Investigation launched after explosion in Cologne
A probe has been launched after an explosion severely damaged a commercial building in Cologne city centre.
One person was slightly injured in the explosion that happened shortly after 6 am on Monday.
The entrance area of a commercial building was damaged.
The incident happened next to a nightclub on Cologne’s party mile, the Hohenzollernring.
The Hohenzollernring was closed between Rudolplatz and Friesenplatz for several hours and was later reopened.
A series of similar incidents have taken place in North Rhine-Westphalia. Several are believed to be connected to conflicts between drug dealers from the Netherlands and the Rhineland.
New direct flight from Germany to Alta
Keen adventurers who want to explore the Arctic Circle area should take note of a new flight route.
Discover Airlines is launching a direct connection from Frankfurt to Alta in Norway from December.
Situated above the Arctic Circle, Alta is one of the northernmost communities in the world and is viewed as a gateway to some of the most iconic Arctic experiences.
Travellers can look out for the stunning northern lights, take part in whale watching and learn about Sámi culture.
The connection will run twice a week from December to April 2025, and will take 3.5 hours.
READ ALSO: What are the big travel changes in Germany this autumn?
Businesses ‘concerned’ about new border checks
As expanded border checks begin in Germany, some in the logistics industry are concerned about the impact.
Frank Huster, Managing Director of the German Freight Forwarding and Logistics Association, said extra border controls in the EU internal market is a negative signal.
Volker Treier, head of foreign trade at the DIHK, the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce, told Germany’s Tagesschau: “Yes, we are concerned.”
They are worried about the impact on deliveries due to possible additional delays to drivers.
The border controls will be in place for an initial six months and are expected to include temporary structures at land crossings and spot checks by federal police.
READ ALSO: How Germany’s increased border checks will affect travel from neighbouring countries
Border controls with Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria and Switzerland were already in place, but these have now been expanded to Germany’s borders with France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark.
The German government says it wants to limit migration and identify criminals – including Islamist terrorists – at an early stage.
Scholz woos Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan on tour of Central Asia
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) is set to round off a whirlwind tour of Central Asian countries with a summit in Kazakhstan on Tuesday, highlighting the increasing strategic importance of the region.
On Monday, the chancellor had been in Uzbekistan, where he signed an immigration pact andexpressed an interest in “utilising and developing” the Central Asian country’s vast natural resources.
Germany and other EU countries have sought to deepen ties with Central Asia in recent years, looking to the region for their energy needs as they cut links with Russia over the Ukraine war.
“We want to jointly utilise and develop the potential of the raw materials that are located here for the benefit of the economies of both countries,” Scholz told Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev at a roundtable of business leaders in the Uzbek city of Samarkand.
READ ALSO: Which countries have an immigration deal with Germany?
“It is impressive how strongly the economy is developing and how modernisation is progressing,” Scholz said.
The Uzbek Presidency called the prospect of German companies developing and exporting Uzbekistan’s natural resources a “promising area” for developing ties, in a statement after the meeting.
Scholz also sought to allay concerns that their trade ties would help Russia circumvent sanctions, amid accusations Moscow is using Central Asia as a key route for importing banned goods from the West.
“It is good that we regularly exchange information so that trade between us is not used to circumvent rules that apply internationally,” Scholz said.
Scholz had arrived in Uzbekistan on Sunday, embarking on a three-day trip that will see him take part in a “5+1” summit of Central Asia’s five leaders in Kazakhstan on Tuesday.
Human Rights Watch urged Scholz to advocate improving human rights on his trip, expressing concerns over the jailing of activists and absence of free and fair elections in the region.
Scholz’s visit comes after similar trips to the region by French President Emmanuel Macron and former UK foreign minister David Cameron, a sign of the region’s rising political weight as Europe cuts ties with Moscow.
Death count climbs amid heavy flooding
Severe flooding continues to wreak havoc across Germany and its neighbouring countries, with at least 18 fatalities reported in the wake of Storm Boris so far.
Heavy rains have caused widespread devastation in eastern Germany, leaving large areas submerged in the deluge. Roads, fields, and homes have been flooded, and dikes have been severely damaged, emergency workers have reported.
Although there was a brief respite in some areas on Monday, meteorologists are predicting more rainfall on Tuesday as Germany braces for rising waters in the Oder and Elbe.
In Saxony, concerns are growing as floodwaters from the Czech Republic head toward Germany. In Dresden, the Elbe River’s water levels are already more than four times higher than normal, and further rises are expected.
Meanwhile, in Poland, the town of Klodzko resembles a disaster zone, with stores devastated by the flooding of the Glatzer Neisse River, a tributary of the Oder. The Czech Republic and Austria were also hit by catastrophic floods in the wake of Storm Boris at the start of the week.
Intel delays Magdeburg chip factory for two years
Chip-making giant Intel on Monday said it was delaying its plans to build two mega chip-making factories in Germany and Poland as the company faces lower demand than anticipated.
The announcement will come as a major blow to the German and Polish governments, which have heavily subsidised the projects and touted them as a boost to their national industry.
Intel also said it would pull back on its projects in Malaysia, but said that its US plans would remain unaffected.
In Germany’s Magdeburg, construction work on the Intel project was due to begin in 2023 but it stalled after the Ukraine war sent inflation soaring.
German officials and the company were then locked in talks on financing for months, but both sides finally signed a deal in June 2023, which included increased subsidies.
Germany stepped up its subsidy to launch the €30 billion factory project to almost €10 billion, some €3 billion more than first offered.
“We recently increased capacity in Europe through our fab (or factory) in Ireland, which will remain our lead European hub for the foreseeable future,” Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger said in a statement.
“We will pause our projects in Poland and Germany by approximately two years based on anticipated market demand,” he added.
With reporting by Rachel Loxton and Imogen Goodman
“Scholz woes Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan on tour of Central Asia”
You likely mean “woos” instead of “woes.”
THank you! Corrected.