Germany

BERLIN, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Germany's gas storage facilities are filling up faster than planned, Economy Minister Robert Habeck said, giving hope that Europe's biggest economy could avoid acute gas shortages this winter.

"The reservoirs are filling up faster than specified," Habeck was quoted as saying by Der Spiegel Magazine, adding that the government goal of achieving 85% storage capacity by October could be reached by the beginning of September.

BERLIN, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Germany's ruling Social Democrats (SPD) will propose further measures to help its citizens cope with rising energy prices, including another discounted national transport ticket, a document seen by Reuters showed on Sunday.

Households are facing higher energy costs after the German gas market operator set a levy from October to help utilities cover the cost of replacing Russian supplies.

BERLIN, Aug 27 (Reuters) - A German tourist has been detained in Iran, the German foreign ministry said on Saturday, declining to give further details beyond saying the man was receiving consular assistance.

The Iranian interior ministry was not immediately available to comment on the detention.

BERLIN (AP) — Authorities in western Germany said Friday that two boys who drowned in a lake near the border with Belgium were British tourists.

The brothers, aged 7 and 9, were reported missing by their parents at a designated swimming area on the Eiserbach lake south of Aachen.

Rescuers were able to retrieve the children from the water and they were taken to hospitals in Aachen and Cologne, but later died.

Aachen prosecutors said they were investigating whether the deaths were the result of negligence.

BERLIN, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- Almost four years after the start of trial operations, the world's first passenger train network powered by hydrogen was launched in the German federal state of Lower Saxony on Wednesday.

The 14 trains with hydrogen fuel cell drive produced by French manufacturer Alstom are to replace diesel trains, according to the local transport authority of Lower Saxony (LNVG). Five of the new trains are already in operation, with the others to follow by the end of the year.

BERLIN (AP) — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Cabinet approved legislation Wednesday that ensures basic protective measures against the coronavirus pandemic are continued during the fall and winter when more virus cases are expected.

The presentation of the rules — which also include the new obligation to wear N95-type face masks during all long-distance travel by train and bus as well as on planes — coincided with the publication of photos showing the chancellor and German Economy Minister Robert Habeck flying to Canada earlier this week without wearing masks.

BERLIN, Aug 21 (Reuters) - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Sunday called the monthly 9 euro ticket for public transport that his government introduced to help offset soaring inflation a "big success" and announced talks for a follow-up scheme.

Germany's coalition government of Scholz's Social Democrats, Greens and Free Democrats introduced the tickets that cover all local and regional public transport nationwide for June, July and August as part of a series of measures to help households.

BERLIN, Aug 21 (Reuters) - Around two thirds of Germans are unhappy with the work of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his fractious coalition, which has faced crisis after crisis since taking office in December, according to a survey published on Sunday.

Only 25 % of Germans believe the Social Democrat is doing his job well, down from 46% in March, according to the poll by Insa for "Bild am Sonntag" weekly newspaper.

MECKENHEIM, Germany (AP) — Martin Kopf needs natural gas to run his family’s company, Zinkpower GmbH, which rustproofs steel components in western Germany.

Zinkpower’s facility outside Bonn uses gas to keep 600 tons of zinc worth 2.5 million euros ($2.5 million) in a molten state every day. The metal will harden otherwise, wrecking the tank where steel parts are dipped before they end up in car suspensions, buildings, solar panels and wind turbines.

20 August 2022; MEMO: Nine European countries on Friday expressed their "deep concern" after the Israeli army closed the offices of Palestinian NGOs in the occupied West Bank, accusing them of being "terrorist" organisations.