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 A wolf that bit a woman at a shopping mall in Hamburg, northern Germany, in late March -- in the first such incident since the species returned to Germany some 30 years ago -- is likely dead, local authorities said Saturday. https://www.thelocal.de/20260606/wolf-that-bit-woman-in-german-mall-likely-dead-authorities-say Sat, 06 Jun 2026 15:17:03 +0200 wolf-that-bit-woman-in-german-mall-likely-dead-authorities-say New smoking restrictions have come into force in Baden-Württemberg, extending bans to many outdoor spaces and adding the use of e-cigarettes. Here’s how the state's smoking rules have changed. https://www.thelocal.de/20260601/baden-wurttemberg-expands-smoking-bans-in-public-spaces Mon, 01 Jun 2026 10:34:17 +0200 baden-wurttemberg-expands-smoking-bans-in-public-spaces A wind turbine billed as the world's tallest is rising in eastern Germany, winning praise as a beacon for a clean, green energy future and headwinds from the far-right AfD party. https://www.thelocal.de/20260522/giant-wind-turbine-rises-in-brandenburg-taking-on-far-right-headwinds Fri, 22 May 2026 11:21:52 +0200 giant-wind-turbine-rises-in-brandenburg-taking-on-far-right-headwinds Germany is set to miss its 2030 greenhouse gas emissions target, experts warned Monday, urging Berlin to swiftly overhaul a recently unveiled climate action plan. https://www.thelocal.de/20260518/germany-set-to-miss-2030-climate-goal Mon, 18 May 2026 16:39:32 +0200 germany-set-to-miss-2030-climate-goal A humpback whale that underwent a rescue operation in Germany two weeks ago after beaching itself there has been found dead near a Danish island, officials said Saturday. https://www.thelocal.de/20260517/stranded-whale-rescued-in-germany-found-dead-in-denmark Sun, 17 May 2026 10:58:58 +0200 stranded-whale-rescued-in-germany-found-dead-in-denmark Summer in Germany brings flies, midges, wasps and – increasingly – mosquitoes. Yet one thing many newcomers notice, especially Americans, is the absence of the familiar window and door screens found throughout much of the United States. https://www.thelocal.de/20260512/why-dont-german-homes-have-insect-screens Tue, 12 May 2026 15:18:01 +0200 why-dont-german-homes-have-insect-screens With millions of photovoltaic panels hanging from balconies across the country, Germany is said to be the world leader in balcony solar. Here's how to register yours. https://www.thelocal.de/20260511/how-do-i-register-my-balcony-solar-panel-in-germany Mon, 11 May 2026 17:09:47 +0200 how-do-i-register-my-balcony-solar-panel-in-germany An environmental advocacy group is taking the German government back to court over "inadequate" climate action plans, the group announced Thursday. https://www.thelocal.de/20260507/environmental-group-challenges-germanys-climate-plan-in-court Thu, 07 May 2026 11:21:07 +0200 environmental-group-challenges-germanys-climate-plan-in-court A humpback whale that had been struggling to survive after beaching near the German coast was released Saturday into the North Sea off Denmark, after being transported in a barge in a last-ditch rescue operation. https://www.thelocal.de/20260502/humpback-whale-stranded-in-germany-released-into-north-sea Sat, 02 May 2026 10:18:28 +0200 humpback-whale-stranded-in-germany-released-into-north-sea After standardising chargers for mobile phones, from Tuesday new computers sold in EU countries must also use the USB-C charging point, as the latest phase of EU anti-waste legislation comes into force. https://www.thelocal.de/20260428/eu-anti-waste-law-new-laptops-sold-in-europe-must-now-use-usb-c-chargers Tue, 28 Apr 2026 12:16:33 +0200 eu-anti-waste-law-new-laptops-sold-in-europe-must-now-use-usb-c-chargers The sad saga of a humpback whale stranded a month ago on the German coast has sparked a flood of compassion but also a media frenzy, angry spats, conspiracy theories and death threats. https://www.thelocal.de/20260424/free-timmy-how-a-beached-whale-has-gripped-and-divided-germany Fri, 24 Apr 2026 15:22:26 +0200 free-timmy-how-a-beached-whale-has-gripped-and-divided-germany Thousands of people demonstrated across Germany on Saturday, calling for a faster shift towards renewable energy and accusing conservative Chancellor Friedrich Merz's coalition of putting the brakes on the transition. https://www.thelocal.de/20260419/thousands-rally-across-germany-to-call-for-faster-green-shift Sun, 19 Apr 2026 09:11:17 +0200 thousands-rally-across-germany-to-call-for-faster-green-shift To help clean up Berlin's waterways, the city has taken a tip from Copenhagen and plans to reward visitors for collecting litter. Here's what residents and visitors should know about 'BerlinPay'. https://www.thelocal.de/20260415/berlinpay-how-a-new-tourism-initiative-aims-to-clean-up-germanys-capital-city Wed, 15 Apr 2026 10:08:40 +0200 berlinpay-how-a-new-tourism-initiative-aims-to-clean-up-germanys-capital-city A new heating project linking Görlitz in Germany and Zgorzelec in Poland shows how local leadership and cross-border collaboration could deliver cleaner, more affordable heat – and greater energy security – in uncertain times. https://www.thelocal.de/20260409/a-new-german-polish-project-shows-how-cities-can-be-heated-without-fossil-fuels Thu, 09 Apr 2026 16:40:18 +0200 a-new-german-polish-project-shows-how-cities-can-be-heated-without-fossil-fuels A wolf that bit a woman in Hamburg last week in the first such attack in Germany for decades has been released back into the wild, the local environment ministry said Monday. https://www.thelocal.de/20260406/wolf-that-bit-woman-in-germany-released-back-into-wild Mon, 06 Apr 2026 15:58:17 +0200 wolf-that-bit-woman-in-germany-released-back-into-wild A humpback whale struggling in shallow waters off Germany's northern Baltic Sea coast has become stranded for a third time, experts said on Sunday, just hours after the animal had freed itself from a sandbank. https://www.thelocal.de/20260329/freed-whale-gets-stranded-again-off-german-coast Sun, 29 Mar 2026 18:22:19 +0200 freed-whale-gets-stranded-again-off-german-coast Below the waves off Germany's northern tourist beaches, a toxic time bomb lurks on the Baltic Sea floor -- enormous quantities of World War II munitions that are slowly rusting away. https://www.thelocal.de/20260329/germanys-wwii-munitions-a-toxic-legacy-on-baltic-sea-floor Sun, 29 Mar 2026 09:52:37 +0200 germanys-wwii-munitions-a-toxic-legacy-on-baltic-sea-floor A humpback whale stranded on Germany's Baltic Sea coast since early this week has freed itself and swum into deeper waters, rescuers said Friday. https://www.thelocal.de/20260327/beached-whale-frees-itself-from-german-coast Fri, 27 Mar 2026 10:59:10 +0100 beached-whale-frees-itself-from-german-coast Germany released its latest climate action plan, which purportedly aims to meet the country's goals of achieving significant emissions cuts by 2030 and later years. But environmental groups say the measures announced are not nearly enough. https://www.thelocal.de/20260325/environmental-groups-say-germanys-new-climate-action-plan-is-deceptive Wed, 25 Mar 2026 15:14:27 +0100 environmental-groups-say-germanys-new-climate-action-plan-is-deceptive Vanishing glaciers atop Germany's highest mountain prompted the start of demolition operations of a ski lift Friday, as global warming reshapes the Alps. https://www.thelocal.de/20260321/vanishing-glacier-on-germanys-highest-peak-prompts-ski-lift-demolition Sat, 21 Mar 2026 11:06:15 +0100 vanishing-glacier-on-germanys-highest-peak-prompts-ski-lift-demolition