Germany welcomes immigrants from Europe’s South

EurActiv – While Britain is trying to contain the influx of immigrants, Germany is making efforts to attract skilled workers from crisis-hit Southern Europe, various European media report.

“We should be happy about this immigration,” social scientist Steffen Kröhnert from the Institute for Population and Development reportedly said. Between 2002 and 2010, Germany’s population decreased by about 800,000 people. Moreover, there is a need for young and qualified professional newcomers in the aging German society. “This is the gap that the immigrants are filling,” added Kröhnert. more> http://tinyurl.com/butx5gs

AT&T mulls takeover in Europe

Reuters – AT&T executives were considering a takeover in Europe, and some believed an opening existed now to buy a carrier in a major European market such as Britain, Germany or the Netherlands, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Big telecom companies such as AT&T could benefit from buying European rivals and create economies of scale, similar to the international expansion strategy of British carrier Vodafone, said analyst Jos Versteeg of Dutch private bank Theodoor Gilissen. more> http://tinyurl.com/bylo5e7

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Euro zone factory slump deepens but Asia perks up

By Jonathan Cable and Kim Coghill – Euro zone factories sank deeper into recession in December as new orders tumbled, business surveys showed on Wednesday (Jan 2), a sharp contrast to continuing signs of revival in China.

“It’s pretty grim really,” said Jonathan Loynes at Capital Economics. “These surveys are pointing to a pretty deep recession. If the German industrial sector is contracting quite sharply it is pretty hard to see where growth across the euro zone as a whole is going to come from.”

Germany, Europe‘s largest economy, saw its crucial manufacturing sector shrink for the 10th straight month and at a faster pace, while French data showed a decline in all but one of the past 17 months. The slump in Spain deepened, while Italy’s index, although improved, remained below 50 for the 17th month. more> http://tinyurl.com/bkoxzz8

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Siemens honors 12 inventors who are responsible for 734 individual patents

SIEMENS – Since 1995, Siemens has been presenting its annual Inventor of the Year award to outstanding researchers and developers whose inventions are making a major contribution to the success of the company.

The 12 inventors of the year 2012 — two of whom are women — are working in Germany, in Denmark, and the U.S. Their patents have laid the foundations for many products with which, for example, medical diagnostics can be improved or industrial manufacturing and power generation can be made more efficient and more flexible.

The Siemens researchers honored account for 613 invention disclosures and 734 individual patents. more> http://tinyurl.com/cn5xfgm

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The euro has become Germany’s new Deutschemark

By Jeremy Warner – The eurozone crisis has set Britain and Germany, apparently irreconcilably, on different courses. While Germany and its fellow travellers want more Europe, Britain wants less. If the eurozone is to survive in its present form, it needs much greater integration. And if that’s the way Europe is headed, then Britain would rather not be a part of it at all. more> http://tinyurl.com/d9djgsb

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