FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — German automaker Volkswagen plans to ramp up its offerings of electric vehicles as it fights to bounce back from a scandal over diesel cars rigged to cheat on emissions tests. The electric campaign is part of a wide-ranging review of the company’s strategy that also includes increasing profitability, investing in new … Continue reading
PARIS (AP) — France is setting up an emergency fund to help those who lost everything after the worst floods in three decades caused the Seine River to burst its banks. Prime Minister Manuel Valls said Monday after a government meeting that the “return to normality will take time” after unusually intense rains that lashed … Continue reading
NEW YORK (AP) — An ancient stone sculpture of Buddha’s footprints that was smuggled into the United States and had been expected to sell for more than $1 million was returned to the government of Pakistan on Wednesday. The piece, called a Buddhapada, was taken from a Pakistani region rich in Buddhist history decades ago. … Continue reading
BERLIN (AP) — One of Germany’s main history museums is exhibiting racist and anti-Semitic stickers spanning more than a century, a show that comes as the country worries about increasing racism amid the migrant crisis. The show at the German Historical Museum in Berlin features about 600 stickers and replicas, racist and anti-racist. Among the … Continue reading
BERLIN (AP) — The German government on Friday, Apr. 15, granted a Turkish request to allow the possible prosecution of a German TV comedian who wrote a crude poem about Turkey’s president, an awkward decision for Chancellor Angela Merkel as she seeks Ankara’s help in reducing Europe’s migrant influx. Turkey demanded last week to have … Continue reading
BERLIN (AP) — The Latest on the publication by a coalition of media outlets of an investigation into offshore financial dealings by the rich and famous (all times local): 11:50 a.m. Germany’s justice minister is proposing setting up a national “transparency register” that would list the real beneficiaries of letter-box companies — but only those … Continue reading
BERLIN (AP) — Mark Zuckerberg conceded Friday, Feb. 26, that Facebook didn’t do enough until recently to police hate speech on the social media site in Germany, but said it has made progress and has heard the message “loud and clear.” German authorities, concerned about racist abuse being posted on Facebook and other social networks … Continue reading
The U.S., Russia and more than a dozen other countries met Thursday in Munich to discuss halting the fighting in Syria, while forces of President Bashar Assad are making some of their biggest gains against the opposition. The fighting around Syria’s largest city of Aleppo has brought government forces closer to the Turkish border than … Continue reading
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — European stocks fell Monday amid ongoing jitters over the Chinese economy following weak manufacturing data. Japanese stocks, however, extended gains following the Bank of Japan’s decision last week to introduce a negative interest rate policy to boost lending and spur growth. KEEPING SCORE: Europe got off to a weak start with … Continue reading
BERLIN (AP) — It’s a change of heart that Iraqi immigrant Sekvan Agho never saw coming. Agho was among the wave of nearly 1.1 million asylum-seekers who came to Germany last year seeking a new life, making his way from his native Iraq to Turkey, then across the seas to Greece before tramping north and … Continue reading
BRUSSELS (AP) â The United States and its NATO allies struggled Tuesday to come up with a clear message to send Russia at a time of conflicting concerns in Europe and the Middle East. While the West remains alarmed by Moscow’s aggressive action in Ukraine and go-it-alone military efforts in Syria, they say they need Russian help … Continue reading
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — An airline strike with hundreds of cancelled flights conjures up fears of long lines and chaos, but German carrier Lufthansa appears to be coping, having managed over a dozen walkouts in a matter of months. On Wednesday, the airline re-booked and re-routed thousands of passengers as a walkout by flight attendants … Continue reading
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Some 113,000 Lufthansa passengers were facing domestic and international cancellations Monday due to all-day walkouts at three German airports staged by a cabin crew union protesting cost cuts. The travel disruptions are expected to last all week, and highlight the pressure Europe’s flagship carriers are under as they struggle to compete … Continue reading
HEIDENAU, Germany (AP) — From the bright lights of Berlin to a grim former Nazi military barracks near the Czech border, the Syrian refugee family’s new life in Germany has been a roller-coaster of euphoria and despair. Last week, fate reserved yet another nasty surprise for the Habashieh family, as they were shuttled from a … Continue reading
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — World leaders open a summit Friday to formally approve an ambitious and costly 15-year blueprint to eradicate extreme poverty, combat climate change and address more than a dozen other major global issues. Implementing the new development goals — expected to cost between $3.5 trillion and $5 trillion every year until 2030 … Continue reading
Spartan Echo 