An inevitable byproduct of any disaster is a certain amount of nonsense about the cause. Jerry Falwell, for example, memorably blamed 9/11 on the ACLU. This time it's the Germans' turn: Katrina is President Bush's fault.

On Dec. 19, nearly 400 German natives, German language students, German-teaching professors from Tucson and Flagstaff and even English speakers with an interest in German language and culture attended the first German Christmas Service in Ahwatukee Foothills at Mountain View Lutheran Church.

BERLIN — Somali pirates released a German freighter after a ransom was paid Monday, nearly four months after the ship was seized in the Indian Ocean, a European Union naval spokesman said.

NEW YORK - ABC News led its broadcasts with its own journalists in the news: anchor Bob Woodruff and a cameraman had been seriously injured by a roadside bomb while reporting in Iraq.

The West Valley Chorale, under the direction of Ken Goodenberger, brings Johannes Brahms’ “German Requiem” to the community. The piece will be presented in English. Accompanied by orchestra, the 75-member chorale will be joined by dramatic baritone Richard Paul Fink and lyric soprano Carolyn E. Folks. 

Bratwursts, brews, and oompah-pahs will spice up Historic Downtown Chandler for the Third Annual Chandler Oktoberfest on Saturday, Sept. 25. An estimated 5,000 Oktoberfest revelers will gather at SanTan Brewing Company (8 S. San Marcos Place, between Arizona Avenue and Buffalo Street) beginning at 2 p.m. and party until 11 p.m.

 WHISTLER, British Columbia — Felix Loch blazed across the finish line, dropped his feet to the track and pulled back on the front runners to brake his speedy sled, spraying ice in every direction. The gangly German punched the frosty air in triumph.

Arizona State University, Arizona Public Service and an international solar company are merging their resources to create a new solar-testing joint venture in Tempe.

BERLIN - Before an enormous crowd, Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama on Thursday summoned Europeans and Americans together to "defeat terror and dry up the well of extremism that supports it" as surely as they conquered communism a generation ago.

TOYAKO, Japan - President Bush and German Chancellor Angela Merkel pledged Tuesday to keep working together on common problems, but progress appeared slow on reaching a consensus on climate change as the Group of Eight major economies tackled that and other knotty global issues.

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - A purported Taliban spokesman said the hardline militia on Saturday shot and killed two German hostages because Germany's government didn't announce that its troops would leave Afghanistan.

Police are investigating a bizarre case of a missing Mesa man. Jonas Richert, a 21-year-old German immigrant, was last seen Thursday night by his fiancee’s mom, who dropped him off for work near the Target at Power and McKellips roads.

WILHELMSHAVEN, Germany - Germany began its biggest naval operation since World War II on Thursday as eight warships set sail for the eastern Mediterranean to help the U.N. keep the peace in Lebanon.

Craig Friedman normally bleeds red, white and blue. Not so with the World Cup. When host Germany takes the field this morning against Argentina in a quarterfinal match, Friedman will be hooting and hollering for the Germans.

Craig Friedman normally bleeds red, white and blue. Not so with the World Cup. When host Germany takes the field this morning against Argentina in a quarterfinal match, Friedman will be hooting and hollering for the Germans.

STOCKHOLM, Sweden - Americans John L. Hall and Roy J. Glauber and German Theodor W. Haensch won the 2005 Nobel Prize in physics Tuesday for work that could lead to better long-distance communication and more precise navigation worldwide and in space.

VERDEN, Germany - The teenager who created the Sasser worm that snarled tens of thousands of computers last year was convicted Friday on charges including computer sabotage and given a suspended sentence, a court official said.

August 16, 2004

BERLIN - German media company EM.TV said Wednesday it is selling the Muppets' creator, The Jim Henson Co., back to the Henson family for a fraction of what it paid at the height of the tech boom.

A German solar-powered home that's on a tour of North America will make a stop in Tempe, opening Monday to showcase the latest in ultra-efficient design and technology.