The Local Germany

Berlin Airlift site touted as tech start-up hub

Tue, 08 Oct 2013 14:23:00 +0200

Berlin's iconic Tempelhof airport could become a hub for internet start-ups. The huge buildings have been largely empty since its closure in 2008, and those in the city's growing tech company scene could be the people to fill it.

Berlin's mayor to leave party leadership

Fri, 04 Oct 2013 11:53:00 +0200

Berlin mayor and vice-president of the Social Democrats said on Friday he would not be running for leadership re-election citing "personal reasons". He claimed it had nothing to do with the party's poor general election outcome.

Election year pride parade gets political

Sat, 22 Jun 2013 18:47:00 +0200

About half a million people crowded into Berlin on Saturday to take part in the 35th annual Christopher Street Day (CSD) gay pride parade. Just months ahead of a general election, the event proved unusually political.

Wowi survives vote despite BER debacle

Sat, 12 Jan 2013 12:48:00 +0100

Berlin Mayor Klaus Wowereit was triumphant on Saturday after he won a vote of confidence in the city senate, allowing him to remain in his position despite his disastrous handling of the capital's delayed airport project.

Airport debacle hurts 'Made in Germany' brand

Thu, 10 Jan 2013 12:12:00 +0100

From Berlin's benighted airport to Hamburg's hopeless concert hall, Germans are becoming concerned that their fabled international reputation for efficiency is being harmed by delays dogging major several projects around the country.

New Berlin airport delay forces mayor from board

Mon, 07 Jan 2013 08:53:00 +0100

The repeatedly delayed new Berlin airport will not open until 2014 it emerged on Monday, prompting Berlin Mayor Klaus Wowereit to resign from the supervisory board after criticism of his role threatened his political career.

Little progress made at Berlin's new airport

Sun, 23 Dec 2012 11:53:00 +0100

A visit from experts from the federal Transportation Ministry to Berlin's delay-plagued new airport showed that next to nothing had been done since their last visit to the construction site in August, according to a report by the Bild am Sonntag.

Embassy attack prompts Berlin security spat

Sat, 01 Dec 2012 13:38:00 +0100

Berlin city says it needs more money from the federal government to protect embassies in the capital after an attack on the Iranian embassy by angry demonstrators earlier this week raised security concerns.

Berlin mayor: we are fit to host Olympics

Tue, 31 Jul 2012 17:03:00 +0200

Still reeling from the relentless rolling scandal of the new airport that refuses to be finished, the ever ambitious Berlin Mayor Klaus Wowereit, said on Tuesday he wanted to make a bid for the capital to host the Olympic Games.

New Berlin airport date could be even later

Sat, 23 Jun 2012 11:52:00 +0200

Berlin’s mayor has admitted that the delayed opening of Berlin’s new airport – already put back by the best part of a year – is not certain, and that it will cost more than €1 billion more than expected.

Airport wasted millions on soundproofing

Tue, 19 Jun 2012 08:41:00 +0200

The German capital's farcical attempts to build a new airport took another disastrous turn on Monday when it emerged that 2,000 flats had been poorly soundproofed and would have to be re-done - at three times the price.

Berlin airport boss is PhD in 'building efficiency'

Fri, 11 May 2012 14:50:00 +0200

Fresh outrage has been sparked in Berlin by revelations that the man responsible for disastrous delays on the German capital's new airport wrote a PhD while on the job - on "optimizing complex construction projects."

Berlin mayor admits taking free holiday

Sat, 10 Mar 2012 16:56:00 +0100

Berlin Mayor Klaus Wowereit has come under pressure to clarify his relationship to controversial event manager Manfred Schmidt – who was at the centre of the scandal surrounding ex-President Wulff.

City of Berlin gets 'grand coalition' government

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 14:50:00 +0100

A left-right coalition is taking shape in the city state of Berlin, after the Social Democrats and the Christian Democrats agreed to form a government in Germany's capital on Wednesday.

Government throws spanner in SPD/Green Berlin coalition talks

Tue, 27 Sep 2011 16:55:00 +0200

The German Transport Ministry said Tuesday that federal investment in Berlin’s controversial A100 motorway extension could not be moved to another project, hampering coalition negotiations between Mayor Klaus Wowereit and the Greens.

SPD and Greens see coalition hope in Berlin

Sat, 24 Sep 2011 12:49:00 +0200

Nearly a week after the Berlin state election and hours of talks, all the indications point towards the incumbent Social Democrats (SPD) forming a coalition with the Greens.

SPD wins Berlin vote as Pirates celebrate

Sun, 18 Sep 2011 20:29:00 +0200

The centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) won Berlin’s state election on Sunday, setting up a likely coalition with the Greens. The upstart Pirate Party sailed easily into parliament.

Berliners look leftwards as Pirates set sail

Fri, 16 Sep 2011 14:04:00 +0200

Berliners go to the polls on Sunday, with indications suggesting they will re-elect their Social Democratic Mayor Klaus Wowereit yet force him to switch coalition partners from The Left party to the Greens. The Pirate Party could also sail into parliament.

Klaus Wowereit: the mayor Berliners deserve?

Wed, 14 Sep 2011 17:15:00 +0200

The colourful mayor of Berlin for the last decade, Klaus Wowereit, famously dubbed his city "poor but sexy" - critics and fans alike say he bears an out-sized responsibility for both attributes.

'Berlin is change, Berlin is the place to be'

Tue, 13 Sep 2011 19:06:00 +0200

As Berliners prepare to go to the polls this Sunday, The Local spoke with Mayor Klaus Wowereit about his re-election campaign and his priorities for the German capital.