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The Green party in the German state of Lower Saxony would like to enact a ban on balloons, state party chief Anne Kura told the Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung newspaper on Thursday. Kura said birds and other wild animals often eat the remnants of plastic balloons and starve to death "with a full stomach." She added that so-called biodegradable balloons should also be targeted under the ban, saying they do little to alleviate the problem. "On the one hand, you have this short-lived beautiful picture of colorful balloons in the air and on the other, dead birds," Kura said. She said the party's call for an outright ban comes from a similar move from the city of Gütersloh in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Hours after her statement, Kura clarified that her party does not support a complete balloon ban, instead, it backs prohibiting the mass release of balloons.  "Balloons at children's birthday parties in the living room are totally OK and fun," she … [Read more...] about Balloon ban proposal triggers fierce opposition in Germany

European stocks rose and the euro dipped after the European Central Bank (ECB) announced it will cut deposit rates even further below zero and renew its bond buying program in an attempt to stimulate a sluggish euro-area economy and spur inflation growth. The ECB's 25-member Governing Council voted to cut deposit interest rates by 10 basis points to -0.5%, a record low, according to an ECB statement on Thursday. After the announcement, eurozone stocks reached their highest levels in seven weeks, with both Frankfurt's DAX 30 index and France's CAC 40 seeing gains. The ECB is one of five central banks currently operating with negative deposit rates, along with central banks in Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden, and Japan. The council also agreed to renew its bond buying program, signaling it will commence €20 billion a month in asset purchases, starting November 1, 2019, and continuing indefinitely. In addition, the ECB will introduce tiering, a … [Read more...] about ECB injects fresh stimulus in bid to inspire sluggish eurozone

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas arrived in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, Tuesday amid ongoing violence in Kashmir and a tense security situation in Afghanistan. Regional security is high on the agenda in his meetings with high-ranking Pakistani officials, including Prime Minister Imran Khan. Maas' visit comes as the Pakistani army reported that two people were killed Tuesday in the disputed Kashmir region in an exchange of gunfire between Pakistani and Indian border forces. Read more: German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas commits to mission in Afghanistan Meeting with Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Maas said that "Pakistan and India both have a great responsibility to prevent escalation." He added that both countries needed to keep communication channels open and work to diffuse the conflict. The mountainous, isolated region of Kashmir is claimed by both Pakistan and India. Tensions are high after a bombing blamed on militants based in … [Read more...] about German Foreign Minister: Pakistan: ‘decisive’ in reducing South Asia tensions

Juan Guaido, the self-declared interim president of Venezuela, says he wants to "put an end to usurpation, form a transitional government and make free elections possible." It is his job, Guaido told DW's Oscar Schlenker, to keep on pushing for this process. Asked whether he sees himself as Venezuela's next president, he responded: "We will see who will run in the free elections." There is still a long way to go before free elections, however. The power struggle between the 35-year-old Guaido and President Nicolas Maduro may have reached a crucial stage. Many people fear the opposition will run out of steam, that it will not be able to keep up the pressure on the streets or that the international community will soon turn to another trouble spot if it sees no development in Venezuela. Nevertheless, Guaido is confident his side will prevail in the end. "Time is running out for Nicolas Maduro, a government that has no future, no ideas and no support in the population," Guaido said, adding … [Read more...] about ‘Time running out for Nicolas Maduro,’ Venezuela’s Juan Guaido tells DW

Stocks dropped more than 1 percent on Wednesday amid fresh worries about a U.S.-China trade deal, following the passage of legislation in the United States Senate supporting the Hong Kong protests. The Korean won fell against the dollar.The benchmark Kospi was down 27.92 points, or 1.3 percent, to 2,125.32. Trading volume was moderate at 573 million shares worth 5.5 trillion won ($4.7 billion), with losers far outnumbering winners 717 to 134.On Tuesday, the United States Senate unanimously passed the legislation that centers on protecting human rights in Hong Kong as the Chinese government’s crackdown on a pro-democracy protest movement. In response, China lodged a stern protest against the United States embassy in Beijing on Wednesday.“The United States senate passed Hong Kong human rights legislation, which brought concerns that U.S.-China relations could worsen,” Lee Won, an analyst at Bookook Securities, said.Foreigners and institutional investors offloaded a net … [Read more...] about Market falls 1 percent as trade tensions escalate