Germany sold arms to Saudi Arabia to secure its vote for 2006 World Cup (report)

Germany allegedly sent arms to Saudi Arabia in return for the Arab nation giving its support to Germany’s successful bid to host the 2006 World Cup. The claims made by the Die Zeit newspaper are the latest revelations to rock scandal-ridden FIFA.

Second black box confirms co-pilot crashed plane (Several times during the descent, the pilot changed the automatic pilot...)

Data from the second black box found in the wreckage of the Germanwings flight that crashed last week in the French Alps confirm the co-pilot acted deliberately, investigators said.

"A first reading shows that the pilot in the cockpit used the automatic pilot to descend the plane towards an altitude of 100 feet (30 metres)," said the French BEA crash investigation office in a statement.

No survivors found at site of French plane crash

A plane operated by Lufthansa's Germanwings budget airline crashed in a remote area of the French Alps today, killing all 150 people on board including 16 schoolchildren.

Germany says peace plan for Ukraine 'damaged' not dead

Germany condemned the seizure of a strategic east Ukrainian town by pro-Russian rebels on Wednesday as a "massive violation" of a ceasefire, but said it was too early to call the broader Minsk peace plan dead or ratchet up sanctions against Moscow.

Greece offers olive branch as search for allies begins

Greece sought to repair relations with its international creditors on Saturday (Jan 31) as the new anti-austerity government began a charm offensive in European capitals, even as Germany insisted it would not support any debt relief...

Greek PM Tsipras pledges radical change, markets tumble

Leftwing Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras threw down an open challenge to international creditors today by halting privatisation plans agreed under the country's bailout deal, prompting a third day of heavy losses on financial markets...

Germany: Greek euro exit is now possible, report says

 Germany is prepared to accept a Greek exit from the euro, the magazine Der Spiegel reported on Saturday.

"The German government considers a Eurozone exit by Greece to be almost inevitable if opposition leader Alexis Tsipras leads the government after the election and abandons budgetary discipline and does not repay the country's debts," Der Spiegel reported on its website, citing unnamed government sources.

Economic slump in Russia to wield telling impact on Germany companies

Economic slump in Russia poses an increasingly serious threat to the German companies operating in that country, the President of the Association of German Chambers of Commerce and Industry (DIHK), Dr. Volker Treier said in an interview published by Bild am Sonntag newspaper.

The crisis in the Russian economy is putting an increasingly bigger brake on the business operations of German companies in Russia, Dr. Treier said, adding their activities were suffering in the first place from the falling exchange rate of the ruble.

Ukraine president warns of 'step into abyss'

As two of the most tense regions in eastern Ukraine prepare to vote on declaring sovereignty, the country's acting president has warned them against self-destruction.
Ukrainian acting president Oleksandr Turchynov, in comments posted on the presidential website on Saturday, said the pro-Russian supporters of independence for the Donetsk and Luhansk regions "don't understand that this would be a complete destruction of the economy, social programs and general life for the majority of the population".
"This is a step into the abyss for the regions," Turchynov said.

History repeats itself: Russia faces off with Nazis in Ukraine

With ultra-nationalism and anti-Jewish sentiment rife in Western Ukraine, it looks like history is repeating itself, this time with the West trying to pit Ukraine against Russia, just like it did back in the days when Nazism was on the rise in Germany.

In the 1930s, Third Reich was all the rage in Europe and overseas in the United States, with Anglo-American elites pinning their hopes on Hitler who they believed could end the Soviet menace. Russia was reviled and the Nazi Germany was not. In fact, US corporations and banks supported and financed the Nazis, while their officials and businesses respected the Nazi regime. Mackenzie King, the union-busting advisor of the Rockefeller family and tenth prime minister of Canada, even admired Hitler openly, as did Edward VIII, who abdicated from the British throne in favor of his brother.

Ukraine Making sense of sanctions

Visa bans, freezing assets, boycotts: There is no lack of suggestions of how to tone down Russian aggression. But what good would sanctions do? Politicians are growing increasingly skeptical. DW takes a look. 

The European Union has said it is halting visa talks with Russia following an emergency summit of the bloc's leaders where they discussed ways to punish Russia for its recent exploits on the Crimean Peninsula. If Russia continues to reject negotiations, further measures are to be taken, which could entail economic sanctions.

Germany seeks bigger role on global issues

Following years of restraint in foreign policy, Germany seemed to be rethinking its role on international issues, as shown by remarks of its leaders and senior officials on Friday, the first day of the 50th Munich Security Conference.

"Are we doing what we can to stabilize our neighborhood in the east and in Africa? Are we doing what we should to counter the dangers of terrorism? What role do we want to play in crisis in distant parts of the world?" asked President Joachim Gauck at the opening of the three-day conference.

Addressing top decision-makers from around the world, the president said that despite domestic debates that more responsibilities would mean more trouble, Germany should do more to guarantee global security.

German charged over infamous French WWII massacre

An 88-year-old German former soldier was charged Wednesday for his part in the infamous 1944 Oradour-sur-Glane massacre - one of the worst Nazi atrocities to take place on French soil during the Second World War.

The former member of a Nazi armored division was charged with 25 counts of murder for his role in the slaughter, in which 642 men, women and children were killed in reprisal for the French Resistance's kidnapping of a German soldier.

Cologne’s state court said that Werner C, whose last name was not given in accordance with German privacy laws, was also charged with hundreds of counts of accessory to murder in connection with the massacre.

Allemagne: Merkel se résoud à un salaire minimum généralisé. -De 8,50 euros (horaire).....

AFP - La chancelière allemande Angela Merkel a affirmé jeudi que l'Allemagne allait se doter d'un salaire minimum généralisé, une concession faite à ses futurs partenaires de gouvernement sociaux-démocrates.

"Nous allons décider des choses que, au vu de mon programme, je ne considère pas comme justes, parmi elles un salaire minimum généralisé", a dit la chancelière dans un discours à Berlin, évoquant les négociations en cours entre son parti conservateur et les sociaux-démocrates (SPD) pour former un gouvernement.

"Une appréciation réaliste (de la situation) montre que les sociaux-démocrates ne vont pas conclure les négociations sans" un salaire minimum, une de leurs revendications centrales, a-t-elle dit, ne livrant aucun détail sur son niveau ou sa date d'introduction.

German, Turkish press declare war .... Bild carried Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on its cover with the caption “New Dictator”

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Media outlets in Turkey and Germany upped the severity of language of new reporting, amid rising tension between the countries that followed Berlin initiative to halt Turkey’s European Union bid.

The two have been in conflict since German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s statements on the ongoing Gezi Protests, and the daily newspapers of both countries have decided to join in.

German Bild carried Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on its cover with the caption “New Dictator,” depicting Erdoğan with a Hitler-like moustache. The cover was then featured on the front page of Turkish daily Takvim, who itself dubbed Merkel a “Nazi.”

Türkischer Minister droht Merkel mit Konsequenzen/ Οι Τούρκοι έχουν "σαλτάρει" και απειλούν τη Γερμανία....

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Der Streit zwischen Berlin und Ankara um das harte Vorgehen der türkischen Regierung gegen Demonstranten eskaliert. Wegen deutschlandkritischer Äußerungen der Regierung in Ankara wurde am Freitag der türkische Botschafter in Berlin, Hüseyin Avni Karslioglu, ins Auswärtige Amt (AA) einbestellt. Äußerungen zu den EU-Beitrittsverhandlungen seien auf großes Unverständnis gestoßen. "Das geht so nicht", sagte AA-Sprecher Andreas Peschke.

Kurz darauf bestellte das türkische Außenministerium den deutschen Botschafter Eberhard Pohl ein, wie eine Ministeriumssprecherin auf Anfrage bestätigte. Außenminister Ahmet Davutoglu habe bei einem Besuch im ukrainischen Odessa gesagt, Grund seien Aussagen Pohls und aus Deutschland, meldete die Nachrichtenagentur Anadolu. Da Pohl sich nicht in Ankara aufhalte, werde ihn ein anderer Diplomat vertreten.

Deutsche Bahn to Suspend Operations in Corruption-Ridden Countries - Μίζες έδιναν στην Ελλάδα οι γερμανικοί σιδηρόδρομοι....Διεξάγεται εισαγγελική έρευνα στη Φρανκφούρτη....

German railway company Deutsche Bahn, DB, is suspending operations in a number of countries with high levels of corruption. Suddeutsche Zeitung reported on Tuesday that DB was withdrawing from Greece, Algeria, Libya, Rwanda and Thailand due to the corruption risk.
The decision of the German railway giant was explained with findings of the prosecuting authority in Frankfurt that that DB International, a subsidiary of DB, had been paying bribes in a number of countries to secure contracts for consultancy and planning for railway projects.
According to the German daily, DB International paid EUR 315 000 in bribes to Greek officials to secure contracts for the construction of a metro line.

German industry, government planning for resource wars

By Peter Schwarz
20 February 2013

A year ago, leading German industrial companies launched the Resource Alliance (Rohstoffallianz) for the purpose of securing the supply of selected raw materials for its shareholders and corporate members. To achieve this goal, it is calling for the use of military assets.
In an interview with Reuters on Monday, the manager of the Resource Alliance, Dierk Paskert, called for “a strategically oriented foreign economic and security policy” to ensure the supply of raw materials for German business.
Although this policy should be guided by the “objective of free and transparent commodity markets,” Paskert said, “it would be naive to take this for granted in the near future.” Developments had moved in “exactly the opposite direction, unfortunately.” Therefore, Paskert concluded, “we [Germany], together with our partners in the EU and NATO, must take on more responsibility in foreign economic and security matters.”