Dusseldorf, Germany – German toy retailer Tonies has now sold more than 100 million audio figurines for its hit Toniebox speaker system worldwide, the company Tonies SE said on Wednesday. The Toniebox device allows children to place figures, known as tonies, in the battery-powered speaker box to unlock and play audio content. Tonies have become…
Berlin, Germany – The NFL will keep hosting games in Germany until 2029 and next year the league will stage a regular season match in Berlin, it said on Wednesday. “We have committed to Germany for another five years until 2029 and will host at least one match per season. Within this cycle, there will…
Berlin, Germany – German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has submitted a motion to the lower house of parliament for a vote of confidence in his government, paving the way for early elections on February 23. Government sources told dpa the request was submitted to Bundestag President Bärbel Bas on Wednesday as planned. It is seen as…
Berlin, Germany – Germany’s Cabinet on Wednesday adopted a strategy to address violence against women and implement measures from the Istanbul Convention to combat gender-based violence against girls and women. The treaty, struck by the Council of Europe, has been in force in Germany since 2018 and calls for both legal and political steps to…
Berlin, Germany – German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock says her country will increase its presence in Syria with the goal of dismantling the arsenal of chemical weapons left behind after the recent ousting of President Bashar al-Assad. “We now have the chance to keep the world safe from al-Assad’s chemical weapons once and for all,”…
Brussels, EU – The European Commission on Tuesday approved a German state aid scheme worth €200 million ($211 million) to adapt forest management to climate change. The scheme aims to strengthen the resilience of German forests, increase their biodiversity and preserve them as natural carbon sinks that can absorb and store CO2 emissions from the…
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz urged the European Union to give a boost to electric vehicle sales and support carmakers with an EU-wide sales incentive during a visit to US carmaker Ford’s plant in Cologne on Tuesday. Scholz’s visit comes after Ford announced plans for large-scale job cuts at the Cologne plant and elsewhere in Europe. The…
By Anne-Béatrice Clasmann, Stefan Heinemeyer and Michael Donhauser, dpa Berlin, Germany – Germany has halted decisions on asylum applications from Syrian citizens following the ouster of former Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad, a spokesman for the Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) told dpa on Monday.The decision comes after rapidly advancing Syrian rebel groups seized control…
By Frank Johannsen, dpa Wolfsburg, Germany – Rolling strikes hit nine of auto giant Volkswagen’s plants across Germany for the second time this month, as the Volkswagen workforce protests painful proposed cuts at Europe’s largest carmaker.Monday’s strikes ratchet up the pressure on management on the same day that the fourth round of collective bargaining negotiations…
Berlin, Germany – A group held a spontaneous demonstration in celebration of the change of power in Syria in the Neukölln district of Berlin waving flags inscribed with the legend “Free Syria” on Sunday. Police described the gathering as a “relatively small group” and said no noteworthy incidents had occurred. The demonstration was preceded on…