German News Service | 01.02.2018, 18:00 UTC

German News Service 01.02.2018 | 18:00 UTC

Germany's Bundestag votes to expand refugee family reunifications

	German lawmakers have agreed to lift the suspension of family reunifications for migrants with so-called "subsidiary" status. The reunifications bill is a breakthrough in Angela Merkel's bid to forge a new government.

German government ups 2018 economic outlook

	After years of continued growth and increasing domestic demand, the German government has sharply upped its 2018 economic outlook, projecting a growth rate of 2.4 percent, after predicting a mere 1.9 percent in October.

Germany halts plans to upgrade Turkey's Leopard tanks

	Germany's government agreed to push back the decision on upgrading German-built tanks used by the Turkish army, according to the magazine Spiegel. The freeze follows uproar over Turkey's use of Leopard tanks in Syria.

Car exhaust monkey test backfires on VW, German carmakers

	Daimler says it too has suspended an official implicated in a 2015 diesel exhaust test on monkeys, following VW's suspension of its chief lobbyist. Carmakers wanted test results kept secret, German media reported.

Bundeswehr sexual harassment jumps 80 percent in 2017, reports say

	The Funke media group says 234 cases of sexual harassment have been reported in the German armed forces. The Defense Ministry said the rise is due to heightened sensitivity and increased reporting of suspected crimes.

German federal police use Trojan virus to evade phone encryption

	A report in German media has said that the BKA accesses data before it is encrypted and inaccessible. While police argue the tool is essential for investigations, critics have warned of a state invasion of privacy.

Poison candy: Are chocolates, sweets and sugary snacks ever healthy?

	We're trained to think sugar is bad — and that vegan cookies or vegetarian wine gums are good as god. But at ISM 2018, Cologne's international sweets fair, "poisons" depend on the dose.

The cello saved her life: Anita Lasker-Wallfisch

	The cellist was deported to Auschwitz, then to Bergen-Belsen. After a music career, she now speaks out about the Nazi atrocities. She commemorated Holocaust Memorial Day with a speech in the Bundestag.

German artist Thomas Scheibitz astonishes with cinematic artwork

	A new exhibition at the Kunstmuseum Bonn features some 70 works from the sculptor and painter. In the show Scheibitz displays his cinematic style, playing with form, color and figure — and leaving the viewer torn.

German director Katja Benrath: from film student to Oscar nominee

	Director Katja Benrath has been nominated for an Oscar for her award-winning short film, "Watu Wote: All of Us." She spoke to DW about the universal message of her film, the #MeToo movement — and Hollywood's good side.

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