Audi CEO Stadler arrested in diesel-cheating Probe

Mercedes-Benz showcased its concept electric car 'VISION AVTR' designed in collaboration with Disney and inspired by James Cameron’s blockbuster Avatar at the International Motor Show in Munich on Monday. According to the brand, the key feature of the futuristic super car is the use of brain-computer interfaces (BCI) technology which allow the driver to use mind control ‘as a new dimension of human interaction with the vehicle.’ The vehicle was unveiled to the public at a car show last year, but it’s the first time it presented the BCI functions at work. In Munich, the company also showed some of its latest models including an electric Maybach.  

German Cardinal Reinhard Marx has said he is still willing to step down in response to a damning report on decades of sexual abuse in his archdiocese. The cardinal once again asked victims for forgiveness, "personally and in the name of the diocese."

The agenda of the World Economic Forum in Davos has been dominated by the war in Ukraine and its implications for the global economy and supply chains. Volkswagen CEO Herbert Diess spoke to our Business Editor Kate Moody on the sidelines of the event. He warned that a "long-lasting" war in Ukraine would be "really negative, mostly for Europe".

The German car giant has claimed its presence in Xinjiang has a positive impact despite reports of ongoing human rights abuses. VW is also facing accusations of using slave labor in Brazil under the former dictatorship.

Diess will be succeeded in his role by Porsche boss Oliver Blume, according to the carmaker.

Berlin still hopes that relatives of Israeli Olympic team members killed by Palestinian terrorists in 1972 will attend a 50th anniversary ceremony next month.

Eleven Israeli athletes and a policeman were assassinated by Palestinian terrorists during the Olympic Games that began in Munich on August 26,1972. Germany is still struggling to come to terms with the events.

Relatives of the Israeli Olympic team members killed by Palestinian terrorists call for a boycott of the commemoration ceremony. The bereaved have called Berlin’s compensation offer 'an insult. '

Porsche CEO Oliver Blume has begun his dual role as the head of Volkswagen. Blume is taking over at a sensitive time for the German carmaker, as it tries to pull off a shift to electric vehicles.

Palestinian militants took 11 members of the Israeli delegation hostage inside the Olympic village in Munich, Germany, on September 5, 1972. The terrorists, who claimed to be part of the Black September movement, were demanding the liberation of Palestinian prisoners held in Israel. After killing two hostages, they negotiated for a plane to take them out of the country. But a German police operation to rescue the Israelis went horribly wrong. In the end, all the hostages were killed, along with five of the eight attackers and a German police officer.

The world-famous beer festival opened in Germany after two years of hiatus due to the COVID pandemic. Amid economic pressure, beer prices at the event are about 15% higher than in 2019.

Germany's world-famous Oktoberfest has kicked off for the first time since the pandemic. Despite fears that the event could lead to an increase in COVID-19 infections, there aren't any restrictions in place this year.