Germany's 8 Biggest Stories Of The Last Year
1. Germany bids farewell to Helmut Schmidt. Germany said a fond goodbye to former Chancellor Helmut Schmidt, who died on November 10th aged 96. As Chancellor of West Germany, Schmidt left a legacy of international diplomacy during the Cold War, economic prosperity and social reform at home.
2. Germany mourns November Paris attacks, gears up for military aid. Germany joined the worldwide mourning of the November 13th Paris attacks. But authorities also got active. Police raided people thought to be terrorist suspects around the country, though no charges were made. A bomb threat against a football match in Hanover proved non-dangerous and the Luftwaffe began aiding the French in fighting Isis in Syria.
3. The BND spying affair. This year saw even more scandal surrounding the German foreign intelligence agency, as it emerged the BND had worked with the American NSA to spy on European allies, German companies and more. Top officials in Merkel's Chancellery were accused of knowing about the spying for years. Public outcry ensued when it emerged that journalists covering the scandal were under investigation for treason.
4. Greek debt deal. The back-and-forth of the Greek debt deal that dominated headlines for many months at the beginning of the year finally came to a close in Germany in July when the Bundestag (German parliament) and other EU bodies approved a third bailout plan for Athens. The collapse that many braced for looked to be diverted.
5. Germanwings plane crash. The world was horrified when Germanwings Flight 9525 crashed in the French Alps on its way to Düsseldorf from Barcelona on March 24th. Investigators soon revealed that it appeared the co-pilot had deliberately brought the plane down while his partner was locked out of the cabin, killing all 150 people on board. Further analysis showed that the co-pilot had a history of mental illness.
6.Volkswagen emissions cheating scandal. In September it emerged that millions of Volkswagen diesel engines had been programmed to cheat emissions test by only using emissions controls when they detected that they were being analyzed. The scandal deeply wounded the German carmaker's reputation and forced its CEO to resign. The company has vowed to get to the bottom of the rigged engines while Germany has said it will step up regulations.
7. The refugee crisis - "We can do this". The arrival in Europe of millions of people fleeing war, violence and poverty has been a defining aspect of 2015. With one million asylum seekers, Germany has seen both an outpouring of support from citizens as well as surges in violence against the newcomers. But Merkel has remained confident and skepticism, maintaining her mantra from the summer of "Wir schaffen das" - we can do this.
8. 25 years of German Unity. The Bundesrepublik celebrated the passing of a quarter of a century since East and West Germany officially became reunited after being separated during the Cold War. The main celebrations kicked off on October 3rd in Frankfurt with appearances by celebrities and Chancellor Merkel.
Germany's 8 Biggest Stories Of The Last Year
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