Germany

BERLIN — Long classified in Germany as “luxury goods” taxed at the highest possible rate, tampons, pads and other menstrual products will soon join bread, books and cut flowers on the list of items considered “necessary for everyday life.” The change, set to take effect on Jan. 1, will reduce the tax on menstrual products to 7 percent from 19 percent. Parliament passed the law last week, as a campaign to reduce the high taxes on period products spread across the globe. While 75 percent of all items considered essential in Germany — and therefore taxed at the lower rate — are foodstuffs, the category also includes other, less obvious products. Cut flowers, books and newspapers, paintings, collectible coins, and theater tickets are also on the list. European Union regulations dictate that certain items cannot be taxed at a lower rate, but menstrual products are not among them, so two German women took the issue into their own hands. “The higher tax rate on these … [Read more...] about Tampons to Be Taxed as Essential, Not Luxury, Items in Germany

Germany’s domestic equivalent of the FBI is considering leads pointing towards Ukraine being the author of last year’s explosions which destroyed a key energy pipeline in the Baltic Sea. Seriously argued theories fingering every party to the Ukraine War for the Nord Stream blast have been made since underwater explosive charges took out the key route for importing natural gas from Russia to Europe last year. Yet according to a new report published by a group of European broadcasters and publications, Germany’s FBI-equivalent the Federal Criminal Police Office (Bundeskriminalamt, BKA) is now looking into leads that implicate Ukraine. In a summary of the claims made by outlets including Germany’s Süddeutsche Zeitung , Sweden’s Expressen , and Denmarks Berlingske published by German broadcaster Tagesschau it is reported a yacht rented from a Baltic port at the time of the blasts which was subsequently discovered to have explosives residue onboard is being considered in … [Read more...] about Germany’s FBI Considers Whether Ukraine Bombed Nord Stream: Reports

LUBMIN, Germany — Past a nudist beach and a sleepy marina, a gigantic mesh of metallic pipes rises from the pine forest behind the tiny village of Lubmin on Germany’s Baltic coast. If few people have heard of Lubmin, from Berlin to Washington almost everyone seems to know the name of the two gas pipelines arriving here directly from Russia: Nord Stream 1, which carries almost 60 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year to keep Europe’s biggest economy humming. And Nord Stream 2, built to increase that flow but abruptly shuttered in the run-up to Russia’s attack on Ukraine. The pair of pipelines has become a twin symbol of Germany’s dangerous dependence on Russian gas — and the country’s belated and frenzied effort to wean itself off it — with calls growing for the European Union to hit Moscow with tougher sanctions as atrocities come to light in Ukraine. On Tuesday, the European Commission, the E.U.’s executive branch, proposed banning imports of Russian coal and soon, … [Read more...] about The End of the (Pipe)line? Germany Scrambles to Wean Itself Off Russian Gas

German politicians have been left fearing the consequences of diversity after migrant parades celebrated the re-election of Turkey’s Islamist president took place in the country. Numerous elected officials within Germany have expressed concern at the parades, which celebrated the victory of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Turkey’s presidential election on Sunday. Erdoğan is increasingly seen as an adversary of the European Union by many, with the Turkish strongman often coming at odds with European powers over his increasingly close relationship with Russia’s Vladimir Putin and for frequently blackmailing the bloc with opening up the floodgates of migration. Progressives across the continent would have also likely ben perturbed by the Islamist Turkish president’s victory speech, in which he vowed to protect the country from alleged attempts by the “pro-LGBT” to “infiltrate” Turkish society. According to a report by German newspaper Bild, however, Erdoğan’s re-election was met … [Read more...] about Germany: Parades for Erdogan Spark Diversity Fears for Progressives

close Video Fox News Flash top headlines for June 2 Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com. Germany's defense minister said Friday his country will look into a report that former German air force fighter plane pilots have been training pilots for the Chinese military . News magazine Der Spiegel and public broadcaster ZDF reported Friday that "at least a handful" of former German air force officers are working as trainers in China , and that in several cases they were apparently paid through companies in the Seychelles. They said that such training has been going on for years, that several pilots didn't respond to requests for comment or were unreachable, and that one rejected the allegations. Asked about the report during a visit to Singapore, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said that there are clear rules on what servicepeople are allowed to do after they leave the armed forces and what activities … [Read more...] about Germany to investigate former air force fighter pilots accused of training the Chinese military

See the article in its original context from January 23, 1986 Section Page Buy Reprints View on timesmachine TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. About the Archive This is a digitized version of an article from The Times’s print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. Elie Wiesel returned to Germany this week for the first time since he was released from the Buchenwald concentration camp almost 41 years ago. Mr. Wiesel, a writer and teacher who serves as chairman of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council, was in West Berlin for a two-day meeting of a West German-American group established to keep alive the memory of the Nazi horror. The … [Read more...] about ELIE WIESEL BACK IN GERMANY AFTER 41 YEARS