Drought chokes shipping, sparks forest fire
Prolonged dry weather is disrupting shipping on some of Germany’s main waterways, the Rhine and Elbe rivers. The drought has also sparked a forest fire in Upper Bavaria.
Day: November 22, 2011
IG Metall forges industrial wage deal
Germany's giant IG Metall union said on Tuesday it had struck a deal with employers for a 3.8-percent pay rise for industrial workers that should serve as a model for the rest of the German economy, the biggest in the European Union.
Repentant Catholics drop erotica publisher
The German Bishops’ Conference, which represents the country’s Catholic dioceses, will cut its ties with the publisher Weltbild amid outrage that its catalogue included risqué titles such as “The new Kama Sutra” and “Tempted to Sin.”
Bundesbank boss: ECB no lender of last resort
The European Central Bank should not act as lender of last resort for struggling eurozone countries, the head of Germany's central bank said on Tuesday, warning it could destroy its independence.
Bundestag ‘ashamed’ by racist murders
German parliamentarians from across the political spectrum expressed shame Tuesday over a decade-long murder spree blamed on a neo-Nazi cell and pledged to do more to protect the nation's minority communities.
Vodka laced with methanol sold by mistake
Consumer protection authorities in the state of Thuringia are requiring retailers to stop selling three brands of vodka produced by spirits company Bärenkrone after they were found to contain methanol.
Daddy longlegs on invasion march
Germany’s Ruhr region is facing an invasion of countless huge daddy longlegs, also known as harvestmen, as the creatures begin to colonize all of Western Europe.
Bayern target next round of Champions League
Bayern Munich hope to win a place in the knock-out phase of the Champions League on Tuesday with a home victory over Villarreal, although a draw would also be enough.
Deutsche Bahn hopes DNA will curb metal theft
Deutsche Bahn is spraying so-called “artificial DNA” on its tracks, as well as overhead wires and other metallic surfaces thieves might try to steal and sell later on the black market.
Murdered cop had ties to neo-Nazi killers
The National Socialist Underground (NSU) deliberately targeted policewoman Michele Kiesewetter in 2007 because of a connection between her family and the neo-Nazi terrorist cell, according to the German authorities.
Referee’s suicide attempt not football-related
A German top-flight referee who attempted to kill himself hours before a major Bundesliga match last weekend did not have football-related motives for the act, a report said on Monday.
Mid-sized towns hit worst by bike crime
Nearly 180,000 bikes were stolen across Germany in 2010, estimated at a value of €120 million. According to a new study, more than over 90 percent of bicycle thefts go unsolved.