Yellow tomato causes legal dilemma in Germany
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The mushy remains of a tomato thrown at a prominent member of Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's Social Democrats has posed a legal dilemma for authorities trying to assess how to punish the thrower.
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Nyon, Switzerland (Sports Network) - UEFA has opened disciplinary proceedings against Valencia and Werder Bremen after a heated Champions League match Tuesday night between the two clubs.
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A proposal to ban the planting of a genetically modified corn strain sets up a bitter war within the European Union.
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Amflora potatoes have become the unlikely lightning rod in the angry debate over genetically modified crops in Europe.
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European consumers are at risk from  unauthorized genetically modified (GMO) rice grown in China  after evidence of a strain was found in Britain, France and  Germany, environment group Greenpeace said on Tuesday.
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DÃSSELDORF, GERMANY - Careful -- some mobile phone tunes could be hazardous to your health.
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BASF's Amflora off the menu The European Union's Council of Ministers last week delivered a serious blow to biotech companies' ambitions to roll out GM crops across the region by postponing a decision on the "commercial optimisation" of BASF's Amflora "genetically optimised potato".â¦
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A German law currently in draft form would make hacking illegal, even if no data was stolen. It would also ban the creation or use of hacker tools -- a prospect that worries "white hat" security experts.
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In a move that could lead to a criminal investigation, the government is checking its records to determine if drug maker Bayer AG was forthcoming about safety concerns with
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The European Commission takes Germany to court over a law which protects car giant VW from takeover.
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The European Commission has begun legal action against Germany over the so-called &quot;Volkswagen law&quot; which protects the carmaker from hostile takeovers.
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The Bush administration announced new rules Thursday to allow U.S. farmers who grow tomatoes, strawberries and other crops to continue using methyl bromide, an ozone-depleting The United States was among a ...
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Plans to end subsidies for coal mining in Germany are under threat after a dispute over the timetable for the move.
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BERLIN - Three teenagers may be on the hook for a hefty fine if a court decides that their festive firecrackers outside an eastern German farm scared the libido right out of an ostrich named Gustav.
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(InfoWorld) - Hackers may want to avoid Germany, after the approval of a law that makes their activity a punishable crime. The legislation, which theÂ German government proposedÂ earlier last year and approved Friday with no changes, aims to crack down on the sharp rise in computer attacks in the public and private sectors. Although Germany already has a comprehensive penal law against attacks on IT systems, the new legislation looks to close any remaining loopholes. It defines hacking as penetrating a computer security system and gaining access to secure data, without necessarily stealing data. Offenders are defined as any individual or group that intentionally creates, spreads or purchases hacker tools designed for illegal purposes. They could face up to 10 years in prison for major offenses. Other punishable cybercrimes include DOS (denial-of-service) attacks and computer sabotage attacks on individuals, which would extend the existing law that limited sabotage to businesses and public authorities. The new law, however, has drawn criticism by several groups, including the hacker club Chaos Computer Club e.V., which points to the work of "good" hackers, also known as "white hats," who work for security companies. These computer experts, the club argues, could be restricted in their ability to help software makers develop secure products and businesses to deploy them. That opinion is shared by some hackers as well. In an e-mail, a hacker, known by the pseudonym van Hauser, wrote that if hackers are unable to share their tools with the public, white hats will not be able to get them and use them internally for testing or external security consultants won't be able to do security testing. "It's a win-lose law in favor for the bad guys," he wrote. Chaos Computer Club also warns that the law could make it much easier for the German government to allow law enforcement officials to install spyware on computers of suspected criminals without their knowledge. The club is concerned about the ability of consumers and businesses to protect their systems from government spyware without support from the hacker community. In February, the country's High Court handed down a landmark decisionÂ banning police from installing spyware, delivering a blow to the plans of the German Interior Minister Wolfgang SchÃ¤uble to give the Federal Criminal Police Office greater power to monitor terrorists and other criminals online, and peek inside their computers. But SchÃ¤uble is seeking ways ever since to have the court revise its decision. Â
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What clues does a blind vodka tasting hold for the EU as member states disagree on what raw ingredients should be allowed?
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(InfoWorld) - A long-simmering debate in Germany about banning violent computer games is burning again after an aloof teenager on Monday stormed his former high school, shot five people and later killed himself. The disgruntled 18-year ex-pupil from Emsdetten, Germany, near the Dutch border, was described by students and teachers as a youth with no friends who liked guns and played violent computer shooting games. The incident brought back memories of a shooting rampage in the eastern German city of Erfurt in 2002 when an alienated former pupil -- and computer games player -- shot 16 people, mostly teachers, and later himself. It has also rekindled the simmering debate in Germany on whether violent computer games should be banned. "The government is currently reviewing whether the current legislation for protecting minors needs to be revised and plans to announce its finding by the end of 2007," said a spokesman for the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth. "The Emsdetten shootings will likely impact these discussions." Family Affairs Minister Ursula von der Leyen addressed the German parliament earlier on Tuesday and has been holding talks with policy makers throughout the day, the ministry spokesman said. The minister is expected to make a public announcement later in the evening. Numerous politicians have expressed outrage over the school shootings and continued access to violent PC games. Brandenburg state Interior Minister JÃ¶rg SchÃ¶nbohm said in an interview with the German media that "killer games" encourage violent behavior and are contributing to an escalating rate of brutality among young people. The minister called the current practice of voluntary regulation by game publishers and distributors inadequate. Lower Saxony Interior Minister Uwe SchÃ¼nemann called for a ban on the distribution and development of violent computer games in Germany. Dieter WiefelspÃ¼tz, a member of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and an expert on family policy, conceded that not everyone who plays such games "automatically becomes a mass murderer" but, like the ministers, also called for a ban on "killer games." WiefelspÃ¼tz isn't alone in the SPD. A majority of members in his party have been lobbying for months for major changes in federal laws aimed at protecting minors, including an outright ban on violent computer games. And the opposition parties Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Christian Social Union (CSU) agree that changes are necessary to the current laws governing entertainment software. But members of the Green Party warned of putting all the blame on computer games. Volker Beck, a parliamentarian member of the Green Party, said young people need to acquire media competence and learn how to use computers, including PC games, in a sensible way. Following the shoot-out in Erfurt, the German government revised its legislation on protecting minors, requiring, for instance, that all computer games and video movies be subject to a mandatory age-rating plan. Some legislators are also calling on ISPs (Internet service providers) to take a more active role in controlling the information provided over their systems. The Emsdetten teenager who killed himself used the Internet not only to inform a chat group of his shoot-out plans but also to purchase weapons, including guns and bombs, through a German weapons portal.