PANIC IN THE SKIES: London-bound flight intercepted by fighter jets in astonishing footage

Tesla told to dump Autopilot brand in Germany

Bbc.com - Tesla has been told to drop the Autopilot brand name, which it uses to promote its driver-assistance software, in Germany.

Jerman Tuduh Fiat-Chrysler Curang Seperti VW

Kompas.com - Kementerian Transportasi Jerman mengajukan permintaan resmi kepada komisi Eropa dan pihak berwenang di Italia untuk mengecek mesin diesel 4-silinder 2.0L milik Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA). Mesin ini dicurigai memiliki perangkat lunak ilegal.

BMW 2 Series Grand Tourer Taxi Drifting on Nurburgring: Not Your Usual Ring Taxi

Watch this EV racer go from 0-100 KPH in under two seconds

Robot Kills Man at Volkswagen Plant

Time.com - A robot crushed a worker at a Volkswagen production plant in Germany, the company said Wednesday.

A 22-year-old man was helping to put together the stationary robot that grabs and configures auto parts Monday when the machine grabbed and pushed him against a metal plate, the Associated Press reported. He later died from the injuries. Volkswagen did not release the man’s name.

A spokesperson for the car company told the Associated Press that the robot can be programmed for specific tasks and that the company believes the malfunction was due to human error.

Though the company uses some lightweight robots to work on the production line next to humans, a spokesperson told the Financial Times that this was not one of those robots. The type of robot that crushed the employee is usually kept in a cage. The man was working on the robot inside the cage when he was grabbed.

Prosecutors are still deciding whether to bring charges and whom they would pursue.

Berlin in July 1945 just after the Second World War

How Germans on the Autobahn react to an ambulance siren

The Germans Have Built A Robot Ape. What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

Mercedes-Benz "Recall" 6.000 A-Class

Kompas.com - Daimler AG memanggil lebih dari 6.000 Mercedes-Benz A-Class terbaru yang sudah terjual di Jerman karena kantung udara penumpang depan kemungkinan tidak bisa mengembang.

"Peluncuran dilakukan sejak September tahun lalu. Karena itu jumlah unit yang diperkirakan kena masalah ini  tidak lebih dari 6.000 unit," jelas juru bicara Daimler yang dilansir Autonews Europe, kemarin (28/5/2013).

Masalah kantung udara ini diketahui dari perusahaan pemasok, sekaligus memastikan belum ada konsumen Mercedes yang terluka. Kendati demikian, recall  membuat inimengecewakan CEO Daimler, Dieter Zetsche.

Ini "recall" yang kedua dalam satu bulan ini. Sebelumnya dilakukan pada 6 Mei lalu pada Mercedes Citan, juga karena kantung udara yang bermasalah.

This Entire Building Is Powered By Its Algae-Filled Walls

Fastcoexist.com - Algae may still be years away as a source for road and jet fuel. But could it power whole buildings before long?

If you think that’s crazy, then look at this recently completed five-story residential building in Hamburg. It is covered by panels filled with algae, a fast-growing form of biomass. The building pumps water, nutrients, and compressed CO2 between 129 "bioreactors." When the sun shines, the algae multiplies as a result of photosynthesis. The system collects the residue, then converts it to biogas, which is burned in a boiler. Together with a heat recovery system and solar panels on the roof, the building is completely energy independent, according to its creators.

The panels are 98 inches by 28 inches, 0.78 inches thick, and cover about 2,150 square feet, on two south-facing sides. Known as the BIK, the building, which has 15 apartments, is an entry to the International Building Exhibition and was completed last month. It will open to the public soon.

"Algae will be cultivated for the generation of energy but also to control the light inflow and shading of the building. The facade will be constantly in motion and changing its color," says exhibition spokesperson Anna Vietinghoff. "Production of regenerative energy will not take place in an invisible energy center but will be an explicit component of the architectural concept."
BIK is a joint project of Spitterwerk Architects (which also has a concept for an algae-powered tower), Colt, Strategic Science Consult, and ARUP, which designed and installed the panels.
"It might well become a sustainable solution for energy production in urban areas, so it is great to see it being tested in a real-life scenario," says Jan Wurm, Arup’s European research leader, in a press release.
The companies haven’t said how well the building will perform in winter (algae doesn’t grow without light) or how much it might cost. But, encouragingly, they do say it’s safe to get rid of the wastewater via the sewer. Potentially, the concept could power whole buildings with low running costs and act as a CO2-sink at the same time. If so, that’s a pretty good combination.

Fanatics' fury at Muslim Playgirl

Thesun.co.uk - Sila Sahin has been branded a "whore" and a "western slut" after appearing topless on the cover of the German edition of the men's magazine.

And Islamic fanatics have posted threatening internet messages.

Sila, raised in Germany by conservative Turkish parents, says she fears being "spat at" and "shamed".

Her parents are said to have reacted with "horror" at the 12-page coverage, and her mother has apparently cut off all contact.

Sila, 25 - star of German soap Good Times, Bad Times - claimed the shoot was a reaction to the "slavery" of her youth.

She added: "What I want to say with these photos is, 'Girls, we don't have to live according to the rules imposed upon us'.

"For years I subordinated myself to various societal constraints. The Playboy photo shoot was a total act of liberation."

Threats

But Islamic internet sites are being monitored by the BND - the German intelligence agency - after threats were posted about her "shaming Muslim womanhood" and "prostituting herself for money".

One poster on the Jihad Watch website wrote: "She needs to be very careful..." Another simply said: "She must pay."

A kebab shop owner, asked on German TV what he would do if Sila were his daughter, replied: "I would kill her. I really mean that. That doesn't fit with my culture."

The Islamic Community of Germany has called for a boycott of Sila.

About three million Muslim immigrants live in Germany, which has seen numerous honour killings in recent years by fanatical husbands, fathers and brothers.

In 2009, an asylum seeker was sentenced to life after killing his "too independent" German wife.

One police intelligence officer said of Sila: "I think what she did was either very brave, or very stupid.She will be double-locking her door at night for a long time to come."

Student Who Auctioned Virginity Online May Have to Pay Half Her Earnings in Taxes

The teenage student who sold her virginity for $13,827 could have to hand over half of her earnings to the taxman.

German inland revenue investigators are studying reports that Alina Percea, 18, was paid in cash for a weekend of sex with a middle-aged Italian businessman after auctioning her virginity online.

Prostitution is legal in Germany — where Alina studies — but hookers are taxed at 50 percent of their earnings.

The Romanian-born computer studies student is allowed to work in Germany for 90 days as long as she arrived on a student visa, even as a prostitute.

But because Alina earned so much in such a short time she may also be liable for a hefty VAT bill.

A German inland revenue spokesman said: "If we have hard figures then we can make an accurate assessment."

Railroad Attacked For Ordering Children Off Trains

Germany's national railway company has come under fire from passenger groups after inspectors ordered children off trains because they did not have the right tickets.

Deutsche Bahn has apologized for the embarrassing incidents that made headlines across the country.

In the fourth such expulsion in three weeks, a 12-year-old schoolgirl was made to leave a train an hour's ride from home because she could not pay a 40 euro ($50) fine.

"It is purely foolish to react in such a way," said Karl-Peter Naumann, director of the passenger organization Pro Bahn. "Banishing them from the train is inhumane and causes unnecessary problems."

German newspapers had already condemned Deutsche Bahn on Tuesday after a 14-year-old was told to leave a train because her ticket was only valid later in the day.

Earlier, a 13-year-old and a 12-year-old were also forced to leave trains. One child had to carry her cello 5 km (3 miles) home in the dark while the other was left on a platform with no money or mobile phone.

Wednesday, Deutsche Bahn said all ticket inspectors would have to sign an agreement promising not to banish children from trains if traveling alone.

"Everybody should know that it is unacceptable to throw children off the train," a spokesman told the TAZ daily.

Firefighting Sprinkler Suit From 1931

Back in 1931 Modern Mechanix magazine ran an article about an invention used by German firefighters to protect themselves from being engulfed in flames. The simple device consisted of a helmet with a built-in sprinkler system that connects with a nozzle on the hose. Using a hand lever, the firefighter could control the amount of spray needed for a given situation. Clever—but it seems that fighting a fire in something that looks like an old-timey deep sea diving helmet might prove problematic.

German Family Buys Armored Reconnaissance Vehicle For Grocery Runs

When Joachim Schoeneich of Neu Anspach Germany goes shopping for groceries with the fam from now on, he does so in style: with a tank. Or, more accurately, with a $47,376 six-ton British Army Fox FV721 armored reconnaissance vehicle. "We take the tank to go shopping and little trips," Schoeneich said. "It is a bit hard to find a parking place, but we get right of way at every junction." No kidding. It's too bad the gun doesn't work, but this thing's definitely intimidating enough without it. Well, that and the baby seat he installed for his kid.