The Local Germany

Berlin U-Bahn: City considers express subway trains

Thu, 26 Dec 2019 13:57:47 +0100

Politicians in Berlin are calling for the introduction of express lines on the city’s underground rail (U-Bahn) network. The transport authority (BVG) is sceptical of the plan.

What are Berlin's most affordable co-working spaces?

Thu, 23 Aug 2018 14:09:43 +0200

We look at 10 of the German capital's most interesting and affordable shared working spaces for freelancers and entrepreneurs.

School kids don’t have right to vegan food: Berlin court

Wed, 18 May 2016 16:35:53 +0200

Children whose parents want them to live a vegan lifestyle - or a stone-age or fruitarian one for that matter - will have to bring their own food to school, a Berlin court ruled on Wednesday.

Berlin techno grandpa hopes to hit wildest party in USA

Fri, 11 Mar 2016 14:07:24 +0100

Bernhard Enste is a legend on the Berlin techno scene - he's 67 and still hits the capital's most unhinged clubs. Now he wants to go to Burning Man, a seven-day rave in the Nevada desert.

Merkel warms to Syria action, Germans say no

Thu, 29 Aug 2013 14:30:00 +0200

UPDATE: A poll on Thursday showed Germans were against military intervention in Syria - as the government sought to tread a fine line between punishing the country's leadership for last week's gas attack and seeking a peaceful resolution.

Boy dies at Tropical Islands swimming pool

Sun, 19 May 2013 11:16:00 +0200

A 15-year-old boy died on Saturday at the popular “Tropical Islands” swimming and entertainment centre outside of Berlin, the Bild newspaper reported.

Metal thieves delay 17,000 German trains

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 13:15:00 +0200

Metal thieves targeting Germany's railway Deutsche Bahn delayed 17,000 trains last year by stealing among other things copper cable worth around €17 million.

Warm, slushy Christmas in store for Germany

Fri, 21 Dec 2012 15:43:00 +0100

Most Germans will likely have to do without a white Christmas this year, with the German weather service (DWD) predicting unseasonably mild temperatures. Some predictions even foresee 19 degrees Celsius in the south west.

Not much blue sky on the horizon for Germany

Fri, 09 Nov 2012 11:52:00 +0100

With a dull and dreary weekend forecast by the German weather service DWD, it appears that autumn gloom has well and truly descended.

Electricity bills to increase by €60 a year

Mon, 15 Oct 2012 13:53:00 +0200

Germany's transition to renewable energy is likely to cost a three-person household €60 a year as the so-called EEG reallocation charge will rise from 3.6 euro cents to 5.3 cents per kWh in 2013, it emerged Monday.

Crows pick holes in Berlin station roof

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 11:35:00 +0100

Passengers at Berlin’s main train station are being rained on – thanks to crows which are picking out the sealant between the panes of glass in the famous curved roof.

Western states likely to miss day-care targets

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 13:30:00 +0100

Latest statistics suggest that western German states will fall well short of a 2007 target of ensuring that one in three children would have a day care spot by 2013.

Kitting out babies the German way

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 06:23:00 +0100

Motherhood in the Fatherland follows mum Sabine Devins as she navigates the cultural quirks of having a baby in Germany. In the latest instalment, she outfits her baby the German way.

Happiest Germans live in Hamburg

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 15:48:00 +0200

Happy in Hamburg: People living in the northern port city are the most content Germans, according to a study published on Tuesday. While the eastern state of Thuringia has the grumpiest residents, overall the country is the happiest it's been in a decade.

David Lynch launches German interview project

Mon, 14 Mar 2011 10:00:00 +0100

US filmmaker David Lynch and his son Austin have launched a German version of their popular online video project detailing the everyday lives of regular people.

Immigrant children disadvantaged in German schools

Wed, 09 Jun 2010 15:37:00 +0200

Young people from immigrant backgrounds suffer severe disadvantages at German schools, according to a study released on Wednesday.

Schäuble to urge banks to join Greek bailout

Fri, 30 Apr 2010 14:17:00 +0200

German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble wants to meet over the weekend with private German bank directors to encourage them to contribute to a Greek financial rescue plan, a press report said on Friday.

Berlin's 'historic gem' shines with new light

Thu, 25 Mar 2010 12:50:00 +0100

Berlin’s oldest church, the 800-year-old Nikolaikirche, reopened to great fanfare this week after two years' reconstruction work returned it to its former glory.

FDP proposes national road salt stockpile as shortage looms

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 12:56:00 +0100

After more than five weeks of snowy weather, German municipalities are precariously close to running out of road salt, spurring the Free Democrats on Thursday to propose building a national salt reserve for extreme winters.

Politicians reject immigrant quota for public service sector

Fri, 15 Jan 2010 09:45:00 +0100

Politicians on Friday rejected legally mandated quotas to increase the number of people with immigrant backgrounds in public sector jobs.