Tag: Germany

WWII bomb goes off in Poland during defusal op

by Stanislaw WASZAK / Anna Maria JAKUBEK WARSAW, Poland (AFP) — A massive World War II bomb exploded during a delicate operation on Tuesday to defuse the five-tonne device in a channel near the Baltic Sea but no one was harmed, Polish officials said. The device — nicknamed “Tallboy” and also known as an “earthquake bomb” — was dropped by the Royal Air Force in an attack on a Nazi warship in 1945. It was […]

Biggest North Pole mission back from ‘dying Arctic’

by Yannick PASQUET Agence France-Presse BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — Researchers on the world’s biggest mission to the North Pole returned to Germany on Monday, bringing home devastating proof of a dying Arctic Ocean and warnings of ice-free summers in just decades. The German Alfred Wegener Institute’s Polarstern ship returned to the port of Bremerhaven after 389 days spent drifting through the Arctic trapped in ice, allowing scientists to gather vital information on the effects of […]

Virus cases top 4,000 a day in Germany, a first since April

BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — New cases of coronavirus infections in Germany have soared past 4,000, official data showed Thursday, reaching a daily level not seen since April 11 when the country was still in lockdown. Europe’s biggest economy recorded 4,058 new Covid-19 cases in 24 hours, including 16 deaths, according to latest data compiled by the disease control agency RKI. The alarming jump in numbers came with autumn school holidays about to begin, prompting calls […]

First African swine fever case found in Germany

BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — Germany on Thursday confirmed a first case of African swine fever, threatening to severely hit the country’s key pork market. Scientists found swine fever in a dead wild boar near the German-Polish border in the eastern state of Brandenburg, the German agricultural ministry said. “Unfortunately, the suspicion has been confirmed,” said Julia Kloeckner, minister for agriculture, after the dead animal was tested overnight. Germany is Europe’s largest producer of pork, with […]

Mother allegedly suffocates five children to death in Germany

BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — A 27-year-old German woman is suspected of smothering five of her children as she was feeling “emotionally overwhelmed”, investigators said Friday, a day after the lifeless bodies were found in their family apartment. The suspect then attempted suicide by throwing herself under a train, before being rescued with serious but not life threatening injuries, said lead investigator Marcel Maierhofer. She is believed to have “carried out the act while she was […]

Germany’s first ‘green’ bonds attract strong demand

FRANKFURT AM MAIN, Germany (AFP) — Germany on Wednesday launched its first “green” bond offering to finance environmental initiatives as it pivots towards a sustainable economy, and could become a benchmark issuer in the booming field. The government raised 6.5 billion euros ($7.7 billion), in the offering for the 10-year 0% bond, with investors placing orders of more than 33 billion euros, according to German finance agency. Even at this early stage, “Germany is well on the way […]

Naval drills in tense eastern Mediterranean ‘not helpful’: Berlin

BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — Germany on Wednesday criticised naval exercises in the eastern Mediterranean as “not helpful” in easing tensions between Greece and Turkey, at odds over gas and maritime borders. “What we have to find is a starting point for us to enter once again into political discussions and negotiations,” German Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer said after talks with her EU counterparts in Berlin. “The manoeuvres that took place today are certainly not helpful,” […]

Germany records highest daily infection toll since April

  BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — Germany has recorded 1,707 new cases of the coronavirus in the past 24 hours, the highest daily toll since April, official figures showed Thursday. Germany has fared better than many European neighbours in suppressing the virus so far but like elsewhere, the number of cases has jumped significantly over the summer holidays. Much of the rise has been blamed on returning holidaymakers as well as parties and family gatherings. The […]

Daimler strikes $2.2 bn diesel settlements in US

BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — Daimler has approved settlements worth $2.2 billion over emissions cheating software in its diesel vehicles in the US, the German carmaker said Thursday. The company has “reached an agreement in principle with various US authorities to settle civil and environmental claims regarding emission control systems of approximately 250,000 diesel passenger cars and vans in the United States,” it said in a statement. The agreement includes $1.5 billion to be paid to US […]

German diplomat killed in Beirut blast

BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — A German diplomat was killed in the huge explosion in Beirut, the first confirmed German fatality, as the country’s foreign minister expressed his condolences on Thursday over the tragedy. “All of us at the foreign ministry are in deep mourning for our colleague,” said Heiko Maas in a statement. He added that the female employee had died in her apartment in the Lebanese capital. The news “confirmed our worst fears”, the […]

Dozens of police injured in Berlin protests against virus curbs

BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — Some 45 police officers were injured in a wave of weekend demonstrations in Berlin including protests against coronavirus restrictions, police said as protesters gathered again in smaller numbers on Sunday. The unruly protests, in which many demonstrators failed to wear masks or respect social distancing rules, have sparked a chorus of condemnation including calls for tougher penalties against those who violate restrictions aimed at curbing transmission of the deadly virus. A […]

Japan secures 120 million doses of potential corona-vaccine: pharma group

BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — Japan has signed a deal to secure 120 million doses of a potential coronavirus vaccine, German pharmaceutical group BioNTech, which is developing the drug with US pharma giant Pfizer, said Friday. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed, with BioNTech saying the terms were based on the timing of the delivery and volume of doses. But an agreement announced recently between the labs and the United States put the price […]