Germany

AfD lawmakers walk out of Holocaust commemoration

24 Jan 2019; DW: AfD lawmakers in Bavaria's state parliament were sharply criticized for leaving during a speech by Jewish community leader Charlotte Knobloch. The Holocaust survivor had accused the party for downplaying Nazi atrocities.

Lawmakers with Bavaria's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) staged a walkout on Wednesday during a memorial service honoring the victims of the Holocaust.

Pensioner held in Germany for stealing rail tracks for scrap

22 Jan 2019; DW: Some 80 police officers stormed the apartment of a 73-year-old German in the eastern city of Görlitz on Tuesday, after he stole 600 meters of train tracks and sold them for scrap. The pensioner made some 16,000 euros ($18,160) selling the disused track to scrap yards.

Police in Görlitz said that the unusually high number of officers taking part in the operation was due to the man's criminal record, which included a violation of Germany's weapons laws.

US convinced Germany to ban Iran's Mahan Air

22 Jan 2019; DW: US Ambassador Richard Grenell says months of pressure from the United States led Germany to ban Iran's Mahan Air. But German officials say they've cut off the carrier as part of their own security policy.

US Ambassador Richard Grenell is claiming a diplomatic victory after German officials decided to ban the Iranian airline Mahan Air from operating within the country.

Germany to sanction Iranian airline over spying claims

21 Jan 2019; DW: For months now, European countries have called for concrete action against entities linked to Iranian intelligence. Mahan Air reportedly maintains close ties to an elite group of Iran's security services.

The German government has prepared sanctions against Iranian airline Mahan Air in connection to Iran's illegal activities in Europe, including the discovery of a spy working as a translator for the country's armed forces , German media reported on Monday.

Germany deports record number of refugees to other EU states

21 Jan 2019; DW: Most of the asylum-seekers that were deported were sent to Italy. The deportations follow the EU's Dublin III rule, which states that applications must be processed in the first country of arrival.

In 2018, more refugees were transferred from Germany to other EU member states than ever before, according to an Interior Ministry report obtained by German daily Süddeutsche Zeitung. The report was a response to a parliamentary inquiry by the Left Party.

Merkel sees Germany and France as drivers of European unity

20 Jan 2019; DW: German Chancellor Angela Merkel stressed the importance and significance of German-French ties in a video message posted on Saturday.

After centuries of war between the two countries, the friendship that now exists between Berlin and Paris was "anything but self-evident," she said.

Her remarks come just days before she and French President Emmanuel Macron are due to sign a new friendship treaty in the city of Aachen.

Germany, China promise closer trade ties

18 Jan 2019; DW: Beijing and Berlin have signed agreements to boost cooperation in the banking and insurance sectors. A trade spat with the US has left China looking for other trade partners.

China and Germany vowed closed financial cooperation on Friday, affirming initiatives to open their respective markets further to each other's banks and insurers. Berlin stopped short of choosing a side in the US-China trade war, however.

German police raid suspected KKK members' homes

17 Jan 2019; DW: Police conducted raids on several properties throughout Germany thought to be connected to an extremist group that associates itself with the Ku Klux Klan. A total of 17 people are at the center of the investigation.

German police on Wednesday raided 12 apartments in eight different German states belonging to suspected members of an extreme-right group calling itself the National Socialist Knights of the Ku Klux Klan Deutschland.

Merkel says still time to negotiate on Brexit

LONDON (AP) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel says there’s still time for negotiations between the European Union and Britain over its departure from the bloc.

Merkel says that she regretted the decision by British lawmakers to oppose the agreement negotiated by British Prime Minister Theresa May and the EU.

Merkel told reporters in Berlin that “we will of course do everything to find an orderly solution, but we are also prepared if there is no orderly solution.”

Police warn of safety risks as more Germans get gun licenses

16 Jan 2019; DW: More Germans are applying for basic weapons licenses according to the country's Interior Ministry. As of December 31, 2018, some 610,937 citizens had been issued licenses.

The jump of 53,377 gun permits over 2017 represents a 9.6 percent increase in the number of Germans now licensed to carry gas pistols, flare guns, pepper spray and other weapons not intended for deadly use.

Subscribe to Germany