Six injured in Düsseldorf airport fire

A fire hit Düsseldorf airport on Thursday, injuring six people. A spokesperson for fire services on the scene said the blaze started around 1 p.m. (CET) after a vehicle parked in an garage underneath the central terminal caught fire. Take-offs and landings were halted between for about 30 minutes as the fire was brought under control. The newly built terminal, which cost around €380 million ($418 million), is due to be officially opened on the 7th May. Seven years ago another blaze killed 16 people and injured 88 at the airport.

Pensions reform

Bert Rürup, the head of a government-sponsored commission, on Thursday announced his reform suggestions for the German pensions system earlier than expected. At the heart of the commission’s proposals are plans to have Germans work longer and receive smaller pensions. Rürup said the retirement age should begin to rise to 67 from 65 after 2011. People who would retire early would be penalized. Although Rürup and the commission’s other experts said there was little choice but to implement the painful reforms, it remains questionable whether Chancellor Gerhard Schröder can force his government of Social Democrats and Greens to accept the measures. Schröder already faces considerable opposition to his planned cuts to Germany’s welfare system.

Watercooler love

Germans don't meet their partners in the beer gardens anymore. One out of every three Germans now meet their partner at work, according to a new study by the Social Research Institute, Gewis. Dieter Zapf, a psychologist and labor specialist at Frankfurt University said that the world of work today is characterized by mobility and flexible working hours, conditions which "makes meeting people outside of your profession very difficult."