Germany

BERLIN (AP) — The death toll from flooding in Western Europe climbed above 180 on Sunday after rescue workers dug deeper into debris left by receding waters.

Police put the toll from the hard-hit Ahrweiler area of western Germany’s Rhineland-Palatinate state at 110 and said they feared the number may still rise. In neighboring North Rhine-Westphalia state, Germany’s most populous, 45 people were confirmed dead, including four firefighters. And Belgium has confirmed 27 casualties.

BERLIN (AP) — At least 110 people have died in devastating floods across parts of western Germany and Belgium, officials said Friday, as rescue operations and the search for hundreds still unaccounted for continued.

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said he was “stunned” by the devastation caused by the flooding and pledged support to the families of those killed and to cities and towns facing significant damage.

BERLIN (AP) — More than 20 people have died and dozens of people are missing in Germany and neighboring Belgium after heavy flooding turned streams and streets into raging torrents, sweeping away cars and causing buildings to collapse.

Storms across parts of western Europe in recent days caused rivers and reservoirs to burst their banks, resulting in flash floods as rain-soaked soil failed to absorb any more water.

BERLIN, July 13 (Xinhua) -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday rejected the idea of mandatory vaccination and would instead rely on promoting the benefits of immunization to counter the COVID-19 pandemic.

During a visit to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), Merkel said the government could "gain trust by advertising vaccination." The goal was to educate citizens and turn them into "advertisers, ambassadors of vaccination, " she added.

BERLIN (AP) — Police said they were searching locations in the central German state of Hesse on Wednesday in connection with suspected Islamic extremists.

Hesse police said on Twitter that the raids were taking place “at numerous premises” across the state.

German news agency dpa reported that the suspects are alleged supporters of the Islamic State group. It quoted a police spokesman saying there was no immediate threat of an attack.

BERLIN (AP) — Neck rubs, pricy dinners, allegations of phone tapping, awkward handshake moments.

Angela Merkel has just about seen it all when it comes to U.S. presidents.

The German chancellor is making her 19th and likely final official visit to the U.S. on Thursday for a meeting with President Joe Biden — her fourth American president — as she nears the end of her 16-year tenure.

Merkel, who turns 67 on Saturday, will be heading into political retirement soon after deciding long ago not to seek a fifth term in Germany’s Sept. 26 election.

BERLIN, July 12. /TASS/: All the construction permits for the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in Germany were issued, spokesperson of the German Economy Ministry Beate Baron said at a briefing on Monday.

"All the construction permits have been issued — and already a long time ago. As far as operations are concerned, the Federal Network Agency [the German regulator — TASS] can probably help in this regard," she said.

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Some 130 countries have agreed on a global minimum tax backed by President Joe Biden as part of a worldwide effort to keep multinational firms from dodging taxes by shifting their profits to countries with low rates.

The agreement announced Thursday is an attempt to address challenges presented by a globalized and increasingly digital world economy in which profits can be relocated across borders and companies can earn online profits in places where they have no taxable headquarters.

BERLIN, July 2 (Reuters) - Twitter has suspended the accounts of a group of exile opposition groups that call themselves the "Belarusian People's Embassies" after they were accused of identity theft by Belarusian authorities.

The people's embassy movement sprang up after last year's presidential election, in which long-serving strongman Alexander Lukashenko claimed a resounding victory despite a widespread belief that the vote was fraudulent.

BERLIN (AP) — German investigators said Tuesday that an Islamic extremist motivation for last week’s fatal knife attack in Wuerzburg appears likely, but they haven’t so far found any propaganda or other extremist material. They also plan more checks on the suspect’s mental health.

Friday’s assault in and outside a store in the center of the Bavarian city left three women dead and another six people seriously injured. The suspect, a 24-year-old Somali man, was shot in the leg by police and arrested after people surrounded him and tried to hold him at bay with chairs and sticks.