Wulff apologises for personal finance faux pas
Hoping to stem questions of impropriety, German President Christian Wulff on Thursday fired his long-time spokesman and apologised for not being open about his personal finances.
Day: December 22, 2011
RWE abandons Gazprom joint venture talks
German energy giant RWE said on Thursday it had failed to agree with Russia's Gazprom on a project to jointly build and operate power plants in Germany, Britain and the Netherlands.
Europeans flee crisis by heading to Germany
Germany saw a sharp rise in immigration in the first half of the year, due mainly to newcomers from crisis-racked European states, according to official statistics released Thursday.
German Patriot missiles impounded in Finland
Finnish customs authorities have impounded 69 Patriot missiles and 150 tons of explosives from a ship loaded in Germany and bound for China. German officials say the shipment was a legal sale to South Korea, but the ship was not licensed for the cargo.
Spanish sue Hamburg for E.coli cucumber warning
A Spanish company is suing the city of Hamburg for more than €2 million after its cucumbers were wrongly blamed for a deadly E.coli outbreak last spring, officials said Thursday.
What’s on in Germany: December 22 – January 4
The highlights over the holidays: Shadow puppets in Hamburg, Bonnie and Clyde in Berlin, and Belarus ballerinas fluff their feathers in Munich.
Oniony pig farts legal, court rules
A court in the northern German town of Osnabrück has ruled that a farmer is allowed to feed his pigs vast quantities of raw onions, despite complaints from neighbours about their eye-watering gaseous emissions.
German Santa writes to thousands of good kids
Germany’s version of Santa Claus has responded to more than 275,000 letters sent to him in at an address in the eastern state of Brandenburg from eager children around the world, according to Deutsche Post.
Gladbach kick Schalke out of German Cup
A double by Marco Reus inspired Borussia Mönchengladbach to a 3-1 victory over holders Schalke 04 on Wednesday in their German Cup last-16 clash.
Islamic studies gain foothold in state schools
German Education officials are making moves to establish Islamic studies as a regular subject in North Rhine-Westphalia's public schools, in line with other religious courses about Catholic or Protestant Christianity.
A very German shopping list
Motherhood in the Fatherland follows mum Sabine Devins as she navigates the cultural quirks of having a baby in Germany. In the latest instalment, she discovers that the love for engineering starts early.
Six jailed in €300 million tax evasion scheme
A German court has jailed six men on for tax evasion in the trading of carbon emission permits through the country's biggest bank, Deutsche Bank.