I spy Heidi Klum Model "Lea" at Munich Main Train Station looking gorgeous in plum silk chiffon. Voilà !!

Photo Credit: Sofia Sanchez & Mauro Mongiello

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Munich in two hours at 90°F/32°C ~ Frank Sinatra and Antonio Carlos Jobin "Drinking Water (Aqua de Beber)"

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The Bavarian Chancellery --- Bayerische Staatskanzlei. Anyone wish to Photoshop the Cupola?

English Garden --- Surfing on the Eisbach of the Isar River.

"i love leo" Frozen Yogurt Café --- Celebrating Christopher Street Day, Munich.

Earth Wind and Fire

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Happy National Twins Day Germany

Fairy-tale castle: G7 convenes at Schloss Elmau

Photos at DW

Article at DW

"It's time once again for the annual meeting of the G7, where heads of state and government of the world's seven leading industrialized nations gather to talk about global affairs." 

Germany's political parties CDU, CSU, SPD, AfD, FDP, Left party, Greens - what you need to know Here's a look at Germany's political parties, who they are and what they want.

 DeutscheWelle DW

Christian Democratic Union (CDU) / Christian Social Union (CSU)
Color: Black
Chairpeople: Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer (CDU), Horst Seehofer(CSU)
Parliamentary leader: Volker Kauder (CDU)
Membership: 575,000
Voters: People over the age of 60, churchgoers, living in rural areas - especially in southern Germany - still represent the hardcore of CDU and CSU voters. The CDU has also traditionally done well among small business owners and people with lower or medium education levels.
2017 Bundestag election result: 33 percent (246/709 seats)
History: The CDU was founded in West Germany in 1950 in the aftermath of World War II as a gathering pool for all of Germany's Christian conservative voters. It became the most dominant political force in the post-war era, unifying Germany and leading the government for 47 of those 67 years, alongside its Bavaria sister-party, the Christian Social Union (CSU).
CDU Chancellor Konrad Adenauer, who governed from 1949 to 1963, is the closest the Federal Republic has to a founding father. It was Adenauer and his economy minister (and successor as chancellor), Ludwig Erhard, who presided over West Germany's "economic miracle." The party's reputation as Germany's rock of moral and economic stability continued under another long-term CDU chancellor, Helmut Kohl, who drove German reunification in 1990 - a key historic moment important in understanding today's politics.
Platform: Angela Merkel represents both a continuation and a break from the CDU's traditional values. Alongside Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble, German voters trust her to steward the economy safely. She also maintains certain conservative social values, such as opposition to same-sex marriage (though she voted against it herself, she ushered in gay marriage at the end of the last legislative period by sanctioning a conscience vote in the Bundestag). However, her relatively liberal stance on immigration has turned much of the CDU base against her.
Preferred coalition partners:  FDP, SPD - and now the Greens


Social Democratic Party (SPD)
Color: Red
Chairperson: Andrea Nahles
Parliamentary leader: Andrea Nahles
2017 Bundestag election result: 20.5 percent (153/709 seats)
Membership: 443,000
Voters: The SPD has traditionally been the party of the working classes and the trade unions. The SPD's most fertile ground in Germany remains in the densely-populated industrial regions of western Germany, particularly the Ruhr region in North Rhine-Westphalia, as well as the states of Hesse and Lower Saxony. History: The SPD was founded in 1875, making it Germany's oldest political party. In the tumultuous first decades of the 20th century, the party acted as an umbrella organization for a number of leftist movements, trade unionists, and communists. But with the founding of the Communist Party of Germany (KPD) in 1919, the SPD became the permanent home of the social justice reformers, rather than the revolutionaries - though that didn't stop its politicians from being sent to concentration camps during the Third Reich.
The SPD's first chancellor, Willy Brandt, governed West Germany from 1969 to 1974. He earned an international reputation for reconciliation with Eastern Europe during his time as foreign minister in a CDU-led coalition government. He was succeeded by Helmut Schmidt, an SPD icon until his death in 2015. Both remain hugely respected figures in German politics. Altogether, the party has been part of the German government for 34 of the 67 years of the Federal Republic and led governing coalitions for 21 of those. Though its reach has eroded significantly in the past few years, it was still behind some of Merkel's most significant social reform policies during her third government, which has just ended.
Platform: The SPD's best suit has always been social policy. It stands for a strong social infrastructure, though it also advocates sanctions-based unemployment benefits. In 2015, the SPD was instrumental in introducing a national minimum wage in Germany - currently €8.84 ($9.40) an hour. Nevertheless, the Agenda 2010 labor market reforms introduced by SPD Chancellor Gerhard Schröder in the early 2000s has lost the party some traditional support, and it's no accident that Martin Schulz's candidacy in the 2017 general election was marked by a "correction" of the policy, and a new emphasis on social justice and tax redistribution - though that failed to help him. The September 2017 election saw the worst result for the SPD in the history of the party.
Andrea Nahles was elected to replace Schulz in April 2018, becoming the first woman to lead the SPD. As both chairperson and parliamentary leader, Nahles has been trying to turn around the SPD's bad luck at the polls and win back voter confidence.
Preferred coalition partners: Greens, CDU - the Left, but only at state level.

The Left party (Die Linke)
Color: Red (TV coverage often uses magenta to distinguish it from the SPD)
Chairpeople: Katja Kipping, Bernd Riexinger
Parliamentary leaders: Sahra Wagenknecht, Dietmar Bartsch
2017 Bundestag election result: 9.2 percent (69/709 seats)
Membership: 60,000
Voters: The Left party's stronghold remains the "new German states" in the former East, where its voters tend to be former communists who supported the German Democratic Republic (GDR), and protest voters who want to express their disenchantment with traditional parties. If polls are to be believed, many of these have switched to the populist nationalism of the AfD in the past two years. 
History: Though it was only founded in 2007, the Left party has a much longer history, and is still considered a direct descendant of the Socialist Unity Party (SED) that ruled the East German GDR until reunification with the West in 1990. The Left party was formed out of a merger of the SED successor, the Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS), and Labour and Social Justice - The Electoral Alternative (WASG), a west German movement of trade unionists and disgruntled SPD members alienated by the welfare cuts introduced by Gerhard Schröder. The most prominent of these defectors was Schröder's first finance minister and SPD chairman, Oskar Lafontaine, who later led the Left party and is still a prominent figure guiding the party from his Saarland base.
Partly because of its association with the East German dictatorship, the Left remains a pariah for the other mainstream parties, and has never been part of a federal government coalition - though it has some government experience at state level.
Platform: The Left is the only major German party that rejects military missions abroad. It also wants NATO to be dissolved and the minimum wage to be raised from the current rate of 8.84 euros to 12 euros ($14.10). Some political scientists still see the Left as a radical party that ultimately seeks to overturn the capitalist economic order, but the party itself actually only advocates stronger market regulation, stronger rental caps, and more social investment. Preferred coalition partners: SPD, Greens

The Green Party (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Color: Green
Chairpeople: Annalena Baerbock, Robert Habeck
Parliamentary leaders: Katrin Göring-Eckardt, Anton Hofreiter
2017 Bundestag election result: 8.9 percent (67/709 seats)
Membership: 61,000
Voters: The Greens rely heavily on the well-educated, urban demographic for their voter base - and its strongholds tend to be major cities in western Germany, especially where universities are located. However, the party's voters have also aged significantly over its 30-year history: fewer than 10 percent of Green voters are now under 35. By the same token, Green voters have become more affluent over the years, and the Greens struggle to attract voters from lower income classes.  
History: The Green party is probably the most successful counter-culture movement in Germany's post-war political history. The party, whose official name is Alliance '90/The Greens, grew out of an assortment of social protest movements of the 1980s that eventually unified. Their supporters marched for everything from ending nuclear power to gay rights - while maintaining the key plank of environmental protection. Their success lies in the fact that all of these causes have been incorporated into mainstream politics since the alliance was officially founded in 1993 (the Green party itself was founded in 1980). The party became truly prominent in German politics in the early 2000s, when it became junior coalition partner to Gerhard Schröder's SPD, and supplied his government with Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer. Still, its biggest electoral success came in 2009, when it claimed over 10 percent of the national vote for the first and only time.
Platform: Political pundits tend to divide the Greens between the "Realos" and the "Fundis" - the "realists," who are willing to compromise party aims to have a say in government, and the more left-wing "fundamentalists," who are closer to the party's counter-culture roots.
The Realos have slowly taken control of the party, to the extent that it is now leading a coalition with the conservative CDU in the southwestern state of Baden-Württemberg. While environmentalism remains a core cause (agriculture reform was a key Green achievement in the early 2000s), it has also tried to a push a leftist agenda on tax and social policy. However, the prospect of a coalition with the CDU suggests that it may opt for a more centrist approach during this legislative period.
Preferred coalition partner: SPD

Alternative for Germany (AfD)
Color: Light blue
Chairpeople: Jörg Meuthen, Alexander Gauland
Parliamentary leaders: Alexander Gauland, Alice Weidel
Membership: 25,000
Voters: The AfD has poached voters from all the other major parties except the Greens, and has simultaneously succeeded in mobilizing many non-voters. The AfD scores best among middle income earners - though that is by no means its exclusive voter base, and draws voters from across social classes. Its membership, meanwhile, has one significant feature - only 15 percent are women.
2017 Bundestag election result: 12.6 percent (92/709 seats - 2 MPs have left the party since the election, and will be independent)
History: The right-wing nationalist Alternative for Germany (AfD) has surged to prominence in the four years of its existence. Founded just five months before the 2013 election as a euroskeptic party, the AfD very nearly entered the Bundestag. Since then, Germans have elected the AfD to every state parliament in regional elections as well as the European parliament. The AfD was originally created by a group of neo-liberal academics as a protest against the single European currency. They were angered specifically by Merkel's decision to bail out Greece in 2010 following Europe's financial crisis. But a power struggle in 2015 ended with the ouster of party leader Bernd Lucke, who was replaced by Frauke Petry. Petry, along with other prominent figures, set a much more overtly nationalist, anti-immigrant, anti-Islam agenda, a policy that scored some success during the refugee crisis of 2015. But Petry has now also left the party, seemingly in protest at the far-right extremist turn the party took in the run-up to the 2017 election. In Petry's absence, parliamentary leaders Alexander Gauland and Alice Weidel have become the face of the party, particularly with their diligent attendance at parliamentary sessions. In 2016, the AfD was the only major German party to welcome the election of US President Donald Trump and Britain's decision to leave the EU.
Platform: The AfD wants to seal the EU's borders, institute rigorous identity checks along Germany's borders and set up holding camps abroad to prevent migrants from heading to Germany at all. The party wants to immediately deport anyone whose application for political asylum is rejected and to encourage foreigners to return to their home countries. The party insists on the primacy of "traditional" German culture and rejects Islam as a part of German society. It also questions the notion that climate change is man-made and wants to reverse Germany's ongoing transition to renewable energy sources.
Preferred coalition partners: Ruled out by all other parties, but closest in policy to the CSU.

Free Democratic Party (FDP)
Color: Yellow
Chairperson: Christian Lindner
Parliamentary leader: Christian Lindner
2017 Bundestag election result: 10.7 percent (80/709 seats)
Membership: 63,000
Voters: As the party of neo-liberal free enterprise, it's no surprise that the FDP has found the most voters among the self-employed - especially business owners and professionals like dentists and lawyers - and the fewest among workers.
History: The Free Democrats were a permanent fixture in the German parliament from the early days of the Federal Republic. However, the party suffered major election losses in 2013, failing to clear the 5-percent hurdle to enter the lower house. It has struggled for relevance ever since, but then experienced a resurgence under new leader Christian Lindner, and is now re-entering parliament with some 80 Bundestag members and is likely to re-join the government in coalition with the CDU. Founded in December 1948, the FDP has been kingmaker to both the CDU and the SPD in its time. Though it has never led a German government, it participated in government for a total of 41 years, longer than any other party. Consequently, it has provided the bigger parties with many cabinet ministers, some of whom, such as Helmut Kohl's long-term foreign minister, Hans-Dietrich Genscher, became major post-war historical figures.
Platform: The FDP's program is founded on the principles of individual freedom and civil rights. While it has always campaigned for more tax cuts, it opposes leaving the financial markets unbridled. It is also a pro-European party.
Preferred coalition partner: CDU

Germany to give additional €1 billion in aid to Syria

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German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas announced on Wednesday that Germany will donate an additional €1 billion ($1.22 billion) in aid to Syria and neighboring countries who are hosting Syrian refugees. "In Syria alone there are still more than 13 million people who are dependent on humanitarian aid," Maas said as he arrived in Brussels for a humanitarian aid drive for Syria. "We must not leave the people of Syria alone," he added. The Foreign Ministry announced that another €300 million could be tacked on to Germany's pledge once the German government finalizes its budget this summer. Alongside Germany's concerns over the "protection of the civilian population," Maas emphasized that Germany was "strongly committed to the effort" to restart the political process to resolve the conflict. During last year's United Nations aid drive for Syria, Germany was the largest donor and has contributed around €4.5 billion in aid to Syria since 2012. The UN hopes donors at this year's conference will surpass the $6 billion in emergency humanitarian aid that was pledged last year. The heads of UN agencies warned on Tuesday that only $2.3 billion have been received so far. rs/kms (dpa, Reuters) DW-Deutsche Welle

Smyths Toys to buy Toys R Us in Germany, Austria and Switzerland By Mark Paul

Photo Credit: The Irish Times

Mayo family-owned retailing group will almost double in size, adding a further 90 stores to its network

Smyths Toys, the Mayo family-owned retailing group, will almost double in size after agreeing to a huge deal to buy rival, Toys R Us, in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The deal will add a further 90 stores to the group’s network of 110 outlets which are located in Ireland and, mostly, the UK. Smyths, which already had group sales estimated at about €600 million, is now among the largest specialist toys retailers in Europe. Smyths is now targeting further European expansion. The Irish Times

What is Germany’s dual education system — and why do other countries want it?

Photo Credit: Deutsche Welle April 6, 2018
Getty Images/S. Gallup

The German economy is powered by products sold the world over. The strength of Europe's powerhouse depends on outbound shipments. We take a look at one of its latest exports and reveal the secrets behind its success. Charlotte Falke creates technical drawings of power plant generators. The 23-year-old designer, a trainee at German industrial giant Siemens, spent a year at university before opting for a more vocational program. "I left because there was too much theory," she said. "I wanted more practice." Falke is not alone. Over 50 percent of Germans enter dual vocational and educational training programs (VET) as a route into employment. They choose from 326 professional trades that include diamond cutters, aircraft mechanics and even chimney sweeps. The system is widely credited with fueling the German export engine. Outside the country, some tout it as a solution to rising youth unemployment. So how does VET work — and is it worth the hype?
Theory and practice
"The basic idea is duality," said Ralf Hermann, head of the German Office for International Cooperation in Vocational Education and Training (GOVET). "That means integrating school-based learning with work-based practice." Like most apprentices, Falke spends a few days a week at college learning foundation skills, such as math and language, as well as the theory underpinning her work. The rest of her time is spent mainly in the office designing products. The balance means she is able to produce technical drawings to industry standards and interact with her clients in English. "A broader education in school is necessary to provide the soft skills that make responsible young people," said Hermann, who points to the need for flexibility in a rapidly changing digital economy. "Occupations have a broader sense of skills than mere training for one particular job."
Outside interest
Vocational training exists in many countries, but such schemes are rarely as popular as in Germany. More young people follow VET programs than go to university, even though many are qualified for further study. Apprenticeships are standardized across the country — every product designer must study the same textbooks and be familiar with the same design tools — so employment prospects do not vary greatly by college or company. Most join their training company after three years of low-paid work and study. This is important for the German economy, which has one of the lowest youth unemployment rates in the EU, and also the largest trade surplus. In 2017 Germany exported €1.279 trillion ($1.571 trillion) worth of goods and imported €1.034 trillion. Some countries looking to balance their trade books are keen to learn from the German model. Ivanka Trump, adviser to protectionist US President Donald Trump, has expressed interest in bringing dual vocational training schemes to the US. Speaking to German weekly Wirtschaftswoche last year, Ms. Trump described Germany's apprenticeship system as "a great trailblazer." "The perception of our international partners is quite right," said Hermann. "Part of the economic stability in Germany is due to the core elements of the VET, in that we produce a workforce that is ready for the labor markets."
History of training
One reason for VET's success in Germany is a culture of apprenticeships that stretches back to the middle ages. The practical component of study is so pervasive in German education that many young people even opt for semi-vocational university courses. "This mixture you can't find in any other concept," said Marius Berger, a salesman at a German car manufacturer. The 27-year-old completed a dual study program in automotive retail, alternating 50/50 between three-month stints at university and internships at the company's headquarters. He graduated with a Bachelor's degree in 2012 and has stayed with the company since. "I searched for the possibility to combine my love for German cars with a good economic study program," said Berger. "For me it wasn't an option to do a normal Bachelor degree without any practical part." But feeding such systems into countries without a culture of vocational training poses problems. While Germany provides technical advice to countries looking to implement VET systems, such as Mexico and Russia, organizations such as GOVET are hesitant to describe vocational education as an export hit. "A system that has grown in Germany under very specific conditions cannot just be exported to another country under very different conditions," said Hermann. DW-Deutsche Welle

Michael Schulte to represent Germany at Eurovision Song Contest

A successful professional pop musician with a convincing rendition of a very intimate song: the northern German was the clear favorite at the country's national finals for the Eurovision Song Contest.

"Our Song for Lisbon" was the title of the show in Berlin on Thursday to decide which of six contenders would represent Germany at the 63rd Eurovision Song Contest on May 12. That song is "You Let Me Walk Alone" and is about the relationship of the 27-year-old northern German musician to his father, who died 13 years ago. The song goes through the head and up and down the spine at first listening, and one finds oneself wanting to hear it again.
Successful pop musician
Michael Schulte may still be unfamiliar to the television public, but he has 1.2 million Spotify listeners each month, and his YouTube channel is also very popular. Schulte has released seven albums and heads his own production company. After his triumph was announced, the singer, composer and producer was hugged by his competitors and the two hosts, television moderators Linda Zervakis and Elton. Schulte seemed to be pleased but not all that surprised at his victory. This year at Germany's national ESC final, three groups were equally represented in the decision-making process: an international jury, a panel of 100 ESC experts from Germany and viewers at home calling in their favorites. All three awarded the highest number – 12 points – to Schulte. DW-Deutsche Welle
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Angela Merkel seeks to manage expectations in Argentina, Mexico By Michaela Küfner

Photo Credit: Chancellor Merkel and President Macri
DW/Reuters/M. Brindicci

German Chancellor Angela Merkel began her visit to Argentina with a speech at a synagogue in Buenos Aires. DW's Michaela Küfner described the background to the Latin American trip. Before meeting Argentine President Mauricio Macri, Merkel visited Buenos Aires' Templo Libertad synagogue (pictured above) in recognition of Argentina's role in offering refuge to Jews fleeing from the Nazis. The Chancellor acknowledged Latin America's largest Jewish community, which today comprises roughly 250,000 people. She recalled the "terrible attacks" on the Israeli embassy and a Jewish community center in Argentina in the 1990s, noting that a newly restored synagogue organ symbolized a bridge with Germany. Merkel's itinerary is also set to include a stop at which she will pay tribute to the victims of the country's 1976-1983 dictatorship, during which between 7,000 and 30,000 people were killed.
No anti-Trump alliance
Berlin insists that this trip is not about forming any kind of alliance against US President Donald Trump's protectionist economic rhetoric. Officially, Merkel's stops in Argentina and then Mexico were simply the last countries left on the list to visit prior to the G20 summit in Hamburg. The former chief of government of Argentina's capital, Macri has earned some respect with the German chancellor for beginning to pull his country out of the all-out economic mess that had its origins in Argentina's 2001 state bankruptcy. He secured a settlement with hedge funds where both the previous presidencies failed, regaining Argentina's access to financial markets. Yet this "success story" came at a high price for ordinary Argentinians. Merkel noted Thursday her first visit to Argentina came after Macri helped open Argentina to international credit markets following a long absence. "My first visit as Chancellor is taking place as President Macri has managed the re-opening of the country to the financial markets," Merkel said. "We believe that beyond political discussions we can support economic development. Argentina needs infrastructure, Argentina has to modernize and for that Germany can be a good partner." DW-Deutsche Welle

Germany gains popularity among foreign investors By Hardy Graupner

Germany is becoming increasingly attractive to foreign investors, a fresh study by a leading business consultancy has shown. The authors say the country stands to profit from the UK's exit from the European Union. Renowned consultancy A.T. Kearney on Wednesday published its 2017 Foreign Direct Investment Confidence Index, looking once again at changes in investors' perception of the business climate in specific countries and regions. The authors of the study said they were surprised by this year's results, pointing out that a year ago investors were concerned about the rise of populist policies in the Brexit referendum vote and the US presidential elections. "And yet this year, despite Brexit and the equally unexpected US election outcome, the US maintains its No.1 rank on the index, and the United Kingdom gains one spot to rank fourth," A.T. Kearney's Paul Laudicina said on the consultancy's website.
Not as bad as previously thought?
The study said the discrepancy could best be explained by the fact that the US and UK markets were both large and open economies with relatively efficient regulations, transparent tax rates and strong technological capabilities. It added investors had pointed to these characteristics as the primary factors they considered when determining where to invest. There's also the perception that both Brexit and US President will be good for business at least in the short term. This is based on London's prospect of having to deal with fewer cumbersome EU-mandated regulations and a more rational immigration policy, once it's left the EU. The study remarks that Trump for his part has promised to lower corporate tax rates and invest heavily in US infrastructure.
Germany a winner
This year's index provides some good news for Germany as it rises to second place in the table behind the US, marking its highest ranking in the nearly two-decade long history of the FDI Confidence Index. A.T. Kearney says the improvement likely reflects the country's business-friendly regulatory environment and its robust labor market. Many investors expect Germany to benefit from the fallout from Brexit. The number of European markets on the index fell for the second year in a row to 11 countries in 2017, signaling a downward trend in investor interest in Europe as a region. Nonetheless, the five largest European economies all made gains in the ranking this year. Emerging markets secured a share of 28 percent of the positions, "rebounding from a historical low of 20 percent last year." A.T. Kearney viewed this as a nascent trend of global investors increasing their risk tolerance and eyeing emerging economies for growth opportunities, particularly China and India. DW

Obama to give speech in Berlin to mark Reformation anniversary

Germany's protestant church has secured a coup: Barack Obama will address the annual assembly to mark the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. It could be Obama's first major appearance since leaving the presidency. Former US President Barack Obama will visit Germany in May to address the Protestant Church Assembly, or Kirchentag, the organizers confirmed on Tuesday. Obama will join Chancellor Angela Merkel and other dignitaries at the four-day festival. He is believed to be making a speech at the closing event in Berlin to mark the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. It would be his first public talk since his second term came to an end in January. Organizers refused to confirm Obama would be attending, saying they would announce the official line up of speakers later on Tuesday. As Germany looks towards federal election in September, it is safe to assume that most of the country's major politicians will be in attendance. The former president can likely look forward to a warm welcome in Germany, where he still enjoys a favorable reputation despite revelations that the NSA once tapped Chancellor Merkel's cell phone under his watch. Obama visited Germany six times as president, but he captured the hearts and minds of Germans before he was even elected. In 2008, hundreds of thousands gathered to hear him speak at the Victory Column, or Siegessäule, in Berlin. DW

Tage Wie Diese

Photo Credit: www.paz-online.de

Toten Hosen Photo

Germany's Gabriel says EU break-up no longer unthinkable By Paul Carrel

Germany's insistence on austerity in the euro zone has left Europe more divided than ever and a break-up of the European Union is no longer inconceivable, German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel told Der Spiegel magazine. Gabriel, whose Social Democrats (SPD) are junior partner to Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives in her ruling grand coalition, said strenuous efforts by countries like France and Italy to reduce their fiscal deficits came with political risks."I once asked the chancellor, what would be more costly for Germany: for France to be allowed to have half a percentage point more deficit, or for Marine Le Pen to become president?" he said, referring to the leader of the far-right National Front."Until today, she still owes me an answer," added Gabriel, whose SPD favors a greater focus on investment while Merkel's conservatives put more emphasis on fiscal discipline as a foundation for economic prosperity. The SPD is expected to choose Gabriel, their long-standing chairman who is also economy minister, to run against Merkel for chancellor in September's federal election, senior party sources said on Thursday. Asked if he really believed he could win more votes by transferring more German money to other EU countries, Gabriel replied: "I know that this discussion is extremely unpopular." "But I also know about the state of the EU. It is no longer unthinkable that it breaks apart," he said in the interview, published on Saturday. "Should that happen, our children and grandchildren would curse us," he added. "Because Germany is the biggest beneficiary of the European community - economically and politically." (Writing by Paul Carrel; Editing by Stephen Powell) REUTERS

German Polizei

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The Euro-Area Economy Is Beating Expectations By Sid Verma

Buoyant sentiment in Germany helps turn the dial

The economic momentum of the euro area is outpacing expectations, with a gauge of its performance relative to analysts' predictions now at a 2016 high. The Citigroup Surprise Index for the region, which measures how official data comes in relative to market expectations, has jumped since late September, underscoring better-than-forecast expansion in Germany and the so-far limited fallout from the Brexit vote on the single-currency bloc's financial system. The index stands at a year-to-date high of 34.30, a level last reached in November. On Monday, a Purchasing Managers’ Index for manufacturing and services rose to 53.7 for October from 52.6 in September, the fast pace since the start of the year, according to IHS Markit Ltd, driven by a strong expansion in factory activity in Germany. The Munich-based Ifo Institute's survey for October, which measures business sentiment in the country based on 7,000 responses from different sectors, rose to 110.5 on Tuesday, up from 109.5 in September and its highest level since April 2014, further underscoring increased optimism in Europe's largest economy. "Both the levels and the direction taken by the components confirm activity is accelerating," Maxime Sbaihi,  Bloomberg Intelligence economist, wrote in a note on Tuesday. "That’s also evident from other recent survey data from Germany, leaving financial markets with a strong impression of the economy as the end of the year approaches." Bloomberg

Upset by Brexit, Some British Jews Look to Germany By Kimiko De Fraytas-Tamura

LONDON — Until Britain voted to leave the European Union, Philip Levine never thought deeply about his Jewish heritage. But looking for a way to ensure that he could still work and live in Europe once Britain leaves the bloc, Mr. Levine, 35, who was born in Britain and lives in London, decided to do what some Jews, including his relatives, might consider unthinkable: apply for German citizenship. He did so by employing a provision of German law that has been on the books since 1949 but that has been little used in recent years. It allows anyone whom the Nazis stripped of their German citizenship “on political, racial or religious grounds” from Jan. 30, 1933, to May 8, 1945, and their descendants, to have their citizenship restored. Most of those who lost their citizenship during that period were Jews, though they also included other minorities and political opponents. He is not alone in turning to the German law after Britain’s decision to end its membership in the European Union, also known as Brexit. Since the vote in June, the German embassy in London said it had received at least 400 requests from Britons for information about German citizenship under a legal provision known as Article 116. At least 100 are formal applications by individuals or families, said Knud Noelle, an embassy official. “We expect more in coming weeks,” he said, adding that the embassy normally receives roughly 20 such applications every year. The interest among British Jews is far greater than ever before, said Michael Newman, the chief executive of the Association of Jewish Refugees, who said that he, too, was considering applying for German citizenship. The association is based in London. “I don’t remember hearing of requests before” for German citizenship in the association’s 75-year-old history, he said. “It’s taken Brexit to do this. It was a game-changer.” The development is among the most surprising techniques being used by British and European citizens as they seek a second passport that would allow them to retain their ability to travel, work and live anywhere in the bloc even after Britain’s departure is complete sometime in the next several years. People from the Continent living in Britain, Britons living in Europe and Britons living at home but eager to retain the benefits of European citizenship are investigating their heritage, considering marriage, studying residency requirements and otherwise searching for legal paths to get around the effects of the British vote. “I didn’t realize how simple it is,” Mr. Levine said of the application process for German citizenship, adding that he had done it initially for practical reasons and because his brother brought it up. “It’s literally a back door” into Europe. Britain allows dual citizenship, and Jews interviewed for this article said they planned to keep their British nationality. They said they had no immediate plans to move to Germany, either. Rather, German citizenship would allow them to keep traveling visa-free inside the European Union and maintain other benefits of belonging to Europe. Many British Jews, especially the younger generations, are comfortable with Germany, which they say has done enough to confront its past. International New York Times

Siemens wants in on Russian high-speed railway project

Photo Credit: Alexei Druzhinin/Sputnik

Germany’s Siemens has expressed an interest in cooperating with Russia and China to produce rolling stock for the high-speed rail route from Moscow to Kazan. "We may consider a trilateral partnership. We have a joint venture with the Russian Sinara group and excellent relations with China in the area of train production. We have also provided both countries with our Velaro technology,” Siemens Russia and CIS chief Dietrich Meller told Russian business daily Vedomosti. According to Meller, the three sides are discussing cooperation though no concrete talks have been held on contract with Siemens. The German company is ready to offer an enhanced version of its high-speed Sapsan trains. "The second generation Sapsan train is an absolutely new model of 2016,” Meller said, giving as an example the difference between mobile phones of 2000 and the latest smartphones. Siemens’ Sapsan trains currently operate on the Moscow to St. Petersburg line. In December, the Vice President of Russian Railways (RZD) Aleksandr Misharin said Germany’s Initiative Group wanted to provide up to ‎€2 billion to finance the Moscow-Kazan high-speed railway. The new link is planned as part of a network of high-speed lines to be built by the time Russia hosts the football World Cup in 2018. Beijing has already expressed an interest in funding the ambitious project, saying it will put up $6 billion. China considers the Moscow-Kazan project not only as an investment, but also as a way to boost communication and trade with Russia and Europe. The joint Russia-China investment in the railway is about $15 billion. The total cost of the 770-kilometer track which will stretch through seven regions of Russia, is estimated at $21.4 billion. The current journey time from Moscow to Kazan of 12 hours will be reduced to three and a half. The trains will be able to reach speeds of 400 kilometers per hour. Siemens is the largest engineering company in Europe, and specializes in manufacturing and maintenance of electronics, power engineering equipment, transportation, light engineering as well as communications services. Headquartered in Berlin and Munich the concern employs over 400,000 people. RT

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