Category: Germany

Germany’s Lindner Says Europe Will Be Able to Shield Its Economies Against Inflation Rising Over Ukraine War

PARIS—European sanctions against Russia over the war in Ukraine will lead to cost increases, German Finance Minister Christian Lindner said, but the bloc will be able to protect its economies against the effects of further inflation. Lindner spoke ahead of a European finance ministers’ meeting in Paris which is due to focus largely on the…


Data Show ‘Significant Underreporting’ of Vaccine Side Effects: German Health Insurer

A large German health insurance provider said that it analyzed data from more than 10 million individuals regarding COVID-19 vaccine complications and suggested there were more than health authorities have reported. The insurer, BKK ProVita, concluded that the rate of vaccine side-effects is several times larger than earlier reports from the Paul-Ehrlich Institute, a German federal…


Germany’s New Coalition Government Wants to Be Tough on China—But Will Scholz Listen?

News Analysis Part of Germany’s new coalition government espouses values and human rights, but economic ties may prevent Chancellor Olaf Scholz from siding with the United States or taking a harsher stance on the Chinese regime. “Germany stays committed to developing a stable partnership with China, will continue to pursue the one-China principle, and ……


American ‘Candy Bomber’ Who Dropped Sweets Over Former Soviet West Berlin for Kids Dies at 101

U.S. military pilot Gail S. Halvorsen—known as the “Candy Bomber” for his candy airdrops during the Berlin airlift after World War II ended—has died at age 101. Halvorsen died Wednesday following a brief illness in his home state of Utah, surrounded by most of his children, James Stewart, the director of the Gail S. Halvorsen…


Staff Shortage Concerns Challenge Germany’s Vaccine Mandate

BERLIN—Frank Vogel, a 64-year-old local politician from the eastern German Erzgebirge region, has been scrambling to find ways to keep nursing homes open when a vaccine mandate for health care workers takes effect next month. His region near the Czech border has one of the lowest vaccination rates in Germany. With only 57 percent of…


German Economy Likely to Shrink Again in Firts Quarter: Bundesbank

The German economy will probably shrink again in the current quarter as a new wave of coronavirus infections stops many people from going to work, the Bundesbank said on Monday, while predicting a rebound in the spring. Europe’s largest economy went into reverse in the last three months of 2021 as its large industrial sector…


Fire Breaks Out at German Residential Complex, 3 Injured

BERLIN—A huge fire broke out in an apartment building in the western German city of Essen early Monday, and three people were taken to a hospital after inhaling smoke, authorities said. The fire service said that about 100 people were evacuated from the building, roughly the number of people who lived there, news agency dpa…


‘My Heart Aches Watching This’: Athletes Speak Out on Human Rights as Beijing Olympics Come to an End

Had it been up to him, Latvia’s luge coach Martins Rubenis would have preferred to never make the trip to the Beijing Winter Olympic Games. Indeed, he didn’t know if he would even be allowed into China until the very last moment. A two-time Olympic bronze medalist, Rubenis was already known to the Latvian Chinese…


Olympians Break Silence on China as Teams Take Medals Home

Had it been up to him, Latvia’s luge coach Martins Rubenis would have preferred to never make the trip to the Beijing Winter Olympic Games. Indeed, he didn’t know if he would even be allowed into China until the very last moment. A two-time Olympic bronze medalist, Rubenis was already known to the Latvian Chinese…


German Defense Minister Sees No Sign of Russian Withdrawal, ‘Just Words’

BRUSSELS—Germany has seen no sign that Russia has withdrawn troops from the Ukraine border area, and Moscow must do so urgently to de-escalate the situation or else face harsh consequences, German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht said on Thursday. Russia’s defense ministry said on Wednesday its forces were pulling back after exercises near Ukraine, but a…