Germany

Merkel's Grand Coalition Hits a Rocky Patch

Der Spiegel  |  Nov 22, 07 9:56 AM CST

(Newser) - On the second anniversary of her taking office, the German media reports on new troubles for Angela Merkel's increasingly fractious grand coalition, which has two years to go but seems unlikely to push through the difficult reforms the chancellor promised. With last week's resignation of Franz Müntefering, the government's No. 2, Merkel has lost her closest partner from the other side of the aisle, and cooperation is giving way to squabbling. More »

Strikes Hit German Commuters

Daily Telegraph (UK)  |  Nov 16, 07 6:00 AM CST

(Newser) - France isn't the only country suffering a railway strike this week. In Germany, millions of commuters are stranded as a dispute over pay hikes enters its third day. The strike, which began on freight services, has now expanded to commuter trains, reports the Telegraph . It's the most serious strike in Germany's history and comes at a critical moment for Chancellor Angela Merkel's increasingly fractious government coalition. More »

Competing With Neo-Nazis for the Youth Vote

Der Spiegel  |  Nov 14, 07 6:33 PM CST

(Newser) - The government of one East German state is so concerned about the influence of neo-Nazi extremism on the young that it's handing out free CDs of leftist punk music as an antidote. Der Speigel reports that the tactic is borrowed from the far-right NPD party itself, which has been distributing skinhead compilations at schools and subsequently achieved record electoral results with young voters. More »

Possible Poisoning at Davis Cup

Associated Press  |  Nov 7, 07 9:15 PM CST

(Newser) - The alleged stomach virus that forced Tommy Haas to withdraw from his Davis Cup match against Russia may have been something far more sinister. The International Tennis Federation is looking into allegations that the German was poisoned, based on comments relayed by a Haas teammate from a Russian who manages many athletes, reports the AP. More »

German Town Wages Quirky War Against Neo-Nazis

Der Spiegel  |  Oct 31, 07 6:39 PM CDT

(Newser) - Inhabitants of the small German town of Gräfenberg have taken up ideological arms against far-right demonstrators from the National Democratic Party, Der Spiegel r eports, running loud saws, blaring samba music, and projecting images of concentration-camp victims to disrupt their rallies. The conflict started when the town's mayor declared a war memorial private property, preventing a neo-Nazi group from rallying there. More »

Germany's FBI Faces Up to Nazi Roots

Der Spiegel  |  Oct 2, 07 4:12 PM CDT

(Newser) - The German equivalent of the FBI has acknowledged what everyone already knew: It was founded by Nazis. The agency is inviting historians to explore those dark roots, making it the first German security organization to do so, Der Spiegel reports. Owning up to the past is the only way to “live democracy with conviction each day,” says the organization's head. More »

Germany Opens Trial Against 'Cyber-Jihadist'

Deutsche Welle (Germany)  |  Sep 28, 07 12:32 PM CDT

(Newser) - Deutsche Welle reports on a landmark trial in Germany, where an Iraqi-born Kurd has been accused of using the internet as a terror weapon. Prosecutors charge that over the 18 months German intelligence monitored his internet use, he posted material intended to incite terrorist attacks. The lead prosecutor has accused him of waging  "personal jihad on the computer." More »

German Cardinal Uses Nazi Term to Describe Art

BBC  |  Sep 15, 07 4:21 PM CDT

(Newser) - Germans are in an uproar after an archbishop labeled some modern art “degenerate,” the same word Nazis used to persecute artists. A spokesman for Cardinal Joachim Meisner said the archbishop didn’t intend to acknowledge “old ideologies,” but the BBC says the term was precisely scripted because it has only one connotation in Germany, where the Nazi legacy is still taboo. More »

US Agencies Aided German Terror Probe

Der Spiegel  |  Sep 11, 07 3:11 PM CDT

(Newser) - The CIA and NSA played a marquee role in last week’s capture of three men suspected of planning major terror attacks in Germany. For several months, Angela Merkel’s chief of staff held a weekly meeting about the plotters, Der Spiegel reports, and the cooperation was so significant that the German chancellor even met with George Bush about the matter. More »

Berlin Synagogue Reopens

BBC  |  Aug 31, 07 10:10 AM CDT

(Newser) - Germany’s largest synagogue has re-opened its doors after a major restoration, welcoming political leaders and Holocaust survivors to its unveiling. Built over 100 years ago, the Berlin temple was burned on Kristallnacht but the structure survived Nazism, Communism and decades of neglect. Architects re-created the original appearance with the use of just three historical photographs, the BBC reports. More »

After Two Years, Merkel's Still Honeymooning

Der Spiegel  |  Aug 22, 07 5:12 PM CDT

(Newser) - Better than halfway through her first term as Germany's chancellor, Angela Merkel is more popular than ever, Der Spiegel reports, with an impressive 76% approval rating. Her hardworking image has gotten boosts from solid diplomacy and good domestic luck, with reforms put in place by the previous government now paying dividends and keeping political rivals at bay. More »

Nazi 'Mascot' Tells His Story

BBC  |  Aug 21, 07 11:33 AM CDT

(Newser) - A new book details the secret history of a Jewish boy who became a mascot for the Nazi SS. After fleeing a Belarus village on the day his family was massacred, the 5-year-old was rescued by a Nazi soldier who gave him a new name—Alex Kurzem— and identity as a Russian orphan, the BBC reports. He then became an entertainer for soldiers, and was advertised as “the Reich’s youngest Nazi.” More »

Hitler's Bubbly Sparkles at UK Auction

BBC  |  Aug 19, 07 3:16 PM CDT

(Newser) - A bottle of bubbly nabbed from Hitler’s wine cellar has drawn the equivalent of almost $3,000 at a British auction, the BBC reports. A Swedish television company bought the 1937 Moet and Chandon, which a soldier gave to a lawyer as thanks for legal work some 15 years ago. An allied serviceman probably purloined it amid looting in the Reich Chancellery when the Nazis were defeated in 1945.  More »

Germany Steels for Rail Strike

Financial Times (UK)  |  Aug 7, 07 6:17 AM CDT

(Newser) - A rebellious union of German train drivers has voted overwhelmingly to strike on Thursday, setting the stage for the country's largest industrial action in over a decade, reports the Financial Times . Travelers began canceling trips as the railway dug in, refusing to negotiate with workers and insisting that it could withstand a strike. More »

Rent-a-Yanks Push Goodwill Abroad

Der Spiegel  |  Jul 27, 07 10:03 AM CDT

(Newser) - American exchange students in Germany are so bombarded with broadsides against the US government and lifestyle that one university has started a program called "Rent an American." Yanks visit German schools to answer questions about the Bush administration, climate change, and the death penalty, all in an effort to help parry anti-American attitudes. More »

Taliban Claims 2 German Hostages Killed

Associated Press  |  Jul 21, 07 7:53 AM CDT

(Newser) - Two German citizens abducted in Afghanistan have been shot to death, a Taliban spokesman claimed today. The Taliban had demanded the withdrawal of the more than 3,000 soldiers Germany has stationed in Afghanistan, a demand to which they did not accede. The Germans were working on a dam project . More »

Children of Holocaust Survivors Sue Germany

Der Spiegel  |  Jul 16, 07 8:29 PM CDT

(Newser) - An Israeli group is about to file a class action lawsuit against Germany on behalf of 15,000 children of Holocaust survivors in need of psychological treatment. The children suffer from depression and other problems stemming from being raised in dysfunctional homes. The suit, to be filed Sunday in Tel Aviv, is the work of the Fisher Fund, an Israeli charity. More »

Sarkozy and Merkel Face Off

Der Spiegel  |  Jul 16, 07 6:02 PM CDT

(Newser) - French president Nicolas Sarkozy is stepping up to challenge German chancellor Angela Merkel for the leadership of Europe, Der Spiegel reports, and the result  will be first-rate political spectacle. The two alpha heads of state, who met today in Toulouse, have very different styles: Merkel is restrained and accute; Sarkozy pugnacious and hyperactive. More »

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