Germany

Angela Merkel makes first public appearance since leaving office

Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel was greeted with applause as she made her first public appearance since leaving office. In Berlin, she took part in the convention that reelected President…

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Favouring continuity, Germany re-elects Steinmeier as president

FRANKFURT, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Frank-Walter Steinmeier was elected to a second term as Germany's president on Sunday as a special assembly voted the veteran politician, seen as a symbol…

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Germany and Austria told to curb boom in home prices

Germany and Austria should curb a boom in house prices by setting caps on mortgages and forcing banks to build up more capital, the European Union's financial stability watchdog said.…

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Germany to lift some restrictions next week, court rejects petitions against targeted vaccine mandate

BERLIN, Feb 11 (Reuters) - Germany is approaching the peak of the coronavirus pandemic and will next week start easing some restrictions with a view to lifting more measures in…

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Germany’s COVID-19 wave flattens as regions ease curbs

BERLIN, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Germany's daily rise in the number of coronavirus infections is slowing, data from the Robert Koch Institute showed on Thursday, indicating that a fourth wave…

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German car market to grow 7% in 2022, still below pre-pandemic – VDA

BERLIN, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Germany's car market will grow 7% in 2022 to 2.8 million new vehicles, national auto association VDA predicted on Wednesday, an improvement on last year's…

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You can count on us, Germany tells Ukraine as both sides play down differences

Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock promised unequivocal German support for Ukraine on a visit to Kyiv as the two sides sought to narrow differences on Ukraine's request for weapons to prepare…

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Biden pledges end to Nord Stream 2 if Russia invades Ukraine

U.S. President Joe Biden said on Monday that the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline would be halted if Russia invades Ukraine and stressed unity with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz as…

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Germany discussing sending more troops to Lithuania – defence minister

BERLIN, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Germany is considering deploying additional troops to Lithuania, Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht said, as tensions remained high over Russia's military build-up near Ukraine. In an…

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Germany eyes Lockheed F-35 fighter jet

BERLIN/WASHINGTON, (Reuters) - Germany is leaning toward purchasing the U.S. fighter jet F-35 built by Lockheed Martin to replace its ageing Tornado in the role of nuclear sharing, a German…

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Germany’s health experts divided over COVID curbs as infections hit record

BERLIN, Feb 4 (Reuters) - Germany's health experts are divided over whether the country is ready to ease COVID-19 restrictions as its neighbours start dialling back curbs. Germany on Thursday…

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UPDATED: Maersk container ship runs aground off German island

BERLIN, Feb 3 (Reuters) - Container ship Mumbai Maersk has run aground off the German island of Wangerooge in the North Sea, Germany's Central Command for Maritime Emergencies and Maersk…

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German vaccine commission to recommend fourth COVID-19 shot

BERLIN, Feb 3 (Reuters) - Germany's expert panel on vaccine use (STIKO) is preparing to recommend a fourth COVID-19 vaccine dose, the committee's head, Thomas Mertens, told media group Funke…

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Top German court sides with lawmaker over slurs on Facebook

BERLIN, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Germany's constitutional court on Wednesday sided with a politician seeking the personal data of several Facebook users to take legal action over slurs against her…

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Germany names ‘boostern’ its best anglicism of 2021

The expression "boostern" has been named the German language's English loan word of 2021, a jury for the annual "Anglicism of the Year" initiative announced on Tuesday in Berlin. Although not strictly an…

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Germany passes 10-million mark for COVID-19 infections

BERLIN, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Germany hit a new coronavirus record on Wednesday, with the 208,498 more cases reported within 24 hours carrying it past the 10-million mark for total…

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Germany misses 80% COVID-19 vaccination rate target

The German government has failed to hit its goal of vaccinating 80% of the population against the coronavirus before the end of January, roughly a month before lawmakers are expected…

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German Greens elect 28-year-old leader to build on youth vote

BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany’s Greens elected their youngest ever leader, constructing on their success in a nationwide election final 12 months that exposed their recognition amongst younger voters. Ricarda Lang,…

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Berlin says German Omicron wave ‘well under control’

Germany has the wave of infections from the fast-spreading Omicron coronavirus variant "well under control" and may consider lifting some restrictions after a peak in late February, its health minister…

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German government expects inflation, wages to rise further

BERLIN, Jan 26 (Reuters) - The German government expects consumer price inflation to rise further this year, contrary to earlier projections, which will likely lead to higher wage demands by…

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German daily COVID cases rise above 200,000, causing staff shortages

BERLIN, Jan 27 (Reuters) - The number of new COVID-19 infections in Germany exceeded 200,000 in a day for the first time on Thursday, hitting staffing at companies including Lufthansa…

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Germany arrests Russian citizen suspected of space tech espionage

BERLIN, Jan 27 (Reuters) - German prosecutors arrested and charged a Russian citizen with spying for Russia, alleging he had passed information on aerospace technology, in particular the Ariane space…

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Germany to host G7 finance meeting May 18-20

BERLIN, Jan 26 (Reuters) - Germany will host the main finance meeting of its presidency of the Group of Seven economic powers from May 18-20, the Rheinische Post newspaper reported…

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German COVID cases hit record as parliament debates vaccine mandate

BERLIN, Jan 26 (Reuters) - Germany on Wednesday reported a new record of 164,000 COVID-19 infections in one day as the lower house of parliament prepared to debate proposals to…

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German economy likely shrunk in Q4: Bundesbank

FRANKFURT, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Germany's economy likely shrank in the fourth quarter as manufacturing remained constrained by supply bottlenecks and consumption dropped on renewed coronavirus fears, the Bundesbank said…

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Germany prepared to support Kyiv, Baerbock says

BERLIN, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Germany is ready to help Ukraine financially and economically, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on Monday in Brussels, as international pressure on Berlin is…

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German Chancellor Olaf Scholz eyes COVID vaccine mandate

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in an interview published Sunday that it's "naive" to think the coronavirus would disappear soon. He told the Süddeutsche Zeitung it is vital to increase…

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Germany’s Scholz says raising minimum wage a matter of respect

BERLIN, Jan 22 (Reuters) - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Saturday that his Social Democrats (SPD) were pushing ahead with their election promise to raise the national minimum wage…

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German conservatives elect right-winger Merz as new party leader

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's centre-right Christian Democrats (CDU) on Saturday elected arch-conservative Friedrich Merz their party leader to follow the more centrist Armin Laschet, who lost September's national election to…

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Germany wants to attract 400,000 skilled workers from abroad each year

BERLIN, Jan 21 (Reuters) - Germany's new coalition government wants to attract 400,000 qualified workers from abroad each year to tackle both a demographic imbalance and labour shortages in key…

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German health minister sees possible tripling of coronavirus infections by mid-February

BERLIN, Jan 21 (Reuters) - Germany reported a record 140,160 new coronavirus cases on Friday as the country's health minister warned the country could see at least 400,000 per day…

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German prosecutors probe Greens’ leaders over COVID bonus

German prosecutors have opened an investigation into the two leaders of the co-governing Greens, Robert Habeck and Annalena Baerbock, over alleged special coronavirus payments, the party said. Spiegel Online reported…

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UPDATED: Germany surpasses 100,000 daily COVID-19 cases for first time

BERLIN, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Germany reported a record 112,323 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, after the health minister said the peak had not been reached yet and compulsory vaccination…

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Germany cannot rule out Nord Stream 2 as means of pressure, says foreign policy expert

Germany cannot rule out using the Nord Stream 2 pipeline as a means of pressure against the Kremlin in case of further Russian aggression towards Ukraine, a senior official from…

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Germany one step closer to scrapping Nazi-era abortion law

Germany's justice ministry presented a draft law on Monday that would do away with a Nazi-era law forbidding doctors to provide information about abortions. Doctors in Germany are allowed to say…

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German trade body warns of huge supply chain disruption over Omicron

Germany's BGA trade association warned of massive supply chain disruptions due to the rapid spread of the highly infectious Omicron variant of the coronarvirus, but said a long-term collapse of…

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COVID still a serious threat, warn German health officials

German health officials warned on Friday the coronavirus remained a serious threat as the Omicron variant is set to completely replace Delta in the coming days in a nation whose…

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German economy grew 2.7% in 2021 after plunge of 4.6% in 2020

BERLIN, Jan 14 (Reuters) - The German economy failed to return to its pre-pandemic size in 2021 as microchip shortages hit production in the car industry and further COVID-19 restrictions…

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Berlin might drop opposition to EU plans for women’s quota on company boards

The new German government is taking a fresh look at EU efforts to introduce a quota for women on company boards, a spokesman said, raising the chances that European legislation…

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East German Stasi kept records on Scholz during 1970s, 80s

East Germany's secret police kept extensive records on Chancellor Olaf Scholz when he was a senior member of the West German Social Democratic Party’s youth wing in the 1970s and…

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NATO will not allow Russia to blackmail the alliance, Germany says

BERLIN, Jan 14 (Reuters) - NATO will not allow Moscow to blackmail the alliance and will not accept a Russian veto against an enlargement, German Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht said…

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German panel recommends COVID-19 booster for all 12-17-year-olds

BERLIN, Jan 13 (Reuters) - Germany's STIKO vaccine committee recommended on Thursday that all children between the ages of 12 and 17 receive a COVID-19 booster shot. The committee said…

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German court finds main suspect in first Syria torture trial guilty

A court in Germany found a Syrian former colonel guilty on charges of state torture on Thursday, and sentenced him to a life term in prison. Anwar Raslan was found guilty of overseeing…

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German hospitality, retail firms put more staff on shorter hours in December

BERLIN, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Coronavirus restrictions in hospitality and retail pushed up the number of German employees put on reduced working hours in job protection schemes in December, the…

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Germany doesn’t rule out closing Telegram – interior minister

BERLIN, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Germany could shut down Telegram if the messenger service popular with far-right groups and people opposed to pandemic-related restrictions continues to violate German law, Interior…

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UPDATED: Germany’s Scholz urges compulsory COVID-19 jabs for all adults as cases hit daily record

BERLIN, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Germany should make COVID-19 vaccinations mandatory for all adults, Chancellor Olaf Scholz told parliament on Wednesday. The leader of Scholz's Social Democrats (SPD) in the…

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Germany needs greater immigration to avoid labour shortages – minister

Germany will need increased immigration to prevent severe labour shortages from undermining productivity and endangering a successful energy transition, its economy minister said as Europe's largest economy faces a demographic…

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New Bundesbank chief takes up old inflation battle at ECB

New German central bank chief Joachim Nagel warned about high inflation in his inaugural speech on Tuesday, in a sign he would continue his predecessor's fight to rein in the European Central…

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Germany’s chancellor must show leadership on Russia – Ukraine envoy

Germany's new Chancellor Olaf Scholz must show more leadership in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and take bold steps to force the Kremlin to the negotiating table rather than…

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Germany assessing reliability of antibody tests for Omicron

Germany will study how reliable rapid antigen tests are in detecting the fast-spreading Omicron variant of COVID-19, Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said. "We do not know exactly how well these…

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Survey shows Germans less worried about omicron

A majority of people in Germany approve of the government's stricter rules to curb the spread of COVID-19 but are less worried about the omicron variant, a new national survey revealed…

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German government addresses spiralling energy prices

FRANKFURT, Jan 9 (Reuters) - German government departments are stepping up efforts to help consumers affected by runaway wholesale energy prices which are beginning to hurt low-income households, two policymakers…

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Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz sees 5% sales drop in 2021

Daimler's Mercedes-Benz sold 2.05 million vehicles in 2021, the company said on Friday, losing its crown for the first time in five years as the premium carmaker with the most…

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Germans see pandemic, pensions as biggest topics for 2022-poll

Germans want their new government to focus on fighting the coronavirus pandemic and safeguarding pensions in 2022, with fewer people wanting them to prioritise the climate crisis, an opinion poll…

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German health minister stresses need for compulsory Covid vaccination

Berlin (dpa) - German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach has emphasized the importance of introducing compulsory vaccinations to fight the coronavirus pandemic. "We have to accept that even compulsory vaccination is never going to…

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Sky no longer the limit for Germany’s ‘Mainhattan’ skyscraper boom

Towering above a nondescript office quarter of downtown Frankfurt, a 47th floor three-bedroom apartment is on sale for 9 million euros ($10 million), a lofty price some see as a…

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Germany to shorten quarantine period in face of Omicron spread

Germany is to relax its quarantine rules while bringing in additional restrictions for restaurants and bars, federal and state leaders agreed on Friday, in response to fears of a surge…

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