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Due to an energy shortage, Japan is bringing old coal-fired power plants back online
Japan plans to restart older coal-fired power plants at full capacity for one year starting in April. The government is responding to the fallout from the war in the Middle East, following US and Israeli attacks on Iran in late February that severely disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. A large portion of Japan’s…
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Federal Environment Minister Schneider plans 2000 wind turbines in the windless south
Federal Environment Minister Carsten Schneider has announced the construction of 2,000 additional wind turbines as part of the 2026 climate protection program. These turbines are slated to be built primarily in southern Germany by 2030. The expansion is expected to generate 12,000 megawatts of additional capacity, save seven billion cubic meters of gas annually, and…
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25 euros more per tankful – CDU politician considers higher fuel prices acceptable
The center-right/center-left coalition passed a new fuel price cap in the Bundestag, but a statement from the CDU was at the heart of the debate. Jürgen Hardt declared that drivers could be expected to pay “20 or 25 euros more per tank” for a limited time. This was prompted by the sharp rise in fuel…
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Bosch is closing its recently modernized model factory for ovens in Bretten
In Bretten, near Karlsruhe, the Bosch subsidiary BSH (Bosch-Siemens Home Appliances) plans to close its oven and range hood factory by March 2028 at the latest. The site was modernized as recently as 2025 and is considered a model factory. A new enameling line is even regarded as a showcase technical project. The closure plans…
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Attack on families – Spousal splitting and family insurance on the brink of collapse
In Berlin at the end of March 2026, several measures will be debated that could directly increase the cost of living for families and fundamentally alter their lives. The coalition is considering abolishing income splitting for married couples, ending free family health insurance coverage for spouses, and introducing new incentives to discourage part-time work. The…
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Bidding war for LNG – Asia snatches gas supplies away from Europe
Europe is facing a new bidding war in the gas market. Following the US and Israeli attacks on Iran, liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the Gulf states can no longer be shipped through the Strait of Hormuz as usual. At the same time, Europe’s gas storage facilities are unusually empty after the winter. In recent…
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Wind power in Germany – doubts about a functioning energy transition are growing
Germany will again face significant problems with its wind power supply in March 2026. Doubts about the success of the energy transition are noticeably increasing. For several days, wind power generation remained significantly below demand, despite approximately 80 gigawatts of installed onshore capacity. At the same time, wind turbines had to be throttled back during…
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Government takes control of the Federal Court of Auditors
In Berlin, the CDU/CSU and SPD are seizing control of the Federal Court of Auditors, thereby damaging the very agency tasked with independently auditing the government’s handling of taxpayers’ money. Following the departure of its current president, Kay Scheller, after twelve years, CDU Member of Parliament Ansgar Heveling is slated to become the new president,…
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Withdrawal from electric cars – twelve manufacturers are slowing down their electric vehicle plans
The retreat of many automakers from a purely electric vehicle strategy is gaining momentum worldwide. More than a dozen manufacturers are scaling back their electric vehicle targets, postponing model launches, or extending the use of plug-in hybrids and combustion engines. Besides Honda, Mercedes-Benz, Ford, Stellantis, and Volvo Cars, several luxury brands such as Rolls-Royce, Bentley,…
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Balsa wood for wind power – over 500,000 trees are illegally felled annually in the Amazon region
In the Amazon region, particularly in Ecuador, an estimated 500,000 balsa trees have been illegally harvested from natural forests every year since the beginning of this decade. The global wind power industry requires large quantities of balsa wood for rotor blades. The trigger is the sharply increased demand for rotor blades. Sustainable plantations have long…
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KiK is closing 300 stores in Europe – Germany is particularly affected
The discount retailer KiK is scaling back its store expansion and will close around 300 branches across Europe by the end of 2026, while opening only 75 new locations. In Germany, the number of stores will decrease by 135 to approximately 2,200, and across Europe by 225 to just over 4,000. The main reason for…
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Reiche attacks EU climate targets and demands a change of course in energy policy
At the CERAWeek energy conference in Houston on Monday evening (German time), German Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Katherina Reiche openly questioned the EU’s 2050 climate targets, sparking a new energy policy debate. The CDU politician criticized rigid climate neutrality targets, arguing that they jeopardize affordable energy, security of supply, and thus the survival of…
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Recall due to fire risk – more than 90,000 electric cars from VW and Cupra must go to the workshop
Volkswagen and Cupra are initiating a worldwide recall of approximately 94,000 electric vehicles because battery modules in the high-voltage battery do not meet specifications. For VW, the recall affects the ID.3, ID.4, ID.5, and ID.Buzz models produced between June 24, 2023, and August 23, 2024. Cupra is also recalling the Born model manufactured between February…
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UN report criticizes restrictions on freedom of expression in Germany
In Berlin, the German government has reacted cautiously to sharp criticism from UN Special Rapporteur Irene Khan regarding restrictions on freedom of expression in Germany. Following her visit from January 26 to February 6, 2026, she describes a trend in which state measures, bans, and criminal proceedings are increasingly restricting public debate. She sees particular…
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Turnberry Agreement: US threatens EU with worse LNG conditions
The EU will soon decide on the Turnberry Agreement with the US, and the consequences extend to energy supply. The European Parliament is set to vote on the pact, which Donald Trump and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen agreed upon last year in Scotland. The trigger for this escalation is a warning from…