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2b929befecfef9a28fc479df9261a57c	https://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-berlinwall-trabant-idUSKBN1XJ0F6	Go, Trabi, go: Germans re-enact fall of Berlin Wall with car parade	Go, Trabi, go: Germans re-enact fall of Berlin Wall with car parade By Reuters Staff1 Min Read Slideshow ( 3 images ) BERLIN (Reuters) - Marking the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall and defying the scorn of vehicle snobs around the world, hundreds of Germans on Saturday marked the historic event with a parade of historic Trabant cars at a former border crossing. The revellers symbolically opened a gate at the former crossing between Thuringia and Bavaria, which used to divide East and West Germany, and allowed some 65 cars known affectionately as Trabis and other vehicles manufactured in the Communist-ruled German Democratic Republic to pass through. Earlier, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Chancellor Angela Merkel marked the anniversary by thanking Eastern European neighbors for spurring on the peaceful revolution. The toppling of the wall, which separated the Communist-ruled East from the capitalist West in Berlin for nearly three decades and became a potent symbol of the Cold War, was followed a year later by the reunification of Germany in 1990. Reporting by Michael Nienaber; Editing by James DrummondOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
415866e2bc0499500d6bb8826b2063ae	https://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-bishop-banishment-idUKBRE99M0AL20131023?edition-redirect=uk	Pope banishes Germany's 'luxury bishop' from diocese	Pope banishes Germany's 'luxury bishop' from diocese By Philip Pullella4 Min Read VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis banished a German Roman Catholic prelate known as the “luxury bishop” from his diocese on Wednesday for spending 31 million euros ($43 million) of Church funds on his residence at a time when the pontiff is stressing austerity. But the pontiff stopped short of dismissing him outright, a step which many German Catholics and the media had called for. In a highly unusual move, Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst of Limburg was ordered to leave his diocese while an investigation and audit into cost over-runs is held, a Vatican statement said. The bishop, who met the pope on Monday, “was currently not in a position to carry out his episcopal ministry”. It said he should stay outside his diocese “for a period,” and that it would be administered in his absence by a vicar-general. The issue has proven a major embarrassment for the pope, who has called for a more austere Church that sides with the poor. He has told bishops not to live like princes, and has also promised to clean up the murky finances of the Vatican bank. The German media has dubbed Tebartz-van Elst “the luxury bishop” after an audit of his spending, ordered after a Vatican monitor visited Limburg last month, revealed the residence cost at least 31 million euros - six times more than planned. He has apologized for any “carelessness or misjudgment on my part”, but denies wrongdoing. Slideshow ( 5 images ) Tebartz-van Elst has also been accused by German magistrates of lying under oath about a first-class flight to visit poverty programs in India. German media, citing official documents, said the residence had been fitted with a free-standing bath that cost 15,000 euros, a conference table that cost 25,000 euros and a private chapel for 2.9 million euros. LIMBO The pope’s decision on the fate of Tebartz-van Elst was unusual because it appeared to leave him in limbo, falling somewhere between a suspension and an outright dismissal. This was apparently to buy time for the Vatican and German Church leaders to review the situation in the troubled diocese along with its broader ramifications. Archbishop Robert Zollitsch, head of the German bishops’ conference, said he hoped the decision would herald “a space that will allow a return to inner serenity and create a new basis for dialogue”. Slideshow ( 5 images ) The “luxury bishop” story has deeply embarrassed a Church enjoying an upswing in popularity thanks to Pope Francis’s mass appeal and following years of criticism for hiding sexual abuse cases among clergy. Tebartz-van Elst, 53, is 22 years away from official retirement age in the Church and his saga represents an extraordinary management quandary for the Vatican. Even if he eventually steps down from the diocese of Limburg, he would retain the title and rank of bishop, meaning the Vatican would have to find another post for him somewhere. Last week, while the Vatican and the German Church were in crisis mode over the Limburg case, Tebartz-van Elst was kept waiting for eight days in Rome before the pope received him. The scandal has also put pressure on German bishops for more financial transparency in the entire Church in their country, forcing them to scrap centuries of secrecy over the reporting the value of their private endowments. Alois Glueck, president of the Central Committee of German Catholics, the country’s main lay Catholic group, said in a statement that all German Catholics had a right to “full transparency” about the building costs. Germany’s church tax, collected by the state and handed over to the churches, raised 5.2 billion euros for the Catholics and 4.6 billion euros for Protestants in 2012. According to some media reports in Germany, the Limburg scandal has prompted more Germans to decide to formally leave the Church. Additional reporting by Tom Heneghan and James Mackenzie; Editing by James Mackenzie, Mark Heinrich and Mike Collett-WhiteOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
6b968f919c455e0249962c01931f17d7	https://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-blast-idUSKCN1040Y7	Bavarian bomber pledged allegiance to Islamic State: minister	Bavarian bomber pledged allegiance to Islamic State: minister By Andreas Burger5 Min Read ANSBACH, Germany (Reuters) - The Syrian who blew himself up in southern Germany, wounding 15 people, had pledged allegiance to Islamic State on a video found on his mobile phone, the Bavarian Interior Minister said on Monday. On searching the bomber’s room, Nuremberg police found diesel, hydrochloric acid, alcohol, batteries, paint thinner and pebbles - the same materials used in the bomb - and computer images and film clips linked to the militant group, they said. “A provisional translation by an interpreter shows that he expressly announces, in the name of Allah, and testifying his allegiance to (Islamic State leader) Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi ... an act of revenge against the Germans because they’re getting in the way of Islam,” Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann told a news conference. “I think that after this video there’s no doubt that the attack was a terrorist attack with an Islamist background.” Islamic State claimed responsibility for the bombing, according to Amaq, a news agency that supports Islamic State. Nuremberg police chief Roman Fertinger said the influence of Islamic State could be seen on the bomber’s computer. “There was also a laptop that showed pictures and film sequences that glorify violence and are unequivocally linked to Islamic State,” he told a news conference. Related CoverageIslamic State behind suicide attack outside German music festival: Amaq news agency The attack on Sunday, outside a music festival in Ansbach, a town of 40,000 people southwest of Nuremberg that has a U.S. Army base, was the fourth act of violence by men of Middle Eastern or Asian origin against German civilians in a week. The 27-year-old arrived in Germany two years ago and claimed asylum, a federal interior ministry spokesman said. He had been in trouble with police repeatedly for drug-taking and other offences and had faced deportation to Bulgaria. Fertinger added that police had arrested a suspect who knew the bomber. They were trying to find out if the attacker had help making the bomb and whether it exploded prematurely, which could suggest he wanted to kill as many people as possible. The incident, after three other attacks since July 18 that left 10 people dead and dozens injured, will fuel growing public unease about Chancellor Angela Merkel’s open-door refugee policy. More than a million migrants entered Germany over the past year, many fleeing war in Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq. Federal Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said no decision would be made on changing asylum or immigration rules until investigations into the recent incidents are finished. “Of course I would and will initiate appropriate amendments if they are necessary or if I think they are necessary, but only then,” he said. Slideshow ( 27 images ) Germany’s federal and state security authorities have more than 400 leads on fighters or members of Islamist organizations among refugees in the country, the BKA federal police said. THREE OTHER CASES The suicide bomber had been denied entry to the Ansbach Open music festival shortly before detonating the bomb outside a restaurant, Herrmann said. More than 2,000 people were evacuated from the festival after the explosion, police said. Slideshow ( 27 images ) Ansbach prosecutor Michael Schrotberger said the attacker had suffered episodes of depression. Fertinger, the Nuremberg police chief, said he had made superficial suicide attempts by cutting his arms, resulting in him receiving psychiatric care. Herrmann told Reuters the recent attacks raised serious questions about Germany’s asylum law and security nationwide. He planned to introduce measures at a meeting of Bavaria’s conservative government on Tuesday to strengthen police forces, in part by ensuring they have adequate equipment. It was the second violent incident in Germany on Sunday and the fourth in the past week, including the killing of nine people by a deranged 18-year-old Iranian-German gunman in the Bavarian capital Munich on Friday. Earlier on Sunday, a 21-year-old Syrian refugee was arrested after killing a pregnant woman and wounding two people with a machete in the southwestern city of Reutlingen, near Stuttgart. A week ago a 17-year-old youth who had sought asylum in Germany was shot dead by police after wounding five people with an ax near Wuerzburg, also in Bavaria. He was initially thought to be Afghan but federal Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere has since said he may have been from Pakistan. Police said neither Sunday’s machete attack nor Friday’s shooting in Munich bore any sign of connections with Islamic State or other militant groups. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the Wuerzburg attack as well as the July 14 rampage in the French Riviera city of Nice in which a Tunisian man drove a truck into Bastille Day crowds, killing 84 people. Additional reporting by Reuters TV, Thomas Krumenacker, Andrea Shalal, Joseph Nasr, Michelle Martin, Paul Carrel and Caroline Copley in Berlin, Joern Poltz and Jens Hack in Munich, John Walcott in Washington; Editing by Robin Pomeroy and Hugh LawsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
34670cb78356bc280b0bff309e065624	https://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-brothel/hamburgs-oldest-brothel-shuts-as-business-slows-idUSL1989575720080320	Hamburg's oldest brothel shuts as business slows	Hamburg's oldest brothel shuts as business slows By Carolyn Palmer4 Min Read HAMBURG, Germany (Reuters) - The owner of Hamburg’s oldest brothel, in the heart of Germany’s most famous red light district, has decided to close it down and retire after a sharp fall in business. A prostitute says goodbye to a guest at the infamous brothel 'Hotel Luxor' at the Reeperbahn red-light district in Hamburg March 18, 2008. REUTERS/Christian Charisius “It’s time to go,” owner Waltraud Mehrer told Reuters. “It’s a pity, but business just isn’t what it used to be. We used to have 10 girls working here. Now we only have four.” Mehrer, a glamorous blonde 59-year-old dressed in a dark suit who has been running the port city’s renowned ‘Hotel Luxor’ for 22 years, is selling up to a private investor. She blamed her decision on the changing face of Hamburg’s nightlife in the notorious St. Pauli district and the Reeperbahn, its garish main street which is home to countless bars, strip clubs and discos. “For every shop around here which closes, a disco comes and opens,” she said in an interview, referring to the cheap dance clubs springing up nearby. The clubs have also brought CCTV cameras and police patrols, a deterrent for customers but welcomed by some anti-prostitution groups who worry about the welfare of the women at work. Opened in 1948 by Mehrer’s father-in-law, the Luxor is the only family-run brothel on the Reeperbahn. Mehrer’s son runs a bar in the same building which puts on dance shows. In its heyday in the late 1960s when the booming harbor provided a steady stream of custom and the Beatles played in a club nearby, the Luxor, also known as the Mehrer hotel, enjoyed an international reputation. It was especially popular with Japanese, but also among British and Irish tourists. One prostitute, who declined to be named, recalled how people she met 10 or more years ago while holidaying in Tel Aviv said they knew Hamburg because of Mehrer’s hotel. Slideshow ( 5 images ) DYING OUT “Sailors used to come here often but now the regulars are dying out,” said another, chatting in the brothel’s bar. The women were wearing revealing black skirts and low-cut tops. These days the Luxor looks dated. Its plainly painted exterior and lack of neon lights or lurid pictures make it look drab compared with newer establishments on the strip. The bar and rooms give an impression of comfort rather than seediness, with dark wood paneling on the ceiling, dim red lighting and a retro bar. Mehrer said Internet pornography had contributed to the decline in business, as had the rise of the credit card, as the women prefer to be paid in cash. She also complained about some of the new young prostitutes, many of whom are believed to be victims of human trafficking. “Sure those girls are pretty, but some of them are just 19. They’re mainly foreign women, eastern Europeans, and don’t care about the satisfaction of their customers like we do.” Mehrer refuses to talk to pimps about her workers’ rates of pay and does not let them into the hotel, but she can’t block out the nasty side of the business. “All I can do is let the women walk away with their money. I can’t control what happens to it then. But you still see the men waiting at the entrance,” she sighed. “Most of them say the man is their husband,” she said, shaking her head. Prostitution is a legitimate occupation in Germany and nearly half a million prostitutes are estimated to ply their trade, serving more than 1 million clients a day. Most work in bars, clubs or brothels, while the rest operate as call girls, escorts or on the streets. Around 10 percent are believed to be drug addicts, say welfare groups. Looking around, Mehrer -- who likes to play tennis in her free time -- said she wasn’t sure how she would feel when the Luxor closed down at the end of March. She declined to say what the private investors intended to do with it. “We’ve had some great times,” she said. “But times are changing. Things here just aren’t the same any more. Now we’ve got to come to terms with that.” Reporting by Carolyn Palmer, editing by Tim PearceOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
cc8bee8894bb97afa532094a1fb9479d	https://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-budget-idUSKBN26K1Q9	German finance minister defends record debt to continue fiscal splurge in pandemic	German finance minister defends record debt to continue fiscal splurge in pandemic By Michael Nienaber3 Min Read BERLIN (Reuters) - German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz said on Tuesday he would persist with heavy spending to help Europe’s largest economy recover from the coronavirus pandemic as rescue and stimulus measures push debt to its highest level on record. German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz speaks during a session of the German lower house of parliament Bundestag, in Berlin, Germany, September 29, 2020. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke Speaking to lawmakers to present his draft budget for 2021, he said the government would continue to help companies and consumers by expanding job protection schemes and would keep public investments high. “With the investments of this budget, we’re pushing the door further open for the future of our country,” Scholz said. He defended the draft budget, which envisages net new debt of 96.2 billion euros ($112.45 billion) to finance further measures to tackle the coronavirus crisis. “That’s a lot, a lot of money,” Scholz said, but added that inaction would eventually lead to even higher costs. The additional borrowing marks the second-highest amount of net new debt since the end of World War Two. The government has already taken on record high borrowing of some 218 billion euros this year. The fiscal plans, which include investments in climate protection measures such as a national hydrogen plan, require Germany to suspend its constitutionally enshrined debt limits again in 2021 after parliament abandoned them this year. The overall debt from federal government, regional states, municipalities and social security funds rose to 2.1089 trillion euros in the first half of 2020, the Federal Statistics Office said. That was an increase of 11%, or 210.1 billion euros, compared to the previous six months. The previous record was set in the second half of 2012. “The increase is mainly due to the fact that the public budgets borrowed funds for the purpose of financing measures to overcome the coronavirus crisis,” the office said. From 2022, Germany plans to stick to its debt brake rules again, limiting borrowing to a tiny fraction of gross domestic product. But Berlin is not planning to return to its ultra-prudent fiscal policy of keeping a balanced budget. ($1 = 0.8555 euros) Reporting by Michael Nienaber, Editing by Michelle Adair and Timothy HeritageOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
da5f2f0ee772f96621edb7e6d0475ab1	https://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-bundesbank-gold-idUKKCN0V5252?edition-redirect=uk	In uncertain times, Germany takes more gold home	In uncertain times, Germany takes more gold home By John O’Donnell3 Min Read FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Germany’s Bundesbank took more than 200 tonnes of its gold back to Frankfurt from overseas last year, the central bank said on Wednesday, as it moves toward hoarding half of the world’s second-largest reserve at home. Gold bars are stacked at a safe deposit room of the ProAurum gold house in Munich March 6, 2014. REUTERS/Michael Dalder In the wake of the euro zone crisis, many ordinary Germans want to see more of the 3,381 tonnes of gold in vaults at home and some have even questioned whether it still exists, prompting the Bundesbank to recently publish a long list of gold bars. Just over 40 percent of the reserve, which Germany started building in the post-war boom years, is now held underground at the Bundesbank in Frankfurt, while almost the same amount is stored at the Federal Reserve in the United States. Holding gold reserves abroad is a legacy of the Bretton Woods system of currency management established after World War Two. Much of the precious metal stayed there during the Cold War, when the former Soviet Union occupied eastern Germany. As well as the reserves in the United States another 400 tonnes of German gold are held by the Bank of England. London and New York are centers for gold trading as well as home to two global currencies and - in an emergency - gold stored at those centers could be converted into sterling or dollars. France, Germany’s closest political ally in the euro zone, keeps less than half the amount stored in London and will have none at all by 2020 when half of the overall reserve will be guarded in Germany’s financial center. The impact of the global financial crisis has been mild in Germany compared with other European countries but many Germans are suspicious of the euro project after an economic crisis almost fractured the currency, used by 19 European countries. In uncertain times, gold is considered a safe asset, even though its value has recently fallen. Proof that it is still in safe hands is important for many Germans. The Bundesbank said all gold bars are “thoroughly and exhaustively inspected and verified” on arrival. Germany’s gold holding, which is valued at roughly $130 billion, is the second biggest in the world, after the United States. The German reserve is roughly twice that of China, according to the World Gold Council, an industry body. Reporting by John O’Donnell; Editing by Dominic EvansOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
dc973955d9a163bd0d3a955eadf6a517	https://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-cash-idUSKBN1771DW?il=0	Cash must stay, even in digital age, says German economy minister	Cash must stay, even in digital age, says German economy minister By Reuters Staff2 Min Read Slideshow ( 3 images ) BERLIN (Reuters) - Cash is crucial, Germany’s economy minister said on Wednesday, defending the role of notes and coins in a debate in Europe about the merits of limiting cash payments to counter terrorism. The European Commission is weighing stricter rules on the use of cash to cut terrorists’ funding, and Germany’s finance ministry - led by conservative Wolfgang Schaeuble - has said Berlin could imagine talking about a ceiling of 5,000 euros ($5,331.50). Such a prospect is unwelcome to many Germans, who are renowned for their love of cash. The Bundesbank, Germany’s central bank, said they carry an average of 103 euros on their person. “Cash must remain an important means of payment,” Economy Minister Brigitte Zypries, a Social Democrat, said in a statement. “Even in the era of digitization, it is valid,” she added, echoing a similar message from European Central Bank President Mario Draghi at the launch of a new 50 euro note on Tuesday. Draghi said three-quarters of euro zone payments are made in cash, and that it remains essential for the economy despite the rise of digital payments. The Bundesbank has warned that an upper limit on cash payments could lead to a loss of faith in the euro as a currency. The ECB’s decision last year to phase out the 500-euro banknote irked some at Germany’s central bank, who feared people’s freedom to store their savings in cash was being curtailed. Reporting by Paul Carrel; Editing by Stephen PowellOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
379043e86e378e0a45ae983f09c1b62b	https://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-catholics-abuse/older-pupils-also-abused-students-at-german-catholic-choir-school-report-idUSKBN1GW2ZS	Older pupils also abused students at German Catholic choir school: report	Older pupils also abused students at German Catholic choir school: report By Reuters Staff2 Min Read BERLIN (Reuters) - A German public broadcaster on Tuesday broadened the scope of allegations of decades of abuse at Germany’s most famous Roman Catholic choir school, saying not only teachers but older students were to blame. Last July, an independent report chronicled physical and sexual assaults by teachers against 547 pupils between 1945 and 2015 at the boarding school of the “Regensburger Domspatzen”, or Regensburg Cathedral Sparrows. Citing legal documents and personal accounts, broadcaster Suedwestrundfunk, part of the ARD consortium, reported on Tuesday pupils were also subjected to sexual assaults, ranging from forced masturbation to anal sex, by older students. The school is more than 1,000 years old and was run from 1964 to 1994 by former Pope Benedict’s brother, Georg Ratzinger. One former student, who attended the exclusive boarding school from 1987 to 1992, described abuse by older pupils. “I know it was systematic and usual for older students to victimize younger pupils, not just one at a time, but with several eighth-, ninth-, 10-graders, going after sixth- and seventh-graders,” the former student told the broadcaster. He said the assaults occurred during concert tours and in the school’s dormitories, toilets and showers. The independent report released in July concluded that a total of 547 former pupils had probably been abused, of whom 67 suffered sexual abuse. The broadcaster said there was further evidence of sexual abuse among students in a December 2016 court ruling against a former student, Christian F., who was sentenced to a two-year suspended sentence for sexual abuse, including against two former younger students. Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Andrew RocheOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
8a04739e55f56b02af3dfea0214babd6	https://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-chemicals-espionage-exclusive/exclusive-german-prosecutors-charge-chinese-born-engineer-in-industrial-espionage-case-idUSKCN1NK0UT	Exclusive: German prosecutors charge Chinese-born engineer in industrial espionage case	Exclusive: German prosecutors charge Chinese-born engineer in industrial espionage case By Patricia Weiss, Ludwig Burger6 Min Read COLOGNE, Germany (Reuters) - German prosecutors are pressing criminal charges against a former employee of chemicals maker Lanxess for allegedly stealing trade secrets to set up a Chinese copycat chemical reactor. The headquarters of chemicals maker Lanxess are seen in Cologne, Germany November 15, 2018. REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay The case underscores fears among German officials and executives about industrial espionage in Europe’s largest manufacturing nation. State prosecutors in the city of Cologne, where the company is headquartered, told Reuters they had brought criminal charges in June against a Chinese-born German national based on a complaint filed with police by Lanxess about two years ago. There have been several reports in Germany of manufacturers with operations in China catching local staff doing work for copycat rivals. But the alleged data theft at Lanxess is a rare case in which a suspected leak has been identified at home. German intelligence agency BfV in July warned companies in its annual report that China could resort to intellectual property theft as it aspires to become an exporter of high-tech products, adding that it is hard to distinguish between state and industrial espionage. In the Lanxess case, which has not previously been reported, the 48-year-old engineer was fired when the company discovered the data theft related to a chemical reactor, prosecutors said. A 40-year-old German associate, also of Chinese descent, who allegedly received the trade secrets via email and sought to commercially exploit them in China, is also being prosecuted, they added. If convicted, the two face up to four years in prison. A third accomplice was allegedly also involved but prosecutors have no knowledge of his whereabouts. Lanxess and the prosecutors’ office declined to disclose the names of the accused. Criminal defense lawyer Martin Buecher of Birkenstock Rechtsanwaelte, the Cologne-based law firm that represents both defendants in the criminal case, said their clients would not comment on the accusations. He declined to identify them. Buecher said the case was highly complex and the prosecution was relying on assertions from Lanxess staff. The defense will seek external expert witnesses to be heard to ensure objectivity, he added. Slideshow ( 4 images ) In an online synopsis of an earlier civil lawsuit heard in a Duesseldorf court in February 2017, which two sources said involved the same alleged infringement, the unnamed man denied that the emailed data amounted to trade secrets. The court ruled that he should pay damages of about 180,000 euros. An appellate court lowered the amount to around 167,000 euros, but ruled that the defendant was liable to compensate Lanxess for any future fallout from the infringement. In a statement to Reuters, Lanxess said a group of employees of Chinese origin stole confidential information about a new, innovative product several years ago and tried to exploit it commercially. “The main culprit was a former employee, who abused a position of trust and access to confidential business information,” it said. “Lanxess was able to secure evidence and is holding the perpetrators accountable in court. Lanxess therefore managed to avert damage from the business,” it added. The company declined to provide further details of the case. RARE LEAK AT HOME Lanxess is a 2005 spin-off from German drugs and pesticides maker Bayer. Court filings from the civil lawsuit in Duesseldorf show that the firm accused the defendants of working on a 400 tonne-per-year chemical reactor in China and promoting the copied product globally. Facing mature markets at home, European chemical companies have relied on the booming Chinese economy for much of their growth over the past decade. But strong rivals are emerging there in markets such as farming pesticides, caprolactam for engineering plastics or liquid crystals for flat screens. Lanxess, which makes additives, pesticide ingredients, construction pigments and engineering plastics, derived 28 percent of almost 10 billion euros in sales from Asia last year. The influential German industry group BDI, in a draft China strategy paper seen by Reuters last month, called on firms to consider reducing dependence on the Chinese market despite its outsized importance for many big German companies. According to the prosecutors’ office, the employee gained access to large amounts of sensitive data as he moved up Lanxess’s corporate ladder, and not by deploying sophisticated technology. In a senior technical role at Lanxess since February 2010, he sent Chinese-language emails in 2011 and 2013 to an external associate identified as “Mr U”, attaching information on a Lanxess-designed reactor and detailed instructions on how to operate it, court documents from the civil case show. Within weeks, U replied by email with a proposal for a rival production site in China. In 2016, the employee co-founded unspecified legal entities to produce and export the copied product from China and the business advertised its new capabilities online and in a press release, according to the documents. The copycat company also touted itself as a future supplier to Lanxess’s customers at trade fairs, the prosecutors’ office said. The defendants are not held on remand because personal circumstances suggest a low risk of absconding, it added. A Cologne criminal court has yet to decide if and when the case will begin. According to the prosecutor’s office, the designated court chosen by prosecutors implies a non-suspended prison sentence of up to four years. Cross-border theft of confidential business information carries a prison sentence of up to five years in Germany. Additional reporting by Noah Barkin in Berlin; Editing by Mike Collett-WhiteOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
2d77a0ba31a9044a33bd131add8d9a4e	https://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-china-autos/china-agrees-to-delay-electric-car-quota-by-a-year-source-idUSKBN18T0RN	China agrees to delay electric car quota by a year: source	China agrees to delay electric car quota by a year: source By Andreas Cremer, Ilona Wissenbach2 Min Read BERLIN/RASTATT (Reuters) - China agreed to delay an 8 percent quota for electric and hybrid vehicles by a year until 2019, an auto industry source said on Friday, in a major concession for German carmakers seeking to expand in the world’s largest auto market. In a draft in September, Chinese policymakers proposed that 8 percent of automakers’ sales be battery-electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles by 2018, sparking protests from domestic and international carmakers. After a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin on Thursday, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said a “solution” for implementing the quotas had been found, though he gave no details. As part of a compromise deal, German carmakers who fail to fulfill the quota in the near term will be able to offset penalties by ramping up electric vehicle deliveries at a later date, the industry source said. Daimler Chief Executive Dieter Zetsche said earlier on Friday that China had agreed to adjust the pace of introducing stringent domestic quotas for electric car sales. The concession followed an auto industry lobbying effort before this week’s Germany-China summit. Asked what had been agreed between Germany and China, Zetsche told Reuters: “What we talked about was the timeline, the pace of this transition. I think we reached a result which is satisfactory for everybody.” Zetsche said that he could not give further details given that the Chinese and German participants in the negotiation had also not divulged details of the compromise. Maintaining and extending its current strong position in China is crucial for Germany's auto industry, led by Volkswagen VOWG_p.DE, Daimler and BMW, and its broader economy. Handelsblatt, citing industry sources, said China had agreed to delay the introduction of the rule by a year and allow firms to make up for inadequate electric sales volumes later. Measures were also being investigated to allow German firms to limit their transfer of technology to China, Handelsblatt said. Reporting by Andreas Cremer, Ilona Wissenbach in Stuttgart and Thomas Escritt in Berlin; Writing by Edward Taylor; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Adrian CroftOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
963e0f013e23ff5812e21a59e997d595	https://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-china-industry/german-industry-demands-tougher-eu-line-on-china-idUSKCN1P40NZ	German industry demands tougher line on 'partner and competitor' China	German industry demands tougher line on 'partner and competitor' China By Michael Nienaber4 Min Read BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany’s influential BDI industry association has called on the European Union to adopt a tougher policy toward China and urged companies to reduce their dependence on the Chinese market as concerns mount over price dumping and technology transfer. FILE PHOTO: The new Volkswagen CC is displayed during a media preview of the Auto China 2018 motor show in Beijing, China April 25, 2018. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj/File Photo The tougher tone is the latest sign that policymakers and business managers in Europe are becoming increasingly worried about China as a competitor and its state-driven economic model. In a paper presented on Thursday, the BDI stressed that German firms need China as a market, but sounded the alarm about Beijing’s reluctance to open up access and made 54 demands to Berlin and Brussels to help. “Beijing should in its own interests further open its domestic market and properly implement its long-announced economic reforms,” BDI President Dieter Kempf said. The paper, first reported by Reuters in October, called for the EU to create a stronger economic framework for its own internal market to bind firms from non-market economies to its own liberal economic system. “For the EU, it is more important than ever not only to spell out the importance of its own system and values internally but also to offensively represent them externally,” said the BDI. Among its demands are toughening up EU subsidy rules. Non-European firms that receive state subsidies should not be able to sell their products in the bloc without restrictions. It also called for more EU investment in infrastructure and innovation. As Germany’s main business lobby group, the BDI’s views carry weight and feed into government policy decisions. The Economy Ministry welcomed BDI’s call to make German and European companies more competitive, but it also said that any differences with China must be solved through dialogue. “China and Germany have very close and advantageous trade relations that allow us to address unequal rules of competition for our companies in the respective markets in a continuous dialogue process,” an economy ministry spokeswoman said. “At the same time, we are increasingly looking to better protect and strengthen sensitive German and European business sectors from state-run strategic overseas acquisitions.” Germany last month agreed new rules to lower the threshold for screening and even blocking purchases of stakes in German firms by non-Europeans, in a move to fend off unwanted takeovers by Chinese investors in strategic areas. PARTNER AND COMPETITOR Bilateral trade between Germany and China hit a record 187 billion euros in 2017, almost 30 percent of total EU trade with the Asian giant. Some of the country's biggest companies, including Volkswagen VOWG_p.DE and BMW BMWG.DE, rely heavily on the rapidly-growing market. The BDI paper, entitled “Partner and Systemic Competitor - How to cope with China’s state-driven economic model?”, stresses that China remains an important market. “Nonetheless, it is generally sensible for the German industry to maintain diversified trade relations and make investment decisions,” it said. “Too much dependence on a single market always involves political and economic risks that must be minimized.” However, not everyone agrees that taking a tougher stance against China is the best strategy. Germany’s DIHK Chambers of Industry and Commerce, which estimates that some 900,000 jobs in Germany depend on exports to China, cautioned against more confrontation. “The BDI position paper on China brings another tone into the debate,” DIHK economist Volker Treier said. “But we always have to keep in mind that China is our most important trading partner. So every word should be weighed carefully.” Those close ties were illustrated by Volkswagen’s plan to invest billions of dollars in electric vehicle technology over the next few years, part of a $300 billion surge by global automakers with nearly half of the money targeted at China. “The future of Volkswagen will be decided in the Chinese market,” said Herbert Diess, chief executive of VW, which has decades-old joint ventures with two of China’s largest automakers. Reporting by Michael Nienaber; Additional reporting by Madeline Chambers and Reinhard Becker; Editing by Toby Chopra and Catherine EvansOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
cdd85b7df3a349bd2e94c388f1d67a69	https://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-china/german-official-voices-concern-over-limits-on-foreign-press-in-china-idUSKBN1I80TE	German official voices concern over limits on foreign press in China	German official voices concern over limits on foreign press in China By Reuters Staff4 Min Read BERLIN (Reuters) - A senior German official on Monday expressed concern about limits facing foreign correspondents in China, and urged Beijing to allow state-funded German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle to open an office in Beijing. Foreign Ministry State Secretary Andreas Michaelis underscored the importance of freedom of speech and the press as central rights in the German constitution in remarks at the opening of a one-day German-Chinese journalist dialogue. “We are concerned when we hear reports about obstruction of the work of foreign journalists in China,” Michaelis told two dozen Chinese and Western media representatives, and Guo Weimin, vice minister of China’s Information Office of the State Council. Michaelis noted that Deutsche Welle had tried unsuccessfully for some time to open an office in Beijing. “We believe, that as strategic partners we should use the opportunity to get to know one another better, and to understand each other’s perspectives. In Germany, we can receive China Global Television Network in every hotel, in every household. Why should this not be possible in China for Deutsche Welle?” he said. Michaelis said he welcomed news that German weekly newspaper Die Zeit would soon be re-opening an office in China, and said he hoped that other media would be able to do so as well. The newspaper has not had a correspondent in China for three years. “We may not always have the same opinion, but less dialogue is not the right way to overcome our differences,” the German diplomat said. Peter Limbourg, director general of Deutsche Welle, told Reuters the organization had tried unsuccessfully for years to open an office in China, and the Chinese government also blocked its content from being seen in China. “This exclusion of free expression should not only be seen as an unfriendly act, but is also a sign of the Chinese government’s mistrust of its own people,” he said. Deutsche Welle opened an office in Taipei on the self-ruled island of Taiwan three months ago to better cover the region, a spokesman said. Veteran Chinese journalist Gao Yu, who had worked for Deutsche Welle as a columnist, remains under strict house arrest in China and is barred from publishing after being convicted of leaking state secrets in April 2015. In 2016, several Deutsche Welle journalists were granted entry to China ahead of a summit of the Group of 20 industrialized nations in Hangzhou, China, but were then refused the necessary accreditions for the event. Guo, who spoke at the dialogue after Michaelis, did not address his comments on Deutsche Welle. Guo said media organizations had an important role to play in promoting understanding, combating trade protectionism, and helping expand economic ties. “In a world in which we cooperate more and more, the media are a bridge that ... connects us,” he said, citing several cooperation agreements between German and Chinese media groups. In October Chinese President Xi Jinping told foreign journalists to roam the country and report more, even as five global news organizations found themselves without invitations to cover a speech where Xi introduced his new leadership line-up following a once-in-five-years Communist Party Congress. Reporting by Andrea Shalal; editing by Alison Williams and Richard PullinOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
94a6a5110c0a5d2acc8e5f136bdf023f	https://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-china/germany-creates-elite-networking-club-to-boost-china-ties-idUSKBN1ZD1UB	Germany creates elite networking club to boost China ties	Germany creates elite networking club to boost China ties By Andreas Rinke3 Min Read BERLIN (Reuters) - German politicians and managers have set up an elite networking association to strengthen links to China at a time of tension over Hong Kong and a looming decision on whether to exclude Huawei from Germany’s 5G rollout. FILE PHOTO: Hans-Peter Friedrich arrives for an executive committee meeting of the Christian Social Union (CSU) in Munich February 17, 2014. REUTERS/Lukas Barth The organizers say the “China-Bridge” initiative is modeled on the “Atlantic-Bridge”, a non-profit organization set up in 1952 to boost German-American friendship which has 500 decision-makers in business, politics, science and media as members. China is a crucial business partner for export-oriented Germany. The two traded almost 100 billion euros in goods in the first half of last year. “China will be one of the global powers that shape this century. Germany needs a dialogue led by business, politicians and civil society,” Bavarian conservative politician Hans-Peter Friedrich, who will head the new body, told Reuters. Other members include Andreas Hube, a manager at software company SAP and the head of the Sino German Hi Tech Park Holding in Heidelberg, Mike De Vries. Those involved said the idea was not to tackle everyday political tussles but to create channels for dialogue between citizens and institutions of both countries. Friedrich also made clear the organization would not be uncritical of China. Relations with China have deepened significantly in the 14 years Angela Merkel has been chancellor of Europe’s biggest economy. She visits the country regularly and plans to make China a priority of Germany’s six-month presidency of the European Union in the second half of this year, culminating in an EU-China summit. Violent protests in Hong Kong overshadowed her trip to China in September where she, accompanied by a large business delegation, pressed Beijing to open up its markets. Her coalition will in the next few weeks or months decide on security rules for Germany’s 5G network that could shut out China’s Huawei. The China-Bridge has already been registered as a non-profitable organization and is now seeking financial backing, for example from large companies. Writing by Madeline Chambers; Editing by Angus MacSwanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
5c11dfc7e0e017b44701445d10b1917f	https://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-china/merkel-to-address-reciprocal-market-access-ip-security-in-china-idUSKCN1IK0CP	Merkel to address reciprocal market access, IP security in China	Merkel to address reciprocal market access, IP security in China By Reuters Staff2 Min Read German Chancellor Angela Merkel speaks during a joint news conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin following their meeting in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Russia May 18, 2018. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she would address trade issues such as reciprocal market access and intellectual property protections during her visit to China next week. The four-term German leader said both countries recognized the rules of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and would push for increased multilateralism at a time of rising global concern about protectionist trade measures undermining growth. In a weekly videocast released on Saturday, Merkel said the discussions would also center on important issues such as the rule of law and ensuring equal access to each other’s markets. German companies have complained for years about barriers to the Chinese market, and the theft of intellectual property. Germany’s domestic intelligence agency last year said industrial espionage by China, Russia and others cost German industry billions of euros each year. Merkel’s two-day visit will include talks with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang, a government spokeswoman said on Friday. Merkel travels to China about once a year. Her visit this year comes at a time of sharply increased tensions with the United States over its withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal negotiated by six world powers, including Germany and China. It follows her meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin this week. This time, Merkel will also visit the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, home to several major technology companies, and the cradle of China’s economic opening to the West. “For that reason it is also very interesting for me to visit this dynamic city, where many German companies have their headquarters and production sites,” Merkel said. Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Ros RussellOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
9453f8a51bdf600d0fabf8cd95fc07f0	https://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-coal-eu-idUSKBN2851OT	European Commission approves German hard coal exit tender	European Commission approves German hard coal exit tender By Reuters Staff1 Min Read FRANKFURT (Reuters) - The European Commission on Wednesday green-lit a scheme under which operators of hard coal-fired power plants in Germany will be paid to shut down their stations earlier in the wake of the country’s accelerated exit from the fuel. “Phasing out hard coal-fired power plants contributes in a crucial way to the transformation to a climate-neutral economy, in line with the European Green Deal objectives,” European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said in a statement. Reporting by Christoph Steitz; Editing by Maria SheahanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
91bdbe7147c47bc1126bcca4a9f2016f	https://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-coal/aiming-to-go-green-german-cabinet-backs-coal-exit-by-2038-idUSKBN1ZS13W	Aiming to go green, German cabinet backs coal exit by 2038	Aiming to go green, German cabinet backs coal exit by 2038 By Markus Wacket, Paul Carrel4 Min Read BERLIN (Reuters) - The German cabinet on Wednesday backed plans to exit coal as an energy source by 2038 as part of efforts by Chancellor Angela Merkel’s ruling coalition to protect the climate and restore its green credentials. The government is spurring a shift toward renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power with exits from nuclear power by 2022 and coal-fueled power sources by 2038. “This is not just an exit from coal, it’s an entry into renewable energy,” Environment Minister Svenja Schulze told reporters. Of the coal exit, she said: “We will cut a quarter of all CO2 emissions in Germany - that is a very important sign, internationally too, that Germany is taking its responsibility here.” Caught on the hop when a series of unusually hot summers and the impact of Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg’s Fridays for Future movement caused public opinion to turn, the German government last year introduced a major climate package, which included economy-wide carbon pricing. Germany aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions to 55% of its 1990 level by 2030. Last year, Merkel acknowledged her coalition’s credibility on climate policy had been hurt by abandoning an earlier 2020 emissions cut target. Designed to ensure Germany hits the 2030 target, the coal exit will be accompanied by heavy investments in renewable energy. Slideshow ( 3 images ) Economy Minister Peter Altmaier said last week Germany’s transition to a fossil-fuel free energy mix will be like undergoing “open-heart surgery” as the car, steel and renewable industries will need to work hard to stay competitive. COMPENSATION As part of the plan, the government has agreed to compensate workers, companies and regional governments as it switches off plants by 2038. The government has struck a deal worth more than 40 billion euros ($44 billion) with coal-mining regions. “These regions need us to think about their future too,” said Finance Minister Olaf Scholz, adding that the 40 billion euro package would “ensure the structural change succeeds”. A draft law approved by the cabinet to phase out hard coal-fired power stations envisages maximum phase-out compensation of 165,000 euros per megawatt in 2020, falling to 155,000 euros in 2021 and 2022. Slideshow ( 3 images ) The maximum sum would drop by about 25% annually thereafter before reaching 49,000 euros in 2026. There will be no further compensation after 2026. Once the heartland of German industry, the coal regions of North Rhine-Westphalia have fallen on hard times as traditional heavy industries have lost sway, while coal regions in the east have yet to fully shrug off the impact of four decades in Communist East Germany. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has sought to win votes in eastern Germany from the coal exit with a simple message: jobs are more important than the environment. The oldest, dirtiest plants, some dating back to the 1950s, will go first. As well as phasing out hard coal power stations, the government also plans to exit brown coal, or lignite, of which Germany is the world’s largest producer. Brown coal generates about 19% of the country’s electricity, but is considered the most polluting type of coal, partly because its low energy density means more must be burned. ($1 = 0.9014 euros) Reporting by Markus Wacket; Writing by Paul Carrel; Editing by Thomas Seythal, Michelle Martin and David EvansOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
d77653b040e1c2fe09611596c1528ed5	https://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-crash/f16-warplane-crashes-over-western-germany-swr-idUSKBN1WN1L6?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews	U.S. F-16 crashes over western Germany, but no injuries	U.S. F-16 crashes over western Germany, but no injuries By Tassilo Hummel1 Min Read BERLIN (Reuters) - An F-16 warplane belonging to the United States Air Force crashed over uninhabited territory in western Germany on Tuesday but the pilot escaped with minor injuries after ejecting, officials said. Public broadcaster SWR reported earlier that the crash had happened near the city of Trier, not far from Rammstein, a major U.S. air base in Germany. A U.S. air force spokeswoman said the jet had crashed at around 1500 local time (1300 GMT) during a routine training flight and that there had been no casualties. Reporting by Tassilo Hummel and Riham Alkousaa, writing by Thomas Escritt, Editing by Catherine EvansOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
5ae7b1576ef383e563883caa52155794	https://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-crash/small-plane-crashes-into-crowd-in-germany-several-people-killed-idUSKCN1MO0MM?il=0	Small plane crashes into crowd in Germany, several people killed	Small plane crashes into crowd in Germany, several people killed By Reuters Staff1 Min Read BERLIN (Reuters) - Several people died when a Cessna plane crashed into a crowd in the western German state of Hesse on Sunday, police said. Several more people were injured in the incident that happened around 3:45 p.m. (1345 GMT) in the Rhoen region near the town of Fulda, police said. Local media reported that the pilot lost control of the aircraft when trying to land at Wasserkuppe. It appeared that something went wrong during the procedure so the pilot tried to take off again but the Cessna did not pick up, broke through a barrier and rolled into a waiting crowd, Osthessen News reported. According to a Bild newspaper report, three people were fatally injured. Reporting by Michael Nienaber; Editing by Robin Pomeroy and Emelia Sithole-MatariseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
6eee03ec7cb0c67c86999b2e6b374bbf	https://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-crime-munich-idUSKCN1021YZ?il=0	Munich gunman fixated on mass killing, had no Islamist ties	Munich gunman fixated on mass killing, had no Islamist ties By Joern Poltz, Karin Strohecker6 Min Read MUNICH (Reuters) - A German-Iranian teenager who shot dead nine people in Munich was a deranged lone gunman obsessed with mass killings who drew no inspiration from Islamist militancy, police said on Saturday. The 18-year-old, born and raised locally, opened fire near a busy shopping mall on Friday evening, triggering a lockdown in the Bavarian state capital. Seven of his victims were themselves teenagers, who police said he may have lured to their deaths via a hacked Facebook account on what was the fifth anniversary of twin attacks by Norwegian mass murderer Anders Breivik that killed 77 people. The Munich shooting, in which a further 27 people were wounded, some seriously, was the third act of violence against civilians in Western Europe - and the second in southern Germany - in eight days. Bavarian state crime office president Robert Heimberger said the gunman, who German media named as Ali David Sonboly, was carrying more than 300 bullets in his backpack and pistol when he shot himself. Munich police witnessed the suicide at 8:30 p.m. local time (1830 GMT), the police force said on Saturday. Following a police search of the attacker’s room, where a book on teenage shooting sprees was discovered, Munich police chief Hubertus Andrae all but ruled out an Islamist militant link to the attack. “Based on the searches, there are no indications whatsoever that there is a connection to Islamic State” or to the issue of refugees, he told a news conference. “Documents on shooting sprees were found, so the perpetrator obviously researched this subject intensively.” Related CoverageFactbox: Germany's stringent gun ownership rulesGerman officials urge close look at gun laws in wake of shooting The gunman was born and brought up in the Munich area and had spent time in psychiatric care, and there was no evidence to suggest he had had an accomplice, Andrae said. Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said it was also too early to associate the Munich shootings with Breivik, who in 2011 shot dead 69 attendees at a youth summer camp hours after murdering eight others by detonating a van bomb in Oslo. But he told German public television the government would look carefully at its security measures once the investigation was completed to see if any changes were needed. De Maiziere said a unit of federal police had been readied on Friday given initial indications of a possible large militant attack, but in the end it was not used. FAST-FOOD INVITE? Robert Heimberger, president of the Bavarian state criminal agency, told the news conference police were investigating findings suggesting the Munich gunman invited people to a fast food restaurant at the mall via the Facebook account. “(He) said he would treat them to what they wanted as long as it wasn’t too expensive - that was the invitation,” Heimberger said. He added that this still needed to be verified, but there were many clues suggesting the attacker had set up the invitation and sent it or posted it online. Turkey’s foreign minister said three Turkish citizens were among nine people killed in the Munich attack while Greece’s foreign ministry said one Greek was among the dead. According to foreign media reports, there were also three Kosovo Albanian victims. Slideshow ( 16 images ) Chancellor Angela Merkel said she was “mourning with a heavy heart” for those killed, and that the security services would do everything to ensure the public was safe. Bavarian Premier Horst Seehofer said the killings - together with an axe attack by a 17-year-old asylum-seeker that injured five people in Wuerzburg, also in Bavaria, on Monday - should not be allowed to undermine democratic freedoms. “For the second time in a few days we’ve been shaken by an incomprehensible bloodbath ... Uncertainty and fear must not be allowed to gain the upper hand,” a visibly distressed Seehofer told reporters. Both the Wuerzburg attack, and the Bastille Day rampage by a truck driver in Nice, France that killed 84 people on July 14, were claimed by Islamic State militants. Slideshow ( 16 images ) ‘WHY KIDS KILL’ The Munich gunman, whose father a neighbor said had worked as a taxi driver, had no criminal record but had been a victim of theft in 2010 and assault in 2012, police said. De Maiziere said there were indications the killer had been bullied “by others his age”. He also cited concerns about the role violent video games may have played in the crime. Police commandos, with night vision equipment and dogs, raided an apartment in the Munich neighborhood of Maxvorstadt early on Saturday, where a neighbor told Reuters the gunman had lived with his parents for about four years. In the killer’s room, police found a German translation of a book entitled “Why Kids Kill - Inside the Minds of School Shooters”. Asked if the gunman had deliberately targeted young people, Munich police chief Andrae said that theory could be neither confirmed or ruled out. Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann said there were several signs he had been suffering from “not insignificant psychological troubles.” Three of his victims were 14 years old, two were 15, one was 17 and one 19. The others were 20 and 45, the police chief said. Police will also have to find out how the 18-year-old obtained the firearm in a country whose gun control system is described by the U.S. Library of Congress as being “among the most stringent in Europe”. “The investigation is still trying to determine where it came from,” Heimberger said, adding that the assailant was not the registered owner of the gun. “I am shocked. What happened to the boy? Only God knows what happened,” Telfije Dalipi, a 40-year-old Macedonian neighbor, told Reuters. “... I have no idea if he did anything bad elsewhere.” Additional reporting by Michelle Martin, Erik Kirschbaum and Joseph Nasr in Berlin, Fatos Bytyci in Kosovo; writing by John Stonestreet; editing by Mark Heinrich and Adrian CroftOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
b89554846df6ca757d0e065fc3cbebac	https://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-crime/iraqi-migrant-suspected-in-rape-and-murder-of-german-girl-idUSKCN1J3273	Iraqi migrant suspected in rape and murder of German girl	Iraqi migrant suspected in rape and murder of German girl By Reuters Staff4 Min Read WIESBADEN, Germany (Reuters) - German officials on Thursday said an Iraqi man suspected of raping and killing a 14-year-old girl had likely fled the country and returned to Iraq. The case has deeply upset Germans and has led to calls from politicians for an overhaul to rules on asylum to make it easier to deport immigrants thought to be violent. The victim, Susanna Feldman, was Jewish, although police said there was no evidence her religion was a factor in the crime, and the Central Council of Jews in Germany cautioned against attributing any anti-Semitic motive to her attacker. The suspected involvement of an asylum seeker could add to a backlash against Chancellor Angela Merkel’s decision to open the door to more than a million migrants in 2015. The teenager, from the city of Mainz near Frankfurt, was reported missing on May 22. She was found dead on Wednesday in a wooded area near train tracks in Wiesbaden on the opposite bank of the Rhine, near a refugee center where the suspected attacker lived, according to police. An autopsy showed she had been the victim of a sexual and violent attack. Police said they were looking for 20-year-old Ali Bashar, who they believe fled to Erbil, Iraq, with his family days ago. They said they had set up a special call center for tips from the public, and issued releases in Arabic and Turkish. The girl was last seen alive at the refugee center, broadcaster ARD reported. ARD said Bashar was known to police because he had become violent with officials over his asylum status, and had previously been suspected in the rape of an 11-year-old girl at the refugee home, although an investigation was inconclusive. A second man, a 35-year-old Turkish citizen who was not identified, was detained on Thursday but released after new evidence emerged that exonerated him, police said. Politicians from across the political spectrum called for a comprehensive investigation, including into how it was possible for the Iraqi man to flee Germany with his parents and siblings under what police said were false names. Eckhardt Rehberg, a conservative member of parliament, said funds were needed to reform the entire asylum process. “The deportation possibilities must be simplified now,” he said. Although police were careful to say there was no evidence of any anti-Semitic motive, memories of the Nazi Holocaust make violence against Jewish victims in Germany especially sensitive. The Central Council of Jews in Germany said: “Many of the details of the case are still unclear. We expect a rapid and comprehensive investigation from the prosecutorial authorities, and hard consequences for the perpetrator or perpetrators.” The Council has warned in recent months about an increase in anti-Semitic incidents, and the German government has created a new post to fight anti-Semitism. Some German Jews have expressed concern about a perceived rise in anti-Jewish prejudice with the influx of mainly Muslim migrants, although German police blame most anti-Semitic incidents on followers of the German far-right. Reporting by Reuters TV; writing by Andrea Shalal and Michele Sani; editing by Andrew RocheOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
63edbbdebe2ac6fc85c295d404c11f8a	https://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-crime/man-pushes-boy-in-front-of-train-in-germany-killing-him-idUSKCN1UO1E4?il=0	Man pushes boy in front of train in Germany, killing him	Man pushes boy in front of train in Germany, killing him By Reuters Staff2 Min Read Slideshow ( 3 images ) FRANKFURT (Reuters) - A 40-year-old Eritrean man killed an eight-year-old boy on Monday by pushing him in front of an oncoming train at Frankfurt’s main train station in Germany, police said. The man also pushed the boy’s mother but she survived. Police were unaware of any connection between the man and the victims and his motive was unclear, a police spokeswoman said. “According to witness reports, a 40-year-old man pushed the boy and his mother onto the track just as the ICE (high-speed train) was arriving. The mother, thank God, was able to save herself,” the spokeswoman, Isabell Neumann, told reporters. “Unfortunately, the eight-year-old boy was run over by the ICE. He suffered fatal injuries,” she added. “The man concerned ... fled the station after the crime. Passers-by took up the chase and the man was detained near the station.” Neumann said the suspect was being questioned. The boy’s mother was taken to hospital and would also be questioned. Frankfurt police said on Twitter the suspected perpetrator was an Eritrean citizen. Several platforms at Frankfurt station, a major rail hub in Germany, were closed after the incident. The police spokeswoman said the man tried to push a third person onto the track but the woman managed to defend herself. Interior Minister Horst Seehofer strongly condemned the “horrific act” and warned against jumping to any conclusions as police were still investigating. Seehofer said he would cut short his holidays to discuss the security situation with senior officials on Tuesday and inform the public afterwards. Writing by Paul Carrel, editing by Larry King, William MacleanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
5f4d5f6b07bf1ac6c365c1038be5064e	https://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-culture-idUSKBN14V1SJ	Germans cheer new landmark as Hamburg concert hall opens	Germans cheer new landmark as Hamburg concert hall opens By Reuters Staff3 Min Read BERLIN (Reuters) - Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie concert hall opens on Wednesday, delivering one of Germany’s most prestigious 21st century cultural projects - albeit some seven years late and busting its budget. Slideshow ( 20 images ) The new landmark, with a red-brick base and glass structure on top, curved windows and a roof that resembles the crest of a wave, is built on a 1960s warehouse that stored tea, tobacco and cocoa. Overlooking Hamburg harbor, it evokes a ship floating on water and is part of a development that uses old warehouses to create residential and office space in Germany’s biggest port. Chancellor Angela Merkel, a regular at the annual Wagner festival in Bayreuth, and President Joachim Gauck will attend the inauguration on Wednesday evening. The program includes works by Beethoven, Cavalieri and Wagner. Music-lovers are keen to judge the acclaimed acoustics in the main hall which has 2,100 seats and where no member of the audience is more than 30 meters (yards) from the conductor. The Hanseatic trading port of Hamburg, now a media hub with chic shopping arcades as well as its red light district around the Reeperbahn, hopes the hall will help draw tourists to Germany’s second-biggest city. “The construction of the Elbphilharmonie is an invitation to the world to come to Hamburg to visit this extraordinary building and experience the power of music,” said Hamburg Mayor Olaf Scholz. Architects Herzog & de Meuron have called the Elbphilharmonie a city in itself, with restaurants, a hotel and a 37 meter-high plaza between the brick and glass layers open to the public, offering a panorama of the city. The cost to the city was put at about 75 million euros ($80 million) back in 2003 but has ballooned to some 790 million euros due in part to delays and legal disputes. It had been due to open in 2009. The opening has come as a relief to Germans whose reputation for efficiency has been dented by delays on infrastructure projects, most notably Berlin’s new airport. German media have praised the Elbphilharmonie’s ambition to perform a range of music, from traditional symphony concerts and operas to modern improvisations and electro music. “In post-war Germany, culture was something like spiritual self-defense against a dark past and a murky present. That has changed. Today it is rather a confirmation that times are better,” wrote the Sueddeutsche Zeitung in an editorial. ($1 = 0.9517 euros) Reporting by Madeline Chambers; Editing by Ruth PitchfordOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
70de69efc8491add9b98285fa29b1431	https://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-cyber-idUSKBN1A61RM	Half of German companies hit by sabotage, spying in last two years, BSI says	Half of German companies hit by sabotage, spying in last two years, BSI says By Reuters Staff3 Min Read BERLIN (Reuters) - More than half the companies in Germany have been hit by spying, sabotage or data theft in the last two years, the German IT industry association Bitkom said on Friday, and estimated the attacks caused around 55 billion euros’ worth of damage a year. FILE PHOTO: A man types on a computer keyboard in front of the displayed cyber code in this illustration picture taken on March 1, 2017. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel/Illustration/File Photo Several high-profile attacks have occurred recently, such as the WannaCry ransomware attacks in May and a virus dubbed “NotPetya” that halted production at some companies for more than a week. Others lost millions of euros to organized crime in a scam called “CEO Fraud”. Some 53 percent of companies in Germany have been victims of industrial espionage, sabotage or data theft in the last two years, Bitkom found - up from 51 percent in a 2015 study. At the same time, the damage caused rose by 8 percent to around 55 billion euros a year, the survey of 1,069 managers and people responsible for security in various sectors found. Arne Schoenbohm, president of Germany’s BSI federal cyber agency, said many big companies and especially those operating critical infrastructure were generally well-prepared for cyber attacks. But many smaller and medium-sized companies did not take the threat seriously enough, he said. “The high number of companies affected clearly shows that we still have work to do on cyber security in Germany,” he said in a statement on Friday. The BSI urged companies in Europe’s largest economy to make information security a top priority and said all companies need to report serious IT security incidents, even if anonymously. Schoenbohm told Reuters in an interview that hardware and software makers should do their part to shore up cyber security and patch weaknesses in software more quickly once identified. “There’s still a lot of work to be done,” he said. “We have to be careful that we don’t focus solely on industry and computer users, but also look at the producers and quality management.” Some 62 percent of companies affected found those behind the attacks were either current or former employees. Forty-one percent blamed competitors, customers, suppliers or service providers for the attacks, Bitkom said. Foreign intelligence agencies were found to be responsible in 3 percent of the cases, it said. Twenty-one percent believed hobby hackers were responsible while 7 percent attributed attacks to organized crime. Reporting by Michelle Martin, Andrea Shalal and Thorsten Severin; Editing by Larry King and Hugh LawsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
373ef1c693a0dc8d4c3bf2a59de144e9	https://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-cyber/germany-may-need-constitutional-change-to-allow-it-to-strike-back-at-hackers-idUSKBN1DR1J7	Germany may need constitutional change to allow it to strike back at hackers	Germany may need constitutional change to allow it to strike back at hackers By Andrea Shalal3 Min Read BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany may need to change its constitution to allow it to strike back at hackers who target private computer networks and it hopes to complete any legal reforms next year, a top Interior Ministry official said on Monday. A hand is silhouetted in front of a computer screen in this picture illustration taken in Berlin May 21, 2013. REUTERS/Pawel Kopczynski The plan could include disarming servers used in attacks and reflects growing concern about the frequency and intensity of such attacks. Industry is also raising pressure on government to respond to the barrage, which ultimately could hurt Europe’s leading economy. State Secretary Klaus Vitt told Reuters the government believed “significant legal changes would be needed” to allow such “hack back” actions. “A constitutional change may be needed since this is such a critical issue,” Vitt said on the sidelines of a cyber conference organized by the Handelsblatt newspaper. “The goal is to get it done by the end of next year at the latest.” Vitt said much would depend on the outcome of coalition talks in Germany of which cyber capabilities formed a part. Experts say it may be easier to enact the legal changes under a right-center-left coalition, which has ruled for the past four years, than under a three-way coalition with smaller parties that Chancellor Angela Merkel initially tried to forge. Top German intelligence officials told parliament last month they needed greater legal authority to strike back in the event of cyber attacks from foreign powers. Vitt told the conference that changing threats and new modes of attack required different responses from government agencies including more “offensive” capabilities. “We must assume that purely preventative measures will not be sufficient to counter future attacks,” Vitt said. He said no one would question the need for police to enter a house and disarm a sniper shooting at innocent people. “But what about servers that are used to launch cyber attacks that paralyze the IT (information technology) of hospitals or utilities, affecting hundreds of thousands of people?” Andreas Jambor, chief information security officer for RWE Generation SE, a unit of German energy giant RWE RWEG.DE, welcomed the moves. “There’s a war underway on the internet .... We want things to be sorted out,” Jambor said. “Other countries are doing it and we should do it here as well.” Andreas Ebert, head of security for German carmaker Volkswagen VOWG_p.DE said any offensive action should be taken by the government. Arne Schoenbohm, president of Germany’s BSI federal cyber protection agency, declined to give details about the legal concepts being developed. He said the need to target servers would likely make up just “0.01 percent of all cases.” Editing by Matthew Mpoke BiggOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
8af30e61afdee1556c60a3d0388db6b3	https://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-ecb-economy/ecbs-weidmann-sees-no-need-for-economic-stimulus-newspaper-idUSKCN1VE0FH	ECB's Weidmann sees no need for economic stimulus: newspaper	ECB's Weidmann sees no need for economic stimulus: newspaper By Reuters Staff3 Min Read FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Germany’s economy has weakened but it is too early for major economic stimulus from the government or the European Central Bank, Bundesbank President and ECB policymaker Jens Weidmann was quoted as saying on Saturday. FILE PHOTO: Germany's Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann delivers a speech in Berlin, Germany, August 23, 2018. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke In his first major interview since being passed over for the ECB’s top job, Weidmann signaled his opposition to more monetary easing and, in particular, new purchases of government bonds by the central bank. “The current outlook is particularly uncertain,” he told German weekly Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung (FAS) in an interview. “But we shouldn’t surrender to pessimism or activism.” He added “automatic stabilizers”, such as unemployment benefits, should be the first measures in case of further economic weakness and, while the German government had fiscal space, he saw no need for a large-scale program. The ECB is studying a new stimulus package which is widely expected to include a rate cut, a restart of its bond-buying program and a pledge to keep the money taps open for a long time to come. Weidmann, a policy hawk who in the past criticized the ECB’s easy-money policy under Mario Draghi and was long tipped to replace him, said rate-setters shouldn’t be afraid of disappointing investors expecting more largesse. “The question is whether new measures are necessary based on our inflation outlook, particularly if side effects grow and effectiveness diminishes,” Weidmann said. “You know that I am particularly cautious about government bond purchases.” But, in a possible concession, he added interest rates had yet to fall so low as to do more harm than good to the economy and acknowledged banks’ calls for a tiered rate on deposits giving them respite from an ECB penalty charge. “Banks are affected by the low interest rate environment and tiering would provide relief,” Weidmann said. “Therefore their demands are understandable.” He reaffirmed, however, his fears that more purchases of government bonds would jeopardize the ECB’s independence and his opposition to relaxing the constraints on such programs. “We have some room for maneuver within existing limits,” Weidmann said. Departing from the diplomatic tone he held during the ECB’s presidential race, Weidmann directly contradicted Draghi’s assertion that the ECB’s target for an inflation rate “below, but close to, 2%” was symmetric. This would mean any deviation above or below that level was equally undesirable. “Regarding our definition of price stability, the current formulation of the target is not symmetric in my view,” Weidmann said. Signaling his opposition to an imminent change of that goal, Weidmann said any review of the ECB’s policy strategy should take place under the new President, Christine Lagarde, who is due to take office on Nov. 1. Reporting by Christoph Steitz; Writing by Francesco Canepa, editing by Jason Neely and Ros RussellOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
f53c92847522cd297b64c2d7502c2993	https://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-economy-dihk/german-economy-to-grow-by-0-9-percent-in-2019-outlook-clouded-dihk-idUKKCN1PW0UH?edition-redirect=uk	German economy to grow by 0.9 percent in 2019, outlook clouded: DIHK	German economy to grow by 0.9 percent in 2019, outlook clouded: DIHK By Reuters Staff1 Min Read Export cars are loaded on a RoRo ship of Italian Grimaldi Group at a terminal in the port of Hamburg, Germany August 1, 2018. REUTERS/Fabian Bimmer BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany’s DIHK Chambers of Industry and Commerce on Thursday slashed its 2019 growth forecast for the German economy to 0.9 percent from 1.7 percent, pointing to growing headwinds from abroad for Europe’s biggest economy. “Companies’ outlook is getting clouded. Business expectations have significantly deteriorated in all economic sectors,” DIHK said in its latest business survey. “Global trade conflicts are slowing business development, especially in the industrial sector,” the DIHK said, adding that business morale in domestically driven sectors such as construction and services remained relatively high. The DIHK’s survey of around 27,000 managers - the biggest of its kind in Germany - found that business morale worsened in terms of current conditions and outlook. Asked about the biggest threat for future business, most companies pointed to a shortage of skilled labor. Reporting by Michael Nienaber; Editing by Michelle MartinOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
3b9f11e993d936494625174d799225f5	https://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-economy-gdp/german-economy-shrinks-by-record-10-1-in-second-quarter-idUSKCN24V17Y	German economy shrinks at record pace in 'recession of a century'	German economy shrinks at record pace in 'recession of a century' By Michael Nienaber4 Min Read BERLIN (Reuters) - The German economy contracted at its steepest rate on record in the second quarter as consumer spending, company investment and exports all collapsed during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, wiping out nearly 10 years of growth. The Federal Statistics Office said gross domestic output in Europe’s largest economy shrank by 10.1% quarter-on-quarter from April to June after a revised 2.0% contraction in the first three months of the year. The plunge was the steepest since the office began collecting quarterly growth data in 1970 and was worse than the 9% contraction predicted by economists in a Reuters poll. Adjusted for inflation, seasonal and calendar effects, it erased almost a decade of growth, the statistics office said. “Now it’s official, it’s the recession of a century,” said DekaBank economist Andreas Scheuerle. “What has so far been impossible to achieve with stock market crashes or oil price shocks was achieved by a 160 nanometre tiny creature named coronavirus.” In a further sign of economic weakness, annual inflation came to a standstill in July as consumer prices posted their weakest reading in more than four years, separate data from the statistics office showed. On the year, gross domestic product declined by 11.7% from April to June, seasonally adjusted figures showed. Analysts polled by Reuters had expected a 11.3% contraction. Both exports and imports of goods and services collapsed in the second quarter, as did household spending and investment in equipment, the office said. But state spending increased. Commerzbank chief economist Joerg Kraemer said the recovery already started at the end of April, meaning that a strong increase in output was on the cards for the third quarter. FILE PHOTO: People are seen at the Rhein Center shopping mall after the re-opening of the borders, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Weil am Rhein, Germany June 15, 2020. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann/File Photo “However, this does not change the fact that it will take the German economy a long time to return to its pre-crisis level,” Kraemer added. Graphic: German economy posts record plunge in Q2 - UNEXPECTED FALL IN UNEMPLOYMENT In a rare ray of light for the economic outlook, unemployment unexpectedly declined in July in seasonally adjusted terms, data from the Labour Office showed. The number of people out of work fell by 18,000 to 2.923 million people, and the joblessness rate remained at 6.4%. “The job market is still under pressure due to the coronavirus pandemic, even though the German economy is on a recovery course,” Daniel Terzenbach from the Labour Office said. He added that the massive use of short-time work had helped to prevent higher unemployment and job losses. Short-time work is a form of state aid designed to encourage companies to keep employees on the payroll during a downturn. It allows employers to switch employees to shorter working hours and is intended to stop shocks such as the coronavirus crisis from leading to mass unemployment. The data boosted hopes that the labour market could get out of the crisis with no more than a black eye, which could support household spending. The government hopes its stimulus package, worth more than 130 billion euro ($153 billion) including a temporary VAT cut to boost domestic demand, will help the economy return to growth. Overall, the government expects the economy to shrink by 6.3% this year and rebound with an expansion of 5.2% in 2021. This means that the economy is unlikely to reach its pre-crisis level before 2022. ($1 = 0.8516 euros) Editing by Michelle Martin and Nick TattersallOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
5efaf433a636f514268293b86cc71adb	https://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-economy-ifo-economist/german-economy-could-shrink-by-5-20-this-year-ifo-economist-idINKBN21C180	German economy could shrink by 5-20% this year: Ifo economist	German economy could shrink by 5-20% this year: Ifo economist By Reuters Staff1 Min Read BERLIN (Reuters) - The German economy could contract by between 5% and 20% this year depending on the length of the shutdown caused by the coronavirus outbreak, Ifo economist Klaus Wohlrabe told Reuters on Wednesday. He said he expected there to be a severe recession in Europe’s largest economy that would last for at least two quarters. Reporting by Rene Wagner; Writing by Michelle Martin; Editing by Scot W. StevensonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
d5925e0b59cdccf66f820847eb32a10e	https://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-economy-ifo/german-business-morale-declines-in-jan-as-economy-suffers-downturn-ifo-idUSKCN1PJ0UC	Brexit, trade disputes put German economy on downturn slope: Ifo	Brexit, trade disputes put German economy on downturn slope: Ifo By Joseph Nasr, Rene Wagner3 Min Read BERLIN (Reuters) - German business morale fell for the fifth consecutive month in January, a survey showed on Friday, signaling a downturn in Europe’s largest economy where company executives have become pessimistic about future business for the first time since 2012. The decline in morale stems from weaker demand for German goods and services in China, the euro zone and emerging markets, from transatlantic trade tensions and also growing uncertainty linked to Britain’s looming departure from the European Union. “Disquiet is growing among German businesses,” said Clemens Fuest, president of the Munich-based Ifo economic institute. “The German economy is experiencing a downturn.” Ifo said its business climate index fell to 99.1, the lowest level since February 2016. The German economy grew at a slower pace last year than in 2017 and sources told Reuters on Friday that the government had cut its growth forecast for this year to 1.0 percent from 1.8 percent. Related CoverageBrexit, U.S. government shutdown weighing on business morale in Germany: Ifo “The increasing danger of a hard Brexit has proved to be a mood-killer,” Bankhaus Lampe economist Alexander Krueger wrote in a note. “This is mainly a reflection of falling expectations, which is not surprising given it is also the result of global trade disputes.” Krueger added that the economy, which is expected to gain impetus from private consumption and increased state spending, was still a long way from experiencing a recession. ‘ONE BLACK EYE’ But the downturn will continue in the coming months and any improvement will largely hinge on the outcome of Brexit and the easing of trade tensions between the United States and China, both key markets for German exporters. The manufacturing sector started showing signs of weakness last year as the trade tensions between the United States and China escalated. The downward trend in the sector appears to be dragging down the whole economy. The German economy has also suffered from homemade factors such as stricter emission standards that created bottlenecks in new car registrations and low rainfall that hampered fuel deliveries that rely on water channels in Germany. ING Diba economist Carsten Brzeski said that an economic recovery in Germany largely depends on the outcome of Brexit and whether trade tensions dissipate. “In this regard, Brexit is probably the single most threatening risk as a ‘no-deal’ Brexit would come at the most inconvenient time for the economy, namely exactly when it should be about to rebound,” he added. Britain, the world’s fifth biggest economy and the second largest in the EU, is due to leave the EU on March 29 but its deeply divided parliament has yet to agree on the terms of its exit, raising the risk of a disruptive no-deal Brexit. “All in all, we still think that the German economy could get away with one black eye. However, the shield that stronger domestic demand can offer against external risks will be put to a severe test in the coming months,” said Brzeski. Writing by Joseph Nasr; Additional reporting by Michael Nienaber in Berlin and Joern Poltz in Munich; Editing by Gareth JonesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
018f03b8ec00ab666384cb114ee6dc6a	https://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-economy-ifo/german-business-morale-rises-thanks-to-robust-industry-idUSKBN2AM0QQ?il=0	Germany 'looking towards recovery' as industry drives up business morale	Germany 'looking towards recovery' as industry drives up business morale By Paul Carrel, Rene Wagner3 Min Read BERLIN (Reuters) - German business morale rose far more than expected in February, bouncing back from a 6-month low in January thanks to a brighter industrial outlook and well-stocked order books, the Ifo economic institute said on Monday. Slideshow ( 2 images ) Ifo said its business climate index increased to 92.4 from an upwardly revised 90.3 in January, hitting its highest level since October and surpassing even the strongest forecast in a Reuters poll of analysts. “The German economy is looking towards recovery again,” Ifo economist Klaus Wohlrabe told Reuters. Germany, once a role model for fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, has struggled with the second wave. A month ago this still weighed heavily on sentiment. But Wohlrabe said companies have now revised up production plans significantly and export expectations for industry have also risen. “The order books are well filled,” he added. An Ifo expectations index surged to 94.2 from 91.5 in January, surpassing all forecasts in the Reuters poll. A current conditions index edged up to 90.6 from 89.2. “Companies are sniffing the spring air and starting to look beyond the pandemic,” said Commerzbank economist Joerg Kraemer. Kraemer expected a strong recovery from spring onwards, “especially as consumers’ corona(virus) savings amount to six percent of their annual disposable income at the end of 2020.” The main risk to this scenario was a third wave of coronavirus infections and a blanket lockdown extension to end-April, to which he gave a 25% probability. Chancellor Angela Merkel and state premiers have agreed to extend restrictions to curb the spread of the coronavirus until March 7. She told a party meeting that she wants a staggered plan to lift restrictions, according to two participants. The number of new daily infections has stagnated over the past week with the seven-day incidence rate hovering at around 60 cases per 100,000. On Monday, Germany reported 4,369 new infections and 62 further deaths. Other sentiment indicators have also been promising. Investor morale in Germany surged in February on expectations consumption will take off in the coming months, the ZEW economic research institute said last Tuesday. Earlier this month, industrial conglomerate Thyssenkrupp raised its full-year outlook for the first time in nearly four years, and CEO Martina Merz said “we’re noticing signs of an economic recovery”. The government last month slashed its GDP growth forecast to 3% this year, a sharp revision from last autumn’s estimate of 4.4%. This means the economy probably will probably not reach its pre-pandemic level before mid-2022. Writing by Paul Carrel; Editing by Maria Sheahan and Raissa KasolowskyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
2d6fab96d2ee1e56ccf2439b2aa86057	https://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-economy-ifo/german-business-sentiment-lowest-since-2014-ifo-idUSKCN1TP0UJ	German business sentiment lowest since November 2014: Ifo	German business sentiment lowest since November 2014: Ifo By Joseph Nasr4 Min Read BERLIN (Reuters) - German business morale fell to its lowest level since November 2014 in June, a survey showed on Monday, adding weight to expectations that Europe’s largest economy contracted in the second quarter. The Ifo institute said its business climate index deteriorated for the third month in a row, to 97.4 in June from 97.9 in May. That was slightly above a consensus forecast for 97.2. “The German economy is heading for the doldrums,” Ifo President Clemens Fuest said, adding that the business climate in both the manufacturing and services sectors had worsened. After nine successive years of growth, the German economy is struggling as trade disputes and a cooling world economy hurt its export-dependent manufacturers and as Britain’s delayed exit from the European Union creates uncertainties. The Bundesbank said this month it expects the economy to contract slightly in the second quarter after an expansion of 0.4% between January and March. The government has halved its 2019 growth forecast to 0.5% after an expansion of 1.5% in 2018, the weakest rate in five years. Ifo economist Klaus Wohlrabe said the trade conflict between the United States and China -- the world’s two largest economies -- was the main source of uncertainty for German businesses. He said he did not expect a recession, a view also held by analysts. Related CoverageU.S-China trade conflict is main source of uncertainty: Ifo economist “All told, we expect the German economy to slow to little more than a crawl in the second quarter,” Christina Iacovides of Capital Economics wrote in a note. ‘FEAR OF LOSING’ An index measuring managers’ assessment of their current situation rose slightly while another gauging expectations fell to its lowest level since February. That suggested the slump in the headline reading to levels not seen since the euro zone debt crisis was driven by concerns that trade conflicts between the United States and both China and the European Union could worsen and further dampen exports. “Fear of losing. This is the best summary of the current state of Germany’s businesses,” Carsten Brzeski of ING wrote in a note. The services sector, buoyed by a solid domestic economy, has been providing impetus as industry shrinks, but some economists fear the recession in the manufacturing sector could spread. FILE PHOTO: The skyline with its financial district is photographed in the early evening in Frankfurt, Germany, December 4, 2018. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach The economy has been relying on private consumption for growth, a cycle supported by a robust labor market, low interest rates and rising wages. Separate data published on Monday showed that real wages rose at a slower pace in the first quarter, however, which could dampen Germans’ appetite to spend. [L8N23V1W5] Higher government spending has also helped support growth but critics of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s right-left coalition say it could borrow money to add more impetus. Business lobby groups have urged Merkel to cut corporate taxes and some economists accuse her of being complacent about the economy. The Finance Ministry said on Monday the government would stick to its no-new-debt policy until 2023 but planned to increase public spending by 1% next year. Brzeski said he expected the services sector to continue providing impetus for the broader economy and that the slowdown in the manufacturing sector would bottom out. The European Central Bank’s decision not to raise interest rates in the next year and to open the door to cutting them or buying more bonds could cement the status of consumption as the main growth driver in Germany, he added. “A bottoming-out is in sight for German industry,” Brzeski said. “The recent u-turn of the ECB toward more dovishness indicates that financing conditions for new domestic investments will remain favorable. However, let’s be clear, a bottoming out is still far from being a strong rebound.” Reporting by Joseph Nasr; Editing by Michelle Martin and Catherine EvansOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
35dfa293264101cf77feb8e0027638e3	https://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-economy-inflation-idUSKCN0XP1C9	German inflation turns negative in April, weaker than expected	German inflation turns negative in April, weaker than expected By Michael Nienaber3 Min Read BERLIN (Reuters) - German consumer prices unexpectedly fell in April, data showed on Thursday, illustrating the scale of the task the European Central Bank faces in trying to propel inflation back to its target range. The euro zone has struggled with little or no inflation for the past year and the ECB expects the bloc-wide figure to turn negative again before slowly ticking up, undershooting its goal of just under 2 percent for years to come. The ECB unveiled a surprisingly large stimulus package in March but falling inflation expectations have fueled expectations of even more easing, possibly as early as June, when the bank’s staff present new growth and inflation forecasts. “It might be hard for some German ECB critics to digest, but if the strongest euro zone economy with low unemployment does not show any signs of inflationary pressures, the ECB after all might have a point in continuing its ultra-loose monetary policy,” ING Bank economist Carsten Brzeski said. Separate data on Thursday showed unemployment unexpectedly fell in April, with the jobless rate remaining at its lowest in more than 25 years. German consumer prices, harmonized to compare with other European countries (HICP), fell by 0.3 percent on the year after a 0.1 percent rise in March, the Federal Statistics Office said. The Reuters consensus forecast was for a zero reading. On a non-harmonized basis, consumer prices fell by 0.4 percent on the month and inched down by 0.1 percent on the year. A breakdown showed energy remained the main drag while the food, services and rental costs increased at a slower pace. Related CoverageIn a surprise, German unemployment falls in April Analysts said the German data suggested that the April inflation rate for the whole euro zone, due out on Friday, would also turn negative again. Economists polled by Reuters so far expect a reading of -0.1 percent, down from 0.0 percent in March. “German inflation is likely to remain very weak over the next couple of months before energy (base) effects push it to around 1.5 percent by year-end,” Capital Economics analyst Jennifer McKeown said. Due to the economic upswing and the robust labor market, price pressures in Germany are not as weak as elsewhere in the euro zone. Still, inflation expectations are very subdued and wage growth has slowed recently. “Even in the euro zone’s largest and arguably strongest economy, inflation seems unlikely to reach the ECB’s near 2 percent target over the medium term,” McKeown said. The weak data was adding to pressure on the ECB to do more, she added. On Wednesday, ECB policymakers played down the need for more near-term stimulus, calling for people to wait for existing measures to take effect. (In this April 28 story, Federal Statistics Office corrects April HICP to -0.5 pct m/m ..not.. -0.3 pct m/m, April HICP to -0.3 pct y/y ..not.. -0.1 pct y/y, April CPI to -0.4 pct m/m ..not.. -0.2 pct m/m, April CPI -0.1 pct y/y ..not.. +0.1 pct y/y, CPI sub-index for services to +0.8 pct ..not.. +1.1 pct) Reporting by Michael Nienaber; Editing by Balazs Koranyi and John StonestreetOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
56aff8566c2d183cd888ac2cd346b3f1	https://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-economy-inflation/german-inflation-slows-in-march-dropping-further-below-ecb-goal-idUSKCN1R91QW	German inflation slows in March, dropping further below ECB goal	German inflation slows in March, dropping further below ECB goal By Reuters Staff2 Min Read The skyline is photographed early evening in Frankfurt, Germany, January 26, 2016. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach/File Photo BERLIN (Reuters) - German inflation remained below the European Central Bank’s target level for a fourth month running in March, data showed on Thursday, showing price pressures in Europe’s biggest economy are still moderate despite ultra-loose monetary policy. German consumer prices, harmonized to make them comparable with inflation data from other European Union countries, rose by 1.5 percent year-on-year after an increase of 1.7 in the previous month, the Federal Statistics Office said. The reading, which undershot a forecast of 1.6 percent, was driven by weaker cost pressures for food and services. The ECB targets inflation of close to but below 2 percent for the euro zone as a whole. On the month, EU-harmonized prices rose by 0.6 percent, the preliminary numbers showed. This compared with market expectations for an increase of 0.7 percent. The European Central Bank reversed course earlier this month and put off plans to “normalize” policy, instead providing banks with even more liquidity and delaying a rate increase until next year. Carsten Brzeski, economist at ING, said increased price transparency, competition and mobility in the services sector may break the traditional relationship between wage growth and higher prices, suppressing inflation for some time yet. “Unfortunately, the German experience casts doubts on the ECB’s view that the pass-through of higher wages on inflation has only been delayed and not derailed,” Brzeski said. Reporting by Paul Carrel; Editing by Tassilo Hummel and Michelle MartinOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
b514e0141d99554e1abf51ac031ade42	https://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-economy-labour/labor-shortages-may-undermine-german-economic-boom-dihk-survey-idUSKCN1GP109	Labor shortages may undermine German economic boom: DIHK survey	Labor shortages may undermine German economic boom: DIHK survey By Michael Nienaber4 Min Read BERLIN (Reuters) - Labor shortages are threatening to undermine Germany’s economic recovery as companies struggle to fill around 1.6 million vacancies, the DIHK Chambers of Industry and Commerce said on Tuesday. FILE PHOTO - Employees of German car manufacturer Porsche work on a sports car at the Porsche factory in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen, Germany, January 26, 2018. REUTERS/Ralph Orlowski Germany’s labor market has gone from strength to strength, with the jobless total falling more than expected in February and employment hitting a record high in January, fuelling a consumer-led upswing. But the unusually long growth cycle in Europe’s biggest economy, now in its ninth year, combined with a long-signaled shortage of people of working age mean that German firms are running out of suitable staff. “A growing number of German companies are facing bottlenecks in skilled labor and this is becoming a challenge for the entire economy,” DIHK’s deputy managing director Achim Dercks said. In light of Germany’s rapidly aging society, he called on the government to expand vocational training and attract more skilled workers from abroad. A DIHK survey of some 24,000 companies showed nearly every second one is unable to find suitable candidates for job vacancies over a longer period and six out of 10 managers see the lack of qualified staff as a threat to their business. Among the sectors most affected by the problem are manufacturing, construction, security services, education, childcare and geriatric care, the survey showed. The government must also increase its efforts to further boost the inclusion of parents in the labor market by expanding and improving childcare while companies must offer more flexible working conditions for mothers and fathers, DIHK said. A QUESTION OF INTEGRATION More than 900,000 long-term unemployed have been left behind by Germany’s upswing, a potential labor pool that opposition parties have accused the government of neglecting, and which the incoming coalition has agreed to target with the creation of 150,000 jobs. But Dercks said companies and society also faced the huge challenge of integrating the more than 1 million refugees, mainly from Syria and Iraq, who have arrived in Germany over the past two years. “There are a few positive examples of young refugees who landed a job after taking language classes and vocational training,” Dercks said. “But we all need to show patience in this regard.” Dercks said Germany might benefit from Britain’s decision to leave the European Union and limit migration, which could be a boon for German companies by bringing in more skilled workers. He added, however, that this Brexit effect would probably not be strong enough to offset the overall trend that net immigration from other European countries was slowing due to the broad-based economic recovery in the bloc, which meant better working conditions for migrants in their home countries. The problem of labor shortages was limiting overall growth though it was difficult to quantify how much stronger the economy could expand if all job vacancies could be filled, Dercks said. The government expects economic growth to accelerate to 2.4 percent this year after 2.2 percent in 2017 while it sees inflation slowing to 1.7 percent despite the booming economy. This suggests that the labor market bottlenecks have yet to translate into stronger wage growth and with it rising price pressures in Europe’s largest economy. Reporting by Michael Nienaber; Editing by Madeline Chambers and John StonestreetOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
eef52b89bcfc779bb14225d950a41b1f	https://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-economy-pmi/german-manufacturing-recession-deepens-weakest-showing-in-7-years-pmi-idINKCN1UJ0RU?edition-redirect=in	German manufacturing recession deepens, weakest showing in 7 years: PMI	German manufacturing recession deepens, weakest showing in 7 years: PMI By Reuters Staff2 Min Read BERLIN, (Reuters) - A recession in Germany’s manufacturing sector worsened in July with the performance of goods producers dropping to the lowest level in seven years, a survey showed on Wednesday, suggesting a deteriorating growth outlook for Europe’s largest economy. FILE PHOTO: Employees of German car manufacturer Porsche work on a Porsche 911 at the Porsche factory in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen, Germany, February 19, 2019. REUTERS/Ralph Orlowski/File Photo Markit’s flash composite Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), which tracks the manufacturing and services sectors that together account for more than two thirds of the economy, fell to 51.4 from 52.6 in the previous month. That undershot analysts’ consensus forecast of 52.3 and was the lowest reading since March, though it still remained above the 50 mark that separates growth from contraction. The drop was driven by a decline of the manufacturing sub-index which fell to 43.1 from 45.0. The latest reading was the lowest since July 2012. “The health of German manufacturing went from bad to worse in July,” said Phil Smith, Principal Economist at IHS Markit. He pointed to an accelerated drop in export orders, the most marked seen in over a decade. “The automobile industry is the business sector which is under pressure the most,” IHS Markit economist Chris Williamson said. He blamed trade disputes, Brexit and falling demand from abroad for German cars as well as other industrial products. The survey figures and other economic data from Germany suggest a slight contraction of gross domestic product in both the second and third quarter which together would be viewed as a technical recession, Williamson said. The contagion of the manufacturing crisis to other sectors of the economy so far had remained limited, however, as Germany’s solid labor market and robust household spending were providing a buffer against external shocks. “The services sector remains encouragingly resilient,” Williamson said. The PMI sub-index for business activity in services eased slightly to 55.4 from 55.8 in June. The German government expects overall economic growth of 0.5 percent this year and a rebound to 1.5 percent in 2020. Reporting by Michael Nienaber; editing by John Stonestreet; [email protected]; +49 30 2888 5085; Reuters Messaging: [email protected]; www.twitter.com/REUTERS_DE www.reuters.deOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
4a4388c3e94583c09b1708002b405c06	https://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-economy-pmi/private-sector-job-losses-bode-ill-for-german-hopes-of-end-year-rebound-pmi-idUSKBN1X30QE	Private sector job losses bode ill for German hopes of end-year rebound: PMI	Private sector job losses bode ill for German hopes of end-year rebound: PMI By Reuters Staff3 Min Read BERLIN (Reuters) - Employment in Germany’s private sector fell for the first time in six years in October, a survey showed on Thursday, suggesting that a third-quarter slowdown in Europe’s largest economy could stretch into the closing months of the year. Markit’s flash Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) survey showed that the slight fall in employment was mainly the result of job losses in the manufacturing sector, where staffing numbers fell to their lowest level in almost 10 years. The slowdown in Germany’s export-dependent manufacturing sector, in recession due to trade conflicts and uncertainties linked to Britain’s planned departure from the European Union, is leaving a bigger mark on services, the survey also showed. Job creation in the services sector fell to its lowest level in 3-1/2 years, IHS Markit said. “Hopes of a return to growth in Germany in the final quarter have been somewhat dashed by the PMI numbers, which show business activity in the euro zone’s largest economy contracting further and underlying demand continuing to soften,” said Phil Smith, principle economist at IHS Markit. “Manufacturing remains the main weak link, though here there are some signs of encouragement with rates of decline in production and new orders easing and business confidence improving to a four-month high,” he added. IHS Markit’s flash composite PMI, which tracks the manufacturing and services sectors that together account for more than two-thirds of the economy, rose to a two-month high reading of 48.6, from 48.5 in September. The reading was below the 48.8 consensus forecast in a Reuters poll of economists and remained below the 50 mark that separates growth from contraction for the second consecutive month. The flash manufacturing PMI remained in contraction territory at 41.9, slightly higher than September’s 10-year low reading of 41.7. The flash services PMI by contrast fell to a 37-month low of 51.2 from 51.4 in September, as new business in the sector fell at the fastest pace since June 2013, IHS Markit said. The German economy is expected to contract for the second successive quarter in the July-September period, which would mean a technical recession. The government expects the economy to grow by 0.5% this year and has cut its economic growth forecast for 2020 to 1%. It has resisted calls for a stimulus package to reverse the slowdown, saying the economy is not facing a crisis. Economists say the forecasts do not factor in a possible escalation in the trade conflict between the United States and the EU and are based on the scenario that Britain will leave the bloc in an orderly manner. If any of those risks becomes reality, the outlook for Germany would be grimmer, they say. Reporting by Joseph Nasr; Editing by Toby ChopraOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
f985f02f8f3b7532f452b5bc84a6dfbf	https://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-economy-trade-exclusive/exclusive-german-exports-to-united-states-jump-despite-trade-tensions-idUSKBN1XV0VG	Exclusive: German exports to United States jump despite trade tensions	Exclusive: German exports to United States jump despite trade tensions By Michael Nienaber5 Min Read BERLIN (Reuters) - Strong German exports to the United States helped Europe’s largest economy to avoid a recession in the third quarter, data showed on Thursday, as companies benefited from a weaker euro and trade diversion linked to the U.S.-China tariff dispute. FILE PHOTO: Aerial view of containers at a loading terminal in the port of Hamburg, Germany August 1, 2018. REUTERS/Fabian Bimmer/File Photo The detailed trade figures, compiled for Reuters from the Federal Statistics Office, underline that U.S. demand for German goods remains strong, undaunted by President Donald Trump’s threats to increase import tariffs on European cars. Germany’s export-reliant economy avoided slipping into recession in the third quarter as consumers, state spending and construction drove a 0.1% quarterly expansion. Exports also fared better than in the previous three months. Overall, exports grew 1.7% year-on-year in the third quarter after a 1.3% decline in the second. The U.S. and France remained Germany’s two biggest customers, the data showed. German exports to the U.S. grew 7.6% year-on-year in the third quarter after a 5.3% increase in the previous three months. Exports to France rose 3.1% year-on-year after stagnating in the second quarter. “Europe is benefiting from still being the uninvolved third party in the American-Chinese trade conflict. This leads to trade diversion and helps European exporters,” Jens Suedekum from the Heinrich-Heine-University in Duesseldorf told Reuters. Unexpected help for German exporters also came from France, where the economy is doing well thanks to structural reforms and fiscal stimulus measures enacted by President Emmanuel Macron. “This spilled over to German exporters,” Suedekum said. “Chancellor Angela Merkel should send a thank-you note to Paris.” French demand was especially strong for German machinery, cars and airplanes, the data showed. U.S. companies imported more machinery and pharmaceutical products. Slideshow ( 2 images ) SIDE EFFECTS Gabriel Felbermayr, president of the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, pointed out that the euro had depreciated by 14% against the U.S. dollar since the beginning of 2018. A weaker euro makes German exports less expensive. “The strong dollar is one of the macroeconomic side effects of Trump’s trade policy toward China. It leads to trade diversion,” Felbermayr told Reuters. That means the U.S. is increasingly buying goods from the European Union and Germany as tariffs make competing imports from China more expensive. The United States and China are locked in a trade war triggered by Trump. Both countries have levied punitive duties on hundreds of billions of dollars worth of each other’s goods, roiling financial markets and threatening global growth. But Felbermayr cautioned that the uncertainty created by Trump’s ‘America First’ trade policy in the medium term will lead to stronger production of German companies in the United States, which will weaken exports. “The relocation of jobs is already taking place but is not yet visible in the export figures,” he said. This cautious tone was echoed on Thursday by the finance ministry. It said in a monthly report that exports stabilized at the end of the third quarter, but a slowing world economy and persistent trade risks pointed to only moderate developments in the coming months. The strong demand for German’ goods from the United States and France helped to cushion Germany from an unusual slowdown in exports to China, which was a steady source of growth for German manufacturers for nearly three decades. German exports to the world’s second-largest economy edged up only 0.3% year-on-year in the third quarter. By comparison, exports to China grew 1.8% in the second quarter and 6.3% in the first. That suggests Germany can no longer rely on Chinese demand to fuel its export machine and with it, well-paid manufacturing jobs and tax revenues at home. “Rising protectionism, the U.S. trade conflicts with Europe and China and the still-unclear Brexit situation are unsettling companies worldwide so they are holding back investments,” said Volker Treier from the DIHK Chambers of Industry and Commerce. The subdued trade outlook means that exports are expected to shrink by 0.5% next year, Treier said. That would be the first decline in German exports since the global financial crisis over a decade ago. Reporting by Michael Nienaber; editing by Joseph Nasr, Larry KingOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
414d88d9a4e329acca7ff34300573ba6	https://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-economy-trade-idUSKBN1622SO	China steams past U.S., France to be Germany's biggest trading partner	China steams past U.S., France to be Germany's biggest trading partner By Rene Wagner, Michael Nienaber3 Min Read BERLIN (Reuters) - China for the first time became Germany’s most important trading partner in 2016, overtaking the United States, which fell back to third place behind France, data showed on Friday. A German flag flutters in front of the Great Hall of the People during a welcoming ceremony for German President Joachim Gauck in Beijing, China March 21, 2016. REUTERS/Jason Lee/File Photo German imports from and exports to China rose to 170 billion euros ($180 billion) last year, Federal Statistics Office figures reviewed by Reuters showed. The development is good news for the German government, which has made it a goal to safeguard global free trade after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs on imports and his top adviser on trade accused Germany of exploiting a weak euro to boost exports. Graphiq ID: kJcKolMcLCR German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel has suggested that the European Union should refocus its economic policy toward Asia, should the Trump administration pursue protectionism. “Given the protectionist plans of the new U.S. president one would expect that the trade ties between Germany and China will be further strengthened,” said Anton Boerner, head of the BGA trade association. The main reason for the reduced trade volume with the U.S. was a drop in American exports to Germany, Boerner added. Neighboring France remained the second-most important business partner with a combined trade volume of 167 billion euros. The United States came in third with 165 billion euros. In 2015, the United States had climbed to the top of the list of Germany’s most important trading partners, overtaking France for the first time since 1961. Separately, Germany’s Committee on Eastern European Economic Relations said on Friday it expected exports to Russia will probably rise at least 5 percent this year, their first increase in years given Western sanctions. “Optimism among German exporters is rising further,” said Clemens Fuest, head of the Ifo economic institute. He said export expectations increased in February, pointing to overall strong trade figures in the first quarter of 2017. “MADE IN GERMANY” Looking at exports alone, the United States remained the biggest client for products “Made in Germany” in 2016, importing goods from Europe’s biggest economy worth some 107 billion euros. France remained the second-most important single export destination for German goods with a sum of 101 billion euros, the data showed. Britain came in third, importing German goods worth 86 billion euros. Britain accounted also for the biggest bi-lateral trade surplus: Exports surpassed imports from Britain by more than 50 billion euros, the figures showed. The United States came in second with a bi-lateral trade deficit: German exports to the U.S. surpassed imports from there by 49 billion euros. This means that Britain and the U.S. together accounted for roughly 40 percent of Germany’s record trade surplus of 252.9 billion euros in 2016. The figures are likely to fuel the debate about Germany’s export performance, its trade surplus and global economic imbalances ahead of a meeting of G20 finance ministers and central bank governors in Baden-Baden mid-March. ($1 = 0.9483 euros) Editing by Jeremy GauntOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
ce7e765fa128982a5a4ba8a13cfa5975	https://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-economy-unemployment/german-jobless-total-falls-employment-hits-record-high-idUSKCN1N40YA	German jobless total falls, employment hits record high	German jobless total falls, employment hits record high By Michael Nienaber2 Min Read Office buildings are pictured in the financial district of Frankfurt, Germany, September 15, 2018. Picture taken September 15, 2018. REUTERS/Ralph Orlowski BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany’s jobless total fell in October and employment hit a record high in September, data showed on Tuesday, underlining the strength of a labor market that is supporting a consumer-led upswing in Europe’s largest economy. The Federal Labour Office said the seasonally adjusted jobless total fell by 11,000 to 2.292 million, slightly below the predicted drop of 12,000. The unemployment rate remained unchanged at 5.1 percent, the lowest since German reunification in 1990. “Thanks to the continuing boom, the labor market is still in good shape...,” KfW economist Joerg Zeuner said. “In some sectors, however, shortages of skilled workers and young recruits are hampering the expansion of production. The care sector and the building trade are particularly affected.” In a politically risky push to fill a record number of job vacancies and stabilize the public pension system, Chancellor Angela Merkel’s coalition parties earlier this month agreed on a new immigration law to attract more skilled workers from countries outside the European Union. In a further positive sign, seasonally adjusted employment as measured by the International Labour Organisation climbed by 557,000 on the year to a record of 45.0 million in September, separate Federal Statistics Office data showed. Household spending has become an important growth driver in Germany as record-high employment, increased job security, above-inflation pay hikes and low borrowing costs all help open shoppers’ wallets. A survey last week showed that German shoppers look keen to spend in November, but their expectations for the economy and their own personal income have slipped on worries about international trade conflicts and Brexit. Reporting by Michael Nienaber, editing by John StonestreetOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
2c9abb7f67ca5cb378442952602110ea	https://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-economy-zew/german-investor-sentiment-falls-less-than-expected-in-october-idUSKBN1WU11S	German investor sentiment falls less than expected in October	German investor sentiment falls less than expected in October By Reuters Staff2 Min Read BERLIN (Reuters) - The mood among German investors worsened less in October than analysts had expected, a survey showed on Tuesday, amid concern that Europe’s biggest economy might be headed for a recession. FILE PHOTO: The financial district is photographed on early evening in Frankfurt, Germany, January 29, 2019. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach/File Photo In its monthly survey, ZEW said that an index showing economic sentiment among investors fell to -22.8 points in October from -22.5 points in the previous month. A second index, measuring investors’ assessment of the economy’s current shape, fell to -25.3 from -19.9 points. “The recent settlement in the trade dispute between the USA and China does not seem to diminish economic scepticism at this stage,” ZEW President Achim Wambach was quoted as saying. U.S. President Donald Trump last week outlined the first phase of a deal to end a trade war with China and suspended a threatened increase in tariffs, but officials on both sides said more work needed to be done before an accord could be reached. The trade conflict between the United States and China, along with other factors such as uncertainty surrounding Brexit, has dragged Germany’s export-oriented industry into a recession, sparking fears that the negative trend could spill over to the rest of the economy. ZEW’s headline economic sentiment index, which reached its lowest in almost seven years in August, appears to have stabilized. But the investor assessment of the German economy’s current condition in October was as pessimistic as it was in 2010. The economy ministry said on Monday that Germany was unlikely to slide into a prolonged recession, but the economy was stuck in stagnation. Chancellor Angela Merkel’s coalition government of conservatives and social democrats has resisted calls for a stimulus package to counter the slowdown. Germany’s leading economic institutes have cut their growth forecasts, predicting an expansion of 0.5% this year and 1.1% in 2020. The government will publish its growth forecasts, which often follow the institutes’ estimates, this week. Reporting by Tassilo Hummel; editing by Thomas Escritt, Larry KingOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.