German Doctors: Tymoshenko Should Remain In Hospital

German Industrial Production rises unexpectedly

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Investing.com – German industrial production rose unexpectedly last month, official data showed on Thursday. In a report, Destatis said that [...]
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European stocks turn lower despite German data; Dax down 0.70%

Investing.com – European stocks turned broadly lower on Friday, despite the release of positive German data, as markets were jittery ahead of a highly anticipated U.S. employment report due later in the day.

During European afternoon trade, the EURO STOXX 50 declined 0.36%, France’s CAC 40 fell 0.20%, while Germany’s DAX 30 retreated 0.70%.

Official data showed that German industrial production rose 1.8% in April, beating expectations for a 0.2% fall, after a 1.2% increase the previous month.

The data came after a separate report showed that Germany’s trade surplus expanded unexpectedly in April, rising to EUR17.7 billion from a surplus of EUR17.6 billion the previous month. Analysts had expected the trade surplus to narrow to EUR17.2 billion in April.

Meanwhile, investors eyed upcoming U.S. jobs data after the Department of Labor on Thursday said the number of people who filed for unemployment assistance last week fell by 11,000 to 346,000, compared to expectations for a decline of 12,000 to 345,000.

The data came one day after weak U.S. private sector jobs data lowered expectations that the Federal Reserve would begin to unwind its asset purchase program this year.

Financial stocks were mixed. In France, BNP Paribas inched up 0.01% and Societe Generale slipped 0.12%, while Germany’s Deutsche Bank gained 0.69%.

Peripheral lenders trended lower on the other hand, with Spanish banks Banco Santander and BBVA retreating 0.37% and 0.99% respectively, while Italy’s Intesa Sanpaolo and Unicredit tumbled 0.81% and 2.69%.

Elsewhere, Deutsche Telekom advanced 0.69% after Jefferies raised the stock to “buy” from “hold”, citing the company’s structural changes.

In London, FTSE 100 slid 0.26%, weighed by losses in financial stocks, while official data showed that the U.K.’s trade deficit narrowed more-than-expected in April.

HSBC Holdings plummeted 1.51% and Lloyds Banking tumbled 1.38%, while the Royal Bank of Scotland and Barclays declined 0.95% and 0.26s%.

Meanwhile, mining stocks remained on the upside. Rio Tinto climbed 0.63%, while Glencore and Fresnillo surged 2.33% and 3%.

In the U.S., equity markets pointed to a lower open. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.16% decline, SP 500 futures signaled a 0.14% loss, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.15% fall.

Later in the day, the U.S. was to release government data on nonfarm payrolls and the unemployment rate.

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German Import Price Index falls less-than-expected

Investing.com – Germany’s import price index fell less-than-expected in the last quarter, official data showed on Thursday.

In a report, Destatis said that German Import Price Index fell to a seasonally adjusted -0.1%, from 0.3% in the preceding quarter.

Analysts had expected German Import Price Index to fall to -0.2% in the last quarter.

European stocks rise ahead of German data; Dax up 0.37%

Investing.com – European stocks were higher on Wednesday, as markets awaited the release of German business climate data, while Tuesday’s downbeat economic reports continued to support hopes for a rate cut by the European Central Bank.

During European morning trade, the EURO STOXX 50 climbed 0.59%, France’s CAC 40 advanced 0.60%, while Germany’s DAX 30 rose 0.34%.

Stocks gained ground as expectations for an ECB rate cut mounted on Tuesday after data showing that Germany’s manufacturing and service sectors contracted in April fuelled fears over the outlook for growth in the euro zone’s largest economy.

Financial stocks were broadly higher, as shares in French lenders Societe Generale and BNP Paribas jumped 0.97% and 1.53%, while Germany’s Deutsche Bank rallied 1.67%.

Peripheral lenders added to gains, with Spanish banks Banco Santander and BBVA climbing 0.54% and 1.38%, while Italy’s Intesa Sanpaolo and Unicredit advanced 1.55% and 1.58% respectively.

Elsewhere, French carmaker Peugeot soared 8.67% after reporting a 6.5% drop in first-quarter revenue to EUR13 billion but saying that revenue exceeded the EUR12.7 billion average estimate.

In London, commodity-heavy FTSE 100 gained 0.34%, boosted by gains in mining stocks.

Shares in BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto surged 2.50% and 4.12% respectively, while rivals Eurasian Natural Resources and Polymetal rallied 4.85% and 4.69%.

Copper producers Xstrata and Kazakhmys were also trending sharply higher, climbing 2.91% and 7.36%.

Meawhile, U.K. lenders were broadly higher, as shares in HSBC Holdings gained 0.71% and Lloyds Banking advanced 1.57%, while the Royal Bank of Scotland jumped 1.93% and Barclays surged 3.78%.

Barclays announced earlier that its pretax profit fell 25% in the first quarter, missing analyst estimates.

In the U.S., equity markets pointed to a higher open. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.24% gain, SP 500 futures signaled a 0.25% rise, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.30% increase.

The euro zone was to release the Ifo index of German business climate later Wednesday, while the U.S. was to produce government data on durable goods orders.

Suspicious Letter Sent To German President Destroyed

German police have destroyed a package addressed to the country’s president that was suspected of containing explosives.

The office of President Joachim Gauck said the letter was found during routine checks on mail on April 19.

The package was then destroyed in a controlled explosion in the park outside the presidential Bellevue residence in downtown Berlin.

Gauck was not at his residence at the time, and no staff members were endangered.

A spokeswoman for the presidential office said the substance in the package was being tested in a police laboratory.

Based on reporting by dpa, Reuters, and AFP

German lawmakers vote to back Cyprus bailout

Germany’s lower house of parliament has voted overwhelmingly in favour of a bailout for Cyprus.

Of the 602 lawmakers in the Bundestag who voted on Thursday on the $ 13bn (10bn euro) rescue, 487 backed it, while 102 opposed it and 13 abstained.

Earlier, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble urged the country’s parliament to back the Cyprus bailout, citing the gradual recovery of other stricken eurozone members.

Schaeuble said that countries such as Portugal and Ireland had shown that tough reforms coupled with international aid could save a debt-mired country.

“Both have undertaken enormous efforts, are fulfilling the requirements of their (rescue) programmes and are on the
right track,” he said.

Schaeuble also noted substantial progress made in the last three years in taming the eurozone crisis, with economic
progress such as a hike in exports from southern European countries as well as a sharp drop in public deficits.

Debt rescue plan

Eurozone finance ministers formally approved on Friday new terms for a Cyprus debt rescue that will cost far more
than first thought, $ 30bn.

Germany has kicked in about one-third of the international assistance.

The debt rescue involves a radical restructuring of Cyprus’s bloated banking sector, with an economy heavily dependent on financial services now expected to shrink by up to 12.5 percent over the next two years.

“In our country in particular where the euro crisis is not felt in everyday life we must issue a reminder that the
people in Greece, Portugal and Cyprus are going through tough times,” Schaeuble said.

He said there was “no other way” than fiscal discipline to achieve sustainable long-term stability and growth.

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Merkel Promises German Support For Athens, Amid Violent Protests

Chancellor Angela Merkel pledged Germany’s continued support for Greece amid violent protests against her visit to Athens, the first since the eurozone crisis hit Greece in 2009.

Speaking after talks with Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, Merkel said Greece has made progress toward reducing its huge budget deficit but added “there is still room” for improvement in tax collection and local government spending.

The German leader said she had come to Athens in full knowledge that the period Greece is living through is a very difficult one.

“I came here knowing all too well that this is an exceptionally difficult time for Greece, and especially for the people of Greece,” Merkel said. “They’re going through a difficult period, a lot is being asked of them, and that’s why I must stress how far they have traveled down this difficult road. We heard yesterday at the Eurogroup that there has been a lot of progress. There is progress everyday in dealing with the difficult problems.”

Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Athens.

Merkel also said Greece should remain in the eurozone.

Samaras said he told Merkel that Greeks “are bleeding at the moment” but will stay in the eurozone and would stick to the reform path.

“I had the chance to say to the chancellor that Greece is determined to keep its commitments and to overcome the crisis,” Saramas said. “The basic precondition for that is for it to get out of the recession and unemployment, which are paralyzing the economy.”

The Greek government is currently negotiating with lenders on more budget cuts to secure the next installment of a 130-billion-euro bailout.

Without the next tranche of 31.5 billion euros, the Greek government says it will run out of money by the end of November.

Merkel also held talks with President Karolos Papoulias before departing Greece after a six-hour visit.

Some 50,000 people gathered in downtown Athens to protest her visit and austerity measures amid a heavy police presence. More than 7,000 police from all over Greece had been deployed to Athens to keep protesters at bay.

Protests were largely peaceful, but riot police had to fire tear gas and stun grenades at several dozen people who were throwing stones and petrol bombs at them. At least 40 people were arrested.

Many Greeks blame Merkel for forcing Greece to implement harsh cuts in exchange for bailout deals to avoid bankruptcy.

Syriza party leader Alexis Tsipras, who took part in the protest, told journalists that Greeks refuse to be experimented upon.

“Our message is one: Democratic tradition in Europe will not allow the Greek people, a European people, to be turned into a guinea pig of the crisis and for Greece to become a social cemetery,” Tsipras said. “We will win in the end because justice is on our side and the people mean more.”

Comentators, however, said that Merkel’s trip was more notable for its symbolism than for producing concrete measures to help Greece bring its crisis to an end.

With reporting by Reuters, dpa, AP, and the BBC

German Foreign Minister Says ‘Time Is Short’ For Iran Nuclear Solution

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle has said that time is running out to find a solution to Iran’s nuclear development program.

Speaking to the UN General Assembly on September 28, Westerwelle said Iran has failed to provide evidence to the International Atomic Energy Agency that its uranium enrichment activities were meant solely for civilian use.

The German foreign minister said, “We call on Iran to stop playing for time, the situation is serious indeed, time is short.”

Earlier on September 27, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the General Assembly and drew a “red line” for diplomatic efforts with Tehran, saying Iran would be on the brink of making nuclear weapons in less than one year.

Israel and the U.S. have said they won’t allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons.

Based on reporting by Reuters and dpa

Sudan Protesters Set Fire to German Embassy in Sudan

Posted GMT 9-14-2012 14:53:6

KHARTOUM (Reuters) — Sudanese demonstrators broke into the German embassy in Khartoum on Friday, raising an Islamic flag and setting the building on fire in a protest against a film that demeaned the Prophet Mohammad, witnesses said.

Police had earlier fired tear gas to try to disperse some 5,000 protesters who had ringed the German embassy and nearby British mission. But a Reuters witness said policemen just stood by when the crowd forced its way into Germany’s mission.

Demonstrators hoisted a black Islamic flag saying in white letters “there is no God but God and Mohammed is his prophet”. They smashed windows, cameras and furniture in the building and then started a fire, witnesses said.

Firefighters arrived to put out the flames.

Employees of Germany’s embassy were safe “for the moment”, Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said in Berlin. He also told Khartoum’s envoy to Berlin that Sudan must protect diplomatic missions on its soil, a foreign ministry statement said.

It was unclear why the two European embassies were singled out since the film, which has outraged Muslims, was made in the United States, and U.S. diplomatic missions have been attacked by Islamist protesters in a number of Arab countries.

But Sudan has criticized Germany for allowing a protest last month by right-wing activists carrying a caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad and for Chancellor Angela Merkel giving an award in 2010 to a Danish cartoonist who depicted the Prophet in 2005, triggering demonstrations across the Islamic world.

Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir has been under pressure from Islamists who feel the government has given up the religious values of his 1989 Islamist coup.

U.S. President Barack Obama’s administration said it had nothing to do with the crudely made movie, which inflamed Muslims after it was posted with Arabic subtitles on the Internet, and condemned it as “disgusting and reprehensible”.

The film was blamed for an attack on the U.S. consulate in Libya’s eastern city of Benghazi that killed the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans on Tuesday, the anniversary of the September 11, 2001 al Qaeda attacks on the United States.

Reporting by Khalid Abdelaziz; Writing by Ulf Laessing; Editing by Mark Heinrich.

Sudan Protesters Set Fire to German Embassy in Sudan

Posted GMT 9-14-2012 14:53:6

Firefighters arrived to put out the flames.

Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir has been under pressure from Islamists who feel the government has given up the religious values of his 1989 Islamist coup.

Reporting by Khalid Abdelaziz; Writing by Ulf Laessing; Editing by Mark Heinrich.

Top German court clears European bailout fund

Germany’s constitutional court has approved a new European bailout mechanism and fiscal pact, striking down a raft of legal challenges aimed at preventing a euro-wide bailout fund and a new fiscal pact from becoming law.

The Federal Constitutional Court met on Wednesday in Karlsruhe to rule on whether to allow Germany to join the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) - a new, permanent $ 638.8bn bailout fund for the 17 countries that use the euro.

Al Jazeera’s Nick Spicer, reporting from Berlin, said the decision is a victory for the European Union and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

“It’s an easier day in the eurozone. People are breathing a little easier and I think you see that in the way the markets are reacting right now,” said Spicer.

“On a philosophical level they provide the credibility that the markets are looking for because the Deutschmark [former German currency] is the core currency in Europe.”

The taxpayer-funded reserve would be crucial in fighting the European debt crisis, as it would allow access to funds for troubled governments who would not otherwise be able to borrow.

The fund would not have been able to work without the participation of Germany, the largest and most stable economy currently in the eurozone.

The ESM treaty was approved by a two-thirds majority in the German parliament.

Opponents, however, challenged it in court. They said that joining the fund would amount to ceding German parliamentary oversight over how taxpayer money is being spent.

The court’s decision has paved the way for Joachim Gauck, the German president, to formally ratify the ESM and European fiscal pact.

Merkel has remained quiet on the issue as the court kept policymakers and markets on edge for months.

European shares climbed to their highest in nearly 14 months on Wednesday on the back of the news.

The FTSEurofirst 300 index of top European shares was up 0.5 per cent at 1,112.93 points after rising as far as 1,114.33, its highest since July 2011. Cyclical sectors gained, with banks advancing 1.6 per cent, insurers gaining 1.5 per cent and autos rising 1.1 per cent. Germany’s DAX was up 0.9 percent, Spain’s IBEX rose 1.3 per cent and Italy’s FTSE MIB gained 0.9 per cent.

Stipulations

“The Second Senate of the Federal Constitutional Court has rejected the injunctions with the stipulation that a ratification of the ESM Treaty is only admissible if [certain conditions] can be guaranteed under international law,” Chief Justice Andreas Vosskuhle said.

Firstly, the court specified that any financial burdens for Germany arising from the ESM were strictly limited to its share of the fund’s capital or $ 244bn.

If the burdens were to be increased beyond that amount, then it could only be done with the express approval of the German parliament, and both the upper and lower houses must be kept fully informed, the court said.

The professional secrecy to which the fund’s employees were bound “must not stand in conflict with the Bundestag and Bundesrat being comprehensively briefed,” the statement said, referring to the lower and upper chambers.

The court also ruled that Germany must ensure a de-facto opt-out clause if it felt its interests were not being considered.
“The Federal Republic of Germany must make it clear that it does not want to be bound to the ESM Treaty as a whole if any reservations it might have should prove ineffectual,” Vosskuhle said.

There were about 37,000 plaintiffs in the case, including eurosceptics from within Merkel’s centre-right coalition and Left Party hardliners who are opposed to European integration.

The ESM was meant to come into effect in July as a $ 901.2bn firewall to aid in the fight against the three-year-old debt crisis.

The fund requires the approval of countries representing 90 per cent of its capital base. Germany’s share is more than one quarter of the total, and it is the only country still to ratify the agreement.

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German Court To Rule On European Rescue Fund

Financial markets are waiting anxiously for a German Constitutional Court ruling on Europe’s new permanent rescue fund.

The court is meeting in Karlshure on September 12 to rule on whether Germany can join the European Stability Mechanism — a new permanent 500-billion-euro bailout fund for the 17 countries using the euro currency.

The ruling could also impact a new bond-buying policy of the European Central Bank (ECB) aimed at lowering borrowing costs for debt-burdened countries like Spain and Italy.

Meanwhile, the European Commission is expected to unveil a proposal to give the ECB oversight of all banks in the eurozone.

The proposal is aimed at resolving the eurozone debt crisis. Germany has argued that the ECB should focus only on the continent’s largest banks.

Based on reporting by Reuters and AP

German Foreign Minister Rejects A Nuclear-Armed Iran

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said on September 9 that a nuclear-armed Iran was “not an option.”

Speaking in Jerusalem before meeting with Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak, Westerwelle called on Tehran to engage in “substantial negotiations” over its disputed nuclear program.

Much of the international community believes Iran is trying to develop nuclear weapons, while Tehran maintains its program is exclusively peaceful.

Westerwelle emphasized that there is still “room for diplomacy,” but said the international community will maintain sanctions and other pressure on Iran.

Also on September 9, Iran’s currency slid to a record low in trading against the U.S. dollar, reaching a rate of 24,000 rials to one dollar.

The rial has fallen about 10 percent since September 5, when Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad admitted on state television that sanctions were causing “problems.”

Based on reporting by AFP and dpa

German Foreign Minister Says More Sanctions Needed Against Iran

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle has told a meeting of his European Union counterparts that more sanctions are needed against Iran to convince the government there to cooperate in talks about its nuclear development program.

Westerwelle said on September 7 that, “Sanctions are needed and soon,” adding, “I can’t see [that] there is really a constructive will on the Iranian side for substantial talks.”

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said new sanctions would target “financial, commercial and oil aspects.”

Westerwelle did not give a precise time frame for new sanctions but did say, “We are talking about the coming weeks.”

Many countries, particularly Western nations, are frustrated at what they perceive as Tehran’s reluctance to allow international verification that its nuclear program is intended solely for peaceful purposes, as the Iranian government claims.

Based on reporting by Reuters and dpa

Egypt Arrests Man After Nail Bomb Attack on German Embassy

Posted GMT 8-23-2012 14:15:22

Cairo (Reuters) — Police in Egypt on Wednesday arrested a man who tossed four homemade nail bombs into the German embassy grounds and attacked the entrance with a hammer but injured nobody and caused no serious damage, the embassy and security sources said.

The man acted out of anger after reading an Egyptian newspaper report on Friday which described a protest by German right-wing activists who had paraded caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad in front of a German mosque, they said.

Many Muslims consider any depiction of the Prophet to be offensive – a series of cartoons in a Danish newspaper in 2005 on the same subject sparked protests across the Islamic world.

“It was just one person who attacked the embassy and damaged the glass of the entrance with a hammer,” said a spokeswoman for the German embassy. “There was no major damage and no one hurt.”

The man was also brandishing a toy pistol, she added, and had used a hammer to crack the entrance’s toughened glass. He had brought copies of the offending newspaper article with him.

Writing by Patrick Werr and Edmund Blair; Editing by Andrew Osborn.

End is Near for Syria’s Assad, Says German Spy Chief

Posted GMT 8-11-2012 16:53:55

(Reuters) — Germany’s spy chief said Syria President Bashar al-Assad’s government appeared to be in its final phase because its army had been depleted by casualties, deserters and defectors to the opposition.

Gerhard Schindler, head of Germany’s BND intelligence agency, said Assad’s once 320,000-strong army had lost about 50,000 troops since the uprising against his rule began 17 months ago.

Smaller, flexible rebel units were sapping the strength of the army with guerrilla tactics, he told Die Welt newspaper in an interview published on Saturday.

“There are a lot of indications that the end game for the regime has begun,” said the president of the Bundesnachrichtendienst agency.

“That (army losses) includes those who have been wounded, deserted and about 2,000 to 3,000 who have defected to the armed military opposition,” he said. “The erosion of the military is continuing.”

While Assad’s grip on the country has been loosened as the uprising has gathered momentum, his forces have overwhelming firepower advantage against lightly armed rebels.

However, Schindler said small rebel units were offsetting that by using their speed and maneuverability to strike quickly in ambushes.

“Because of their small size, they’re not a good target for Assad’s army,” he said. “The regular army is being confronted by a variety of flexible fighters. The recipe of their success is their guerrilla tactics. They’re breaking the army’s back.”

Assad is fighting to crush a rebellion that aims to end his family’s four decades in charge of Syria.

Reporting By Erik Kirschbaum; Editing by Pravin Char

German Parliament Resolution Supports Embattled Assyrian Monastery in Turkey

Berlin — The German parliament decides today, on Thursday [June 14, 2012] evening, on an application introduced by the parliamentary groups of the CDU / CSU and FDP for ensuring continued existence of the Syrian Orthodox monastery St. Gabriel in southeast Turkey. The chairman of the CDU / CSU parliamentary group, Volker Kauder, explains:

The existence of the monastery of St. Gabriel has to be secured. It is one of the oldest Christian monasteries in the world. Due to the attitude of the authorities and courts in Turkey over a long time, it is threatened in its survival. We request to refrain from all, which may jeopardize the unique place of Christendom.

Our advocacy for the monastery has a sad relevance. On June 13, 2012, the court date in the “forest” case against the chairman of the community foundation of the monastery, Mr. Kyriakos Ergün has been postponed again — meanwhile for the fifth time. The reasons put forward by the court cannot hide the fact that this is a protraction of the legal clarification of the lawsuit.

Turkey has signed all the relevant European and international conventions to guarantee civil liberties such as freedom of religion or freedom of the press. Whether it shares the beliefs that unite Europe and the convictions expressed here remains actually doubtful, given the sad reality. By ensuring the existence of the monastery of St. Gabriel the Turkish state can exemplify how serious actually it takes it with regards to the rights of freedom for religious minorities in their own country.

We note that the monastery is threatened in its existence for years by several persisting litigations. Based on excuses the monastery is denied centuries-old property titles, judgments in favor of the monastery are controverted, and the administration of justice is delayed over and over again. An end of a tradition and culture that existed for 1600 years emerges on top of that. The unique monastic complex and its determining tradition need protection and support from the state. Although the Turkish authorities have agreed to do so several times, they do not act. On the contrary: In Turkey, minorities are discriminated.

We are pleased that the sister party of the CDU / CSU in the Netherlands, the CDA, on June 20, 2012 submitted an application to the second chamber of the Parliament in The Hague that deals with the existence of the monastery. Similarly, the advocacy of the Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) and the French UMP for the survival of the monastery of St. Gabriel emphasizes this: The European Union is a community of values, which takes violations of human rights such as freedom of religion very serious.

I thank our Chairman of the Working Group for Human Rights and Humanitarian Aid, Erika Steinbach, and the chairwoman of the Group in the Committee for Human Rights and Humanitarian Aid, Ute Granold that they have prepared the application, together with their colleagues in the liberal party and introduced into the House.

Exit Polls Suggest Opposition Win In Major German Vote

Exit polls suggest that Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives have suffered heavy losses in an election in Germany’s most populous state.

Support for the Christian Democrats dropped from 35 percent to 26 percent in North Rhine-Westphalia.

The ARD television exit poll showed the center-left Social Democrats and Greens — Germany’s main opposition parties — winning combined support of 51 percent.

That would be enough to give them a majority in the state legislature.

Some 13.2 million voters — more than one-fifth of Germany’s electorate — were choosing a new regional parliament in the state.

Based on reporting by AP and AFP

Merkel dealt ‘heavy blow’ in German vote

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives have suffered a crushing defeat in an election in Germany’s most populous state, exit polls showed, a result which could embolden the left opposition to step up attacks on her European austerity policies.

The election on Sunday in North Rhine-Westphalia, a western German state with a bigger population than the Netherlands and an economy the size of Turkey, was held 18 months before a national election in which Merkel is expected to fight for a third term.

According to the latest polls, support for Merkels’ Christian Democrats has apparently dropped to 26 per cent from 35 per cent in 2010, the worst result in the country since World War 2.

The centre-left Social Democrats took the lead with 39 per cent of the vote. The leftist Green Party came in second place by winning 12 per cent.

The Free Democrats (FDP), a pro-business party that rules in coalition with Merkel’s conservatives at the federal level, looked to have made it back into the state assembly after scoring 8.5 per cent of the vote, in what many will see as a rebound for the party after a collapse in support in recent years.

About 13.2 million people – more than a fifth of Germany’s electorate – were eligible to vote in the legislative election in the state which includes Cologne, Duesseldorf and the industrial Ruhr region.

The election is the third state-level vote this year and comes a week after a coalition of Merkel’s conservative Christian Democrats and pro-market Free Democrats – the parties that make up the national government – lost power in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein.

North Rhine-Westphalia, a traditional centre-left stronghold, voted three years ahead of schedule after its current minority government, made up of Germany’s main national opposition parties, narrowly failed to get a budget passed in March.

Opposition leaders declared that the vote would send an important signal ahead of national elections due in late 2013. Merkel said it offered an opportunity for the region to elect a government that wouldn’t take on “ever more debt”.

Christoph Strunck, professor at Siegen University, told Al Jazeera that the predicted loss for the Christian Democrats in the elections will make national politics more complicated.

“The social democrats, if they win, will turn up the heat, and right now we have ongoing negotiations about the European fiscal pact that still has to be ratified. Social Democrats will try to put more aspects of a stimulus programme in this pact, for instance.”

Pro-austerity

While national polls show Germans backing Merkel’s pro-austerity line, surveys suggest that the regional government of Social Democrats and Greens led by popular governor Hannelore Kraft has a good chance of emerging strengthened, with a majority in the state legislature.

Conservative challenger Norbert Roettgen, Merkel’s federal environment minister, has faced criticism for not committing himself to stay in state-level politics and for saying on a television show, in an apparent attempt at irony which backfired, that “regrettably” voters rather than his party would decide whether he became governor.

Al Jazeera’s Nick Spicer reports from Berlin

Roettgen irritated his party by declaring that Sunday’s election would decide “whether Angela Merkel’s course in Europe is strengthened or whether it is weakened by the re-election of a pro-debt government in Germany’.’

Merkel told the Ruhr Nachrichten newspaper this week that the vote is “an important state parliament election for North Rhine-Westphalia — no more, no less”.

But, under a headline asking “How much longer?”, Die Zeit newspaper commented that the vote could be a “fateful day” for Merkel. “Angela Merkel is at the peak of her power — and knows, now it becomes quite tough,” it said.

The struggling Free Democrats’ main aim is to win the 5 per cent of votes needed to retain their parliamentary seats, building on a surprisingly strong performance last weekend in Schleswig-Holstein.

The upstart Pirate Party, which has surged in recent months with a platform of near-total transparency and internet freedom but lacks policies on many issues – most prominently the debt crisis itself – hopes to enter its fourth state legislature. That could complicate the centre-left’s chances of winning a majority.

While Germany’s opposition, if it wins, will claim tail wind for next year’s national vote, Sunday’s election – unlike North Rhine-Westphalia’s last vote in 2010 – would not change the national balance of power.

Two years ago, Merkel’s coalition lost the state after five years in power there. That erased the national government’s majority in the upper house of parliament, which represents Germany’s 16 states, and its position there has since weakened further.

Current national polls consistently show Merkel’s conservatives as the biggest party. However, they forecast a parliamentary majority neither for her centre-right coalition – which has become notorious for infighting on a
wide range of policy issues – nor for the Social Democrats and Greens, who ran Germany from 1998 to 2005.

When the national election comes, Merkel’s chances of holding on to power still look decent, though perhaps with a new coalition partner.

AL JAZEERA ENGLISH (AJE)

Tymoshenko’s Daughter Meets German Minister

Germany’s justice minister has met with the daughter of jailed former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.

A government spokesman said Yevhenia Tymoshenko had a private meeting with German Justice Minister Sabine Leutheusser Schnarrenberger on May 7 to discuss her mother’s case.

The visit comes amid concerns over the health of Yulia Tymoshenko, who has been on a hunger strike for the past two weeks after claiming she was beaten by prison guards.

Germany has offered to treat Tymoshenko.

Officials said German Chancellor Angela Merkel did not meet with Yevhenia Tymoshenko but said the German leader was closely following the Tymoshenko case.

Tymoshenko is serving a seven-year prison sentence on charges of abuse of power.

Her supporters say she is the victim of a vendetta by her Ukrainian political opponents.

Based on reporting by Reuters and AP

Kyiv Threatens ‘Consequences’ Over German Pressure On Ex-PM

An official of Ukraine’s ruling party has warned that Germany could face potential economic consequences if it continues to pressure Ukraine over jailed ex-Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.

Speaking to Germany’s “Spiegel Online,” Leonid Kozhara, deputy head of the Party of Regions, said German manufacturers would suffer if Berlin carried through on a threat to block an EU association agreement with Kyiv over the Tymoshenko case.

Further details about Ukraine’s potential economic retaliation against Germany were not available.

Numerous European officials, including from Germany, have suggested a boycott of matches in Ukraine during this summer’s Euro 2012 soccer championships.

Also, at least nine EU countries say they will skip a regional conference in Ukraine this month to protest Tymoshenko’s controversial seven-year jail sentence and alleged poor treatment in prison.

With reporting by AFP

German President Scraps Ukraine Visit Over Tymoshenko

German President Joachim Gauck has canceled a planned visit to Ukraine next month amid concerns over the health and treatment of jailed former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.

A spokesman confirmed Gauck has nixed plans to attend a gathering of central European heads of state in the Black Sea resort of Yalta in May.

The “Suddeutsche Zeitung” daily said Gauck took the decision after consultations with Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Tymoshenko is serving a seven-year prison sentence for abuse of office and is currently facing a separate trial for alleged tax fraud.

Tymoshenko says she is the victim of political vendetta by President Viktor Yanukovych, whose initial presidential bid was thwarted by the 2004-05 Orange Revolution but who defeated Tymoshenko in a presidential election in 2010.

She began a hunger strike on April 20, accusing prison guards of mistreatment.

Tymoshenko’s imprisonment has badly strained relations between Ukraine and the European Union.

Based on reporting by Reuters and Deutsche Welle

German Doctors To Examine Tymoshenko Treatment Conditions

Ukrainian officials says German doctors will arrive in Ukraine on April 13 to examine the conditions at a hospital where jailed ex-Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has been offered medical treatment.

A Foreign Ministry official said the doctors had “verbally” informed Ukraine’s embassy in Germany that they are ready to examine the hospital in the city of Kharkiv.

Western doctors who examined Tymoshenko earlier this year found that she suffered debilitating pain from a slipped disk.

Tymoshenko’s lawyer, Sergei Vlasov, has said Ukrainian officials offered to treat her at the hospital, which isn’t specialized in spinal diseases.

Vlasov said Tymoshenko’s supporters had asked German doctors to find out whether the hospital can guarantee the treatment prescribed to her.

Tymoshenko is serving a four-year sentence for alleged embezzlement as well as abuse of office, but she says she is a victim of political persecution.

He conviction has been condemned by the United States and European Union as politically motivated.

The EU has also called for Tymoshenko to receive hospital treatment outside of prison.

Based on reporting by Interfax and ITAR-TASS

Rights Campaigner Gauck Elected German President

German lawmakers have elected Joachim Gauck to be the country’s 11th president since the end of World War II.

A former Lutheran pastor and human rights activist, the 72-year-old Gauck won 991 votes out of 1,232 at a special assembly of MPs.

RFE/RL PROFILE of Joachim Gauck

Gauck, from the former communist east, is known for speaking his mind on controversial topics.

Analysts say that may make him an awkward partner for Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Gauck is replacing Christian Wulff, who resigned in a scandal over financial favors.

The position of president in Germany is a mainly ceremonial post.

With AP, dpa, and Reuters reporting

Turkish PM Cancels German Trip, Protests Go Ahead

Posted GMT 3-17-2012 20:31:10

BERLIN (Reuters) — Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan cancelled a trip to Germany on Saturday after the death of 12 Turkish soldiers in Afghanistan, but thousands of protesters went ahead with a rally against a decision to award him a tolerance prize.

Erdogan had been due to receive the Steiger Award in the western German town of Bochum but his office said he had called off his trip because of the soldiers’ deaths in a NATO helicopter crash near Kabul on Friday.

Despite the cancellation, an estimated 22,000 people from local Alevi, Kurdish and Armenian groups who oppose the policies of Erdogan’s AK party joined a pre-planned protest rally in Bochum in the industrial Ruhr region.

“Erdogan – wolf in sheep’s clothing,” read one banner. “Erdogan, you are and remain an anti-democrat,” read another.

“We are foreigners here (in Germany) and in our own land too we are foreigners. We don’t know where to go, we Kurds and Alevis,” said one protester, Serpil Aydogan.

The Steiger Award association said the award was intended to mark 50 years of German-Turkish friendship.

Before the trip was cancelled, a leading German conservative had criticized the decision to award a prize for tolerance to Erdogan, citing what he called a lack of press freedom and the “suppressing” of religious and ethnic minorities in Turkey.

Alexander Dobrindt, general secretary of the Christian Social Union (CSU), which is part of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s centre-right coalition government, said it would be more appropriate to award Erdogan a prize for intolerance.

Erdogan had not been due to meet Merkel during Saturday’s trip. On previous visits he has irked Berlin with his calls to Germany’s large ethnic Turkish community not to assimilate or forget their roots.

Reporting by Gareth Jones; Editing by Mark Heinrich.

German Chancellor Visits Afghanistan

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has arrived in Afghanistan on an unannounced visit.

Merkel is scheduled to meet with German troops at a base near the northern Afghan city of Mazar-e Sharif.

She was due also to meet with German forces in Kunduz Province but heavy snow prevented landing there.

Merkel last visited Afghanistan in 2010.

Germany currently has some 4,800 troops in Afghanistan and is scheduled to start withdrawing some of them in 2013.

With AFP and dpa reporting

* German Leader and I.M.F. Chief Split Over Debt

BERLIN — With a deal on Greek debt finally done, Europe will shift its attention to two of its most powerful women, friends who have dueling views about what needs to be done to prevent future Greek-like meltdowns from spreading to other economies.

The International Monetary Fund’s managing director, Christine Lagarde, who is French, finds herself on a collision course with Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, posing a test for the unusually close relationship between the two leaders. They have opposing stances on how much money is needed to protect vulnerable economies, and how it should be raised.

Ms. Lagarde says Europe needs at least $ 1 trillion in emergency funds and is pressing for a much more robust European contribution before the I.M.F. commits to raising more money from its members. She has worked hard to drag along Ms. Merkel, who is hamstrung by a domestic constituency sharply opposed to committing more money to rescue neighbors.

In spite of the sometimes tough negotiations, colleagues and confidants describe a warmth and chemistry between the two leaders that transcends policy differences. They are on a first-name basis. They frequently exchange text messages. Shortly after Christmas, Ms. Lagarde brought Ms. Merkel a trinket from Hermès and received a recording of the Berlin Philharmonic playing Beethoven from Ms. Merkel, a classical music lover.

“There are many circles and many forums where it’s only the two of us who are women,” Ms. Lagarde said in an interview. “So there’s a sense of recognition, complicity, solidarity.”

Yet for all that personal solidarity, the two leaders have come to represent competing philosophies for solving the debt crisis that has punished European economies and threatened the financial stability of the rest of the world.

Their opposing worldviews may well come from formative experiences. As a high school student, Ms. Merkel traveled from East Germany to Moscow to take part in a Russian language competition; Ms. Lagarde attended a prominent girl’s school in suburban Washington, complete with an internship on Capitol Hill.

Ms. Lagarde, nicknamed l’Américaine in her native France, has been vocal in support of pro-growth policies on the part of the richer European countries to help their more indebted neighbors. She has pressed Europe to make its firewalls — the pools of money available to keep borrowing rates at sustainable levels — so enormous that they scare off would-be speculators.

Since becoming the head of the I.M.F., and in stark contrast to her public statements in her prior job, as French finance minister, she has repeatedly castigated Europe for doing too little, too late, and lacking focus on spurring higher growth rates.

Ms. Merkel, who declined to be interviewed for this article, has argued that free-spending governments got many European countries into trouble in the first place, and that the path to stability runs through austerity. Large firewalls, in this view, only give countries like Greece a false sense of security and an excuse to ease up on the painful measures demanded of them. Ms. Merkel has demanded assurances that all European countries bring their finances under strict control before the governments of the European Union agree to free up resources to help.

Their differences were brought into sharp relief in January when Ms. Lagarde gave a speech at the German Council on Foreign Relations in Berlin in which she demanded that Germany step up its efforts to save the world from “a 1930s moment.” Switching from her fluent English to halting, phonetic German, she concluded with a line by the German poet Goethe. “It is not enough to know, we must apply,” Ms. Lagarde told the audience. “It is not enough to will, we must do.”

The speech made headlines around the world, evidence of a backroom dispute breaking out into the open. Yet Ms. Lagarde had arrived in Berlin on the eve of her address with a copy of the speech, for Ms. Merkel to read, before Ms. Lagarde delivered it in front of the political and foreign-policy establishment. The two women debated the crisis in private over a dinner of veal tenderloin in the modern Chancellery’s eighth-floor dining room.

Ms. Lagarde also brought Ms. Merkel an orange-blossom-scented candle from the French perfumer Fragonard. The candle represented “hope,” Ms. Lagarde said. “Because we had tough discussions,” she said, there “was an element of symbolism about it.”

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