Playmobil’s smiling little toy people turn 40

Deep in the Bavarian countryside lies the home of German toymaker Playmobil, the centre of a universe of little plastic people who turn 40 next year but haven’t aged a bit.

The nondescript building in Zirndorf is the birthplace of Playmobil’s 7.5-centimetre figurines with their signature round heads and smiling faces as simple as a child’s…

Merkel, finally, to be sworn in ending political limbo

Angela Merkel is due to be sworn in today for a rare third term as German chancellor, capping months of political uncertainty as she bartered with her rivals to help govern Europe’s top economy.

Eighty-six days after Merkel, 59, swept to victory in elections but failed to grab an outright majority, the Bundestag lower house of parliament will…

GlaxoSmithKline to stop paying doctors to promote drugs

Pharmaceutical giant today said it would stop paying doctors to promote its products through speaking engagements and end linking compensation for its sales representatives to the number of prescriptions doctors write.

GlaxoSmithKline also plans to stop payments to healthcare professionals for attending medical conferences.

The initiative…

6.2 quake off New Zealand’s Fiordland coast

A severe earthquake measuring 6.2 on the Richter scale has been recorded off the coast of Fiordland, shaking New Zealand’s Southland region early today.

The 6.2-magnitude was centred 125km west of Tuatapere and registered at a depth of 25km at 1.07am local time today, Xinhua news agency reported.

No damages or casualties were reported.

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