UN in Afghanistan to evacuate 600 foreign staff
The UN insisted it was not abandoning Afghanistan, where 100,000 US-led foreign troops are battling a bloody insurgency eight years after the extremist Taliban regime was driven from power.

Merkel took sauna as Berlin Wall fell
Merkel told how as a 35-year-old research scientist working in the communist East, she decided to stick by her weekly routine even as history was made around her on November 9, 1989.

Italy plays down safety concerns on planned nuclear plants
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's government announced shortly after taking office last year that it would begin building nuclear power stations to reduce the country's dependence on foreign oil and gas supplies.

Little solidarity for German Opel strikers
More than 16,000 workers in total downed tools at four Opel factories in Germany but union hopes of similar action in Belgium, Britain, Spain and Poland fell flat.

GM Europe head quits following Opel U-turn
GM has decided to restructure Opel/Vauxhall, with the elimination of at least 10,000 jobs and possibly the closure of German factories, a move that has sparked widespread anger in Germany.

London's Savile Row tailors roll up sleeves for bespoke battle
The street in the upmarket Mayfair district is synonymous with the handcrafted suits worn by royals, presidents, tycoons, stars and other high fliers across the globe.

Kohl to miss Berlin wall ceremonies
Former German chancellor Helmut Kohl said on Saturday that nothing made him prouder than German unity.

Cocaine's charge through Europe undiminished
While cocaine to-date is mainly concentrated in western Europe, the study showed new trafficking routes through eastern Europe "may have impeded interdiction efforts."

Swedish cult author's family seeks to end inheritance row
Stieg Larsson’s ‘Millennium’ trilogy has become a phenomenon in Sweden and abroad, and has been translated into more than 30 languages and made into a movie.

World leaders descend on Berlin 20 years after Wall's fall
The celebrations will culminate in a gathering of luminaries past and present with an estimated 100,000 revellers at the Brandenburg Gate, a potent symbol of unity that was long on the fault line between East and West.

Expatica - German Headlines
Expatica - German Headlines

 

Newly elected parties unveil coalition agreement
Following weeks of intense negotiations and speculation Germanys newly elected parties the Christian Democratic Union CDU and the Free Democratic Party FDP have finally unveiled details of their coalition agreement. German Chancellor Angela Merkels CDU approved the new government coalition deal with the FDP at a party conference on 26...

Consumer confidence drops
German consumers have turned slightly more pessimistic about the future a key index showed on 26 October reflecting worries about jobs and rising energy costs. The index presented by the market research institute GfK for November dropped 0.2 percentage points to a reading of 4.0 the first monthly decline since...

Thousands of jobs to go at Quelle
Thousands of workers are to lose their jobs after bankruptcy administrators decided to close German mail-order company Quelle a union official said on 20 October. It you take everything into consideration more than 6 000 jobs are at stake Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa quoted Johann Roesch spokesman for the services industry...

Deutsche Bank posts €1.4 billion profit
Deutsche Bank AG Germanys biggest bank said it expects to report a bigger-than-forecast rise in third-quarter net profits. In a preliminary report the Frankfurt-based bank said third- quarter net profit should come in at €1.4 billion Euro $2.1 billion . Deutsche reported net earnings of €414 million in the same...

IT business expresses optimism about 2010
Germanys key IT industry expressed cautious optimism on 21 October about its business outlook for 2010 amid signs that the world economic crisis is in retreat. We are seeing light at the end of the tunnel said German IT business association Bitkom president August-Wilhelm Scheer. After slumping by 2.5% to...

Lack of state funding may hamper budget and tax cuts
A LACK of state funding could seriously hamper efforts to cut taxation and balance the budget over the next four years politicians drawing up Germanys new government coalition warned on 8 October. The warning came as a three-way team of Chancellor Angela Merkels Christian Democrats CDU their Bavarian Christian Social...

Factory orders post biggerthanforecast rise
GERMAN factory orders posted their sixth monthly rise in August data released on 7 October showed adding to expectations that growth in Europes biggest economy will gain ground in the run-up to the end of the year. August industrial order books grew by a more-than-forecast 1.4% the Ministry of Economics...

ThyssenKrupp Marine to sell parts of three dockyards
GERMAN shipbuilder ThyssenKrupp Marine TKMS said on 29 September it would sell portions of three dockyards and would concentrate on defence vessels including submarines. Among the properties up for sale is a Hamburg dockyard which has built a series of ultra-luxury megayachts including Eclipse the 525-foot-plus vessel nearing completion for...

Oops for Joop!: Exclamation mark not a trademark
AN EXCLAMATION mark cannot count as a trade mark the European Unions Court ruled on 30 September as it turned down an application from German fashion designer Joop! which hadapplied to have two versions of the punctuation mark registered as trademarks for clothes and jewellery in September 2006. The designs...

Surprise fall in German jobless
GERMAN unemployment fell in September the nations labour office announced on 30 September adding to hopes that economic recovery will gain ground in the coming months. The numbers out of work in Europes biggest economy dropped by 12 000 to 3.46 million in September the Nuremberg-based labour office said. But...

Merkel partner to press for tax and health reform
THE man destined to become Angela Merkels deputy pledged on 1 October to press for health reform and tax adjustments in coalition talks beginning in Berlin this week. Guido Westerwelle chairman of the liberal Free Democrats FDP said that his partys complete election programme as well as that of Merkels...

F1 at Hockenheim secured until 2018
FORMULA One racing will continue at Germanys Hockenheimring until 2018 it was confirmed on 30 September. The news comes after the regional council where Hockenheim is situated approved a contract between the circuits management company Hockenheim GmbH the mayor of the areas town council and the Formula One Association FOA...

German auto industry eyes Indian market
Indias largely untapped market offers enormous potential for the German car industry experts at the Frankfurt International Car Show said on 22 September Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa reported. In Germany there are 500 cars for every 1 000 people. In India there are only 11 cars for every 1 000 people...

BNP Paribas launches initiative in Germany
BNP Paribas the French Bank has expanded its business in Frankfurt and Munich and has hired up to 20 staff for its new private banking division in Germany it was reported on 22 September. The group is setting up a team of up to 20 people based in Frankfurt and...

Magna seen cutting 4 000 Opel jobs in Germany
Canadian auto-parts maker Magna will cut more than 4 000 jobs in Germany when it takes over the Opel business of struggling US auto giant General Motors The Local reported on September 22. Citing Magnas strategic plan for GMs European operations the paper said that nearly 11 000 jobs will...

Former German Citibank unit renamed Targobank
A former unit of Citibank in Germany which has come under new ownership is to be renamed Targobank from next February the company said on September 21 DPA reported. The new brand is an invented word chosen to be usable in various countries but having no particular meaning. The Dusseldorf-based...

Suzuki expecting Volkswagen buy-in soon
Europes biggest carmaker Volkswagens plans to buy a minority stake in Suzuki giving the German company a major interest in the small-car and motorcycle industries in India and South-East Asia could come true by the end of 2009 Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa reported on 19 September. The media have seized on...

Germany completes ratification process for Lisbon treaty
German President Horst Koehler has signed the ratification document for the EUrsquo;s Lisbon Treaty completing the ratification process in Germany a presidential spokesman said on 25 September. The Lisbon Treaty intended to create a more powerful EU leadership must be confirmed by all member states before it can come into...

Germany moves to reassure EU over Opel rescue plan
Germany moved to reassure its European Union partners about its rescue plan for Opel insisting that it would not violate the blocs strict rules on state aid. Every step is being co-ordinated with all of the other member states. This is why we believe that we are conforming with EU...

Magnas takeover will cost 10 500 Opel jobs in EU
The deal for Magna International the designated buyer of General Motors European arm to take over the troubled car maker Opel could cost on the other end as more than 10 500 workers may lose their jobs to the deal that had the backing of the German government officials said....

German-Japanese business ties still too loose
A new business culture is emerging in small and medium-sized companies in Japan which makes the prospect of cooperation for foreign firms more attractive according to analysts. Cooperation between small and mid-sized companies with innovative technology is particularly promising said Masahiro Iwasaki director-general of the Japan External Trade Organization JETRO....

BASF sells off its polystyrene business in Brazil
BASF is progressing with steps to restructure its styrenics business and has made another divestiture in its styrene value chain. BASF has signed an agreement to sell its Brazilian polystyrene business including a production plant to the petrochemical company Companhia Brasileira de Estireno CBE company officials said of the Unigel...

Germanys Continental tires opens a Bangkok office
Continental has opened its first official sales office in Thailand where the German company hopes to capture a share of the local market in three years executives said. Within the next two three years we hope to have captured five percent of Thailands tire market and within five years we...

Sprint shares rise on report of Deutsche Telekom buyout
Shares of US mobile carrier Sprint spiked sharply higher following reports of a possible buyout by Germanys Deutsche Telekom which operates T-Mobile USA the countrys fourth largest mobile phone network officials said. The alliance of T-Mobile with third-placed Sprint would allow the new company to leapfrog ATT to become the...

Deutsche Post faces new threat from hybrid mail
German publisher Georg von Holtzbrinck has teamed up with private logistics companies to create a hybrid mail service using the Internet for quicker delivery at a lower cost according to weekly news magazine WirtschaftsWoche. Ccording to the ma­g­azine Berlins Pin Mail Freiburgs Arriva Main-Post Logistik from Wurzburg and Netherlands service...

Former star executive tells court he never accepted bribes
Ulrich Schumacher formerly chief executive of one of Germanys top companies has denied at his corruption trial that he had ever accepted a bribe. Schumacher formerly ran Infineon a major manufacturer of semiconductor chips. He is accused of accepting large sums of sponsorship money from 2000 to 2003 to drive...

Shipping orders start to slide up again for Germany firms
In a key indicator that provided some good news to companies beleaguered by the long-lasting recession in the European Unions biggest economy German exports bounded ahead July rising by a bigger-than-forecast 2.3 percent the nations statistics office said. The third monthly rise in exports followed a 6.1 percent month-on-month surge...

Deutsche Telekom to merge British subsidiaries
European telecommunication giants France Telecom and Deutsche Telekom have announced that they want to merge their British mobile phone subsidiaries in still-trying times for the industry. Negotiations to merge France Telecoms Orange UK and the German-owned T-Mobile UK have been opened and are expected to be concluded by the end...

Big military orders for armored car sales boost the economy
German industrial orders rose sharply in July in a boost for Europes biggest economy even though the increase was almost solely due to a large order for armored cars analysts said. Industrial orders gained 3.5 percent on a monthly basis following a downwardly revised 3.8 percent rise in June another...

Theyre buying again … IFA trade show sets sales record
IFA Europes biggest consumer-electronics show finished with retailers and distributors having placed record orders organizers said in Berlin. Exhibitors said they signed up business worth more than three billion euros USD 4.4 billion during the five-day event. The German consumer-electronics trade association GFU which organizes the event said the number...

Micro-credit program in Germany gets a plan
Germany Labour Minister Olaf Scholz is planning a 100-million Euro programme to provide micro-credit to small German businesses government officials said. The fund is being developed specifically to help small businesses survive the post-financial crisis credit crunch with loans that max out at 20 000 Euro for two to three...

Bayer CropScience puts its money into logistics
Bayer CropScience has invested 4.9 million Euro in the expansion of the compound logistics at its Monheim site. It has one of the most modern facilities in the world for storing chemical compounds company officials said. The companys scientists use the 2.2 million or so substances currently in the collection...

Lufthansa Group says passenger count keeps falling
Lufthansa Group reported a decline in passengers in August saying its planes flew 77.6 percent full a fall of 1.8 points compared to a year ago. Its air-cargo units also suffered drops with 57.7 per cent of available freight capacity sold in the month down by 6.2 points from a...

Germany throws 17.5 billion euros at the credit crunch
Still reeling after all these months from the worldwide recession that has crippled the European Unions biggest economy Germany will try yet another stimulus this time a 17.5 billion euros plan to open credit markets and get money to people and businesses to invest and spend again. The government said...

German car-buyer incentive plan goes bust
The German governments five billion euros USD 7.1 billion scheme aimed at encouraging car owners to update to new models ran out of money on September 2 so if you were out of luck if you tried after that. Set up about eight months ago the German version of cash...

BMW isnt letting up will spend a million euros on plants
Luxury-car maker BMW an icon of the German auto-making industry said it would stay committed to producing cars in Germany by investing one billion Euro into its factories around the country. This year and next were going to invest one billion Euro in our German production sites BMW Chief of...

German retail sales rise in July as consumers gain confidence
German retail sales ended two months of decline to post an increase in July the nations statistics office said. Adjusted for inflation and seasonal swings and excluding car sales German retail sales edged up month on month by 0.7 percent in July after slumping 1.3 percent in June and one...

Recession hurts as media giant Bertelsmann loses
Europes biggest media company Bertelsmann reported a first-half loss as the company rolled out a 900 million euros USD 1.29 -billion savings plan and the global economic crisis undercut advertising revenue. The German-based company which is also the worlds fourth biggest media group said it posted a net loss of...

Opels alive but GMs weigh some new investment plans
The future of General Motors Opel European offshoot remains open with the giant US carmaker saying that all options for future ownership of the company remain under consideration. This followed a report in the Wall Street Journal saying that GM wants the governments in Spain Britain and Poland to provide...

The recession is over! The recession is over!
A solid pickup in consumer spending along with government stimulus measures helped to power the German economy out of its worst recession in 60 years the nations statistics office said on August 25. Confirming data released earlier this month the statistics office said the European Unions biggest economy grew by...

The recessions not over for Air Berlin! Not over!
The global recession has resulted in Germanys second biggest airline Air Berlin reporting a nine percent fall in second-quarter net profit officials said. With airlines around the world battling to keep up passenger numbers in the face of the biggest economic crisis in more than 60 years Air Berlin said...

Super-discount Aldi expands as US shoppers struggle
German discount supermarket Aldi recently opened its 1 000th store in the United States as American shoppers fall on hard economic times company officials said. When money is tight only the price counts news agency AFP reported. In the crisis the service-spoiled Americans are suddenly going to Aldi. According to...

Germany says bail-out beneficiaries should pay it back
After pumping 85 billion Euro into its own countrys banks and businesses in a fiscal stimulus to stave off ruin Germany thinks the financial markets including those around the world should help pay for the cost of the crisis they created and which almost brought capitalism down with it. In...

Frankfurt airport clears court hurdle for expansion
A German court has approved a four billion Euro USD 5.7-billion expansion plan for one of Europes biggest airports Frankfurt officials said. The administrative courts decision to clear the airports expansion which includes the construction of a fourth runway and a third terminal follows long-running opposition to the proposal from...

You cant kill the Bug Qatar takes a big stake in VW-Porsche
Fifty years after Volkswagens Beetle shot to fame in the United States and then was resurrected years later the companys lure and recent acquisition of Porsche has proved irresistible to a new line of buyer the Gulf state of Qatar which has agreed to become a key shareholder in the...

HRE didnt tell banks of its troubles
Germanys private banks had not realized how critical the situation was at mortgage lender Hypo Real Estate HRE a parliamentary inquiry into a 100-billion-Euro USD 140 million government bailout was told according to officials. The former president of Germanys banking association Klaus-Peter Mueller told the inquiry that none of the...

Debt-heavy Schaeffler still manages to get a loan
German car parts maker Schaeffler Group said it had secured a 12-billion-Euro USD 17 billion bank financing deal bringing to an end the heavily indebted companys long battle for survival officials said. Based in the small Bavarian town of Herzogenaurach family-owned Schaeffler said the agreement would secure its future for...

A stamp of disapproval Deutsche Post shuts offices
Deutsche Post Germanys privatised mail service said that it plans to exit the retail business and close all of the post offices it operates alone. Branches operated jointly with Postbank will continue to stay open. The move is part of a long-announced cost saving measure and will affect just 500...

Recession melts steelmaker ThyssenKrupp into a loss
Giant German steelmaker ThyssenKrupp has reported a 772 million Euro USD 1.1 billion quarterly pre-tax loss after the economic slowdown undercut global steel demand. The Dusseldorf-based ThyssenKrupps fiscal-third quarter loss followed a pre-tax profit of 909 million Euro in the same period of 2008 as demand shrunk from the key...

BASF prepares 3 700 job cuts for its employees
The German chemical giant BASF announced 3 700 job cuts by 2013 under a deep restructuring plan that follows its takeover of the Swiss group Ciba. The restructuring plans include a reduction of approximately 3 700 positions by 2013 most of which will be eliminated by the end of 2010...

Germany News - New Europe News
Germany News - New Europe News: The European News Source.

 

Cornerstone laid for controversial Cologne mosque
The symbolic first stone was laid for one of Europe's largest mosques at ceremony in Cologne on Saturday after years of controversy dividing the city's residents.

Bad economy spurs jobs agency deficit
Germany's Federal Labour Agency confirmed Saturday that it is facing a €17.8 billion deficit as the worsening economy, higher unemployment claims and government support for a shorter working hours scheme drain the its coffers.

One in six German voters regrets voting decision
Less than six weeks after giving Chancellor Angela Merkel another term in office, a new survey says one in six German voters regrets their decision on September 27 and would now pick a different party.

German women to get TV channel of their own
The German media giant ProSiebenSat.1 plans to launch Germany's first television channel directed exclusively toward a female audience early next year, the company's head told Der Spiegel magazine.

The man who opened the Berlin Wall
On November 9th 1989, Harald Jäger wanted his night shift at the East Berlin border crossing at Bornholmer Strasse to go quietly. Instead, Jäger opened the first crack in the Berlin Wall and helped make history.

Leverkusen pummels Frankfurt
League leaders Bayer Leverkusen opened a four-point gap at the top of the Bundesliga on Friday with a 4-0 demolition of Eintracht Frankfurt after scoring three goals in the first 11 minutes.

Ex-GDR officials gripe of persecution 20 years on
There's no question East Germany persecuted its citizens, but have the communist regime's henchmen been wronged since reunification? David Wroe investigates.

Study finds babies cry in German
German scientists have found newborns cry in their mother tongue, signalling that they begin learning the sounds of language while still in the womb.

As the Wall fell: 'We were looking for cracks in the façade'
As a public affairs officer for the US Embassy in East Berlin just before the Berlin Wall fell, Peter Claussen had a unique view of life in East Germany. The Local spoke with him about how he remembers the historic time.

GM Europe boss quits in disgust
General Motors Europe head Carl-Peter Forster is quitting in disgust at GM's decision to hang on to its European unit Opel/Vauxhall, an inside source said on Friday.

Mittal snaps up troubled fashion house Escada
The insolvent German fashion group Escada has been sold to Megha Mittal, daughter-in-law of Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal, the firm said without providing financial details.

Federal prosecutors to probe deadly NATO air strike in Afghanistan
German federal prosecutors are taking over the investigation into the deadly NATO air strike in Afghanistan ordered by Bundeswehr Col. Georg Klein, authorities said on Friday.

Mother of eight jailed for smothering baby boy in cellar
A regional Berlin court on Friday sentenced a 42-year-old woman to eight years in prison for manslaughter after she admitted to smothering her newborn infant.

Merkel opted for sauna and beer as Wall fell
As thousands of East Germans surged past the Berlin Wall to taste freedom for the first time 20 years ago, Chancellor Angela Merkel visited the sauna and had a beer.

Geothermal drilling taps violent geyser in Wiesbaden city centre
Construction workers drilling for a geothermal heat source in the traditional spa town of Wiesbaden created a violent geyser that caused flooding contained only by early Friday morning, Hessian authorities said.

The Local - Germany's news in English
German news throughout the day from The Local

 

Team California shine in Solar Decathlon
The smile never came off of my face as we heard who placed third, second, and first in the 2009 Solar Decathlon.

Germany nabs second Solar Decathlon win
A university team from Germany has won the U.S. Energy Department's Solar Decathlon for the second competition in a row, officials declared Friday. In second place was Team Illinois, and third place went to Team California.

Going for gold in the Solar Decathlon
For two weeks the National Mall in Washington D.C. has been transformed into a boulevard of homes of the future.

German police arrest man on terror charges
Investigators in Germany have arrested a 24-year-old man on terror-related charges.

Germans arrest terror video suspect
A 25-year-old Turkish man was arrested Friday in Stuttgart, Germany, after he allegedly uploaded a video containing threats against the country onto a "known Internet platform," police said.

U.S. urges caution after German terror threat
U.S. officials urged American citizens in Germany to keep a low profile and remain wary of their surroundings after the terrorist organization al Qaeda posted a video message threatening attacks in the country.

5 dead as bus hurtles into ravine in Germany
Five people were killed and seven were injured Tuesday when a local transit bus crashed into a ravine in western Germany, police said.

Germany boosts terrorism alert level
The German government raised its terrorism alert level after al Qaeda posted a video on the Internet threatening attacks in Germany if this month's elections do not come out the way the terrorist organization wants.

9 children hurt in Germany school attack
A teenage student wielding an ax, two knives, and three Molotov cocktails attacked several children at his school in southern Germany Thursday, wounding nine before he was arrested, police said.

Plane makes emergency landing in Germany
A plane carrying a senior political leader and others made an emergency landing at the airport in Stuttgart, Germany on Monday, an airline spokeswoman said.

Germany's 'TV duel' turns friendly as election looms
There's a saying that the German peace movement has been using since the days of the Cold War that translates into something like this: "Imagine there's a war and no one shows up."

Beds made of hay are latest hotel craze
Holiday-makers around the world are facing up to the fact that, in times of recession, large travel expenses are difficult to justify.

Blind women help detect breast cancer
Blind women are being trained to use their sensitive touch to help detect breast cancer earlier and more precisely than doctors.

Keeping your senior staffers
With layoffs rampant, holding on to workers ought to be the least of a company's worries -- unless those employees are scientists and engineers. According to the National Science Foundation, nearly 40% of these skilled workers in the U.S. are more than 50 years old, and the pipeline of talent to replace them is shrinking. IHS Cambridge Energy Research Associates predicts a 7% to 11% shortage of experienced engineers in 2011. America is not alone; industrial powerhouses Germany and Japan face similar demographic challenges.

Seniors held over kidnap of investment adviser
Five senior citizens are behind bars in Germany after they allegedly kidnapped and beat a man because he owed them money, police in southern Germany said Wednesday.

Germany summons Iran ambassador over elections
Germany is summoning the Iranian ambassador Monday to explain the disputed presidential election in the Middle Eastern nation, particularly the "brutal handling" of protesters, the German foreign minister said.

At least 16 Dead in a Shooting Spree in German School
The gunman, who was also killed, is thought to be a 17-year-old former student

Major deadly attacks at schools
A shooting rampage by a 17-year-old former student that has left at least 10 dead at a school in Winnenden, Germany is the latest in a series of attacks in education institutions. Here some of the major incidents.

A wunderbar welcome in Austria and Germany
Many sights in Germany and Austria have been renovated in the last year or two to better display this region's rich heritage, making 2009 a good time to visit.

Castles, courtly love in Germany's Rhine Valley
Climbing up the spiral stairs and through a stone tower to our room, we notice a passageway. "Where do you suppose it goes?" asks my wife, Sandra, as she signals me to follow her.

Green roofs cool cities, combat climate change, say Germans
If your neighbor mentions their green roof you might think they have a moss problem. Maybe they are simply referring to the color. But you're unlikely to think that they have just had a mini ecosystem installed.

Grant Wahl: Soccer's Moment of the Year
Spain's 1-0 win over Germany in the Euro 2008 final in June gave the Spaniards their first European championship since 1964 (and second major trophy in their country's history).

First Mosque Opens in Former East Germany
The first mosque with a minaret and a dome in Germany's formerly communist east opened on Thursday as police corralled protesters behind a roadblock three blocks away

Germany's Car Industry Crashes
The world's biggest exporter falters as the global financial crisis begins to bite

Europe Scrambles as the Credit Crisis Goes Global
For all the rhetoric about a common front, Germany leads a new run of unilateral action to save institutions and reassure depositors

Raising a Glass to East Germany
A new pub aims to celebrate, with tongue in cheek, the old communist regime. Not everyone appreciates the joke

A Shake-Up in German Politics
Analysts doubt that the new centrist party leaders can stop traditional SPD voters from drifting further to the left

Germany: Three men charged over terror plot
German federal prosecutors have charged three men in connection with a foiled terror plot, a state court spokesman said Tuesday.

The German Merger Against the Odds
After months of behind-the-scenes negotiations, and a minor rebellion among executives, Commerzbank agreed to acquire Dresdner from insurance giant Allianz

Dollar climbs as oil dips
The dollar climbed against major currencies Wednesday, reversing a 2-day losing streak as a read on Germany's economy continued to show weakness.

A Victory for German Smokers
A court strikes down a ban on smoking in small bars, making Germany Europe's unlikely champion of a bad habit

View from the top of Germany
One of my favorite places to be in Europe is atop the Zugspitze -- the highest point in Germany. Standing on this 9,700-foot peak, you can't help but marvel at the thought that you are above everyone else in the entire country -- No. 1 out of 82 million. From here, facing south, I feel like a maestro conducting a symphony of snow-capped peaks, as the mighty Alps stretch seemingly forever to the right and left.

Grant Wahl: Breaking down the Euro final between Germany and Spain
Let's count the reasons why Germany has no business beating Spain for the Euro 2008 championship on Sunday (ABC, 2:45 p.m. ET):

Euro 2008: Germany Defeats Austria
The pre-tournament favorites put an end to the co-hosts' hopes in a fixture that is always about more than just football

Gabriele Marcotti: UEFA has tilted the Euros off-center yet again
BERN, Switzerland -- OK, I could have made this point before the tournament, but it's worth making again, because something isn't quite right here. Arrigo Sacchi, who led AC Milan to two European Cups said he'd love to see "Marco and Roberto meet in the final."

Gabriele Marcotti: Five-minute guide to Euro 2008
SI.com's Gabriele Marcotti is in Switzerland and Austria for the 2008 European Championship. Here's his primer for the tournament.

Germany's Corporate Spying Scandal
Germany's latest corporate scandal seems like the stuff of a Cold War espionage novel. But as merely the latest in a series of corporate shenanigans, it may actually reflect the newly sordid style of business at Germany Inc.

Multimedia Guide Tracks Berlin Wall
History buffs seeking the last vestiges of the iconic wall no longer have to consult old maps or guidebooks. A new multimedia guide offers individualized walking tours connecting the key points where the 103-mile barrier once separated west from east

Germany strike hits scores of flights
Airlines Wednesday morning canceled more than 200 flights operating out of Frankfurt and Munich, Germany's two largest airports, because of a public workers' strike, airport spokesmen said.

Treasure hunters dig for Hitler's gold
Digging has resumed at a site in the southeastern German town of Deutschneudorf, where treasure hunters believe there are almost 2 tons of Nazi gold and possibly clues to the whereabouts of the legendary Amber Room, a prize taken from a Russian castle during World War II.

Tax Probe Jolts Germany
An investigation of alleged German tax evaders has fueled angst not only among wealthy Germans, but also among politicians facing an angry public

Germany suspects arson in attack on Turks
German police said Friday they suspect arson caused an overnight fire at a house inhabited by three Turkish families in southern Germany.

Police sift ruins of deadly German fire
Investigators in southwest Germany are continuing to search the ruins of a building where nine people, including five children, were killed in a weekend fire.

Arson considered in German immigrant fire
Police have refused to rule out arson as the cause of a blaze that killed at least nine people - including five children -- at a southwest Germany apartment building Sunday.

Germany's Polar Bear Cub Quandary
Should zookeepers intervene when a mom wants to eat her offspring? That's the question being debated by Germany's polar bear lovers

Germany's Battle Against Scientology
A new state-level probe is aimed at banning the organization. But legally and politically, that remains a difficult task

Germany's Coalition Takes A Hit
The resignation of the Vice Chancellor won't improve relations between Germany's two biggest parties

No More Fun on the Autobahn?
Germany is in an uproar as the Social Democrats suggest putting a limit on how fast cars can go on the limitless autobahn

Can a High-Fat Diet Beat Cancer?
German researchers are testing a controversial theory, using a low-carb, high-fat diet to help the sickest of cancer patients

Dirk rescues Germany at Euro championships
MADRID, Spain (AP) -- Dirk Nowitzki hit a clutch basket with 12 seconds to play as Germany rallied for a 69-65 win over Slovenia at the European basketball championships that gave the Germans a chance to qualify for next summer's Olympic Games.

Europe: Dirk, Germany advance to quarterfinals
MADRID, Spain (AP) -- Dirk Nowitzki had 15 points and 10 rebounds Wednesday to lead Germany over Italy 67-58 and into the quarterfinals of the European Basketball Championship.

9/11 bomb threat at U.S. air base
A U.S. Air Force base in Germany received a bomb threat hours before the sixth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, military officials said.

Militants threaten to kill hostage
Iraqi militants holding a German man hostage demanded Germany's withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan within 10 days to ensure his safety.

Terror suspects 'were tipped off'
The three terror suspects arrested last week in Germany may have sped up their bombing plot after a loud-talking police officer inadvertently alerted them that they were on a federal watch list, an unnamed source with knowledge of the investigation told CNN.

Euro: Parker, France knock off Germany
Tony Parker scored 23 points and France defeated Germany 78-66 Saturday, moving closer to a berth in the quarterfinals of the European basketball championship.

U.S. tip-off unraveled terror plot
Initial intelligence regarding an Islamic Jihad cell -- which led to the unraveling of a terror plot aimed at American military installations and other Western targets in Germany -- came from U.S. intelligence officials, German authorities said Friday.

German terror police have suspects list
German authorities are tracking a list of people believed to have a connection to a foiled terror plot against American military installations and other Western targets in Germany, according to prosecutor and Interior Ministry officials.

German Terror Suspects Fit Patterns
The arrests this week in Germany confirm a trend investigators have been noting: lone wolves are replacing large networks

Germany: 'Massive' attacks foiled
German police arrested three suspected Islamic militants who were planning "massive" and "imminent" attacks on American targets in Germany, authorities said Wednesday.

German Plot Signals al-Qaeda Revival
Two plots foiled in a single day suggests that extremist terror networks are growing more active in Europe

Dirk rescues Germany in Euro opener
MADRID, Spain (AP) -- Dirk Nowitzki scored 35 points and pulled in 11 rebounds as Germany needed overtime to beat the Czech Republic 83-78 Monday on the opening day of the European basketball championships.

Italian police arrest 32 over 'Mafia' shootings
Hundreds of police raided a small town in southern Italy on Thursday and arrested 32 suspected members of organized crime clans believed to be involved in a feud that killed six Italians in Germany earlier this month.

Viewing brain cells -- without a scalpel
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NYT > Germany

Updated Oct. 28, 2009

By Nicholas Kulish

Germany still has the largest economy in Europe, but the global financial crisis has knocked the country badly off course. Many economists see Germany as settling into a phase of slow growth or stagnation in the coming years.

Germany has successfully defended its title as the world’s leading exporter against a far more rapidly growing China, despite having fewer than a tenth as many inhabitants as the Asian giant. This pivotal country smack in the center of Europe is known for the exceptional quality of its manufactured goods.

But even many of its world-famous brands are tainted with connections to the Nazi period through their use of slave labor during World War II. The past is inescapable in Germany, which remains deeply scarred by Adolf Hitler and the organized extermination of 6 million Jews known as the Holocaust. The country is now prone to profound and at times almost paralyzing self-analysis. Average people are remarkably pacifist, an impulse at odds with the country’s rising commitment of troops to peacekeeping operations around the world.

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Germany was itself once home to hundreds of thousands of foreign troops while it was divided into two countries, the German Democratic Republic and the Federal Republic of Germany. The GDR was a Communist satellite of the Soviet Union. The FRG was a democracy integrated economically with the West.

The Berlin Wall, built in 1961 to prevent East Germans from fleeing to the Allied sectors of the city, known as West Berlin, was the definitive symbol of the Cold War and Nov. 9, 1989, the day the Wall came down, popularly stands as the date marking the struggle's end.

It is a sign of how far Germany has come that Angela Merkel, the country’s first female chancellor, also became the first German chancellor ever to address the Israeli Parliament in 2008. Respected abroad and popular at home, Mrs. Merkel has a chance to make significant changes in Germany after winning re-election in 2009.

Mrs. Merkel left behind an uneasy coalition of historic rivals, her conservative Christian Democratic Union and the left-leaning Social Democratic Party for one with their natural partners, the pro-business, market-oriented Free Democrats. But the problems they face -- a sluggish economy, rising deficits, a rapidly aging population (indeed one of the world's oldest) and integration problems with its immigrant community -- do not offer easy solutions.

In a sign of social change in once-traditional Germany, Mrs. Merkel is expected to be joined by the country's first openly gay vice chancellor and foreign minister, Guido Westerwelle, who shepherded his Free Democrats to their strongest showing ever.The Free Democrats appeared to benefit from two trends: the strengthening of smaller parties as weariness with the larger parties set in, and a feeling among Germans that what may be needed during this period of global financial turmoil are leaders who can manage the economy.

In what should have been a simple formality, Mrs. Merkel's official re-election as chancellor was dampened on Oct. 28 by the fact that at least nine members of her coalition withheld their votes in the secret parliamentary ballot. Though it was more of a protest and warning shot than a sign of any lasting damage to her standing, the vote served as a reminder that even with a comfortable majority, Mrs. Merkel will face difficulties and second-guessing within her own ranks as she tries to govern at a moment of economic uncertainty and conflicting priorities.

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