Germany News

January 18, 2019

Russia agrees for Germany, France to monitor Kerch Strait: Lavrov

Russia on Friday said it had agreed for France and Germany to monitor shipping traffic in the Kerch Strait following a naval confrontation between Moscow and Kiev last year. Russian ships fired on and seized three Ukrainian navy vessels in…

January 18, 2019

Germany urges Russia to destroy missile to save nuclear treaty

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas on Friday called on Russia to destroy a controversial missile system Washington says breaches a key arms control treaty. “We believe Russia can save this treaty,” Maas said after talks with Russia’s top diplomat Sergei…

January 18, 2019

China, Germany to boost financial sector cooperation

China and Germany on Friday signed a series of agreements to strengthen cooperation in banking and financial sector supervision, as Beijing moves to open up the country’s financial markets. The agreements were signed at the end of a two day…

January 17, 2019

German far-right politician launches AfD splinter group

A German far-right politician Thursday launched a “patriotic” breakaway party from the anti-immigration AfD, potentially weakening the populist opposition movement. Andre Poggenburg, 43, has made negative headlines in the past with racist comments, such as defaming Germany’s large ethnic Turkish…

January 17, 2019

Bangladesh bans film about Islamist cafe siege

Bangladesh has banned a film based on a 2016 cafe attack claimed by the Islamic State group that left 22 people dead, saying it would damage the country’s reputation. The Film Censor Board denied the theatrical release of “Shonibar Bikele”,…

January 17, 2019

Siemens, Alstom raise doubts about mega merger

Confidence that the politically sensitive merger of their rail businesses would be waved through by the European Commission was ebbing at both Siemens and Alstom Thursday. A source at German group Siemens said Brussels had posed “insurmountable” demands for concessions…

January 17, 2019

Obstacles to Siemens-Alstom merger ‘too high’

Concessions demanded by the European Commission to allow a planned tie-up of Siemens and Alstom’s rail operations are “insurmountable” and would likely block the plans, a Siemens source said Thursday. “There will be no further concessions… we’ve run into a…

January 17, 2019

In gloomy times, rights body sees ‘striking’ pushback against abuses

A growing pushback against human rights abusers and autocrats has emerged in the last year, Human Rights Watch said Thursday, with resistance coming from a number of new sources. Smaller countries and groups like the Organisation for Islamic Cooperation are…

January 17, 2019

Alstom says EU clearance of Siemens tie-up not certain

French engineering giant Alstom said Thursday there was no certainty that concessions made to competition regulators to approve its rail business tie-up with German peer Siemens will be enough. The two companies have offered a series of asset sales to…