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 Politicians must now wear masks in the German Parliament building in a bid to slow rising levels of infection in the capital. https://www.thelocal.de/20201006/masks-made-compulsory-in-german-bundestag-amid-rise-in-berlin-covid-19-cases Tue, 06 Oct 2020 18:45:38 +0200 masks-made-compulsory-in-german-bundestag-amid-rise-in-berlin-covid-19-cases The German government on Sunday condemned the "unacceptable" behaviour of protesters during a mass rally against coronavirus restrictions after some attempted to storm the Reichstag parliament building. https://www.thelocal.de/20200830/german-gov-slams-unacceptable-attempt-to-storm-reichstag Sun, 30 Aug 2020 11:44:16 +0200 german-gov-slams-unacceptable-attempt-to-storm-reichstag Alternative for Germany (AfD) politician Stephan Brandner has been voted out as Chairman of the Legal Committee in the Bundestag - the first such incident in parliamentary history. https://www.thelocal.de/20191113/far-right-afd-politician-voted-out-of-parliamentary-committee Wed, 13 Nov 2019 17:55:54 +0100 far-right-afd-politician-voted-out-of-parliamentary-committee When the Alternative for Germany (AfD) rode a wave of anger at Germany’s refugee policies to win 12.6 percent of the vote in last year’s election, they promised to “hunt down” the mainstream parties. So far their record has been rather less effective. https://www.thelocal.de/20180305/the-afd-germanys-new-opposition-hampered-by-sloppy-research-and-poor-german Mon, 05 Mar 2018 18:04:42 +0100 the-afd-germanys-new-opposition-hampered-by-sloppy-research-and-poor-german Bremen's MPs want new seats. Not the kind secured by elections, but ergonomic, colour-coordinated models costing some €1,900 each. That price tag doesn't sit well with voters in the financially struggling state. https://www.thelocal.de/20150225/bremen-mps-seek-1900-chairs-for-backaches Wed, 25 Feb 2015 11:00:52 +0100 bremen-mps-seek-1900-chairs-for-backaches MPs from the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in the Bundestag (German parliament) want to force health insurance companies to pay for psychological counselling for potential paedophiles. https://www.thelocal.de/20150217/paedophiles-therapy-cdu-bundestag Tue, 17 Feb 2015 13:49:17 +0100 paedophiles-therapy-cdu-bundestag UPDATE:German Chancellor Angela Merkel expects the new Greek government to uphold its commitments to international creditors, her spokesman said Monday after the electoral triumph of Greece's anti-austerity leftists Syriza. https://www.thelocal.de/20150126/syriza-tsipras-greece-election-germany-dont-go-back-on-your-word-germany-to-greece Mon, 26 Jan 2015 09:43:22 +0100 syriza-tsipras-greece-election-germany-dont-go-back-on-your-word-germany-to-greece Most citizens don't pay attention to what's going on in the Bundestag, with just one in four able to name a recent debate, a study published on Monday shows. https://www.thelocal.de/20141208/parliament-bores-ordinary-people-study Mon, 08 Dec 2014 09:52:00 +0100 parliament-bores-ordinary-people-study Amid heated debates over arms for Iraq, the Ukraine crisis, and Germany's foreign military involvement despite its WWII legacy, defence chief Ursula von der Leyen stirred a debate of her own on Friday after a dud World Cup gag. https://www.thelocal.de/20140822/defence-chief-shot-down-over-shooting-quip Fri, 22 Aug 2014 15:37:00 +0200 defence-chief-shot-down-over-shooting-quip President Joachim Gauck has halted a pay rise for Germany’s politicians which was meant to come in on July 1st. Are German MPs paid too much and how do they compare with the rest of Europe? https://www.thelocal.de/20140701/are-germanys-politicians-paid-too-much-gauck Tue, 01 Jul 2014 16:05:00 +0200 are-germanys-politicians-paid-too-much-gauck Erasmus, the world's biggest student exchange, is to expand after 25 years of funding European students to go abroad. But with the EU budget being slashed, does the grant scheme deserve a 50 percent boost to its budget? https://www.thelocal.de/20131120/eu-student-exchange-upgraded-but-is-it-worth-it Wed, 20 Nov 2013 17:17:00 +0100 eu-student-exchange-upgraded-but-is-it-worth-it A group of German MPs are trying to change parliamentary rules - so they can take their dogs into work with them. They're hoping some canine company could help make the atmosphere more constructive. https://www.thelocal.de/20130614/50311 Fri, 14 Jun 2013 18:24:00 +0200 50311 The head of the European Central Bank (ECB) launched a fierce defence of his euro-crisis strategy in front of German MPs on Wednesday, telling them the bank's bond-buying plan was neither inflationary nor covert aid to governments. https://www.thelocal.de/20121024/45769 Wed, 24 Oct 2012 19:27:00 +0200 45769 Many German mothers are finding it difficult to break free of traditional gender roles: A new official study shows that in a number of families, men are still the ones with the careers, while women are responsible for the kids and the kitchen. https://www.thelocal.de/20120925/45173 Tue, 25 Sep 2012 12:47:00 +0200 45173 More than 30 German CEOs are demanding that parliament finally ratify the UN's Convention Against Corruption. The move has been blocked by MPs concerned about their own liability. https://www.thelocal.de/20120809/44255 Thu, 09 Aug 2012 12:06:00 +0200 44255 Germany's top court on Tuesday boosted the parliament's role in future talks on European treaties but analysts said it would not affect Chancellor Angela Merkel's chances of ratifying an EU bailout fund. https://www.thelocal.de/20120619/43235 Tue, 19 Jun 2012 12:25:00 +0200 43235 The German parliament is in uproar after three of the major parties unveiled plans to muzzle MPs who do not agree with party policies. https://www.thelocal.de/20120416/41965 Mon, 16 Apr 2012 12:24:00 +0200 41965 Two decades after the German parliament decided to move the government from the Cold War capital of Bonn back to Berlin, some politicians still disagree over whether all functions should be brought from the state of North-Rhine Westphalia. https://www.thelocal.de/20110615/35655 Wed, 15 Jun 2011 10:16:00 +0200 35655 Members behaving badly in the federal parliament will face fines of up to €2,000 under changes to rules of conduct, according to a Friday news report. https://www.thelocal.de/20110325/33959 Fri, 25 Mar 2011 09:28:00 +0100 33959 German lawmakers who play up in parliament face fines of up to €3,000 under a new regulation aimed at improving the decorum among the people’s representatives, a Thursday media report said. https://www.thelocal.de/20101104/30947 Thu, 04 Nov 2010 08:51:00 +0100 30947