Germany

The headlines from last month's Iranian nuclear talks in Istanbul could not have been more misleading: "Iran is ready to resolve nuclear issues. " The accumulation of historical fact in this long crisis proves just the opposite: The Iranian regime is bent on acquiring a nuclear weapon, and will take full advantage of diplomacy toward this end if allowed to do so, including this week's talks in Baghdad. Indeed, the Iranian strategy of exploiting diplomacy to further advance the nuclear program is a matter of regime policy.

German Parliament has voted overwhelmingly to extend the country's contribution to the NATO-led mission in Kosovo for another year. Parliament voted 486 for the extension and 70 against on Friday, with eight abstentions. Under the approved mandate, Germany can send as many as 1,850 soldiers but currently only has about 1,200 there, and is expected to reduce that even further to about 700 in the coming weeks. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008 and is recognized by many countries, including most EU nations and the United States, but not by Serbia or Russia.

JOHANNESBURG — It’s one of the hardest games in soccer to prepare for. Just days after the bitter disappointment of missing out on the World Cup final, players from Uruguay and Germany have to lift themselves one final time in today’s third-place match at Port Elizabeth’s Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium. Fans don’t generally remember the team that finishes third at a World Cup, but it gives the Uruguayans and Germans a chance to leave South Africa with a victory and something to build on. Uruguay brought back memories of previous glory in 1930 and 1950 with its run to the final.

Janko Tipsarevic beat Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 to give Serbia a place in the final of the Team World Cup on Friday. Tipsarevic secured an unassailable 2-0 lead over the defending champion. Kohlschreiber saved two match points in the decisive set, but Tipsarevic served out the match.

Britta Steffen of Germany dropped out of the world championships after swimming the slowest qualifying time in the 100-meter freestyle on Thursday. The defending champion's time of 54.86 seconds was only good enough for the 16th and last spot in the evening semifinals. It was Steffen's second poor swim in Shanghai, having led off Germany's 400 free relay that earned a bronze last weekend. "I'm very disappointed, but I have no explanation," she said. "It's not what I expect from myself, but I have to react to this the same way I reacted to the successes.

PORT ELIZABETH, South Africa — The ball crashed off the crossbar on the final kick of the match, and Germany escaped with third place at the World Cup. Sami Khedira scored in the 82d minute yesterday to give Germany a 3-2 victory over Uruguay and third place for the second straight World Cup. But the Germans had to survive a final-second free kick by Uruguay star striker Diego Forlan from just outside the penalty area. It ricocheted off the crossbar, and the whistle sounded. Rain-soaked players shook hands and awaited a medals ceremony that was not nearly what they...

German Parliament has voted overwhelmingly to extend the country's contribution to the NATO-led mission in Kosovo for another year. Parliament voted 486 for the extension and 70 against on Friday, with eight abstentions. Under the approved mandate, Germany can send as many as 1,850 soldiers but currently only has about 1,200 there, and is expected to reduce that even further to about 700 in the coming weeks. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008 and is recognized by many countries, including most EU nations and the United States, but not by Serbia...

BERLIN — Germany’s government yesterday proposed criminalizing forced marriage, a tradition that some Muslim immigrant families impose on their children. Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Cabinet agreed to a proposal that would make forced marriage a crime that can be punished with up to five years in prison. The legislation still needs to pass Parliament. “Forced marriages are a serious problem in Germany,’’ Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said, adding that by criminalizing them Germany would make clear that this is no longer “a tradition from olden times or...

Authorities are advising Germans not to eat raw homegrown sprouts, pointing to suspicions that the seeds may be one cause of the country’s deadly E. coli outbreak. Officials on Friday traced the outbreak to sprouts from a farm in northern Germany but are still puzzling over how the bacteria got there — whether through workers, seeds or by other means. The federal risk assessment agency said authorities suspect homegrown sprouts may be behind one infection in a family in northern Germany — though it says tests so far haven’t found the bacteria in the seeds.

A senior lawmaker with Chancellor Angela Merkel's party said Tuesday that Germany is willing to discuss growth-promoting measures with France — so long as a European budget-discipline pact stands. Peter Altmaier, chief parliamentary whip of Merkel's conservative bloc, spoke shortly after new French President Francois Hollande took office. Hollande, who has criticized Germany's austerity-led crisis management, is to meet Merkel in Berlin later in the day. Altmaier stressed the importance of sticking to the so-called fiscal compact championed by Merkel.

Serbia and the Czech Republic moved closer to meeting in the World Team Cup final on Thursday. Serbia's Viktor Troicki saved three set points in the first set and four break points in the second to beat Florin Mayer 7-6 (6), 6-3 for a 1-0 lead over defending champion Germany in the Blue Group. Tomas Berdych gave the Czechs a 1-0 lead over Argentina by beating Carlos Berlocq 6-1, 6-7 (2), 6-3. The United States beat Japan 2-1 for its first win. Ryan Harrison beat Tatsumi Ito 6-2, 7-6 (5)

Germany is making clear ahead of a European Union summit that Chancellor Angela Merkel's government remains staunchly opposed to the idea of jointly issued bonds for the 17-nation eurozone. At Wednesday's informal meeting of the EU's 27 leaders in Brussels, newly elected French President Francois Hollande is expected to push for so-called eurobonds, which can be used to fund investments or boost banks' capital reserves. But Germany argues they would lessen the pressure on heavily indebted countries such as Greece or Italy to get their finances in order and likely raise...

Tenth-ranked Mardy Fish and women's No. 16 Andrea Petkovic are among several players who pulled out of the upcoming French Open on Monday. Fish has not played a match for more than a month and organizers said the big-serving American has fatigue. Petkovic of Germany has a right ankle problem. They are being replaced by Canada's Frank Dancevic and Lesia Tsurenko of Ukraine. Pablo Cuevas of Uruguay (knee) and Spain's Pere Riba (left leg) also pulled out of the men's tournament and were replaced by Blaz Kavcic of Slovenia and Italy's Simone Bolelli.

Tomas Berdych helped the Czech Republic rally for a 2-1 victory over Japan at the Team World Cup on Monday. Japan had a taken a 1-0 lead on Sunday but Berdych beat Go Soeda 6-1, 3-6, 6-1 and Frantisek Cermak and Radek Stepanek then prevailed in the decisive doubles in the Red Group tie, beating Tatsuma Ito and Soeda 6-2, 7-6 (4). In the Blue Group, defending champion Germany completed a 3-0 victory over Russia. Florian Mayer defeated Igor Andreev 6-2, 7-6 (7) and joined up with Christopher Kas to overcome Igor Kunitsyn and Dmitry Tursunov 6-4, 3-6, 10-8.

Germany has again made clear its opposition to French proposals for jointly-issued bonds from the 17-nation eurozone as a way to create economic growth and ease the region's financial crisis. At Saturday's G-8 summit, German Chancellor Angela Merkel — under urging from U.S. President Barack Obama and French President Francois Hollande — signed up to a statement that called for mixing painful cutbacks with growth-promoting measures to deal with a crisis that threatens the global economy.

An Iranian-born singer who went into hiding after receiving death threats for allegedly insulting a Shiite Muslim saint said Friday he didn't intend to provoke the wrath of religious extremists. Shahin Najafi, who has lived in Germany since 2005, said he plans to keep writing and eventually performing songs despite the threats against him, which appeared in online forums and his email inbox last week. "I'm in a safe place, reading and playing my guitar," he told The Associated Press in a telephone call.

Chancellor Angela Merkel's Cabinet has launched the process of ratifying the new European Union fiscal-discipline pact in Germany — and will need the opposition's help to secure a two-thirds majority in Parliament. Ministers on Wednesday approved legislation to enshrine the so-called fiscal compact in German law. Merkel had pushed hard for other European countries to agree to the pact, designed to limit government overspending, and 25 national leaders signed it last week. It isn't yet clear when the German Parliament will consider the deal.

The alleged head of an illegal movie downloading platform is going on trial in Germany. Prosecutors accuse the man, identified only as Dirk B., of breaching copyright laws in about 1.1 million cases. The Leipzig state court in eastern Germany, which opened the trial Tuesday, could hand the suspected founder of the kino.to platform a prison sentence of up to 15 years, news agency dapd reported. Prosecutors say the kino.to movie and TV-series streaming and downloading platform registered about four millions users daily, generating high revenues through selling advertisements.

BERLIN - Germany's Central Council of Jews said Holocaust survivor and scholar Arno Lustiger has died Tuesday at 88. Dieter Graumann, the council's president, said Wednesday that Mr. Lustiger will be remembered for his research on Jewish resistance to the Nazis and on non-Jews who helped save Jews from the Holocaust. Mr. Lustiger, born in Poland, survived several Nazi concentration camps and a death march in the final days of the war from an Auschwitz subcamp to another camp before escaping and being rescued by US troops.

A senior lawmaker with Chancellor Angela Merkel's party said Tuesday that Germany is willing to discuss growth-promoting measures with France — so long as a European budget-discipline pact stands. Peter Altmaier, chief parliamentary whip of Merkel's conservative bloc, spoke shortly after new French President Francois Hollande took office. Hollande, who has criticized Germany's austerity-led crisis management, is to meet Merkel in Berlin later in the day. Altmaier stressed the importance of sticking to the so-called fiscal compact championed by Merkel.