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German arms production rising rapidly: Defence Minister

German arms production rising rapidly: Defence Minister

German munitions production is rising rapidly, but the limit has not yet been reached, Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said on Monday while on a visit to a company that manufactures detonators and explosives, reported dpa. Pistorius was speaking at the production site of Dynitec in Troisdorf to the north of Bonn. The company is a subsidiary of Diehl Defence, which makes missiles and ammunition. He described the company as an example of how Germany should become less dependent, "wherever possible through technological development and also through expanding industrial production sites and capacities in Germany." The government in Berlin wants to boost arms production amid Russia's war in Ukraine and US President Donald Trump's "America First" policy. Diehl Defence chief executive Helmut Rauch said capacity had been doubled at the Troisdorf plant and would be doubled again next year. Diehl Defence is investing billions of euros in German factories, he said. He pointed to the IRIS-T air defence system, where capacity had been increased tenfold. Rauch said that eight IRIS-T units had been supplied to Ukraine and that a further eight would follow. He described the system, which is for short-range use, as the most modern air defence system in Ukraine that had demonstrated great effectiveness. "The success rate approaches close to 100%," Rauch said. Aims by the local authority to build housing on the Troisdorf production site almost prevented its expansion.

Polish president demands reparations from Berlin on WWII anniversary

Polish president demands reparations from Berlin on WWII anniversary

Polish President Karol Nawrocki on Monday called for Germany to pay war reparations for its invasion and occupation of the country during World War II, reported dpa. Speaking in Gdańsk at the annual commemoration of the September 1, 1939 invasion for the first time since his inauguration last month, Nawrocki said the issue of reparations must be settled to ensure a partnership with Germany based on truth and good relations. "As a frontline country, as the most important country on NATO's eastern flank, Poland needs justice, truth and clear relations with Germany, but it also needs reparations from the German state," he said in an address at the Westerplatte Monument war memorial. Demands for war reparations from Germany have been raised repeatedly by Poland's opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party, which supported the conservative Nawrocki's election campaign. According to the PAP news agency, Nawrocki called on the Polish government - led by centrist Prime Minister Donald Tusk - to back his demands for reparations. The issue has been a thorn in the side for Polish-German relations in recent years, with Berlin taking the view that the matter was settled in the treaties resulting in the reunification of Germany in 1990. The Westerplatte Monument marks the site of one of the first battles in Nazi Germany's invasion of Poland, which sparked World War II. A German warship fired on a Polish military outpost on the Westerplatte peninsula in the harbour of Gdańsk, then called Danzig. Polish forces defended the outpost against overwhelming force for seven days.

Leverkusen part ways with coach Erik ten Hag after two months

Leverkusen part ways with coach Erik ten Hag after two months

Bayer Leverkusen have parted ways with coach Erik ten Hag after just two months on the job, the Bundesliga club said on Monday. Dutchman ten Hag had to go after Leverkusen managed only one point from their first two league matches: a 2-1 home defeat against Hoffenheim and a 3-3 draw at Werder Bremen, where they squandered a two-goal lead against 10 Bremen players. Ten Hag reportedly also lost credit in other areas at the club, and Leverkusen bosses had not backed him before and after Saturday's match in Bremen. The team's next match is after the international break on September 12 against Eintracht Frankfurt. Leverkusen said that the assistant coaches will be in charge on an interim basis. Former Ajax and Manchester United coach ten Hag, 55, had succeeded Xabi Alonso, who moved on to Real Madrid, at the 2024 Bundesliga and German Cup champions on July 1 and had a contract until 2027. “This decision was not an easy one for us. Nobody wanted to take this step. However, the past few weeks have shown that building a new and successful team with this setup is not feasible," sporting managing director Simon Rolfes said in a club statement. "We firmly believe in the quality of our team and will now do everything we can to take the next steps in our development with a new setup.” Leverkusen CEO Fernando Carro added: “A parting of ways at this early stage of the season is painful, but we felt it was necessary. "We remain committed to achieving our goals for the season – and to do that, we need the best possible conditions at all levels and across the entire first team. Now it's a matter of fully implementing and utilising these conditions again.” The club said the decision to part ways with ten Hag was reached by the shareholders' committee and the clubs supervisory body, on the recommendation of the club management. Ten Hag had a difficult task in Leverkusen as key players of the 2024 Invincibles squad have left in summer, led by Florian Wirtz, Jonathan Tah, Granit Xhaka and Jeremie Frimpong. New players have arrived but it takes time to integrate them and form a new team. Captain Robert Andrich had voiced criticism after the Bremen match, saying the players did not perform as a team. Asked whether the players had not played according to ten Hag's instructions or whether they didn't know what they were supposed to do, Andrich said: "It is a mixture of both." Ten Hag was reportedly not the first choice candidate to take over from Alonso, but their preferred candidate Cesc Fabregas eventually stayed at his Italian club Como.

New swine fever outbreak reported at Latvian farm

New swine fever outbreak reported at Latvian farm

African swine fever (ASF) has been detected at a large pig farm in Laubere parish, central Latvia, the country's veterinary authority said Monday, reported Xinhua. To contain the outbreak, more than 23,300 pigs at the Baltic Pork farm will be culled. A quarantine zone has been established, restricting the movement of pigs and pig products, and nearby farms are undergoing health and biosafety checks. Baltic Pork representative Daiga Lubka said it is too early to estimate the overall impact and losses. This is the eighth ASF outbreak among domestic pigs in Latvia this year. The disease, first detected in the country in 2014, mainly spreads among wild boars.