Germany

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World's 'Finest' Interpreter of Art Songs Dead at 86

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau excelled at Schubert lieder

(Newser) - Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, perhaps the 20th century's greatest singer of art songs, died yesterday at home in Bavaria, the New York Times reports. He was 86. The German son of a classical scholar and a schoolteacher, Fischer-Dieskau (pronounced FEE-sher DEES-cow) studied voice in Berlin and had two years of unexpected...

Angela Merkel Answers Obama With a Shrug

'Well, you have a few things on your mind,' he responds

(Newser) - President Obama is huddling with other G-8 leaders today at Camp David, with Europe's financial crisis expected to be the main topic of conversation. More precisely: Whether Obama can persuade Germany's Angela Merkel to ease up on her austerity strategy and mix in some stimulus, reports AP . If...

Lawsuit Could Wipe Out Facebook IPO Windfall
Lawsuit Could Wipe Out Facebook IPO Windfall
and more IPO news

Lawsuit Could Wipe Out Facebook IPO Windfall

...but bids in Germany have hit $74 a share

(Newser) - By the time you read this, Facebook shares will likely have begun trading ( or not ). But the hoopla around the IPO was slightly dampened today, thanks to a mammoth class-action privacy lawsuit filed against it. The case combines 21 separate suits accusing Facebook of tracking users even when...

Sea Shepherd Founder Arrested

Paul Watson faces charges in decade-old incident

(Newser) - A leading anti-whaling activist has been arrested in Germany. Paul Watson, founder of Sea Shepherd, was busted on Saturday over a 2002 clash with a Costa Rican "illegal shark finning operation" off Guatemala, the group says in a statement. The group says the warrant is tied to an "...

Did Peeing Swimmers Kill 500 Fish?

Phosphates in urine linked to algae bloom

(Newser) - It's a pisser. Swimmers who pee in a lake could be responsible for the death of 500 fish. Experts believe a significant amount of urine in popular Eichbaum Lake in northern Germany is linked to an algae bloom that poisoned the fish. "Swimmers who urinate in the lake...

Organs From US Troops Save Lives in Europe

Donations from mortally wounded troops have helped 140

(Newser) - Since 2006, organ donations from mortally wounded US troops have saved around 140 European lives, reports USA Today . The families of 36 American servicemembers who were declared brain dead from combat in Iraq and Afghanistan agreed to donate their hearts, kidneys, lungs, livers, and pancreases to patients in Europe. It'...

Germany Bans Xbox, Windows 7

But Microsoft says it doesn't have to pull products yet

(Newser) - If you live in Germany and you like Microsoft products, you may want to stock up: A court ordered today that Microsoft remove Xbox 360 and Windows 7 from shelves, after ruling that Microsoft had infringed on Motorola Mobility's patents. But nothing will be pulled yet, Microsoft says, because...

Burglar in Germany Foiled by ... Earprints

He unwittingly left his mark behind, say police

(Newser) - German police say they busted a burglar responsible for nearly 100 break-ins because he left behind earprints, reports Der Spiegel . How so? He apparently put his ear against doors to listen for people inside. "Earprints are of similar value as fingerprints in terms of evidence," explained a police...

Ex-Minister Opens Online Christian Sex Shop

Marc Angenent found his calling as a sex therapist

(Newser) - If God gave us bodies, what's so sinful about lust? One former minister's answer to that question became his own website, Love Garden , which sells dildos, prostate stimulators, condoms, and much more, Der Spiegel reports. But Marc Angenent says he believed in the importance of lust even when...

German Court: No Free Pass for YouTube

Landmark ruling holds it responsible for copyrighted videos

(Newser) - Google is responsible for all the copyrighted content its users post on YouTube, a German court ruled today, in a landmark decision that could have massive implications for online content. The court ordered Google to remove all copyrighted clips brought to its attention, rejecting the web giant's argument that...

Internet Haters Tied to Model's Suicide

Claudia Boerner, 32, found dead after TV show appearance sparks attacks

(Newser) - Internet haters apparently helped drive a German model to suicide when they attacked her appearance. Claudia Boerner, 32, was found dead in her home after neighbors reported a strong smell of gas. Her death followed a flood of Internet and email attacks following a guest stint on a German cooking...

Sex Service: We Help Gals Get Better Grades

Bib:Love offers free sex to female students

(Newser) - Free sex—a valuable service for women? Three business students in Germany say the answer is yes. The trio at the University of Mannheim have started a service called Bib:Love that offers free one-night stands to stressed-out female students, Der Spiegel reports. Their posters, which promise "Good Grades...

Germany May Tax Young Workers

Proposed levy would pay for retiring boomers

(Newser) - Germany, too, is facing a huge spike in retirees, and the government is considering a new tax on younger workers to help pay for their pensions and health benefits, reports the Sydney Morning Herald . The measure to be introduced this month is expected to require workers 25 and older to...

47 Years Later, 10K Eggs Cover Easter Tree

Here's the amazing part: They're real, not plastic

(Newser) - Money may not grow on trees, but Easter eggs apparently do, thanks to one German man. Volker Kraft's apple sapling sported just 18 eggs when he first decorated it for Easter in 1965. The number increased year by year; by last year, the sturdy tree was festooned with 9,...

How This Woman Changed Physics

Emmy Noether may be obscure, but her work was revolutionary

(Newser) - Her work may be the "backbone" of all modern physics; her key theorem could be as important as the theory of relativity; yet hardly anyone knows who Emmy Noether is. Celebrating her 130th birthday this month, Noether has suffered what the New York Times calls "chronic neglect"—...

Celeb Bunny Meets Untimely Demise


 Celeb Bunny 
 Meets Untimely 
 Demise 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Celeb Bunny Meets Untimely Demise

Earless German rabbit stepped on by cameraman

(Newser) - An earless baby bunny that was a rising star on Germany's celebrity animal scene had his 15 minutes of fame brought to an abrupt end when he was accidentally stepped on by a television cameraman. The fate of 17-day-old Til, a bunny with a genetic defect, was plastered across...

Germany Elects New President
 Germany Elects New President 

Germany Elects New President

Joachim Gauck is former Lutheran minister

(Newser) - Germany today elected a former anti-Communist pastor as president, with 72-year-old Joachim Gauck receiving 991 of the 1,232 ballots cast, reports the AP . Gauck assumes the largely ceremonial post in the wake of the resignation of Christian Wulff, who quit last month in a scandal over financial favors. He...

'Neo-Nazi' Retailer Names Store After Mass Killer

Thor Steinar's new Brevik shop apparently honors killer of 77

(Newser) - A German retailer popular with neo-Nazis has opened a new store apparently named after right-wing Norwegian mass killer Anders Behring Breivik . Thor Steinar last week opened a clothing shop in Chemnitz named "Brevik," sparking cries of outrage. "It is out of the question for a store to...

Germany Advised to Stop Castrating Sex Offenders

Anti-torture panel at human rights watchdog calls practice 'degrading'

(Newser) - Germany doesn't mess around when it comes to sex offenders—serious offenders can volunteer to be surgically castrated—but now an anti-torture committee says the country should put an end to that practice, Reuters reports. The panel at the Strasbourg Council, Europe's top human rights watchdog, called the...

German President Quits in Corruption Scandal

Christian Wulff's exit a blow to Angela Merkel

(Newser) - Germany's president has stepped down after being hit with multiple corruption allegations. Though Christian Wulff's position is mostly ceremonial, his exit is nevertheless politically damaging to Chancellor Angela Merkel, Bloomberg notes. The chancellor had chosen Wulff to replace the previous president, who also resigned—just shy of two...

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