German help for Opel

Nov 18 - Germany says it is ready to help the troubled carmaker Opel, a unit of U.S. automaker General Motors, and provide it with liquidity guarantees.

Opel, which employs about 25 000 people in its four German plants, is the first European carmaker to turn to a government for help.

But it's not the only company to suffer as the automotive industry, a powerful lobby in Europe's largest economy, has been hit by falling demand in the wake of the global financial crisis.

Joanna Partridge reports for Reuters