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 Germany is working on a major pension reform, with plans to scrap the 'Rente mit 63' early retirement scheme. What is it and why is it being targeted? https://www.thelocal.de/20260818/will-germany-scrap-its-early-retirement-scheme Tue, 18 Aug 2026 13:22:27 +0200 will-germany-scrap-its-early-retirement-scheme Europe saw at least 30,000 excess deaths across a blistering summer of back-to-back heatwaves and drought which scientists have blamed on man-made climate change, according to provisional figures. https://www.thelocal.de/20260822/heatwave-hit-europe-logs-over-30000-excess-summer-deaths Sat, 22 Aug 2026 10:53:02 +0200 heatwave-hit-europe-logs-over-30000-excess-summer-deaths Germany's culture minister and a group of art and design institutions voiced support Thursday for the iconic Bauhaus art school, whose modernist legacy has come under attack from the far-right AfD. https://www.thelocal.de/20260821/culture-minister-defends-germanys-iconic-bauhaus-against-populist-attacks Fri, 21 Aug 2026 16:48:58 +0200 culture-minister-defends-germanys-iconic-bauhaus-against-populist-attacks Here’s a wonderfully specific German word to describe the moment when standards slip, everyone notices – and nobody quite does anything about it. https://www.thelocal.de/20260821/german-word-of-the-day-schlendrian Fri, 21 Aug 2026 13:27:20 +0200 german-word-of-the-day-schlendrian More foreign qualifications are being recognised in Germany than ever before, but despite its best efforts to get more and more immigrant workers into the labour force, growth appears to be slowing. https://www.thelocal.de/20260821/germany-recognises-record-number-of-foreign-qualifications-2 Fri, 21 Aug 2026 11:39:23 +0200 germany-recognises-record-number-of-foreign-qualifications-2 From six week long summer breaks, to keeping mosquitos out of your home, to managing money in a country whose banks dislike US citizens, here's our latest newsletter for the Americans living in Germany, or who visit frequently. https://www.thelocal.de/20260820/americans-in-germany-europes-vacation-season-and-what-to-know-about-banking Thu, 20 Aug 2026 14:19:18 +0200 americans-in-germany-europes-vacation-season-and-what-to-know-about-banking Former health minister Karl Lauterbach says the record-breaking figure is probably an underestimate. https://www.thelocal.de/20260820/at-least-14000-heat-related-deaths-recorded-in-germany-this-summer Thu, 20 Aug 2026 14:50:54 +0200 at-least-14000-heat-related-deaths-recorded-in-germany-this-summer A Ukrainian man was arrested Wednesday in Croatia on suspicion of taking part in the bombing of the Nord Stream gas pipelines between Russia and Germany in 2022, German prosecutors said. https://www.thelocal.de/20260819/germany-says-ukrainian-man-arrested-over-nord-stream-sabotage Wed, 19 Aug 2026 17:25:38 +0200 germany-says-ukrainian-man-arrested-over-nord-stream-sabotage Taking the S-Bahn to the Berlin airport? No you're not. Fortunately there are several alternative trains available. https://www.thelocal.de/20260819/berlins-s-bahn-airport-connections-disrupted-until-end-of-august Wed, 19 Aug 2026 16:13:02 +0200 berlins-s-bahn-airport-connections-disrupted-until-end-of-august Germany plans to keep controls at all nine land borders until March 2027. The move comes among an on-going debate over migration policy and the future of Europe's border-free Schengen area. https://www.thelocal.de/20260819/europes-free-movement-in-question-as-germany-extends-border-controls Wed, 19 Aug 2026 11:51:59 +0200 europes-free-movement-in-question-as-germany-extends-border-controls Sailing or boating is a great way to experience Germany's lakes, rivers and seas to the north. The Local spoke with a German sailing instructor to find out his favourite things about sailing and how to earn a boating licence. https://www.thelocal.de/20240906/its-a-lifestyle-how-you-can-learn-to-sail-in-germany Fri, 06 Sep 2024 17:01:50 +0200 its-a-lifestyle-how-you-can-learn-to-sail-in-germany Germany on Tuesday opened a new drone defence research centre to help combat the growing threat posed by unmanned aerial vehicles after a surge in suspicious sightings over critical infrastructure. https://www.thelocal.de/20260819/germany-opens-drone-research-centre-as-security-threats-mount Wed, 19 Aug 2026 09:15:24 +0200 germany-opens-drone-research-centre-as-security-threats-mount The head of a German defence startup supplying attack drones to Ukraine has been living in hiding for months due to an alleged Russian assassination plot, reports said Tuesday. https://www.thelocal.de/20260819/german-defence-startup-ceo-in-hiding-after-russian-plot Wed, 19 Aug 2026 08:53:56 +0200 german-defence-startup-ceo-in-hiding-after-russian-plot Germany's grain harvest is expected to fall by seven percent this year after months of severe drought and heatwaves, the German Farmers' Association (DBV) said Tuesday. https://www.thelocal.de/20260818/german-farmers-warn-of-drought-toll-on-grain-harvest Tue, 18 Aug 2026 16:08:51 +0200 german-farmers-warn-of-drought-toll-on-grain-harvest The far-right party has promised a '180-degree' turn in migration and social policy. Its leader in Saxony-Anhalt has previously said that he would make the state 'as unattractive as possible' to foreigners. https://www.thelocal.de/20260818/tell-us-are-you-worried-about-an-afd-victory-in-saxony-anhalt-or-mecklenburg-western-pomerania Tue, 18 Aug 2026 15:26:32 +0200 tell-us-are-you-worried-about-an-afd-victory-in-saxony-anhalt-or-mecklenburg-western-pomerania German pensioner Petra Mertens did not hesitate when ordered to evacuate her home in the sleepy western border town of Monschau as an enormous fire advanced from neighbouring Belgium. https://www.thelocal.de/20260818/never-seen-one-like-it-german-pensioners-flee-wildfire Tue, 18 Aug 2026 09:12:27 +0200 never-seen-one-like-it-german-pensioners-flee-wildfire Just one in 10 people in Germany is aged 15 to 24, according to new figures, and migration plays an increasingly important role in sustaining the country’s younger population. https://www.thelocal.de/20260817/germanys-shrinking-youth-population-highlights-dependency-on-migration Mon, 17 Aug 2026 13:57:58 +0200 germanys-shrinking-youth-population-highlights-dependency-on-migration As much of Europe swelters under a heatwave, a group of German ministers wants to enshrine climate protection in the constitution, a plan that sparked pushback from within the government Monday. https://www.thelocal.de/20260817/german-government-split-on-plan-to-amend-law-to-promote-climate-action Mon, 17 Aug 2026 13:52:32 +0200 german-government-split-on-plan-to-amend-law-to-promote-climate-action Germany's heatwave eased on Monday as showers and milder temperatures arrived. The weather change helped emergency crews contain several wildfires that prompted evacuations over the weekend. https://www.thelocal.de/20260817/rain-and-cool-weather-bring-relief-as-germany-battles-wildfires Mon, 17 Aug 2026 11:30:49 +0200 rain-and-cool-weather-bring-relief-as-germany-battles-wildfires Countries across Europe on Sunday continued to battle wildfires amid blistering temperatures and tinder-dry landscapes. https://www.thelocal.de/20260816/latest-europes-battle-with-wildfires-continues Sun, 16 Aug 2026 12:56:48 +0200 latest-europes-battle-with-wildfires-continues