Almost half a million Germans applied for financial aid under a government support program in March, when factories and other businesses were forced to shut because of the coronavirus outbreak, the Labor Ministry said on Tuesday. The pandemic sparked thousands of furloughs in Europe’s largest economy, a development echoed across the continent. Figures published Tuesday showed 470,000 sought kurzarbeit, a form of state wage support, this month. The measure allows businesses to reduce workers’ hours or halt production while still paying them with the help of government salary subsidies. Carmakers Volkswagen AG and ... (full story)