Germany in Brief

Poultry flu spreads to Germany

German authorities on Tuesday confirmed the nation's first case of the highly-contagious bird flu in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW). The European Commission already late Monday extended emergency measures to NRW that had been imposed on Belgium and the Netherlands. These block shipments of poultry and eggs from NRW to other parts of Germany, other EU member states and third countries. German authorities had over the weekend ordered the precautionary slaughter of around 84,000 hens after a suspected case was found on Friday at a farm in Viersen, close to the Dutch border. Some 25 million birds have been slaughtered in the Netherlands since the disease was confirmed there in early March. Fears of the disease spreading had sparked concern in the German animal feed markets that large-scale slaughtering could reduce demand for wheat and maize and German feed makers could be left with unsold stock.

Berlin increases security leading up to Powell's visit

Suicide bombings in Saudi Arabia hours before the U.S. Secretary of State visited the country on Tuesday have alarmed German authorities preparing for Colin Powell's visit this Friday (May 16). The German Foreign Ministry had already arranged top security levels for his one-day stopover. "The attacks in Riyadh now give these an exclamation mark," the office said. A spokeswoman for the German Federal Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BKA) said no details would be available on planned deployments during Powell's visit. Even the name of the hotel where the he will spend Thursday night is being kept secret. Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer said he was "deeply shaken" by the suicide bombings in Saudi Arabia. "We sharply condemn this severe terrorist act," he wrote in a condolence letter to Powell. Innocent people had become the target of "insidious and senseless violence". "I would like to express my deepest sympathy to you and the American people," Fischer wrote. He also conveyed condolences to his Saudi counterpart, Prince Saud Al-Faisal.

Another German tourist kidnapped in Algeria

A further German tourist has been kidnapped in the Sahara in Algeria. German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer flew to Algeria on Monday to enquire about the fate of the 32 European tourists, including 16 Germans. "We do not want to solve this through violence," Fischer said following talks with President Abdelaziz Bouteflika. The minister declined to reveal further information on the missing "for safety reasons."

Economic optimism for Europe

The 12 euro zone countries have confidence in Europe's economic future following the end of combat operations in Iraq. "There are reasons for careful optimism," said Germany's Finance Minister Hans Eichel on Tuesday after a meeting with his EU counterparts in Brussels. "Following a reduction of geopolitical uncertainty and the decline of oil prices, the (economic) recovery expected for the second half of this year seems increasingly likely," Greek Finance Minister Nikos Christodoulakis said.

Mites threaten German honey bee industry

Germany's bee population is severely threatened by the parasite "Varroa destructor." These Asian mites feed on the blood of honey bees, and a mite population will continue to grow until it kills the colony. According to the Institute for Bee Research in Hohen Neuendorf, hundreds of thousands of beehives fell victim to the parasite over the winter. "Our bees are helpless against the mites," said the Institute's head, Kaspar Bienefeld. "If we don't do something, there will soon be no more honey bees here." He said subsequent damages could run into billions of dollars.

Compiled by DW-WORLD staff from wire agency material.