Germany

BERLIN, March 4 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany rose to 188 on Tuesday, up from 157 on Monday afternoon, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) said.

Thirteen of Germany’s 16 federal states have now reported cases of the novel coronavirus, with the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia being most affected, according to the RKI.

Germany has not reported a fatal case of the virus, which emerged in the Chinese metropolis Wuhan late last year and is quickly spreading around the world,

BERLIN, March 3 (Xinhua) -- German Federal Government spokesperson Steffen Seibert said on Tuesday that the way to the European Union (EU) from Turkey is not open for refugees and migrants.

"At the moment we are experiencing an extremely worrying situation on the European Union's external borders with Turkey, on land and at sea. We are seeing refugees and migrants who are told by the Turkish side that the way to the EU is now open, and of course it is not," said Seibert, according to a report by the German Press Agency (dpa).

BERLIN (AP) — Scientists say that half of the world’s sandy beaches could disappear by the end of the century if climate change continues unchecked.

Researchers at the European Union’s Joint Research Center in Ispra, Italy, used satellite images to track the way beaches have changed over the past 30 years and simulated how global warming might affect them in the future.

BERLIN, Feb 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) – There are almost 60 cases of COVID-19 infection in Germany, according to Susanne Wackers, spokesperson of the federal health ministry, at a press conference.

Since Tuesday, the number of confirmed cases in Germany climbed sharply from 16 to almost 60.

The 16 cases confirmed prior to Tuesday had all been discharged from hospital after recovery.

On Friday evening, the Messe Berlin announced that the ITB Berlin travel trade show is cancelled.

BERLIN, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- After the xenophobic shooting in Hanau that killed nine people, German politicians across most parties have sharply criticized growing right-wing extremism in their Ash Wednesday speeches.

The so-called "political Ash Wednesday" in Germany takes place every year after the carnival season. On this day, the country's leading politicians traditionally hold speeches and engage in verbal disputes with rival parties.

BERLIN (Reuters) - German Health Minister Jens Spahn will not run for the chair of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU), two sources in the party said on Tuesday.

Spahn had been expected to run for the position. He is due to hold a news conference with Armin Laschet - the premier of North-Rhine Westphalia, Germany’s most populous state, who is expected to announce his candidacy - at 0830 GMT.

BERLIN (AP) — A man intentionally drove a car into a crowd at a Carnival parade in a small town in central Germany, injuring around 30 people including children, officials said Monday.

The driver, a 29-year-old German citizen who lived locally, was arrested at the scene in Volkmarsen near Kassel, about 280 kilometers (175 miles) southwest of Berlin, prosecutors said. He is being investigated on suspicion of attempted homicide.

BERLIN (AP) — Voters in Hamburg, Germany’s second-biggest city, go to the polls Sunday to pick a new regional assembly in an election that’s been dominated by the issue of climate change.

The city state has been governed by a coalition of the center-left Social Democrats and the environmentalist Green party for the last five years. They are the two leading parties, according to polls.

22 Feb 2020; MEMO: German authorities have confirmed that nine of the 11 dead after the far-right, racist attack on a sheesha bar in Germany are from immigrant communities including five Turks and a pregnant woman.

Also amongst the dead are a Bosnian, a Bulgarian and a Romanian citizen.

BERLIN, Feb 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Thousands of people took part in vigils across Germany after a gunman with apparent far-right beliefs killed nine people at a shisha bar and a cafe in the city of Hanau.

Chancellor Angela Merkel condemned the “poison” of racism, as anger mixed with grief over the latest and deadliest attack linked to Germany’s extreme right in recent months.

The suspect, 43-year-old German Tobias R., was found dead at his home after the rampage along with his 72-year-old mother in what appeared to be a murder-suicide.