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 Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats (SPD) suffered a crushing defeat in a key German regional election on Sunday, in a damning verdict on his perceived weak response to the war in Ukraine. https://www.thelocal.de/20220515/heavy-defeat-for-scholzs-spd-in-german-regional-vote-exit-polls Sun, 15 May 2022 20:36:01 +0200 heavy-defeat-for-scholzs-spd-in-german-regional-vote-exit-polls People are going to the polls in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) on Sunday to vote in the state election, with many seeing this as a test for the federal government. We unpick the key players and likely outcomes. https://www.thelocal.de/20220515/explained-why-sundays-state-parliament-vote-in-nrw-is-important-for-german-politics Sun, 15 May 2022 13:12:53 +0200 explained-why-sundays-state-parliament-vote-in-nrw-is-important-for-german-politics Two people were killed Thursday in a shooting in a west German town, with police saying the circumstances surrounding the incident remained unclear. https://www.thelocal.de/20210618/two-killed-in-shooting-in-western-germany Fri, 18 Jun 2021 11:01:25 +0200 two-killed-in-shooting-in-western-germany The western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) wants to crack down on people who give false contact information for the event of a Covid-19 outbreak in restaurants, cafes or hairdressers. https://www.thelocal.de/20200930/north-rhine-westphalia-to-slap-fines-of-250-on-people-who-give-fake-coronavirus-contact-details Wed, 30 Sep 2020 13:41:48 +0200 north-rhine-westphalia-to-slap-fines-of-250-on-people-who-give-fake-coronavirus-contact-details Germany's most populous state is cracking down on people who refuse to wear face masks. https://www.thelocal.de/20200805/german-state-of-north-rhine-westphalia-plans-tougher-on-the-spot-fines-for-people-who-flout-mask-rules Wed, 05 Aug 2020 11:23:18 +0200 german-state-of-north-rhine-westphalia-plans-tougher-on-the-spot-fines-for-people-who-flout-mask-rules A lockdown put in place in a district hit by a huge coronavirus outbreak at a meat processing plant will be extended by a week. https://www.thelocal.de/20200629/germany-extends-local-coronavirus-lockdown-on-hard-hit-district Mon, 29 Jun 2020 18:56:27 +0200 germany-extends-local-coronavirus-lockdown-on-hard-hit-district Germany on Tuesday placed a second district under lockdown over a coronavirus outbreak at a slaughterhouse, just hours after similar restrictions were imposed for a neighbouring area. https://www.thelocal.de/20200623/german-authorities-order-second-local-coronavirus-lockdown-after-meat-plant-outbreak Tue, 23 Jun 2020 18:20:01 +0200 german-authorities-order-second-local-coronavirus-lockdown-after-meat-plant-outbreak Authorities on Tuesday ordered a new lockdown for an entire district in western Germany – the first since easing coronavirus restrictions and a major setback to hopes of a swift return to normality. https://www.thelocal.de/20200623/germany-orders-first-local-lockdown-after-new-coronavirus-outbreak Tue, 23 Jun 2020 13:40:49 +0200 germany-orders-first-local-lockdown-after-new-coronavirus-outbreak Armin Laschet, the state leader in North Rhine-Westphalia said on Saturday that parts of the state could face a new lockdown as over 1,000 new cases were confirmed at a slaughterhouse in Gütersloh. https://www.thelocal.de/20200620/nrw-leader-raises-prospect-of-sweeping-lockdown-after-slaughterhouse-virus-outbreak Sat, 20 Jun 2020 19:57:31 +0200 nrw-leader-raises-prospect-of-sweeping-lockdown-after-slaughterhouse-virus-outbreak A leading candidate to succeed German Chancellor Angela Merkel sparked a row Friday after he accused eastern Europeans of importing new coronavirus cases to Germany. https://www.thelocal.de/20200619/unacceptable-possible-merkel-successor-under-fire-over-eastern-european-coronavirus-claims Fri, 19 Jun 2020 14:15:43 +0200 unacceptable-possible-merkel-successor-under-fire-over-eastern-european-coronavirus-claims A couple from the city of Würselen in North Rhine-Westphalia found earlier this week that two scoops of ice cream were a lot more expensive than expected when they inadvertently broke coronavirus restrictions. https://www.thelocal.de/20200424/ice-cream-costs-german-couple-400-due-to-eating-it-too-close-to-shop Fri, 24 Apr 2020 12:50:54 +0200 ice-cream-costs-german-couple-400-due-to-eating-it-too-close-to-shop Passengers at Düsseldorf Airport had to fly without their luggage on board on Wednesday due to a major breakdown in the baggage system. https://www.thelocal.de/20190717/chaos-as-passengers-forced-to-jet-off-without-luggage-at-german-airport-after-system-breakdown Wed, 17 Jul 2019 13:36:11 +0200 chaos-as-passengers-forced-to-jet-off-without-luggage-at-german-airport-after-system-breakdown No long-distance trains are to stop at Düsseldorf Airport for six weeks and a key route will be completely closed as part of rail upgrades which will affect tens of thousands of people. https://www.thelocal.de/20190710/disruption-expected-as-major-railway-construction-project-set-to-start-in-western-germany Wed, 10 Jul 2019 13:06:05 +0200 disruption-expected-as-major-railway-construction-project-set-to-start-in-western-germany So-called criminal family 'clans' have been operating in parts of Germany for decades. Now the scale of the problem has been revealed in one western state for the first time. https://www.thelocal.de/20190516/crime-committed-by-clans-plagues-west-german-state-police Thu, 16 May 2019 10:47:31 +0200 crime-committed-by-clans-plagues-west-german-state-police North Rhine-Westphalia would be the German state hit hardest by income losses in the case of a no-deal Brexit, according to new research. https://www.thelocal.de/20190321/dsseldorf-and-cologne-to-suffer-highest-income-losses-in-no-deal-brexit Thu, 21 Mar 2019 10:41:06 +0100 dsseldorf-and-cologne-to-suffer-highest-income-losses-in-no-deal-brexit NRW has Germany's most popular beer and a little-known Japanese community that adds panache to its cuisine. Need more? Read on... https://www.thelocal.de/20180201/10-reasons-why-you-really-should-visit-north-rhine-westphalia Thu, 01 Feb 2018 17:50:23 +0100 10-reasons-why-you-really-should-visit-north-rhine-westphalia Toys and models manufacturer Revell based in North Rhine-Westphalia has announced that one of their products, an aircraft described as a war machine during the Nazi period, will no longer be produced. https://www.thelocal.de/20180619/toy-nazi-ufo-taken-off-market-after-criticism Tue, 19 Jun 2018 12:12:05 +0200 toy-nazi-ufo-taken-off-market-after-criticism In mid-April a 13-year-old girl was on the way home from the swimming pool when a group of boys dragged her into a forest and repeatedly raped her. https://www.thelocal.de/20180614/prosecutors-reveal-details-of-brutal-gang-rape-of-teen-outside-dsseldorf Thu, 14 Jun 2018 13:04:37 +0200 prosecutors-reveal-details-of-brutal-gang-rape-of-teen-outside-dsseldorf A 59-year-old woman died over the weekend in North Rhine-Westphalia after her parachute failed to open during a jump from 4,000 metres. https://www.thelocal.de/20180611/woman-dies-in-west-germany-after-parachute-fails-to-open Mon, 11 Jun 2018 17:22:03 +0200 woman-dies-in-west-germany-after-parachute-fails-to-open After a tornado swept through the Lower Rhine region of North Rhine-Westphalia on Wednesday evening, at least two people have been injured and property has been badly damaged. https://www.thelocal.de/20180517/two-injuries-and-severe-damage-after-tornado-rages-through-nrw Thu, 17 May 2018 11:21:15 +0200 two-injuries-and-severe-damage-after-tornado-rages-through-nrw