U2 to play free show at Brandenburg Gate as Berlin celebrates 20th anniversary of wall’s fall

U2 to play free show to mark fall of Berlin Wall

Placido Domingo tries out Verdi baritone role, but he still sounds like a tenor

BERLIN — The notes were all there. The voice had its familiar warm and muscular sound. The technique remains rock-solid. And yet …

John Goodman stars as 9th-century pontiff in new film version of “Pope Joan”

BERLIN — John Goodman has swapped his “Big Lebowski” sunglasses for the flowing royal blue and gold embroidered robes of 9th-century Pope Sergius, whom he plays in a newly released film “Pope Joan.”

Key winners at Cannes, Berlin festivals compete for foreign-language honors at Oscars

Key winners at Cannes, Berlin compete for Oscars

German book fair head defends choice of China, says country’s selection should help freedom

FRANKFURT — The director of the world’s largest book fair said Wednesday that the selection of China as the event’s special guest should help the country move closer to the West and away from censorship and restrictions on dissent.

Daughter of Ahmadinejad adviser seeks asylum in Germany after attending film festival

BERLIN — The daughter of a top adviser to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has applied for asylum in Germany, organizers of a film festival that she was attending said Tuesday.

German model Heidi Klum gives birth to daughter, her 4th child

BERLIN — German-born model Heidi Klum has given birth to a daughter, Lou Sulola Samuel — her fourth child.

Frankfurt book fair highlights China, organizers hope for cultural dialogue

BERLIN — Organizers of the Frankfurt Book Fair worked for 15 years to secure China as the guest of honor at their five-day showcase of global trends and best sellers that opens to industry delegates Wednesday.

Winner of Nobel literature prize wrote about life under Romanian dictator

BERLIN — Herta Mueller never intended to become a writer, it was simply a means of coping with the oppression of everyday life under Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu.

Reinhard Mohn, who helped build up Germany’s Bertelsmann, dies at age 88

BERLIN — Reinhard Mohn, who helped transform media group Bertelsmann AG from a German book publisher to an international media company, has died, the company said Sunday. He was 88.

Germany marks 19th anniversary of reunification with parades, speeches

BERLIN — Germany celebrated the anniversary of its reunification Saturday with festivals, concerts and parades across the country.

Giant marionettes unite in Berlin spectacle marking reunification, 20 years since wall’s fall

BERLIN — The first of a pair of giant marionettes has awakened in Berlin and started the search for her missing partner as part of a massive-scale street performance celebrating German reunification.

Tango in Berlin: Dance until the police arrive

BERLIN - Even from a distance the large group of dancers is easy to spot. About 20 pairs bob and turn to the sound of tango music in front of a Berlin concert house. A sound system stands in the middle of the group, its speakers looking out from a pile of purses and bags. A cluster of spectators has formed along the edge of the improvised dance floor. At first they just look, but eventually they clap between numbers.

Thriller gone bad? Fans grumble about B-list lineup for Michael Jackson tribute in Vienna

VIENNA — It was supposed to be a thriller. Now it just looks bad.

Alive? No way, but German hoax video of Michael Jackson video creates stir online

BERLIN — A hoax video purportedly showing Michael Jackson emerging from a coroner’s van was an experiment aimed at showing how quickly misinformation and conspiracy theories can race across the Internet, German broadcaster RTL said Tuesday.

Royal Opera House to release recordings of Wagner operas from Bayreuth Festival on DVD

BERLIN — Germany’s Bayreuth Festival has agreed to enter a deal with a production arm of Britain’s Royal Opera House to produce and sell DVD recordings of composer Richard Wagner’s operas recorded at the annual festival.

Irving Berlin’s ‘White Christmas’ is returning to Broadway for the holiday season

NEW YORK — The stage version of Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas” is serving up another round of holiday cheer.

Blue jeans’ market: Seeking to rediscover sex appeal

BERLIN - Levi Strauss’ 501 jeans, the self-appointed original blue jean, robust and indestructible, became the epitome of the denim trend that started more than 40 years ago. But the western look of the American cowboy is passe. The blue jean market, once the strongest revenue-producing segments of the fashion industry, has been transformed.

German police confiscate hundreds of sculptures attributed to Giacometti

BERLIN — German police have confiscated hundreds of bronze and plaster statues alleged to be the works of Alberto Giacometti and arrested an art dealer and two others on suspicion of selling the fakes across the globe.

American Sanya Richards dances to title in 400, Bolt heads to semifinals in 200

BERLIN — Sanya Richards dominated a little bit like Usain Bolt. Then she danced a little like him, too.