ROUNDUP: Belgium postpones nuclear phase-out – concerns in Germany
BERLIN – Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke regretted Belgium’s decision to postpone the nuclear phase-out and to extend the lifespan of two nuclear reactors by ten years. At the same time, it confirmed the general turning away from nuclear energy in Germany. The arguments for and against longer maturities have been thoroughly weighed up in the past few weeks, the Greens politician told the German Press Agency on Saturday. “The result was clear: a small contribution to energy supply would be opposed to major economic, legal and safety risks. That would be neither sensible nor justifiable.”
High oil price: oil company Saudi Aramco doubles profit
Riyadh – The oil company Saudi Aramco (Aramco (Saudi Aramco)) more than doubled its profit last year thanks to the sharp recovery in oil prices. The surplus rose to 110 billion US dollars (99.5 billion euros) in 2021 after 49 billion in the previous year, as the Saudi industry giant announced on Sunday. For 2021, a total of $75 billion is to be paid out as a cash dividend, which, contrary to analysts’ expectations, is not an increase. However, bonus shares are to be issued to shareholders, one new share for every 10 held. The biggest beneficiary of the dividend is Saudi Arabia, which, according to data from the Bloomberg news agency, held around 94 percent of the shares before the bonus papers were issued.
Brandenburg sees no obstacles to Tesla factory launch
GRNHEIDE – According to the Brandenburg state government, Tesla’s electric car factory in Grnheide near Berlin can start as planned on Tuesday from the current perspective. “Currently, we have no knowledge that would prevent it from being put into operation,” said the spokeswoman for the Ministry of the Environment, Frauke Zelt, on Saturday. The state of Brandenburg had approved the factory on March 4, a little over two years after the start of construction, with around 400 requirements and conditions, for example on drinking water, keeping the air clean and dealing with crime.
Audi wants to offer compact models as electric cars by 2027
INGOLSTADT – The car manufacturer Audi also wants to offer its compact models as electric cars in the coming years. “We will electrify all core segments by 2027,” said Audi development board member Oliver Hoffmann of “Automobilwoche” (Monday). “This also includes the A segment, in which we clearly see the need for premium vehicles in the future.”
Network operators are making progress with fast cell phone networks – there are still gaps
BONN – When it comes to expanding mobile communications, Germany’s network operators still have a long way to go to meet their supply obligations in good time. This shows a paper from the Federal Network Agency, which is available to the German Press Agency. The document relates to conditions that the network operators Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone (Vodafone Group) and Telefnica (O2) received at the 2019 frequency auction and which must be fulfilled by the end of 2022.
Moscow sees high additional costs for foreign airlines
MOSCOW – According to Moscow estimates, flying around Russian airspace costs European and American airlines more than 34 million euros a week. This was announced by the Russian Ministry of Transport on Saturday. “This is causing ticket and freight prices to rise, which has an immediate impact on passengers and freight shippers.” In intercontinental air traffic, the shortest routes from Europe and the USA to the Far East are via Russia. The ministry announced that there were 31,400 such overflights in January and February.
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Additional Reports
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-Photovoltaics: Study sees potential in new residential building roofs
-Software error triggers closure of the Kiel Canal
-Raoul Romann: War stresses supply chains, end of 2G ‘overdue’
-ProSieben: ‘The Masked Singer’ is to tour Germany as a show
-Farmer’s Association urges speed with origin markings
-Despite hostilities, gas flows through Ukraine in large quantities
Customer note:
ROUNDUP: You are reading a summary in the company overview. There are several reports on the dpa-AFX news service on this subject.
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