Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comBERLIN, April 15 (Reuters) - German entrepreneur Ralf Wenzel, formerly of Delivery Hero and Softbank , is launching a global rapid delivery retail platform, entering a field that is attracting huge investment and experiencing explosive growth.The startup, called Jokr, is backed by venture capitalists HV Capital, Tiger Global and Softbank , and will aim to deliver a wide range of products from "hyperlocal" warehouses within 15 minutes of an order being placed via a smartphone app.Jokr is already live in Mexico City, Lima and Sao Paolo,...…Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comBERLIN, April 15 (Reuters) - German entrepreneur Ralf Wenzel, formerly of Delivery Hero and Softbank , is launching a global rapid delivery retail platform, entering a field that is attracting huge investment and experiencing explosive growth.The startup, called Jokr, is backed by venture capitalists HV Capital, Tiger Global and Softbank , and will aim to deliver a wide range of products from "hyperlocal" warehouses within 15 minutes of an order being placed via a smartphone app.Jokr is already live in Mexico City, Lima and Sao Paolo,...WW…

By , BERLIN (Reuters) - The decision by more than a dozen European countries to suspend AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 shot faced deepening scrutiny on Wednesday, amid concerns the step could undermine public confidence and delay efforts to beat the coronavirus pandemic.The role of Germany, and in particular Health Minister Jens Spahn, is in the spotlight after a chaotic round of telephone diplomacy at the start of the week ended with the EU’s biggest states agreeing to put AstraZeneca on hold.Spahn says he acted on expert advice after Germany’s vaccine watchdog reported on what it described as a...…By , BERLIN (Reuters) - The decision by more than a dozen European countries to suspend AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 shot faced deepening scrutiny on Wednesday, amid concerns the step could undermine public confidence and delay efforts to beat the coronavirus pandemic.The role of Germany, and in particular Health Minister Jens Spahn, is in the spotlight after a chaotic round of telephone diplomacy at the start of the week ended with the EU’s biggest states agreeing to put AstraZeneca on hold.Spahn says he acted on expert advice after Germany’s vaccine watchdog reported on what it described as a...WW…

By , (This February 22 story corrects timeline for expected vaccine deliveries to by April 4 (not by March 4)BERLIN (Reuters) - The German government is reworking its strategy to vaccinate the nation against COVID-19 as its campaign, which has faltered due to a lack of supply, also faces public resistance to the shot from AstraZeneca Plc.As schools and kindergartens start to reopen from a lockdown imposed in November, federal and state health ministers on Monday reworked vaccination rules so that teachers will now get priority access to the AstraZeneca vaccine.“Children, the young, and...…By , (This February 22 story corrects timeline for expected vaccine deliveries to by April 4 (not by March 4)BERLIN (Reuters) - The German government is reworking its strategy to vaccinate the nation against COVID-19 as its campaign, which has faltered due to a lack of supply, also faces public resistance to the shot from AstraZeneca Plc.As schools and kindergartens start to reopen from a lockdown imposed in November, federal and state health ministers on Monday reworked vaccination rules so that teachers will now get priority access to the AstraZeneca vaccine.“Children, the young, and...WW…

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSEOUL/BERLIN/SHENZHEN, China, Dec 17 (Reuters) - Makers of cars and electronic devices from TVs to smartphones are sounding alarm bells about a global shortage of chips, which is causing manufacturing delays as consumer demand bounces back from the coronavirus crisis. The problem has several causes, industry executives and analysts say, including bulk-buying by U.S. sanctions-hit Chinese tech giant Huawei Technologies (HWT.UL), a fire at a chip plant in Japan, coronavirus lockdowns in Southeast Asia, and a strike in France. More...…Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSEOUL/BERLIN/SHENZHEN, China, Dec 17 (Reuters) - Makers of cars and electronic devices from TVs to smartphones are sounding alarm bells about a global shortage of chips, which is causing manufacturing delays as consumer demand bounces back from the coronavirus crisis. The problem has several causes, industry executives and analysts say, including bulk-buying by U.S. sanctions-hit Chinese tech giant Huawei Technologies (HWT.UL), a fire at a chip plant in Japan, coronavirus lockdowns in Southeast Asia, and a strike in France. More...WW…

By BERLIN (Reuters) - A business group representing challenger telecoms operators in Europe warned on Friday against banning Chinese equipment vendors, saying that doing so for political reasons would force up costs and delay network upgrades.In a strongly-worded statement, the European Competitive Telecommunications Association (ECTA), said it “denounces any bans of Chinese 5G suppliers for geopolitical reasons and emphasises that such decisions can only be justified on the basis of well-established facts”.ECTA groups alternative telecoms such as Germany’s 1&1 Drillisch, Iliad of...…By BERLIN (Reuters) - A business group representing challenger telecoms operators in Europe warned on Friday against banning Chinese equipment vendors, saying that doing so for political reasons would force up costs and delay network upgrades.In a strongly-worded statement, the European Competitive Telecommunications Association (ECTA), said it “denounces any bans of Chinese 5G suppliers for geopolitical reasons and emphasises that such decisions can only be justified on the basis of well-established facts”.ECTA groups alternative telecoms such as Germany’s 1&1 Drillisch, Iliad of...WW…

By , , STOCKHOLM/BERLIN (Reuters) - Two scientists won the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry on Wednesday for creating genetic ‘scissors’ that can rewrite the code of life, contributing to new cancer therapies and holding out the prospect of curing hereditary diseases.Emmanuelle Charpentier, who is French, and American Jennifer Doudna share the 10 million Swedish crown ($1.1 million) prize for developing the CRISPR/Cas9 tool to edit the DNA of animals, plants and microorganisms with precision.“The ability to cut the DNA where you want has revolutionized the life sciences,” Pernilla Wittung...…By , , STOCKHOLM/BERLIN (Reuters) - Two scientists won the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry on Wednesday for creating genetic ‘scissors’ that can rewrite the code of life, contributing to new cancer therapies and holding out the prospect of curing hereditary diseases.Emmanuelle Charpentier, who is French, and American Jennifer Doudna share the 10 million Swedish crown ($1.1 million) prize for developing the CRISPR/Cas9 tool to edit the DNA of animals, plants and microorganisms with precision.“The ability to cut the DNA where you want has revolutionized the life sciences,” Pernilla Wittung...WW…

By BERLIN (Reuters) - Shares in 1&1 Drillisch and its parent United Internet slumped on Monday after the German telco warned that an increase in the cost of its network access deal with Telefonica Deutschland would hit profits this year.The virtual mobile network operator said Telefonica Deutschland would increase prices from July 1 under a five-year extension to a deal that resulted from merger remedies on Telefonica dating back to 2014.As a result, Drillisch now expects earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation to come in at 600 million euros ($712 million)...…By BERLIN (Reuters) - Shares in 1&1 Drillisch and its parent United Internet slumped on Monday after the German telco warned that an increase in the cost of its network access deal with Telefonica Deutschland would hit profits this year.The virtual mobile network operator said Telefonica Deutschland would increase prices from July 1 under a five-year extension to a deal that resulted from merger remedies on Telefonica dating back to 2014.As a result, Drillisch now expects earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation to come in at 600 million euros ($712 million)...WW…

By , BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany changed course on Sunday over which type of smartphone technology it wanted to use to trace coronavirus infections, backing an approach supported by Apple and Google along with a growing number of other European countries.Countries are rushing to develop apps to give a detailed picture of the risk of catching the coronavirus, as the chain of infection is proving hard to break because it can be spread by those showing no symptoms.Chancellery Minister Helge Braun and Health Minister Jens Spahn said in a joint statement that Berlin would adopt a “decentralised”...…By , BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany changed course on Sunday over which type of smartphone technology it wanted to use to trace coronavirus infections, backing an approach supported by Apple and Google along with a growing number of other European countries.Countries are rushing to develop apps to give a detailed picture of the risk of catching the coronavirus, as the chain of infection is proving hard to break because it can be spread by those showing no symptoms.Chancellery Minister Helge Braun and Health Minister Jens Spahn said in a joint statement that Berlin would adopt a “decentralised”...WW…

By BERLIN (Reuters) - New coronavirus infections are accelerating again in Germany just days after its leaders loosened social restrictions, raising concerns that the pandemic could once again slip out of control.Slideshow The Robert Koch Institute for disease control said in a daily bulletin the number of people each sick person now infects - known as the reproduction rate, or R - had risen to 1.1. When it goes above 1, it means the number of infections is growing.Chancellor Angela Merkel, bowing to pressure from leaders of Germany’s 16 federal states to restart social life and revive the...…By BERLIN (Reuters) - New coronavirus infections are accelerating again in Germany just days after its leaders loosened social restrictions, raising concerns that the pandemic could once again slip out of control.Slideshow The Robert Koch Institute for disease control said in a daily bulletin the number of people each sick person now infects - known as the reproduction rate, or R - had risen to 1.1. When it goes above 1, it means the number of infections is growing.Chancellor Angela Merkel, bowing to pressure from leaders of Germany’s 16 federal states to restart social life and revive the...WW…

By , BERLIN/PARIS (Reuters) - Global alarm was sounded on Monday over a potential second wave of coronavirus cases after Germany, relatively successful in slowing the outbreak, reported that infections had accelerated again after the first tentative steps to ease a lockdown.But in the United States, which has by far the highest COVID-19 death toll in the world, President Donald Trump accused Democrats of reopening states too slowly, for political advantage, albeit without providing evidence.News that the “reproduction rate” - the number of people each person with the disease goes on to...…By , BERLIN/PARIS (Reuters) - Global alarm was sounded on Monday over a potential second wave of coronavirus cases after Germany, relatively successful in slowing the outbreak, reported that infections had accelerated again after the first tentative steps to ease a lockdown.But in the United States, which has by far the highest COVID-19 death toll in the world, President Donald Trump accused Democrats of reopening states too slowly, for political advantage, albeit without providing evidence.News that the “reproduction rate” - the number of people each person with the disease goes on to...WW…