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BERLIN: Germany on Tuesday becomes the latest European country to launch a smartphone app that seeks to break the chain of coronavirus infection by tracking encounters between people and issuing a warning should one of them test positive. A growing number of countries in the region have opted to use Bluetooth short-range radio to measure the risk of exposure, after concluding that tracking people's movements using location data would be intrusive. European Union member states hope soon to agree a common approach for an international 'roaming' feature that could help revive travel and tourism. WHAT'S THE STORY SO FAR? Since there is no cure for COVID-19, governments have turned to technology to create a sort of digital 'herd immunity' against the flu-like disease. After initial efforts misfired, Apple and Alphabet's Google - whose iOS and Android operating systems run 99per cent of the world's smartphones - developed a standard that logs contacts securely on devices. … [Read more...] about Europe steps up tech battle vs coronavirus with German app

REUTERS: Facebook said on Monday it had signed up a string of German media partners to provide content for a local news product, in a success for the U.S. social network following a row over payment for news content in Australia. Described as a "dedicated venue for journalistic content", Facebook News will feature reporting from heavyweight news weeklies Die Zeit and Der Spiegel, and newspapers including the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Handelsblatt and Tagesspiegel. "Part of our user base wants to read more news," Jesper Doub, Facebook's director of news partnerships in Europe, told reporters. Facebook News has launched in the United States and Britain, and will follow soon in France, added Doub. He did not disclose financial terms for the partnerships backing the German launch of Facebook News, which will also feature several regional newspaper partners as well as fashion, motoring and sports publishers. "We are delighted to try out new ways to reach our readers … [Read more...] about After Australia row, Facebook signs up partners for German news product

FRANKFURT AM MAIN: The German government leapt into action on Monday (Jun 22) to rescue a proposed nine-billion-euro (US$10.1 billion) coronavirus bailout for Lufthansa that has run into resistance from a billionaire shareholder. Economy Minister Peter Altmaier and Finance Minister Olaf Scholz met for crunch talks with Lufthansa representatives and rail industry tycoon Heinz Hermann Thiele, the company's top shareholder whose scepticism could torpedo the deal. The clock is ticking as Lufthansa shareholders are voting on Thursday on the rescue plan, which would see Berlin take a 20 per cent stake in the company. Speaking to reporters in Berlin after the meeting, Scholz said it had been "a friendly discussion". He said the suggested bailout was a "good, carefully considered proposal" that had already won the backing of Lufthansa's supervisory board and the European Commission. "I think that will also play a role in the shareholders' assessment," Scholz said. Altmaier … [Read more...] about German government moves to rescue Lufthansa bailout

MUNICH: German public prosecutors said on Monday that they were probing all possible criminal offences in connection with payments firm Wirecard after the company discovered a 1.9 billion euro (US$2.13 billion) hole in its accounts. When asked whether they were widening their probe into the payments firm, the Munich prosecutors said they could not comment on their investigations ahead of time. Germany's Wirecard admitted on Monday that 1.9 billion euros it counted in foreign accounts were likely never there, withdrawing earlier financial statements. (US$1 = 0.8917 euros) (Reporting by Joern Poltz; Writing by Arno Schuetze; Editing by Maria Sheahan) … [Read more...] about German prosecutors probe all possible crimes in connection with Wirecard

FRANKFURT: More than 1,000 employees at German meat processing firm Toennies have tested positive for coronavirus, prompting local health authorities to order all 6,500 employees and their families to go into quarantine. The localised lockdown is a setback for Germany's reopening strategy. Chancellor Angela Merkel had favoured maintaining lockdown discipline for longer, but eased restrictions following pressure from regional premiers. Even though its management of the coronavirus crisis has been among the most successful in Europe, Germany has seen repeated outbreaks in slaughterhouses, whose employees are often migrants living in crowded company-provided accommodation. Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, the meat company's proprietor, Clemens Toennies, said the outbreak presented an "existential crisis" for his firm, which has suspended operations as authorities seek to control the outbreak. "As a company we thought we had done everything right," Toennies said, … [Read more...] about German coronavirus outbreak at abattoir infects more than 1000