A German pharmaceutical company has issued its first apology for the thalidomide tragedy – 50 years after the morning sickness drug given to pregnant women in the 1950s and the early 1960s caused thousands of babies to be born with severe birth defects. Grunenthal chief executive Harald Stock apologized Friday, saying “we have been silent […]
German Producer of Thalidomide Apologizes
German Carmaker Volkswagen Set To Takeover Porsche
German automaker Volkswagen says it expects to complete a takeover of sports car manufacturer Porsche by the end of the month. Volkswagen AG issued a statement Wednesday, saying Porsche AG will become a fully integrated brand of Volkswagen by August 1. Volkswagen says it will purchase the remaining 50.1 percent of Porsche from its holding […]
Dutch Nazi War Criminal Klaus Faber Dies at 90
The Nazi-hunting Simon Wiesenthal Center said Monday that fugitive Dutch war criminal Klaus Carel Faber has died at age 90. The center said Faber died last week in a hospital the southern German city of Ingolstadt. Faber, a member of the Nazi SS, was sentenced to death in 1947 for murdering more than 20 Dutch […]
Germany’s Merkel Says Election Loss Will Not Affect Austerity Stance
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has acknowledged that her conservative party’s loss in Sunday’s legislative election in the country’s most populous state was a “bitter, painful defeat,” but stressed that it would not affect her tough European austerity policies. Ms. Merkel told a news conference Monday that the defeat in North Rhine-Westphalia state would not weaken […]
Merkel’s Conservatives Trounced in German State Election
German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives suffered an embarrassing loss in Sunday’s legislative election in Germany’s most populous state as she continues pushing for economic austerity in Europe. Preliminary results show the opposition left-wing Social Democrats winning 39 percent of the vote in North Rhine-Westphalia. Ms. Merkel’s Christian Democrats won 26 percent. The Social Democrats will […]
German Court Approves Random Checks Based on Skin Color
A German court has ruled police can conduct random identity checks on train passengers based on skin color as part of efforts to track down illegal immigrants. A court in the western city of Koblenz issued the ruling on Tuesday in response to a complaint filed by a black German rail passenger who was approached […]
Former Rights Activist Joachim Gauck Elected German President
German lawmakers have elected former East German rights activist Joachim Gauck as the country’s new president. Parliament speaker Norbert Lambert said the 72-year-old Gauck received 991 votes out of 1,232 ballots cast during a special assembly of national and regional lawmakers on Sunday. His rival, 73-year-old former Nazi hunter Beate Klarsfeld, received 126 votes. Gauck […]
Convicted Nazi Death Camp Guard John Demjanjuk Dead at 91
Former Nazi death camp guard John Demjanjuk, convicted in Germany last year of helping kill some 28,000 prisoners, died Saturday at the age of 91. Police in the southern German state of Bavaria say the ailing Demjanjuk died in a nursing home in the town of Bad Feilnbach. He had been sentenced last May to […]
Convicted Nazi Death Camp Guard John Demjanjuk Dead at 91
Former Nazi death camp guard John Demjanjuk, convicted in Germany last year of helping kill some 28,000 prisoners, died Saturday at the age of 91. Police in the southern German state of Bavaria say the ailing Demjanjuk died in a nursing home in the town of Bad Feilnbach. He had been sentenced last May to […]
German President Announces Resignation
German President Christian Wulff has resigned amid allegations he accepted favors during his time in a previous political post. The announcement comes a day after prosecutors requested Mr. Wulff’s immunity be lifted so they could investigate whether he abused his position as governor of the state of Lower Saxony. Wulff faces multiple allegations including allowing […]