Frankfurt

Daimler posts loss amid global car crisis

Daimler posts loss amid global car crisis Frankfurt - Giant German carmaker Daimler AG said Tuesday it posted a 1.3-billion-euro (1.7-billion-dollar) first-quarter loss amid the global car industry crisis. The announcement came just one day after Daimler announced it was offloading its stake in the ailing US auto group Chrysler.

Daimler, which manufactures luxury Mercedes-Benz vehicles, said Monday it had forged an agreement with Chrysler's owner, the US private equity group Cerberus Capital Management and the US Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp, to pull out of its 19.9-per-cent stake in the North American carmaker.

German authorities tell airline crews to report sick passengers

German authorities tell airline crews to report sick passengers Frankfurt - Authorities at Frankfurt international airport, Germany's biggest air hub, on Monday instructed airline crews on jets coming from swine-flu-affected areas to report any sick passengers. In the capital Berlin, Health Ministry spokesman Klaus Vater said he saw no immediate threat to Germany's populace.

Pamphlets are to be distributed to travellers at German airports advising them which symptoms to watch for and precautions they could take. Information was also being distributed to German doctors.

Labour groups oppose any sale of Opel/Vauxhall to Fiat

Labour groups oppose any sale of Opel/Vauxhall to FiatFrankfurt - German labour leaders voiced outrage Friday at reports that Fiat, the Italian company seeking control of Chrysler, may have an alternative plan to acquire General Motors' Opel and Vauxhall brands in Europe.

Guenter Verheugen, a German who is the European Union's top industry official, scoffed at the plan, telling a German TV channel, "I wonder where this heavily indebted enterprise is going to get the funds to tackle two such operations at the same time."

Sudden onset of spring catches Europeans off guard By Sabine Raensch

Sudden onset of spring catches Europeans off guard By Sabine RaenschFrankfurt - The sudden onset of spring in north-western Europe has sent the plant world into overdrive, triggering a wave of hay-fever from the cloud of pollen over the continent.

"It's very, very unusual," said Gerhard Lux of the state-funded DWD German Weather Service at its office in Offenbach near Frankfurt.

The development has surprised phenologists, the experts who track the impact of weather on seasonal plants.

Deutsche Telekom warns of profit fall as recession hits business

Deutsche Telekom warns of profit fall as recession hits businessFrankfurt - Shares in Europe's biggest telecoms group Deutsche Telekom AG dropped more than 10 per cent Tuesday after it warned about a fall in profits this year as the global recession and intense market competition hit the company's earnings.

German-based Telekom said it expects adjusted 2009 earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) to fall between 2 and 4 per cent. Its shares stood at 8.67 euros in early afternoon trading.

BASF places employees on short-term work

BASF places employees on short-term work Frankfurt - Despite signs of cautious economic optimism emerging around the world, German chemicals giant BASF AG said Wednesday it saw no signs that the global crisis was easing, and announced moves to place up to 3,000 employees on shorter work weeks.

"We have to make adjustments," said BASF personnel chief, Harald Schwager. "An end to the global crisis is still not in sight."

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