https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Germany in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed The foreign intelligence service violated the constitution by spying on internet data from foreigners abroad, Germany's top court ruled Tuesday in a victory for overseas journalists who brought the case. https://www.thelocal.de/20200519/court-slams-german-spies-foreign-internet-surveillance Tue, 19 May 2020 12:46:52 +0200 court-slams-german-spies-foreign-internet-surveillance Austrian prosecutors confirmed Friday that they had shelved an investigation into allegations that Germany's BND secret service had systematically spied on politicians, international organisations and companies on Austrian territory. https://www.thelocal.de/20190817/austria-shelves-probe-into-germany-spying Sat, 17 Aug 2019 10:47:17 +0200 austria-shelves-probe-into-germany-spying Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday inaugurated the new, fortress-like Berlin headquarters of Germany's scandal-plagued BND foreign intelligence service. https://www.thelocal.de/20190208/merkel-opens-spy-agencys-massive-new-berlin-hq Fri, 08 Feb 2019 15:17:13 +0100 merkel-opens-spy-agencys-massive-new-berlin-hq Germany's spy agency can monitor major internet hubs if Berlin deems it necessary for strategic security interests, a federal court has ruled. https://www.thelocal.de/20180531/german-spies-can-keep-monitoring-internet-hubs-court-rules Thu, 31 May 2018 14:04:49 +0200 german-spies-can-keep-monitoring-internet-hubs-court-rules Germany's intelligence service BND had in the 1990s obtained from a Russian informer a sample of the poison used against ex-double agent Sergei Skripal, German media reported on Thursday, drawing a link to Moscow as the origin of the toxin. https://www.thelocal.de/20180517/nerve-agent-handed-to-germany-in-1990s-could-prove-key-in-uk-spy-attack-case Thu, 17 May 2018 13:43:42 +0200 nerve-agent-handed-to-germany-in-1990s-could-prove-key-in-uk-spy-attack-case The heads of key British, French and German spy agencies warned on Friday that intelligence sharing and cooperation must continue even after Britain quits the European Union. https://www.thelocal.de/20180217/german-and-french-spy-chiefs-plead-for-post-brexit-security-cooperation Sat, 17 Feb 2018 05:56:29 +0100 german-and-french-spy-chiefs-plead-for-post-brexit-security-cooperation Germany's foreign intelligence service long spied on numerous official and business targets in the United States, including the White House, Spiegel weekly reported Thursday. https://www.thelocal.de/20170622/germany-spied-on-the-white-house Thu, 22 Jun 2017 14:29:06 +0200 germany-spied-on-the-white-house German media reported on Thursday that Angela Merkel's Chancellery has been included in an ongoing investigation into a recent WikiLeaks release of confidential documents. https://www.thelocal.de/20170421/chancellery-investigated-in-hunt-for-wikileaks-sources-reports Fri, 21 Apr 2017 13:04:03 +0200 chancellery-investigated-in-hunt-for-wikileaks-sources-reports The Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND), Germany’s foreign intelligence service, spied on journalists from the BBC, New York times and Reuters, according to a report in Spiegel. https://www.thelocal.de/20170224/german-intelligence-eavesdropped-on-foreign-journalists-report Fri, 24 Feb 2017 16:51:03 +0100 german-intelligence-eavesdropped-on-foreign-journalists-report Chancellor Angela Merkel testified on Thursday that she was surprised to learn almost two years ago that Germany's BND foreign intelligence service was spying on targets in allied nations. https://www.thelocal.de/20170217/merkel-says-didnt-know-germany-spied-on-allies-nsa Fri, 17 Feb 2017 10:00:13 +0100 merkel-says-didnt-know-germany-spied-on-allies-nsa Angela Merkel famously said there should be no "spying among friends" amid the initial Edward Snowden NSA leaks. But then it emerged that Germany, too, had helped the NSA spy on its allies. On Thursday she faces a parliamentary grilling. https://www.thelocal.de/20170216/no-spying-among-friends-how-merkels-words-on-nsa-spying-came-to-haunt-her Thu, 16 Feb 2017 12:58:34 +0100 no-spying-among-friends-how-merkels-words-on-nsa-spying-came-to-haunt-her Cyber attacks from Russia are now so common that Germany must learn to cope with them as part of daily life, Chancellor Angela Merkel said Tuesday, after Europe's top economy suffered its largest ever online assault. https://www.thelocal.de/20161129/german-spy-chief-warns-russian-cyber-attacks-could-hit-polls Tue, 29 Nov 2016 11:01:31 +0100 german-spy-chief-warns-russian-cyber-attacks-could-hit-polls A spy in Germany's foreign secret service lost a compensation claim on Thursday, after he was sacked for becoming intimate with a woman he met while on assignment. https://www.thelocal.de/20161125/no-bonds-please-german-spies-can-be-fired-for-affairs Fri, 25 Nov 2016 12:47:22 +0100 no-bonds-please-german-spies-can-be-fired-for-affairs The BND, Germany's version of the CIA, has been accused of massive breaches of the constitution in a leaked report by the government's representative for data protection. https://www.thelocal.de/20160902/german-secret-service-systematically-violating-constitution Fri, 02 Sep 2016 13:21:20 +0200 german-secret-service-systematically-violating-constitution Green and Die Linke (Left Party) politicians are asking that NSA surveillance whistleblower Edward Snowden be allowed into Germany for an ongoing investigation. https://www.thelocal.de/20160825/politicians-renew-call-to-question-edward-snowden-in-germany-nsa Thu, 25 Aug 2016 17:59:25 +0200 politicians-renew-call-to-question-edward-snowden-in-germany-nsa Germany on Tuesday approved new measures to rein in the activities of its foreign intelligence agency after a scandal over improper collusion with the US National Security Agency. https://www.thelocal.de/20160629/berlin-puts-spy-service-on-tighter-leash-after-nsa-scandal-bnd Wed, 29 Jun 2016 11:00:32 +0200 berlin-puts-spy-service-on-tighter-leash-after-nsa-scandal-bnd The German government confirmed on Wednesday that the head of its foreign intelligence service would be replaced two years ahead of schedule, triggering mass speculation about the cause. https://www.thelocal.de/20160427/german-intelligence-chief-leaves-in-surprise-resignation Wed, 27 Apr 2016 13:57:40 +0200 german-intelligence-chief-leaves-in-surprise-resignation NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden could have been acting under the influence of the Russian government, the heads of Germany's foreign and domestic intelligence agencies said on Friday. https://www.thelocal.de/20160415/possible-that-snowden-linked-to-russia-german-spies Fri, 15 Apr 2016 17:45:26 +0200 possible-that-snowden-linked-to-russia-german-spies A Munich court Thursday sentenced a former German intelligence agent to eight years in jail for spying for both the CIA and the Russian secret service, German media reported. https://www.thelocal.de/20160317/munich-court-sentences-triple-agent-to-8-years-jail Thu, 17 Mar 2016 12:52:18 +0100 munich-court-sentences-triple-agent-to-8-years-jail New documents made public by Wikileaks reveal that the USA spied on Chancellor Angela Merkel's private conversations with world leaders. https://www.thelocal.de/20160223/nsa-eavesdropped-on-merkels-intimate-conversations Tue, 23 Feb 2016 09:40:11 +0100 nsa-eavesdropped-on-merkels-intimate-conversations