Germany

The translation of an Israeli novel about a fictional Shin Bet agent is getting exceptional attention in Germany, where critics and analysts are commenting about the plot's "astonishing" similarities to the Dubai assassination of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh.
...

Germany's foreign minister on Wednesday urged countries to vote against Iran when it seeks a seat later this year on the United Nations' Human Rights Council.
...

German officials are examining the identity of Michael Bodenheimer, the name that appeared on a genuine German passport allegedly used in last month's assassination of Hamas commander Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai. The authorities in the city of Cologne, where the passport was issued, began a probe, and federal authorities are now considering a move of their own.
...

The Bustan Rotana Hotel, until a month ago, was known among Dubai residents as a destination for good sushi and old fashioned entertainment. It was the quiet yet classy option; an old gem mingling with a plethora of newer glitzy caravanserais. With a few decent restaurants and functional bars, its primary claim to fame in recent times was a proximity to the Irish Village, a faux Dublin street offering yet another stomping ground to purveyors of ale or lager. Hops at the bottom or the top; to each his fancy.

Some 10,000 people in Dresden formed a human chain to block neo-Nazis and skinheads from marching in eastern Germany on Saturday.

Germany's only Jewish Film Festival is in danger of closing down due to lack of funding, the event's founder and director Nicola Galliner said yesterday.
...

Both Saudi Arabia's Prince Turki Al Faisal and Israeli Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon have downplayed the importance of a handshake between them - although for different reasons.

The handshake occurred after a minor spat at an international security conference in Munich, Germany over the seating arrangement. Turki had said he did not want to sit next to Ayalon because of Ayalon's recent public humiliation of Turkish ambassador Ahmet Oguz Celikkol.

The president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany has decided not run for office again when her term runs out in November, hoping a younger person will take on the responsibilities of leading the country's
...

Iran has been using delaying tactics instead of taking action to resolve the dispute over its nuclear program, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said on Friday.
...