Germany

Stories 1181 - 1200 | << Prev   Next >>

German Car Firm 'Used Auschwitz Hair'

Nazi links may torpedo Schaeffler's hopes of a government bailout

(Newser) - A German auto parts firm's hopes of a government bailout have been dealt a serious blow with the discovery that it used the hair of Auschwitz prisoners to make fabric, the Independent reports. The Schaeffler company denies the accusations, but an Auschwitz historian says two tons of hair, shaved from...

Berlin Protesters Torch Luxury Cars
Berlin Protesters Torch Luxury Cars
Feb 27, 2009 3:13 PM CST

Berlin Protesters Torch Luxury Cars

Sardonically named 'BMW' claims responsibility for arsons

(Newser) - As the financial crisis inflames class tensions, economic protest in Berlin has taken the form of arson attacks on luxury cars, Bloomberg reports. Activists have torched more than 2 dozen vehicles this year, and the pace is increasing. A group puckishly calling itself “BMW”—an acronym for "...

Germany's Scheme to Scrap Cars Sparks Sales Explosion

Sales mostly go to small cars

(Newser) - Automakers are running out of gas all over the world—except in Germany. Volkswagen expects to have its best February ever, selling 120,000 cars, while GM subsidiary Opel has sold 40,000, its best month in 5 years, Der Spiegel reports. It’s all thanks to the scrapping bonus,...

Germans Exalt Grocery Clerk Sacked Over $2

She's become a symbol of recession-time class struggles

(Newser) - A grocery clerk fired from her job of 31 years after allegedly stealing $1.66 has turned into a recession-time hero in Germany. While financial fat cats walk away with billions despite triggering a worldwide economic crisis, the sacking of a 50-year-old mother seems unfair, her supporters tell Der Spiegel....

Joyriding UK Soldier Crashes 2 Tanks

(Newser) - A few drinks apparently inspired a British soldier to go joyriding and crash two tanks today, the Guardian reports. The unnamed Desert Rat, stationed at the Bergen-Hohne army base in Germany, hopped in an armored vehicle and promptly drove it off the road. Undaunted, he walked back and commandeered another...

Heirs Decry 'Immoral' Sale of Gandhi's Stuff

'Insult' to India 'must be stopped,' says great-grandson

(Newser) - Mahatma Gandhi’s heirs have slammed a New York auction of his few belongings, calling it “immoral,” the Daily Telegraph reports. “It must be stopped," said Gandhi’s great-grandson. "It would be a grave insult to the nation if these items”—including sandals, pocket...

Winslet's Oscar Bid Battered by Nazi Furor

'Nazi porn' asks use to 'empathize with mass murderer'

(Newser) - Mounting criticism of The Reader as an apologia for the Nazis is seriously undermining Kate Winslet's chances for an Oscar, reports the Telegraph. Critics have blasted the film as "Nazi porn," and the author of a book on Hitler charged in a recent article in Slate that it...

Biden Vows 'New Tone' in Foreign Policy

In Germany, VP cites 'new tone in Washington'

(Newser) - Joe Biden offered an outline of "a new tone" in US foreign policy today, one that puts a priority on diplomacy over military force, Reuters reports. The US also will call on allies for help in handling world threats. “We will engage. We will listen. We will consult....

Tom's Geography Needs Work
 Tom's Geography Needs Work 
Feb 6, 2009 12:02 PM CST

Tom's Geography Needs Work

Star confuses Brazil with Spain

(Newser) - Tom Cruise is on a roll with the gaffes as he promotes Valkyrie in Rio de Janeiro, the New York Post reports. First the star tried to be cute by saying hola and gracias to reporters—forgetting that Brazilians speak Portuguese, not Spanish. Cruise also said he loves Brazil for...

Pope's German Honeymoon Is Kaput
Pope's German Honeymoon
Is Kaput
OPINION
Feb 5, 2009 2:42 AM CST

Pope's German Honeymoon Is Kaput

Bungling over rebel bishop squandered nation's pride in pontiff

(Newser) - The first German pope in nearly 500 years has lost the confidence of Germans as swiftly as a collapsing mortgage lender, Alexander Smoltcyzk writes in Der Spiegel. The scandal surrounding the reinstatement of Holocaust denying Bishop Richard Williamson has done lasting damage to the pope's authority and reputation, replacing the...

Long-Sought 'Dr. Death' Nazi Died in 1992

Cruel camp doctor fled to Egypt and converted to Islam

(Newser) - One of the most notorious Nazis still sought by Holocaust investigators actually died in 1992 in his adopted city of Cairo, the New York Times reports. Aribert Heim was known as Dr. Death for his sadistic medical procedures at the Mauthausen concentration camp. Heim narrowly evaded capture in 1962 before...

Vatican Demands Holocaust Denier Recant

(Newser) - The Vatican has demanded that Bishop Richard Williamson, a Holocaust denier who was recently un-excommunicated, recant his views in order to serve in the Catholic Church, the BBC reports. Williamson was excommunicated 20 years ago for a separate transgression. The Church said the pope was unaware of his contrarian stance...

No Regrets for US Iraq Deserter as Asylum Ruling Looms

German case tests EU 'unlawful war' directive

(Newser) - German authorities will take up the case next week of Spec. André L. Shepherd, who deserted the US Army and sought asylum rather than face a second tour of duty in Iraq. “I’m having the time of my life,” Shepherd tells the Wall Street Journal from a...

Worldwide Downturn Speeds Up Alarmingly

Analysts don't expect recovery in 2009

(Newser) - The global economy is in a faster decline than economists predicted only weeks ago, as the bursting of the biggest-ever real-estate bubble hits real economies in Europe and Asia, killing millions of jobs and shutting businesses, the Washington Post reports. Britain just posted its biggest quarterly slump since 1980, while...

Meat Warning Wurst News for Germans

Germans told to cut meat consumption for sake of the planet

(Newser) - Bratwurst-loving Germans have been told they must eat less meat for the health of the planet, reports the Guardian. The government's adviser on the environment is urging Germans to return to habits decades ago when meat was eaten only on Sundays and special occasions. Germans now eat far more meat...

Merkel's Party Wins Big in German Election

Left decimated as chancellor gets a boost ahead of national vote

(Newser) - The right-wing party of Angela Merkel came out on top in a closely watched German state election last night, giving the chancellor a major boost ahead of a federal election later this year. In Hesse, home to the financial powerhouse Frankfurt, right-wing premier Roland Koch won a new mandate, while...

Germany Moves to Rein In Future Borrowing

Constitution will be changed to ban excess borrowing: Merkel

(Newser) - As Berlin rolls out a record $65 billion stimulus package, it's also making excessive government borrowing a constitutional crime. The new amendment—which will limit the national deficit to .5% of GDP "in normal economic times"—is a sign of the government's discomfort with its new stimulus, which...

WWII Mass Grave of German Civilians Unearthed

Corpses found near Polish castle believed to have been killed as Soviets advanced

(Newser) - The corpses of 1,800 men, women and children believed to be German civilians have been found in a mass grave near the Polish city of Malbork, Der Speigel reports. The city was German until the end of World War II. Officials believe many of its former residents were massacred...

Flocke Gets Russian Comrade
 Flocke Gets Russian Comrade 
Jan 7, 2009 11:07 AM CST

Flocke Gets Russian Comrade

(Newser) - Celebrity polar bear Flocke has a new companion, the AP reports. The Nuremberg Zoo's resident superstar was a little tense upon meeting the unnamed 1-year-old Russian polar bear, but the two soon teamed up for some joyous romping. The new bear arrived from Moscow in late December and will remain...

Billionaire Merckle Kills Self
 Billionaire Merckle Kills Self 
Jan 6, 2009 1:31 PM CST

Billionaire Merckle Kills Self

(Newser) - German businessman Adolf Merckle, 74, killed himself yesterday in the face of mounting debt and a crumbling multibillion dollar empire, Bloomberg reports. Merckle’s personal fortune of $9.2 billion put him 94th on Forbes' list of the world’s richest people, but his holding company, which owned stake in...

Stories 1181 - 1200 | << Prev   Next >>