Justice Minister warns against travel to Russia
German federal Justice Minister Marco Buschmann is warning Germans not to travel to Russia, just days after a prisoner exchange between Russia and western countries.
"No one has been safe in Russia for a long time, and I strongly advise that no one go there unless absolutely necessary," Buschmann said. "I can't take away any concerns that Putin won't take more political prisoners."
Germany paid a high price for the exchange, which saw American Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovic released back to the US after over a year in Russian captivity. One of the prisoners Russia got in exchange was Vadim Krasikov - the so-called "Tiergarten murderer" - a Russian hitman who was convicted of murdering a reformed Chechen militant in broad daylight in the middle of Berlin's Tiergarten.
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Last Generation activists face steep fines for BER blockade
German Federal Police have slapped 16 climate activists with the Last Generation group with €6,400 in fines.
They concern blockades of Berlin's BER Airport on 24 November and 5 December of 2022 and 5 May 2023.Â
However the group could be facing civil lawsuits for much higher amounts. Eurowings is demanding €120,000 in damages after the protest caused delays and missed flights for passengers.
Meanwhile, Berlin is suing the climate activists for €142,000 following the group's vandalism of the Brandenburg Gate.
READ ALSO: Why are Last Generation activists in Germany getting prison sentences?
New Covid vaccine soon available in Germany
As of August 12th, a new version of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine will be available at German doctor's offices and in pharmacies.
The updated vaccine can be used as basic immunisation or for boosters, and is designed to provide better protection against current variants.
The Covid vaccine is currently recommended mostly for people aged 60 years and older or to those with chronic underlying medical conditions.
First rise in six months for German industrial orders
German factory orders rose more strongly than expected in June, official data showed this week, boosting hopes that a recovery in Europe's top economy could be gaining momentum.
Orders in the country's crucial manufacturing sector rose 3.9 percent from a month earlier, according to federal statistics agency Destatis, an uptick that followed five consecutive months of falls.
That was higher than an increase of one percent forecast by analysts surveyed by financial data firm FactSet.
But the order data, closely watched as an indicator of future business activity, was 11.8 percent lower from the same month a year earlier, according to Destatis.
June's month-on-month rise was driven by domestic orders, which rose by 1.2 percent, while demand from abroad continued to fall and was down by 3.1 percent.
The uptick comes after a recent run of lacklustre data, and may boost optimism a rebound is finally taking hold after the German economy shrank last year due in part to an industrial slowdown.
More executives charged over German Wirecard scandal
Two more former senior executives have been charged in relation to the dramatic collapse of the German payments firm Wirecard in a massive accounting fraud, prosecutors said Tuesday.
Alexander von Knoop, who was chief financial officer, and Susanne Steidl, ex-head of product development, have been accused of embezzlement over the scandal.
"The two defendants each breached their obligations to Wirecard in an obvious and serious manner," said the Munich prosecutor's office in a statement.
The actions caused the company "losses of several hundred million euros", it added.
A court in Munich, where Wirecard was headquartered, will now decide whether they go on trial.
The once celebrated company imploded in June 2020 after it was forced to admit that €1.9 billion in cash, meant to be sitting in trustee accounts in Asia, didn't actually exist.
With reporting from AFP
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