. The offices of several rival institutions have already been searched by German authorities.

BERLIN — (AP) — Russia's Gazprom halted the flow of natural gas through a major pipeline from Russia to Europe early Wednesday, a stoppage that it announced in advance and has said will last three days. The Russian state-owned energy company announced the closure of Nord Stream 1 in mid-August, citing maintenance at a compressor station — an explanation that German officials have cast doubt on. Gazprom started cutting supplies through Nord Stream 1 in mid-June. In recent weeks, Nord Stream 1 has been running at only 20% of capacity. Russia, which before the reductions started accounted for a bit more than a third of Germany's gas supplies, has also reduced the flow of gas to other European countries which have sided with Ukraine in the war.

German lawyer Hans-Christian Stroebele has died at age 83.

Russia’s Gazprom has halted the flow of natural gas through a major pipeline from Russia to Europe, a stoppage that it announced in advance and has said will last three days.

Scholz cited Germany's decisions to reactivate oil and coal-fired power plants, mandate the filling of natural gas storage facilities and lease floating liquefied natural gas terminals. Russia's state-controlled energy company Gazprom further reduced gas deliveries to the French company Engie, raising fears that Moscow might cut off gas completely as political leverage over the war in Ukraine. Russia has cut off or reduced natural gas to a dozen of European Union countries. France, like other European countries, is trying to beef up its gas reserves for winter and fill up its storage by early autumn to avert an economic and political crisis. The French government has rolled out an “energy sobriety” plan in June, targeting a 10% reduction in energy use by 2024.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz says Germany is well-prepared to tackle a possible energy shortage due to Russia’s squeeze on European gas supplies.

BERLIN — (AP) — The head of the European Union's executive branch and Germany's chancellor on Monday pledged a reform of the continent's electricity market to help bring down power prices that have been pushed higher by skyrocketing gas prices. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a speech in Bled, Slovenia, that soaring electricity prices “are now exposing the limitations of our current electricity market design.”“It was developed for different circumstances,” von der Leyen said. “It is necessary for us to make structural changes that contribute to prices sinking again quickly and there being a sufficient offer” of electricity, Scholz said at a news conference. ___Follow AP's coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraineCopyright 2022 The Associated Press. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

The head of the European Union’s executive branch and Germany's chancellor have pledged a reform of the continent’s electricity market to help bring down power prices that have been pushed higher by skyrocketing gas prices.

Denmark will increase a planned offshore wind capacity in the Baltic Sea to 3 gigawatts and hook it up to the German grid which will be a step toward weaning Europe off its reliance on Russian gas.

The German leader also backed calls to reconsider the composition of the European Parliament, which currently has 751 deputies, to prevent it becoming “bloated” through future expansion. A similar reform of the way each member state is represented in the bloc's executive Commission could see commissioners share responsibility in certain areas, he said. Scholz's speech echoed proposals made in recent months by French President Emmanuel Macron. “When, if not now, will we overcome the differences that have hobbled and divided us for years?” he asked. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is calling for a growing European Union to agree on a series of changes that would help it overcome internal divisions and stand up to external rivals such as Russia and China

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is calling for a growing European Union to agree on a series of changes that would help it overcome internal divisions and stand up to external rivals such as Russia and China.

Germany is considering backtracking on plans for consumers to pay a surcharge on natural gas amid mounting criticism that the money could flow to highly profitable energy companies.

Some of the biggest names in tennis, including Rafael Nadal and Coco Gauff, raised more than $1 million in aid for Ukraine. Michael George shares more.

The World Health Organization says the number of coronavirus deaths reported worldwide has fallen by 15% in the last week while new infections dropped by 9%.

Currently, medical face masks are mandatory on planes and public transport though N95-style masks are recommended. Still, the justice minister conceded that “politically, I would recommend to us as a federal government that we apply the same rules everywhere that apply elsewhere." Beyond that, Germany’s 16 states will have the authority to adopt their own rules depending on how severely the virus affects their areas. The justice minister stressed that there would be no more lockdowns or school closures no matter how the pandemic develops during cold-weather seasons. “Students were certainly the group that suffered the most in the pandemic ... especially in terms of exercising their right to education, especially in terms of school closures," Buschmann said.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Cabinet has approved legislation that ensures protective measures against the coronavirus pandemic are continued during the fall and winter when more virus cases are expected.

Western leaders pledged unwavering support for Ukraine as the war-ravaged country marked its Independence Day on Wednesday, coinciding with the six-month milestone of Russia's invasion. In Britain, floral and musical tributes punctuated a show of solidarity as Ukraine commemorated its 1991 declaration of independence from the Soviet Union. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who is soon to leave office, urged allies to keep giving Ukraine all the military, humanitarian, economic and diplomatic support it needs. The pontiff warned about the risk of nuclear disaster in Ukraine, a reference to the shelling of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhhia nuclear power plant. ___Follow all of AP's coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraineCopyright 2022 The Associated Press.

Western leaders are pledging unwavering support for Ukraine as the war-ravaged country marks its Independence Day.

Ukraine marks its Independence Day and six months of war by holding a muted ceremony in Kyiv amid warnings that Russia could step up attacks.

President Joe Biden says he's sending $2.98 billion in new military aid to Ukraine that will enable forces there to fight for years to come.

STEPHENVILLE, Newfoundland — (AP) — The leaders of Germany and Canada said Tuesday a new hydrogen pact will kick-start a transatlantic hydrogen supply chain, with the first deliveries expected in just three years. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz signed the deal in the port town of Stephenville, Newfoundland. A Canadian company has plans to build a zero-emission plant that will use wind energy to produce hydrogen and ammonia for export. Scholz said Canada is Germany’s partner of choice as the country moves away from relying on Russia to supply energy. Germans have been urged to cut gas use now so the country will have enough for the winter ahead.

The U.S. State Department has issued a security alert warning that Russia is stepping up efforts to launch strikes against Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure and government facilities.

BERLIN — (AP) — On the second anniversary of the poisoning attack on Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny, Germany and the United States hailed the determination of the Kremlin critic who is still imprisoned in Russia on charges those nations consider politically motivated. The U.S. State Department called for the immediate release of Navalny and condemned the Russian government's crackdown on opposition figures and independent media. Navalny is Russian President Vladimir Putin's most well-known critic and has detailed huge incidents of corruption by his regime. Navalny was arrested in Russia in January 2021 upon returning from Germany, where he had been recuperating from nerve-agent poisoning that he blames on the Kremlin. Earlier this week, Navalny says prison officials ordered him to serve at least three days in solitary confinement, citing a minor infraction, in retaliation for his activism behind bars.

On the second anniversary of the poison attack on Alexei Navalny, Germany and the United States have hailed the determination of the Kremlin critic who is imprisoned in Russia.

Testifying Friday before a parliamentary hearing of Hamburg's state assembly, Scholz insisted that the meetings he held in 2016 and 2017 with a representative of the private bank M.M. At the time the bank had been ordered to repay millions of euros (dollars) in tax refunds it had wrongly claimed for share trades. Soon after the meetings, Hamburg officials dropped demands for Warburg to repay 47 million euros. “There was no political intervention whatsoever,” Scholz told state lawmakers during the hearing, which lasted more than three hours. Scholz, who became Germany's federal finance minister in 2018, had previously stated that he didn't remember details of the meetings, drawing criticism and incredulity from political opponents.

BERLIN — (AP) — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is due to appear Friday before a parliamentary panel in the northern state of Hamburg to answer lawmakers' questions regarding what he knew about a tax evasion scam when he was mayor of the city. Political opponents have called on Scholz to provide more information about meetings he had in 2016 and 2017 with private bank M.M. Warburg that faced demands to repay millions of euros in tax refunds it had wrongly claimed for share trades. Scholz has previously stated that he doesn't remember details of the meetings, but denies that he intervened to get Hamburg officials to drop the repayment demands. Dozens of bankers are being investigated in connection with so-called cum-ex share transactions that are said to have cost the German state billions of euros.

BERLIN — (AP) — Berlin police have opened a preliminary investigation against Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas over his comments this week that Israel had committed "50 Holocausts" against Palestinians. The remarks, during a news conference in Berlin alongside German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, sparked outrage in Germany, Israel and beyond. Police confirmed a report Friday by German daily Bild that Abbas was being investigated for possible incitement to hatred after receiving a formal criminal complaint. Downplaying the Holocaust is a criminal offense in Germany, but the opening of an preliminary inquiry doesn't automatically entail a full investigation. Germany doesn't recognize the Palestinian Territories as a sovereign state, a position Scholz reaffirmed Tuesday.

Estonia’s foreign minister has defended his country’s decision to bar Russian tourists, saying they are shirking their “moral responsibility” to stand up to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s regime and its “genocidal war” in Ukraine.

BERLIN — (AP) — Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Thursday that Germany will temporarily lower taxes on natural gas to ease the financial pressure on people struggling with soaring energy costs fueled by Russia's war in Ukraine. Scholz said his government had decided to lower the value-added tax on gas from 19% to 7% until the end of March 2024. “The rising gas prices are a big burden for many citizens," Scholz said, adding that further measures would be announced in the coming weeks. In addition to rising wholesale prices for natural gas caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine earlier this year, consumers will have to pay a new surcharge to prop up energy companies scrambling to find new supplies on the global market. Russia has reduced flows of natural gas — used to generate electricity, run factories and heat homes in the winter — to Germany and other European countries, and there are fears of more cutbacks as the weather gets colder and demand increases.

Germany’s chancellor says that he was “disgusted by the outrageous remarks” made by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Berlin a day earlier accusing Israel of committing “50 Holocausts” against Palestinians over the years

BERLIN — (AP) — Germany's chancellor said Wednesday that he was “disgusted by the outrageous remarks" made by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Berlin, accusing Israel of committing “50 Holocausts” against Palestinians over the years. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's statement on Twitter came a day after Abbas refused to condemn a deadly attack by Palestinian militants on Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics. Instead, Abbas countered by saying he could point to “50 Holocausts” by Israel. “I am disgusted by the outrageous remarks made by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas,” Scholz said. Abbas said at a joint press conference with Scholz at the Chancellery on Tuesday night that “from 1947 until today, Israel has committed 50 massacres in 50 Palestinian villages."

Germany’s chancellor says that he was “disgusted by the outrageous remarks” made by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Berlin, accusing Israel of committing “50 Holocausts” against Palestinians over the years.

Instead of aligning with the Kremlin, it’s best they accept that many European countries have good reason not to welcome Russian tourists.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has expressed no regret for the deadly attack by Palestinian militants against Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics half a century ago

Germany Politics German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, right, and Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Palestinian Authority, shake hands after a press conference after their talks in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, Aug.16, 2022. (Wolfgang Kumm/dpa via AP) (Wolfgang Kumm)BERLIN — (AP) — Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas expressed no regret Tuesday for the deadly attack by Palestinian militants against Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics half a century ago, countering that Israel had committed “Holocausts” against Palestinians over the years. “I have 50 slaughters that Israel committed.”Standing next to Scholz, Abbas explicitly used the word “Holocausts” in his reply, drawing a grimace from the German chancellor. Scholz also said he did not believe the time had come to recognize Palestinian statehood, which Abbas repeatedly called for. The Palestinian president did say he was committed to building trust and achieving a peaceful solution to the conflict with Israel.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas expressed no regret Tuesday for the deadly attack by Palestinian militants against Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics half a century ago, countering that Israel had committed “50 Holocausts” against Palestinians over the years. Eleven Israeli athletes and a German police officer died after members of the Palestinian militant group Black September took hostages at the Olympic Village on Sept. 5, 1972.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Monday that Berlin would not back several fellow European countries that have called for an EU-wide move to stop issuing tourist visas to Russian citizens. The nations backing such a ban say that Russians should not be able to take vacations in Europe while Moscow wages war in Ukraine. Finland and Denmark want an EU decision and some EU countries bordering Russia already no longer issue visas to Russians.

Germany Russia Gas Employees stand around the turbine serviced in Canada for the Nordstream 1 natural gas pipeline in Muelheim an der Ruhr, Germany, Aug. 3, 2022. (Bernd Thissen/dpa via AP) (Bernd Thissen)BERLIN — (AP) — German businesses and public institutions should heat their offices no higher than 19 degrees Celsius (66.2 degrees Fahrenheit) this winter to help reduce the country's consumption of natural gas, Germany’s economy minister said Saturday. Germany, the European Union's biggest economy, is quickly trying to wean itself off using natural gas from Russia in response to Moscow's attack on Ukraine. However Germany uses more Russian gas imports than many other EU nations. Russia has already cut off gas exports to several EU nations, and officials fear Moscow will use the gas exports as a political weapon to get sanctions against Russia reduced — or even cut the exports to Europe off altogether in the winter, when demand is the highest.

Portugal’s prime minister says European authorities are considering a liquefied natural gas pipeline from Spain to Italy.

European authorities are considering a liquefied natural gas pipeline from Spain to Italy as a way of getting around France’s opposition to a gas link-up across the Pyrenees between the Iberian peninsula and central Europe, Portugal's prime minister said Friday. Portugal and Spain could send a lot of the liquefied natural gas, or LNG, they receive from around the world to other European Union countries, Prime Minister Antonio Costa said.

Former German leader Gerhard Schroeder is suing to restore the perks he enjoyed as ex-chancellor after he was stripped of them by parliament following criticism over his ties with Russia.

APTOPIX Russia Ukraine War A Russian rocket launched toward Ukraine from Russia's Belgorod region is seen at dawn in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Aug. 11, 2022. Germany, seen early in Russia's invasion as a lackadaisical Ukrainian ally, is making what Chancellor Olaf Scholz described as a “massive” break with its past by sending weapons to the war-ravaged country. In Copenhagen, Britain and Denmark also made additional commitments to help Ukraine's defense against Russia's invasion, which has devastated the nation and reverberated across the world. It said it would gradually reopen some restaurants in the capital, Kyiv, and in western Ukraine. “It’s bigger.”___Follow AP's coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraineCopyright 2022 The Associated Press.

Denmark Russia Ukraine War British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace speaks during a joint press conference with Danish Minister of Defence Morten Bodskov and Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov about the support for Ukraine in Copenhagen, Wednesday Aug. 10, 2022. The new weapons, whose number wasn’t specified, come on top of several rocket-launch systems given by Britain to Ukraine earlier this year. British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said the bolstered military support shows the West “will stand shoulder-to-shoulder, providing defensive military aid to Ukraine to help them defend against Putin’s invasion,” Wallace said at a meeting of mostly northern European allies of Ukraine. The 27-nation EU said it will affect about 25% of Russian coal exports and create a loss of about $8 billion a year. ___Follow AP's coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraineCopyright 2022 The Associated Press.

Rising fuel costs sparked by Russia's war against Ukraine have put severe financial strain on many in Germany and beyond, raising concerns about a possible winter of discontent. “We will do everything to help citizens get through this difficult time,” Scholz told reporters during his annual summer news conference in Berlin. Asked whether he feared that frustration could boil over into violent protests, Scholz replied, "I don't believe that there will be unrest ... in this country." Scholz has previously denied wrongdoing and claimed not to recall details of his meetings with Warburg officials. “Olaf Scholz needs to explain himself," Frei said in an interview published Thursday by German media group RND.

Germany Cabinet German Chancellor Olaf Scholz arrives for the weekly cabinet meeting at the chancellery in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2022. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn) (Michael Sohn)BERLIN — (AP) — Germany's main opposition party has called on Chancellor Olaf Scholz to explain his role in a large-scale tax evasion scam while he was mayor of Hamburg. Scholz has been dogged by questions about meetings he had with private bank M.M. Hamburg officials later dropped demands for the bank to repay millions of euros in tax refunds it had wrongly claimed for share trades. “Olaf Scholz needs to explain himself," Frei said in an interview published Thursday by German media group RND.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says his government won’t leave citizens freezing or unable to pay their energy bills but acknowledges his country faces considerable challenges in the coming months.

Western nations have made more pledges to send arms to Ukraine as Britain's Defense Ministry claimed that sanctions against Moscow are hurting Russian defense exports.

Local officials with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s party rejected a bid to expel former Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder over his close ties to Russia, the news agency dpa reported Monday.

The German government will take a roughly 30% stake in energy supplier Uniper as part of a rescue package prompted by surging prices for natural gas and reduced Russian deliveries.

Officials from 40 countries are meeting in Berlin to discuss how to stay focused on fighting climate change while the world reels from the economic fallout of the pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz says Germany’s decision to reactivate coal and oil-fired power plants to relieve energy shortages because of the war in Ukraine is only temporary and his government remains committed to doing “everything” to combat the climate crisis.

Local officials with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s party have met to consider calls to expel former Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has pledged to help troubled energy giant Uniper after it asked the government for a bailout to cope with surging prices for natural gas due to the war in Ukraine.

German lawmakers on Thursday approved a major package of reforms aimed at boosting the production of renewable power, as Chancellor Olaf Scholz warned that the country has for too long relied on energy supplies from Russia.

Asian shares are mostly lower after tepid trading on Wall Street amid worries about a global recession.

Asian shares have advanced across the board as buying sets in after the lull of a U.S. national holiday.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has gathered top employer and labor union representatives at his Berlin office to seek ways of addressing the impact of rising prices while preventing a spiral of inflation in Europe’s biggest economy.

A French TV documentary offers a unique behind-the-scene look before and after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, from the point of view of France’s diplomatic efforts around the war.

The latest in a litany of horrors in Ukraine came this week as Russian firepower rained down on civilians in a busy shopping mall far from the front lines of a war in its fifth month.

Just two days after agreeing to lift deal-breaking objections to Sweden and Finland’s NATO accession, Turkey’s leader has threatened that Ankara could still block the process if the two countries fail to fully meet his expectations.

Members of the Group of Seven major economies pledged Tuesday to create a new “climate club" that for nations that wants to take more ambitious action to tackle global warming.