Germany saw a surprise rise in unemployment as the total out of work went up over 25,000. Analysts had been expecting a drop of about 5,000 after August’s rise of over 9,000.
The Federal Labor Office attributed the increase to a drop in the number of government job schemes. The total unemployment rate climbed to 6.9%.
Henrich Alt of the Labor Office said they were changing to longer-term policies designed to train the unemployed for new jobs.
The overall unemployment rate for the Eurozone dropped slightly to 12%. Total unemployment was 19.2 million in August and analysts say there is signs of the total of unemployed stabilizing.
Austria has the lowest unemployment rate at 4.9% while Greece is still highest at 27.9%.
Eurostat reported that compared to a year ago 16 members had climbing unemployment, 11 fell and only Poland stayed stable.
Four children of a homeschooling family in Germany had their home raided and their children taken by the government because the parents refused to stop homeschooling the kids.
Germany bans homeschooling claiming that children cannot function in society unless they are exposed to “different points of view” as mandated by the government. The head of the regional youth services department told the BBC the children had to be seized to guarantee their right to education. Continue reading →
German police have broken up an Islamist Militant network after a series of Tuesday raids.
Police say they targeted a money-laundering operation that was helping to fund people plotting terrorist attacks using model aircraft. Continue reading →
Budapest, Hungary is facing historic flooding of the Danube River that is driving thousands from their homes after heavy rain across central Europe.
The river is expected to crest at 29.5, just a foot below the river’s flood fences at 30.5 feet. The previous record high was 28 feet in 2006. At least 1,200 people from 28 towns have been forced to leave their homes. Continue reading →
Germany is preparing a proposal for new rules regarding European Union bailouts that would impose a tax on property.
The move would be aimed at “taxing the rich” to pay for the bailouts in a way that would keep wealthy landowners from moving money to other countries. German officials say that the problem with requiring bailouts to take funds from bank accounts is that wealthy account holders can transfer money out of the country before restrictions take effect. Continue reading →
The Markit composite purchasing managers’ index, which measures the growth in manufacturing and services sectors, has reported significant downturns in major European economies. Continue reading →
About 14,000 ducks at a German farm are being slaughtered following a bird flu outbreak.
A federal laboratory confirmed Friday the H5N1 virus was detected at the farm near Seelow, east of Berlin — the first such finding in Germany in more than three years. Continue reading →
Eurozone unemployment surged to a new record high of 18.49 million in September, an increase of 146,000 from August. The unemployment rate of 11.6% is almost a point and a half higher than one year ago.
Spain once again lead the way with an unemployment rate of 25.8%. In Spain and Greece, over half the workforce under 25 is unemployed. Continue reading →
Germany has called on the other members of the European Union to consider giving up more of their country’s economic sovereignty to the collective Union.
German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble is proposing that the EU create an “EU Economic and Monetary Commissioner” who will have power to regulate the national budgets of individual member nations. The Commissioner would have the ability to veto a nation’s budget if it breaks established EU deficit rules. Continue reading →
A 28-year-old German woman has confessed to police that she killed five of her newborn children shortly after birth and dumped their bodies in various locations around northern Germany.
The confession brings to an end an investigation that started in 2006 when a newborn baby’s body was found in a paper-recycling plant near Flensburg. A second body was found in a parking garage in 2007. Continue reading →