Germany in Brief
January 31, 2003
U.S. Shuts Two Offices In Berlin
Faced with a terror threat, U.S. officials on Friday closed the consular section of the U.S. Embassy and the Amerika Haus (America House), a focal point for media and cultural relations, in Berlin. The embassy itself remained open. Officials acted after German police announced on Wednesday that a foreign intelligence service had notified them of a possible attack on the U.S. and Israeli embassies in the German capital.
Two Convicted In Iraq Case
Two Germans were convicted on Friday of conducting illegal weapons sales with Iraq. One defendant, a 59-year-old engineer, was sentenced to five years and three months in prison by a court in Mannheim, a city in southern Germany. His 54-year-old accomplice was sentenced to a two-year probationary term. The two were convicted of selling drilling equipment that could be used to produce gun barrels in violation of a U.N. embargo.
Roads Become Skating Rinks
Ice and snow paralyzed traffic in much of Germany early on Friday, with some drivers in the southern part of the country spending more than 12 hours stuck in their cold vehicles. Police reported thousands of accidents, but no one was killed.
Schiffer Gives Birth to Boy
German model Claudia Schiffer (photo) is now the mother of a healthy baby boy. Schiffer, 32, gave birth by Caesarean section at a private London clinic on Thursday afternoon. It was her first child. She is married to British film producer Matthew Vaughn.