Obama in Dresden, Germany: the Non-Controversy Controversy

Sometimes location is everything. Other times, it’s just a convenient place to spend the night. On both sides of the Atlantic, much has been made of Barack Obama’s decision to spend Thursday night in Dresden, the German city known primarily as the site of a horrific bombing campaign by U.S.

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Rwandan to face genocide charges in Finland

Finnish prosecutors will file genocide charges against a Rwandan man in the killings of 15 people during Rwanda’s ethnic cleansing bloodbath in 1994, authorities said Monday. GM will file a bankruptcy petition at 8 am ET (12 pm GMT), paving the way for a de facto government takeover, according to a source with direct knowledge of the bankruptcy proceedings

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GM poised for bankruptcy, agrees European selloff

The future of thousands of car industry jobs in Europe remained uncertain Monday as General Motors prepared to file for bankruptcy after reaching a deal to sell off its European operations, including German automaker Opel and UK-based Vauxhall. GM will file a bankruptcy petition at 8 am ET (12 pm GMT), paving the way for a de facto government takeover, according to a source with direct knowledge of the bankruptcy proceedings.

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Germany’s Battle Against Scientology

The interior ministers of Germany’s 16 states have launched an investigation into the activities of the Church of Scientology, hoping to assemble the evidence to support banning the U.S.-based organization from operating in Germany. But skeptics question whether such a move is politically and legally tenable — or wise

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Two companies vie for Opel’s future

Two groups remain in the hunt to take over carmaker Opel from the umbrella of General Motors’ European operations: Canadian-Austrian supplier Magna and Italian car company Fiat The German government met Wednesday to discuss the future of the carmaker. The chief concern is to make sure the car company does not become embroiled in the bankruptcy protection proceedings of parent company GM.

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Showtime for Hitler: ‘The Producers’ Comes to Berlin

As the two Jewish men on stage slip on their Nazi armbands, preparing to take the Siegfried Oath, the portly man sitting next to me seems unsure if he should laugh. Like the rest of the audience at the Berlin opening of the Mel Brooks musical comedy The Producers on Sunday night, the old man waits.

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Fiat move for GM would create $100B giant

Fiat Group, fresh from an agreement to buy a piece of troubled automaker Chrysler, has plans to purchase GM Europe and spin-off the recombined carmakers into a new company. If successful, the new company would become one of the largest car manufacturers in the world behind Toyota. The combined company would generate about $100 billion annually with sales of between 6 and 7 million cars a year

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Klinsmann dismissed as Bayern Munich coach

German champions Bayern Munich have sacked coach Jurgen Klinsmann and appointed the experienced Jupp Heynckes as his replacement for the final five games of the Bundesliga season. Klinsmann’s fate was sealed after a meeting with club chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, general manager Uli Hoeness and director Karl Hopfner on Monday morning. The 44-year-old took charge of Bayern last July, after leading an unfancied Germany side to the 2006 World Cup semifinals on home soil.

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