Merz says Germany will ‘do everything’ to prevent Nord Stream restart

Merz says Germany will ‘do everything’ to prevent Nord Stream restart
Germany will "do everything" to make sure the damaged Nord Stream 2 pipeline from Russia will not resume deliveries of natural gas to Europe, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Wednesday. (Reuters/File)
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Updated 28 May 2025
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Merz says Germany will ‘do everything’ to prevent Nord Stream restart

Merz says Germany will ‘do everything’ to prevent Nord Stream restart
  • “We will continue to increase the pressure on Russia,” Merz said
  • “We will do everything in this context to ensure that Nord Stream 2 cannot be put back into operation“

BERLIN: Germany will “do everything” to make sure the damaged Nord Stream 2 pipeline from Russia will not resume deliveries of natural gas to Europe, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Wednesday.

“We will continue to increase the pressure on Russia,” Merz said at a press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Berlin.

“We will do everything in this context to ensure that Nord Stream 2 cannot be put back into operation.”

The Nord Stream 2 gas link connecting Russia and Germany via the Baltic Sea was damaged in September 2022 by huge underwater explosions, said to be an act of sabotage.

The explosions destroyed one of the two pipes of Nord Stream 2 and both branches of its controversial sister pipeline, Nord Stream 1.

While Nord Stream 2 never went into operation, Nord Stream 1 for years shipped cheap Russian gas to Europe via Germany.

Critics have argued the existence of the pipeline left Germany and the rest of Europe overly reliant on fossil fuel deliveries from Moscow.

German and British media have recently reported that Washington and Moscow had discussed the idea of reviving the Nord Stream 2 project during talks on ending the war in Ukraine.

Senior political figures in Merz’s own party had also expressed tentative support for restarting gas deliveries via the pipeline from Russia before the chancellor definitively ruled out the possibility.

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said earlier this month the bloc was working on a new set of sanctions that would include measures against Nord Stream 1 and 2, pre-empting a restart.

Explaining the measures, EU spokeswoman Paula Pinho said, “the idea is to dissuade any interest, and notably interest from investors, in pursuing any activity on Nord Stream, also in the future.”


Disinformation catalyzes anti-migrant unrest in Spain

Disinformation catalyzes anti-migrant unrest in Spain
Updated 10 sec ago
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Disinformation catalyzes anti-migrant unrest in Spain

Disinformation catalyzes anti-migrant unrest in Spain
The altercations were sparked after a 68-year-old pensioner said three men of North African origin attacked him without provocation on July 9
The conservative-led city council organized a protest against insecurity, which quickly escalated when far-right groups joined with hostile slogans against immigrants

MADRID: The rare anti-migrant violence that recently rocked a Spanish town demonstrated how online disinformation feeds xenophobic hate speech, which leapt from screens to real life with the support of politicians, experts said.

Last weekend’s unrest in the southeastern town of Torre Pacheco pitted far-right groups against immigrant residents, mainly of Moroccan origin, but a heavy police presence prevented serious confrontations.

The altercations were sparked after a 68-year-old pensioner said three men of North African origin attacked him without provocation on July 9.

Two days later, the conservative-led city council organized a protest against insecurity, which quickly escalated when far-right groups joined with hostile slogans against immigrants.

That day, and for several nights, riots broke out in the streets of the southeastern city of 40,000.

Authorities have arrested 14 people, including three suspected of involvement in the attack on the retiree.

Also among those detained is the leader of the far-right “Deport Them Now” group, who allegedly called for a “hunt” of migrants on social media.

The sudden outbreak of violence took Spain by surprise but anti-migrant discourse had already been brewing, partly due to disinformation circulating on social media.

AFP’s digital verification team in Spain has debunked many false claims linked to immigrants, mostly concerning public benefits they supposedly receive and alleged attacks by foreigners on Spanish customs.

For Alexandre Lopez Borrull, a professor in communication and information science at the Open University of Catalonia, disinformation in such cases is “the fuel and the spark at the same time.”

The narrative “is fueled over a long period of time” and when a specific event occurs, it can act as a spark in scenarios like the one that played out in Torre Pacheco, he said.

A video purporting to show the assault on the pensioner, along with a list of alleged attackers, quickly circulated online — both debunked by AFP.

Elisa Brey, a sociology professor at Madrid’s Complutense University, likened the phenomenon to criminals setting off wildfires.

“It’s hot, there’s a temperature alert, and an arsonist passes by and throws a match. That is what happens with disinformation,” she said.

Experts also emphasized the role of politicians, particularly the far-right Vox party, in fanning the flames of anti-migrant rhetoric.

Vox has long connected immigration to crime and recently proposed, echoing other EU political parties and far-right activists, that some migrants be deported as part of a broad “remigration” plan.

Foreigners make up 14 percent of Spain’s population, up from only 1.6 percent in 1998.

In events like the violent protests in Torre Pacheco, malicious discourse seeps through different layers of social media before erupting into the public sphere, Brey explained.

First, it simmers at an “underlying” level on less visible platforms like Telegram, before jumping to more popular networks such as X and TikTok. Politicians then amplify the message through public statements, she said.

Vox’s leader in the southeastern Murcia region, which includes Torre Pacheco, blamed the unrest on “illegal immigration,” claiming that migrants had assaulted the elderly and committed sexual violence against women.

Prosecutors have opened an investigation into his comments to determine if they constitute a hate crime.

Social media was used in a way that, “in the end, it led to these events,” added Marcelino Madrigal, an expert in online platforms and cybersecurity.

Madrigal also detected that parties were shifting their position on immigration with an eye on political gain at a time of speculation about early elections in Spain.

“With disinformation about immigration, the aim is to destabilize a government or a country as well as present yourself as an alternative to save us from a problem that does not exist,” he said.

Baby dies after being left in hot car in Belgium

Baby dies after being left in hot car in Belgium
Updated 22 min 23 sec ago
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Baby dies after being left in hot car in Belgium

Baby dies after being left in hot car in Belgium
  • Prosecutors launched a manslaughter investigation
  • A forensics examination ruled out foul play

BRUSSELS: A 15-month-old baby has died in Belgium after being left inside a car on a warm summer day, authorities said on Friday.

Prosecutors in the southern city of Namur said they had launched a manslaughter investigation following the incident, which took place on Thursday.

A forensics examination ruled out foul play and concluded the baby died of hyperthermia, or overheating.

“According to the preliminary findings of the investigation, the child was forgotten inside a vehicle,” the prosecutor’s office said.

Local media alleged that the father forgot to drop the baby off at daycare on his way to work.

The child was left for several hours inside the car at the man’s company car park.

Temperatures in Namur reached around 25 degrees Celsius (77 degrees Fahrenheit) on Thursday afternoon.


UK police drop Kneecap probe after Glastonbury performance

UK police drop Kneecap probe after Glastonbury performance
Updated 27 min 12 sec ago
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UK police drop Kneecap probe after Glastonbury performance

UK police drop Kneecap probe after Glastonbury performance
  • Irish rappers were being investigated over comments during a performance at Glastonbury
  • Band member Liam O’Hanna has been previously charged with 'terror' offense over alleged support for Hamas and Hezbollah

LONDON: UK police said on Friday they had dropped a criminal investigation into on-stage comments by Irish rappers Kneecap at the Glastonbury festival.
Avon and Somerset Police in southwest England said last month it had launched an enquiry after reviewing “video footage and audio” of both Kneecap and London-based duo Bob Vylan, whose frontman led a chant against the Israeli army at the festival.
The Kneecap probe was focused on remarks made about a forthcoming court case in which one band member Liam O’Hanna, known by his stage name Mo Chara, is charged with a “terror” offense over alleged support for banned organizations Hamas and Hezbollah.
But in an update the force said it would take no further action against Kneecap, whose members had been informed of the decision.
“Detectives sought advice from the Crown Prosecution Service during their enquiries and after that advice, we have made the decision to take no further action on the grounds there is insufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction for any offense,” it said.
Inquiries into the separate allegations against Bob Vylan, however, would continue, it added.
Chara appeared in court in June accused of having displayed a Hezbollah flag while saying “Up Hamas, Up Hezbollah” at a London concert last year.
The Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah and the Palestinian militants Hamas are banned in the UK, where it is an offense to express support for them.
Kneecap deny the terrorism charge and say the video featuring the Hezbollah flag has been taken out of context.


NATO and EU condemn Russia’s cyber and hybrid attacks

NATO and EU condemn Russia’s cyber and hybrid attacks
Updated 18 July 2025
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NATO and EU condemn Russia’s cyber and hybrid attacks

NATO and EU condemn Russia’s cyber and hybrid attacks
  • The EU stands in full solidarity with the United Kingdom

BRUSSELS: The European Union and NATO on Friday condemned Russia for what they said was its “malicious cyber activities” and hybrid attacks aimed at undermining security and democracy in Europe and beyond.

The move followed Britain’s decision on Friday to sanction more than 20 Russian spies, hackers and agencies over what it called a “sustained campaign of malicious cyber activity” involving attacks on governments and institutions across Europe.

“The EU stands in full solidarity with the United Kingdom and continues to denounce the tangible threat Russia poses to the security of the UK and its partners, including the EU.”


France faces another tough wheat export year despite better crop

France faces another tough wheat export year despite better crop
Updated 18 July 2025
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France faces another tough wheat export year despite better crop

France faces another tough wheat export year despite better crop
  • Sales to Algeria and China, among France’s biggest wheat buyers in recent years, stalled last season due to a diplomatic fallout between Paris and Algiers
  • A smaller than normal 2024 French crop meant steady demand from Morocco and West Africa, plus sporadic sales to Egypt and Thailand

PARIS/HAMBURG: France could struggle to sell a much bigger wheat crop expected this year as export options for the European Union’s top wheat producer have narrowed due to less demand from Algeria and China as well as strong competition from cheaper Black Sea grain.

Sparse overseas demand could lead France to stock hefty amounts of wheat or offload more crop in livestock feed markets. Either outcome could keep prices below production costs, a trend that has fueled farmer protests in the past year.

Farm office FranceAgriMer on Wednesday projected French soft wheat exports outside the EU in 2025/26 at a relatively modest 7.5 million metric tons, contributing to a forecast 21-year high for end-of-season stocks.

Sales to Algeria and China, among France’s biggest wheat buyers in recent years, stalled last season due to a diplomatic fallout between Paris and Algiers and a general drop in Chinese imports amid hefty domestic supply.

A smaller than normal 2024 French crop meant steady demand from Morocco and West Africa, plus sporadic sales to Egypt and Thailand, absorbed last season’s surplus. But that may no longer be enough.

“The harsh reality is that France has a huge challenge to reach a 7.5 million ton export program,” Rory Deverell, owner of Black Silo Commodity Consulting, said.

A price rise in Russia amid tight availability in the world’s biggest wheat supplier may offer only brief respite, with Russian and other Black Sea region producers expected to sweep up near-term demand, as shown by this week’s 1 million ton purchase by Algeria.

“Russia, Ukraine, Romania and Bulgaria are likely to dominate wheat exports in coming months,” a German trader said. “The west EU faces the threat of being only a niche wheat exporter.”

Like France, Germany and Poland may struggle too, with overall EU exports again set to be bolstered by Black Sea neighbors Romania and Bulgaria.

A rally in the euro against the dollar this year, a repercussion of US President Donald Trump’s policies, represents another export headwind.

Lower-priced feed markets may provide opportunities for western European wheat, especially if the harvest struggles to meet milling specifications, with traders reporting talk of some low protein levels plus the risk that this week’s rain might damage the quality of unharvested wheat.

That could mean exports to distant destinations in southeast Asia, or shipments within the EU, with the return of EU quotas on Ukrainian wheat reducing competition for feed wheat inside the bloc.

But traders say a bumper harvest in Spain will also curb demand from the traditionally major EU buyer, while wheat will face feed competition from maize as well. FranceAgriMer anticipates stable French intra-EU exports versus last season.

“It is hard to see where west EU wheat could be sold,” another German trader said.