International Business News - Germany http://www.ibtimes.com All articles are copyrighted by IBTimes.com 400 100 http://www.ibtimes.com/ http://www.ibtimes.com/images/top_logo_ibt2_3.gif Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama arrived in Berlin on Thursday, meeting German Chancellor Angela Merkel and kicking off the European leg of his overseas trip amid high expectations. http://www.ibtimes.com/data/articleimgs/96974-germany-obama-2008.jpg http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080724/obama-arrives-in-germany.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080724/obama-arrives-in-germany.htm Thu, 24 Jul 2008 06:59:39 EDT Daimler AG signed a memorandum of understanding with the Iraqi government that could see the German vehicle maker supply buses, trucks and technological expertise in efforts to rebuild the country. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080723/germanys-daimler-ag-to-help-iraqi-reconstruction.htm Wed, 23 Jul 2008 13:59:35 EDT Continental AG on Wednesday roundly rejected a takeover offer worth more than 11.2 billion euros ($17.6 billion) from smaller auto parts maker Schaeffler KG, but indicated that it might be interested if Schaeffler ups its offer. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080723/continental-boards-snub-schaefflers-17-6b-offer.htm Wed, 23 Jul 2008 14:32:44 EDT Deutsche Lufthansa AG said it had to cancel more than 500 flights on Wednesday, affecting thousands of passengers across Europe, as a result of a strike by pilots at two subsidiaries. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080723/lufthansa-cancels-more-than-500-flights.htm Wed, 23 Jul 2008 12:31:25 EDT Germany is to introduce a test on German customs and history for would-be citizens in September after Chancellor Angela Merkel's Cabinet approved the plan on Wednesday. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080723/germany-plans-customs-test-for-would-be-citizens.htm Wed, 23 Jul 2008 11:25:17 EDT European Union regulators on Wednesday forbade Germany to give loan guarantees of up to 500 million euros ($796 million) to express delivery company DHL to help shield it from problems setting up a new hub at Leipzig-Halle airport. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080723/eu-bars-dhl-aid.htm Wed, 23 Jul 2008 09:43:02 EDT Germany's Software AG said Wednesday its second-quarter net profit jumped by 10 percent on a similar increase in sales. The Darmstadt-based database and data management software company said net profit for the April-June period was 27.1 million euros (nearly $42.6 million), up from 24.6 million euros a year earlier. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080723/software-ag-2q-profit-rises.htm Wed, 23 Jul 2008 09:31:47 EDT European Union regulators on Wednesday forbade Germany to give loan guarantees of up to euro500 million ($796 million) to express delivery company DHL to help shield it from problems setting up a new hub at Leipzig-Halle airport. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080723/eu-bars-german-region-from-giving-dhl-aid.htm Wed, 23 Jul 2008 08:22:01 EDT Pharmaceutical and chemical company Merck KGaA said Wednesday its second-quarter profit more than doubled on strong results from all divisions of the company. The increase also reflected one-time charges in the year-ago quarter. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080723/germanys-merck-says-2q-profit-more-than-doubles.htm Wed, 23 Jul 2008 07:37:04 EDT German automaker Volkswagen AG said Wednesday the company's second-quarter net profit rose 35 percent, helped by strong sales in India, Russia and China. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080723/volkswagen-2q-net-profit-up-35-percent.htm Wed, 23 Jul 2008 12:51:38 EDT Pharmaceutical company Merck KGaA said Wednesday its second quarter profit rose 143 percent on strong results from all divisions of the company. Merck said in the April through June period, net profit rose to euro207.4 million (US$325 million) from euro85.5 million in the year ago quarter on revenues that were up 6.1 percent at nearly euro2 billion (US$3.14 billion) from euro1.8 billion in the year ago quarter. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080723/germanys-merck-2q-profit-up.htm Wed, 23 Jul 2008 05:05:55 EDT Union IG Metall said Tuesday it had agreed with Siemens AG and the company's works council on some of the ground rules for talks surrounding the conglomerate's planned restructuring in Germany. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080722/siemens-union-agree-on-some-restructuring-points.htm Tue, 22 Jul 2008 12:04:16 EDT IKB Deutsche Industriebank AG, a German lender badly hit by the U.S. subprime mortgage crisis, said Tuesday it had postponed its planned 1.25 billion euros (nearly $2 billion) share sale, preferring to wait for a ruling by the European Commission. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080722/ikb-share-sale-postponed.htm Tue, 22 Jul 2008 12:01:40 EDT Three Iraqis who plotted to kill then-Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi during a 2004 visit to Germany are appealing their convictions. The state court says Tuesday the defense is appealing the July 15 conviction of the trio on charges of attempted participation in murder and membership in terrorist organization Ansar al-Islam. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080722/conviction-of-would-be-allawi-assassins-appealed.htm Tue, 22 Jul 2008 05:44:06 EDT The airline pilots' union Cockpit on Tuesday announced another series of walkouts at Lufthansa AG subsidiary airlines Eurowings and Lufthansa CityLine. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080722/pilots-call-for-more-lufthansa-strikes.htm Tue, 22 Jul 2008 11:47:58 EDT Iraq's prime minister said Tuesday that improved security means his country is now ready to welcome foreign firms, using a trip to Germany to encourage investment from Europe's biggest economy. http://www.ibtimes.com/data/articleimgs/95707-germany-iraq.jpg http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080722/iraqi-prime-minister-visiting-germany.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080722/iraqi-prime-minister-visiting-germany.htm Tue, 22 Jul 2008 12:36:36 EDT Germany's Schaeffler KG on Monday adjusted its takeover offer for larger auto parts maker Continental AG slightly upward, citing a new calculation of the bigger company's recent average share price. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080721/schaeffler-nudges-up-continental-ag-bid.htm Mon, 21 Jul 2008 14:07:40 EDT German Chancellor Angela Merkel pledged Monday to help Ukraine implement reforms to bring the former Soviet republic into NATO, a prospect strongly opposed by Russia. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080721/oil-matters-loom-over-merkels-ukraine-visit.htm Mon, 21 Jul 2008 12:02:21 EDT General Motors Corp. unveiled its new Insignia sedan model Monday for its Opel and Vauxhall brands ahead of the London Auto Show. Alain Visser, GM's chief marketing officer in Europe, said in a Webcast from London that the car marked "new ambition and a new era," for GM in Europe. GM's European operations are based in Switzerland. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080721/gm-unveils-insignia-sedan.htm Mon, 21 Jul 2008 10:51:20 EDT Germany's economy likely contracted in the second quarter as industrial production declined, but the country remains in sound economic health overall, the Finance Ministry said Monday. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080721/german-economy-seen-declining-in-q2.htm Mon, 21 Jul 2008 09:35:45 EDT