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Bavaria can own Neuschwanstein Castle brand, rules ECJ The European Court of Justice (EJC) ruled on Thursday that Bavaria is allowed to trademarkNeuschwanstein Castleand use it as a brand. The court rejected an appeal by a German network of souvenir producers (BSGE) that hoped the EUʼs top court would reject the trademark for the famous fairy-tale castle. The association argued that the name "Neuschwanstein" indicates a geographical location and can therefore not be trademarked. Test your knowledge of Germany with DWʼs Bavaria Quiz Under EU law, trademarks that exclusively refer to the place where goods are manufactured are excluded from registration. The law particularly protects manufacturers from misrepresenting the origins of certain products like wine, spirits and certain foods.
Germany: Good jobs, but unfriendly people, say expats High rents, a shortage of kindergarten spots and the rising cost of living are a challenge for Germans. They are a challenge forexpatriates living in Germany, too. But those arenʼt even the biggest problems expats face: the Germansʼ lack of friendliness toward foreigners is much more of a challenge, according to the fifthExpat Insider surveyby InterNations, an online platform for people who live and work abroad. The finding is by no means the first time German grumpiness has come up — expats have for years found fault with the German peopleʼs unfriendliness. This year, however, the study logs particularly poor ratings for Germany, ranking the country 36th of 68 destinations. Just four years ago, in 2014, Germany ranked 12th.
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Nazi insults targeting Romanian president enrage German officials German authorities are demanding Romaniaʼs government distance itself from the inflammatory comparis
A Romanian politician has sparked outrage for likening President Klaus Iohannis to Adolf Hitler on social media. Tensions flared in Romania this week after a politician from the ruling Social Democratic Party (PSD) posted a video on social media comparing the countryʼs president to Adolf Hitler. The central focus of the attacks is Romaniaʼs German minority, sometimes called Transylvanian Saxons, and above all its most prominent representative, President Klaus Iohannis. Last month, Senator Liviu Pop, the former education minister, called the Democratic Forum of Germans in Romania (DFDR) a Nazi organization. For years, the liberal-conservative Iohannis was chairman of the DFDR, a group established for German minorities in 1989 after the fall of communism. PSD Labour Minister Lia Olguta Vasilescu also joined in on the Nazi comparisons after Iohannis sharply condemned theharsh police crackdown against peaceful protestersin Bucharestʼs Victoria Square on August 10. "Cheeky, as a German, to speak of attacking [people] with gas," she said. An immense fallout Iohannis has long been a thorn in the side of the ruling PSD and their junior coalition partner, ALDE. He is staunchly opposed to the two partiesʼ
attempts to bring the judiciary under their control and has been fighting their effort toweaken the countryʼs anticorruption rules. Recentlyconvicted politician Liviu Dragnea, the head of the PSD and president of the Romanian Parliament, would stand to benefit from the reforms. Dragnea, who is unable to serve as prime ministerbecause of a 2016 conviction for vote-rigging, has dismissed the Nazi comparisons as "unfortunate formulations." Prime Minister Viorica Dancila, who critics accuse of being a puppet of Dragnea, has not commented on the incident. It was, in fact, her chief adviser and Dragneaʼs right-hand man, Darius Valcov, who further inflamed the controversy when he posted a video to the internet on Monday that depicted Iohannis with a Hitler mustache and hairstyle. In the video, the DFDR is equated with a Nazi organization and the words "Hail Johannis" appear. Critics say the attacks are part of a coordinated campaign against Iohannis and Romaniaʼs German minority. The offending video has now been deleted, but the fall out for the PSD, and Romania more broadly, remains.
Indiaʼs top court decriminalizes gay sex Indiaʼs highest court declared Thursday that consensual intercourse between same-sex adults is no longer a crime in the south Asian country. The ruling strikes down a 146-year-old colonial-era law, known as Section 377, banning gay sex. Until now, it was punishable with up to 10 years in prison, although few people were jailed. The court said the law went against the rights enshrined in Indiaʼs constitution. "The law had become a weapon for harassment for the LGBT community," Chief Justice Dipak Misra said as he announced the landmark verdict. The unanimous ruling comes in response to a petition filed by five people who said they were living in fear of being harassed and prosecuted by police.
Germany pledges €1 million for Rio museum cleanup The German Foreign Ministry will coordinate national efforts to provide support in the cleanup and rebuilding of Brazilʼs National Museum, which was devastated by fire earlier this week, German Deputy Minister for International Culture Michelle Müntefering said on Wednesday. Berlin has pledged €1 million ($1.2 million) in immediate emergency aid. Müntefering told the dpa news agency that she will hold a meeting with government officials, members of federal states and civil society to discuss the emergency response.
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