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 Europe's top rights court will on Tuesday issue unprecedented verdicts in three separate cases on the responsibility of states in the face of global warming, rulings that could force governments to adopt more ambitious climate policies. https://www.thelocal.de/20240407/top-europe-rights-court-to-issue-landmark-climate-verdicts Sun, 07 Apr 2024 14:48:03 +0200 top-europe-rights-court-to-issue-landmark-climate-verdicts Germans are facing tougher nationwide Covid-19 measures from Saturday, including night curfews and school closures, after the government passed a disputed new law designed to slow infections. https://www.thelocal.de/20210424/germany-pulls-virus-emergency-brake-but-not-all-on-board Sat, 24 Apr 2021 10:04:12 +0200 germany-pulls-virus-emergency-brake-but-not-all-on-board On Wednesday, Germany’s federal government cleared the way for changes in the Infection Protection Act planned by the grand coalition of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU) and Social Democrats (SPD). https://www.thelocal.de/20201118/germany-reforms-infection-control-act-what-you-need-to-know Wed, 18 Nov 2020 18:44:11 +0100 germany-reforms-infection-control-act-what-you-need-to-know Germany's Justice Ministry has sparked a spat over gender and language by drafting a bill that uses only feminine endings, giving some the impression that it applies only to women. https://www.thelocal.de/20201013/row-breaks-out-over-draft-german-law-that-uses-only-feminine-titles Tue, 13 Oct 2020 14:38:28 +0200 row-breaks-out-over-draft-german-law-that-uses-only-feminine-titles Upskirting, the act of secretly photographing under a person's clothes without consent, will be a criminal offence in Germany. Those who are caught will face a fine or up to two years in prison. https://www.thelocal.de/20200703/germany-makes-upskirting-illegal-and-promises-harsh-penalties Fri, 03 Jul 2020 11:06:52 +0200 germany-makes-upskirting-illegal-and-promises-harsh-penalties An Indian couple accused of spying on Sikh and Kashmiri communities in Germany went on trial Thursday on charges that carry a sentence of up to 10 years in prison. https://www.thelocal.de/20191121/indian-couple-go-on-trial-in-frankfurt-for-spying-on-sikhs Thu, 21 Nov 2019 11:58:08 +0100 indian-couple-go-on-trial-in-frankfurt-for-spying-on-sikhs The German government on Wednesday approved a draft law to criminalize the production and distribution of "upskirting" images, following similar legislation adopted in Britain and France earlier this year. https://www.thelocal.de/20191113/germany-approves-bill-to-ban-upskirting Wed, 13 Nov 2019 15:17:55 +0100 germany-approves-bill-to-ban-upskirting A German court Friday fined two gynaecologists for offering information publicly on how they carry out abortion services, despite the recent easing of a Nazi-era law banning practitioners from advertising of pregnancy terminations. https://www.thelocal.de/20190614/german-court-fines-two-doctors-for-advertising-abortion Fri, 14 Jun 2019 18:19:37 +0200 german-court-fines-two-doctors-for-advertising-abortion Fireworks are to be banned in two ‘hotspots’ in the German capital on New Year’s Eve, the state interior senator Andreas Geisel has announced. https://www.thelocal.de/20190121/berlin-to-impose-new-years-eve-fireworks-ban Mon, 21 Jan 2019 12:31:12 +0100 berlin-to-impose-new-years-eve-fireworks-ban The western German state of Hesse has voted to finally scrap the death penalty, referendum results have shown, fixing a historical oddity given that the punishment has been illegal in Germany for nearly 70 years. https://www.thelocal.de/20181102/german-region-scraps-death-penalty-fixing-legal-quirk Fri, 02 Nov 2018 09:54:07 +0100 german-region-scraps-death-penalty-fixing-legal-quirk Half a year ago, a controversial new German law came into force with the aim of combating hate speech on social media. On Friday, Youtube and Facebook published first figures on how often it has been used. https://www.thelocal.de/20180727/facebook-and-youtube-publish-figures-on-hate-speech-law Fri, 27 Jul 2018 12:00:43 +0200 facebook-and-youtube-publish-figures-on-hate-speech-law Minister of education and research Johanna Wanka violated constitutional law by using an official statement to criticize the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), the Federal Constitutional Court ruled on Tuesday. https://www.thelocal.de/20180227/education-ministers-anti-afd-statement-is-unconstitutional-top-court-rules Tue, 27 Feb 2018 15:10:51 +0100 education-ministers-anti-afd-statement-is-unconstitutional-top-court-rules On Tuesday judges in a regional court in the capital ruled that Wolfgang Gedeon, an Alternative for Germany politician, may be described as a Holocaust denier. https://www.thelocal.de/20180117/berlin-court-rules-afd-politician-can-be-called-a-holocaust-denier Wed, 17 Jan 2018 13:46:20 +0100 berlin-court-rules-afd-politician-can-be-called-a-holocaust-denier Despite Germany allowing same-sex couples to wed from October last year, hurdles for gay and lesbian partners regarding parental rights and the civil registry have recently emerged. https://www.thelocal.de/20180115/when-two-men-become-mr-and-mrs Mon, 15 Jan 2018 14:02:04 +0100 when-two-men-become-mr-and-mrs Germany's justice minister fell victim to the rules he himself championed against online social media when one of his tweets was deleted following several complaints, Bild daily reported on Monday. Critics accuse the new law of stifling freedom of speech. https://www.thelocal.de/20180108/justice-minister-falls-victim-to-own-social-media-censorship-law Mon, 08 Jan 2018 12:24:33 +0100 justice-minister-falls-victim-to-own-social-media-censorship-law According to a court judgement in North Rhine-Westphalia published on Monday, bread rolls and coffee aren’t considered a complete breakfast and therefore not subject to taxation. https://www.thelocal.de/20171002/north-german-court-rules-bread-rolls-and-coffee-dont-constitute-breakfast-report Mon, 02 Oct 2017 19:25:01 +0200 north-german-court-rules-bread-rolls-and-coffee-dont-constitute-breakfast-report Drilling on Sundays? Strengstens verboten (strictly prohibited). Here are Germany's weirdest laws and rules. https://www.thelocal.de/20160907/germanys-eight-most-weir-laws-rules Wed, 07 Sep 2016 19:05:47 +0200 germanys-eight-most-weir-laws-rules The Federal Administrative Court ruled on Wednesday that charging entrance fees for two German North Sea beaches was illegal, a ruling which is set to have change the rules of the game all along the German coastlines. https://www.thelocal.de/20170914/germans-have-a-right-to-squeeze-sand-between-their-toes-without-paying-court-rules Thu, 14 Sep 2017 13:17:10 +0200 germans-have-a-right-to-squeeze-sand-between-their-toes-without-paying-court-rules Gay and lesbian activists waving rainbow flags cheered in joyful celebration Friday as Germany's parliament legalised same-sex marriage, a victory in a decades-old rights struggle. https://www.thelocal.de/20170630/champagne-corks-pop-outside-merkels-office-after-gay-marriage-vote Fri, 30 Jun 2017 18:00:19 +0200 champagne-corks-pop-outside-merkels-office-after-gay-marriage-vote Germany's parliament voted Friday to punish social media giants with fines of up to €50 million if they systematically fail to remove illegal hate speech. https://www.thelocal.de/20170630/germany-imposes Fri, 30 Jun 2017 14:12:14 +0200 germany-imposes