Germany

Germany wants speedy end to China-US trade war

27 Apr 2019; DW: German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier told Chinese Vice Premier Liu He on Saturday that he hoped the US-China trade dispute that has slowed global growth would soon be over. 

For months, the world's two largest economies have been locked in a trade war that has cost them billions of dollars and rattled global markets.

Germans increasingly hostile towards asylum-seekers

25 Apr 2019; DW: More than half of Germans view asylum-seekers in a negative light, a new study shows. Prejudice against the newcomers has grown even as fewer migrants come to Germany.

Right-wing populist attitudes have become "normal" in Germany's mainstream, said authors of a new study presented by the left-wing  Friedrich-Ebert Foundation in Berlin on Thursday.

German arms exports decline in 2019 first quarter

24 Apr 2019; DW: German exports decreased again in the first quarter of this year — a decrease of 7.4 percent from the same point last year. Germany's Economy Ministry cites a "restrictive and responsible" export policy as the reason.

The German government approved arms exports worth €1.12 billion ($1.3 billion) in the first quarter of 2019, Germany's Economy Ministry reported on Tuesday.

Germany calls for UN Security Council meeting on Libya

22 Apr 2019; DW: Germany on Wednesday called for a meeting of the United Nations Security Council to discuss the escalating conflict in Libya after the 15-member body failed to agree on a draft resolution calling for a ceasefire.

Earlier this month, the self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA), under the leadership of General Khalifa Haftar, made a push to take Triopli. The offensive came days before UN-backed peace talks, resulting in them being postponed.

Chicken meat rife with antibiotic-resistant superbugs

17 Apr 2019; DW: More than half of chicken meat sold at low-cost supermarkets in Germany is contaminated with antibiotic-resistant bacteria, according to a probe of meat samples.

The environmental and consumer organization Germanwatch described the results of their study on Tuesday as "an alarmingly high resistance rate" that shows the overuse of antibiotics in industrial poultry production is endangering human health.

Ex-VW boss Martin Winterkorn charged in Dieselgate scandal

15 Apr 2019; DW: Public prosecutors in the German city of Braunschweig have brought charges against former Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn over his role in the Dieselgate scandal, they said on Monday. Four other managers were also charged, they said.

Winterkorn stepped down as Volkswagen CEO in 2015 after revelations that the carmaker had programmed computers in its vehicles to detect when they were being tested and alter the running of diesel engines to conceal the true level of emissions.

Hundreds evacuated in Frankfurt to diffuse WWII bomb

BERLIN (AP) — Some 600 people have been evacuated from their homes in the old city of Frankfurt so specialists could remove a World War II-era bomb that was discovered in the Main River.

The German news agency dpa reported the bomb was defused, as planned, underwater on Sunday, which led to a loud detonation and a big water fountain on the river. Police told dpa “the bomb is no longer a danger.”

Firefighters had discovered the American 250-kilogram (550-pound) bomb during diving training in the river on Tuesday.

Volkswagen unveils fully-electric SUV for China market

Volkswagen is planning to release a fully-electric SUV in China which could compete with Tesla’s Model X.

The German automaker said Sunday the ID. ROOMZZ will be unveiled at the upcoming Shanghai Auto Show and will be available in 2021.

Volkswagen says the zero-emission vehicle can go approximately 450 kilometers (280 miles) before the battery has to be recharged. The concept car includes a fully-automatic driving mode which allows seats to be rotated 25 degrees to create a lounge-like atmosphere.

Germany defends spending after IMF criticism

13 Apr 2019; DW: Germany has a "very expansive investment strategy" that is helping to stimulate the global economy, German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz said on the sidelines of the IMF and World Bank spring meetings in Washington on Friday, adding that "politically produced" risks had instead caused global uncertainty.

"We have already done what everybody asked of us," he said, citing recent budgetary increases for Germany's public infrastructure, its education sector and digitalization projects.

Subscribe to Germany