Health insurance deficit jumps

Despite efforts to curb costs, the deficit of Germany's public health insurance companies climbed by nearly 6 percent last year, officials announced on Wednesday. The deficit for 2002 amounted to €2.96 billion ($3.25 billion), comparing with a total of €2.8 billion in 2001. About two-thirds of the deficit was caused by increased spending on medication, said a Health Ministry spokesman, Klaus Theo. At the start of 2002, doctors and the health companies set a goal of cutting these costs by 4.6 percent, Theo said. However, the spending total actually rose by 4.8 percent, he said.

Members of Hell's Angels on trial

Under special security precautions, 11 members of the motorcycle group Hell's Angels went on trial Wednesday on charges that include drug dealing and illegal weapons possession. The 11 are accused of selling 65,000 Ecstasy pills, 14 kilograms (31 pounds) of amphetamines and two kilograms of cocaine. The trial is being held in Mainz in western Germany.

Germans cut back on trips

The number of Germans who took airplane trips abroad last year fell by 3.1 percent, the German Statistical Office said on Wednesday. The total of travelers was 47.1 million. The drop affected traditional vacation destinations in particular. Spain, for example, suffered a 8.9 percent drop to 8 million passengers in 2002.