The Local Germany

Five maps that explain Saarland, Germany's 100-year old state

Tue, 14 Jan 2020 17:54:05 +0100

In honor of Saarland's 100-year anniversary as a German state this year, we look at its most important aspects, from history to geography.

Paris terrorist was eyeing German nuclear centre

Thu, 14 Apr 2016 12:29:29 +0200

Salah Abdeslam, a key figure in the Paris attacks last November, was gathering information on a nuclear energy research centre in Germany, new evidence seen by German media revealed on Thursday.

Internet spies greatest threat to freedom: poll

Wed, 08 Oct 2014 10:00:00 +0200

Foreign intelligence agencies and private companies collecting personal data online are the greatest threats to freedom in Germany, according to an annual poll.

Snow and ice snarl road and air traffic

Wed, 06 Feb 2013 09:15:00 +0100

Wintry weather snarled roads across much of Germany and led to flight cancellations in Frankfurt early on Wednesday.

'Mia' and 'Ben' top baby names in 2012

Fri, 28 Dec 2012 14:50:00 +0100

The Günthers and Gudruns of Germany seem to be falling further out of favour with new parents: A survey released Friday of the most popular baby names in 2012 put both "Mia" and "Ben" at the top of the list for the second year running.

Gauck: see the human cost of our luxuries

Sat, 17 Nov 2012 15:16:00 +0100

President Joachim Gauck says consumers risk becoming so obsessed with getting the latest fashionable product that they ignore the suffering of the people making them – and called for responsible capitalism.

Authorities fear parents could sue for day care

Tue, 06 Nov 2012 13:01:00 +0100

Local authorities fear a possible flood of lawsuits from disappointed parents next summer when a law comes into effect guaranteeing under-threes a place in day care.

Cabin crew union forces Lufthansa to talk

Fri, 07 Sep 2012 18:03:00 +0200

Lufthansa and cabin crew union UFO were expected to hold talks on Friday evening to try to find a way to prevent further strikes like the one which forced more than 1,000 flights to be cancelled.

Criticism for border shake-up proposal

Sat, 21 Apr 2012 14:29:00 +0200

German and French plans to reclaim control of their borders have been condemned by German politicians as "right-wing populist rhetoric". The move comes ahead of Sunday's first round vote in the French Presidential elections, in which President Nicolas Sarkozy has been trailing in the polls.

Germany, France begin fight to close borders

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 09:11:00 +0200

Germany and France began moves this week to reclaim the power to close their borders for up to 30 days, in a simmering battle over immigration in Europe's passport-free Schengen travel zone.

White Christmas likely in southern Germany

Sat, 17 Dec 2011 13:36:00 +0100

Chances for a White Christmas are running around 60 to 70 percent – especially if you’re in southern Germany, according to private weather forecasting firm Donnerwetter.

Cows can’t go home for fear of Hessian herpes

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 12:06:00 +0100

Bavaria’s veterinary authorities are preventing a herd of 69 cows that spent the summer grazing in the state of Hesse from coming home without having a blood test for herpes virus BHV-1.

Air Berlin boss resigns after poor results

Thu, 18 Aug 2011 14:28:00 +0200

The chairman of Germany’s second biggest airline Air Berlin resigned on Thursday, just a few hours after announcing increased losses and a drastic savings plan. He will be initially replaced by former Deutsche Bahn chairman Hartmut Mehdorn.

US troops ordered not to wear uniforms

Thu, 24 Mar 2011 17:17:00 +0100

US troops in Germany have been banned from wearing their military uniforms in public in the wake of the Frankfurt Airport shooting that left two American airmen dead and two seriously injured.

Deutsche Bahn beefs up security

Wed, 23 Mar 2011 09:47:00 +0100

National rail provider Deutsche Bahn plans to improve safety for passengers by significantly increasing their number of security personnel, the company said Wednesday.

Snow and ice blitz southern traffic

Mon, 21 Feb 2011 13:13:00 +0100

Snow and ice caused numerous accidents in southern and western Germany on Monday. One man was killed and several drivers injured, as the weather shut down many roads for hours.

Continental fined for deadly Concorde crash

Mon, 06 Dec 2010 15:35:00 +0100

A French court fined Continental Airlines Monday over the Concorde crash ten years ago in which 97 Germans died, but did not jail anyone for the disaster that effectively ended commercial supersonic air travel.

Germany, Britain and France agree to bank levy

Tue, 22 Jun 2010 17:23:00 +0200

Britain, France and Germany have agreed to introduce levies on banks to make them help pay for global recovery, the European heavyweights said in a joint statement Tuesday.

Nuclear plant problems reportedly on the rise

Mon, 10 May 2010 18:15:00 +0200

The German government is considering extending the scheduled phaseout to nuclear energy until 2050, but the country’s ageing atomic power plants are reportedly sparking an increasing number of safety concerns.

Asian business boosts BASF Q1 profit

Thu, 29 Apr 2010 11:15:00 +0200

The world's leading chemical company, BASF, posted Thursday a better than expected first quarter profit on the back of strong demand from Asian economies and inventory build up.