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 From AI-assisted trains to autonomous road shuttles, Germany's rail operator Deutsche Bahn – long the country's laughingstock for its poor punctuality – is working on the future of mobility. https://www.thelocal.de/20261002/germanys-crisis-hit-rail-operator-looks-to-ai-future Fri, 02 Oct 2026 14:16:15 +0200 germanys-crisis-hit-rail-operator-looks-to-ai-future EU nations will meet Friday, aiming to develop a unified response to soaring diesel prices, a day after the US called on its European allies to release strategic reserves "immediately" to stem the crisis. https://www.thelocal.de/20261002/eu-nations-to-hold-emergency-meeting-on-soaring-diesel-prices-amid-us-pressure Fri, 02 Oct 2026 10:59:32 +0200 eu-nations-to-hold-emergency-meeting-on-soaring-diesel-prices-amid-us-pressure German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Thursday called for unity in backing Ukraine against Russia – within NATO, Europe and his own country where the far-right and Moscow-friendly AfD is on the rise. https://www.thelocal.de/20261002/germanys-merz-hails-nato-unity-on-russia-and-rejects-afd-claims Fri, 02 Oct 2026 08:42:17 +0200 germanys-merz-hails-nato-unity-on-russia-and-rejects-afd-claims After a rollercoaster decade since the Brexit vote, the idea of the UK rejoining is still only a distant prospect and the European Union is waiting first to see what London wants next. https://www.thelocal.de/20261001/we-wont-change-approach-eu-wants-actions-from-uk-rather-than-words Thu, 01 Oct 2026 15:42:49 +0200 we-wont-change-approach-eu-wants-actions-from-uk-rather-than-words A decades-old unanimity rule concerning decisions by Germany’s Conference of Interior Ministers has been scrapped due to concerns that a state ministry controlled by the far-right could block joint decisions. https://www.thelocal.de/20261001/german-state-ministers-scrap-unanimity-rule-amid-afd-concerns Thu, 01 Oct 2026 11:21:54 +0200 german-state-ministers-scrap-unanimity-rule-amid-afd-concerns The monthly cost of Germany's nationwide public transport pass will rise by €3.80 from the start of next year, it was confirmed on Wednesday. https://www.thelocal.de/20260930/germanys-deutschlandticket-to-cost-e6680-from-2027 Wed, 30 Sep 2026 16:37:16 +0200 germanys-deutschlandticket-to-cost-e6680-from-2027 The black-red coalition has agreed on a draft law on care reforms, which is primarily focused on savings. https://www.thelocal.de/20260930/german-top-leadership-strikes-deal-on-elder-care-reforms Wed, 30 Sep 2026 16:21:51 +0200 german-top-leadership-strikes-deal-on-elder-care-reforms Germany's interior ministry is preparing to cut funding for independent asylum counselling by around 80 percent. This would save a small sum for the state, but could have life-changing consequences for the most vulnerable immigrants. https://www.thelocal.de/20260930/germany-moves-to-slash-independent-advice-for-asylum-seekers Wed, 30 Sep 2026 15:25:27 +0200 germany-moves-to-slash-independent-advice-for-asylum-seekers The EU put forward Wednesday plans for a new bloc-wide communication system allowing police, firefighters and other national emergency services to better coordinate during cross-border crises. https://www.thelocal.de/20260930/eu-plans-cross-border-emergency-comms-system-to-replace-radio Wed, 30 Sep 2026 15:21:39 +0200 eu-plans-cross-border-emergency-comms-system-to-replace-radio The German government on Wednesday ordered a state-owned company to boost gas reserves as worries mount about low storage levels ahead of winter, citing "geopolitical risks" amid the Iran war. https://www.thelocal.de/20260930/germany-orders-winter-gas-reserves-boost-as-middle-east-war-worries-mount Wed, 30 Sep 2026 14:43:16 +0200 germany-orders-winter-gas-reserves-boost-as-middle-east-war-worries-mount Germany has changed in different ways over the past years. We want to hear from international residents about what feels different, what has become easier or harder, and how life in the country has developed since they arrived. https://www.thelocal.de/20260930/tell-us-how-has-germany-changed-since-you-moved-here Wed, 30 Sep 2026 11:28:01 +0200 tell-us-how-has-germany-changed-since-you-moved-here Andy Burnham put the idea of Britain rejoining the EU on the table Wednesday, breaking a taboo for a UK prime minister and leading French President Emmanuel Macron to declare in English "Welcome back". https://www.thelocal.de/20260930/rejoining-the-eu-is-among-options-for-future-ties-says-uk-prime-minister Wed, 30 Sep 2026 10:45:17 +0200 rejoining-the-eu-is-among-options-for-future-ties-says-uk-prime-minister The leader of the far-right AfD in the eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt says he hopes to become state premier in December after the party's crushing election victory earlier this month. https://www.thelocal.de/20260930/german-far-right-aims-to-lead-saxony-anhalt-government-in-december Wed, 30 Sep 2026 09:35:40 +0200 german-far-right-aims-to-lead-saxony-anhalt-government-in-december Continued dry weather in west Germany has pushed water levels on the Rhine river to a new record low, rendering a large part of the country's inland cargo shipping impossible. https://www.thelocal.de/20260929/we-need-rain-germanys-rhine-unnavigable-for-most-shipping-at-new-low Tue, 29 Sep 2026 16:55:23 +0200 we-need-rain-germanys-rhine-unnavigable-for-most-shipping-at-new-low Retail giant Metro, was one of few Germany-based companies that had maintained large scale operations in Russia even after the war in Ukraine and related sanctions forced other companies out. Now Moscow has seized its assets. https://www.thelocal.de/20260928/moscow-seizes-russian-assets-of-german-food-retailer-metro Mon, 28 Sep 2026 17:30:57 +0200 moscow-seizes-russian-assets-of-german-food-retailer-metro More than half of cooks in Germany had an immigration background in 2025, as well as about a third of all nurses and dental assistants. https://www.thelocal.de/20260928/immigrants-plug-germanys-crucial-work-shortages-from-kitchens-to-hospitals Mon, 28 Sep 2026 17:12:43 +0200 immigrants-plug-germanys-crucial-work-shortages-from-kitchens-to-hospitals Berlin Marathon winner Tigst Assefa has undergone surgery in Munich on Monday after finishing Sunday's race with a torn Achilles, her manager confirmed. https://www.thelocal.de/20260928/berlin-marathon-winner-assefa-finished-race-with-torn-achilles Mon, 28 Sep 2026 15:22:44 +0200 berlin-marathon-winner-assefa-finished-race-with-torn-achilles The city council of Heidenau has passed a motion brought by members of the AfD and CDU to block any more memorial plaques to Holocaust victims from being laid there. https://www.thelocal.de/20260928/why-is-a-saxon-city-banning-new-stumbling-stone-memorials-to-holocaust-victims Mon, 28 Sep 2026 12:09:41 +0200 why-is-a-saxon-city-banning-new-stumbling-stone-memorials-to-holocaust-victims Two Philippine nationals were killed on Sunday when a coach carrying them to the Oktoberfest beer festival in southern Germany overturned on a motorway, police said. https://www.thelocal.de/20260927/two-philippine-tourists-killed-in-german-bus-crash Sun, 27 Sep 2026 15:19:51 +0200 two-philippine-tourists-killed-in-german-bus-crash German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul called on Moscow to "abandon its dangerous path of escalation" during a meeting with Russia's Sergei Lavrov at the UN on Saturday, a diplomat for Berlin said. https://www.thelocal.de/20260927/germany-calls-on-russia-to-abandon-its-dangerous-path Sun, 27 Sep 2026 08:49:45 +0200 germany-calls-on-russia-to-abandon-its-dangerous-path