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 and Italy on Tuesday rebuffed calls to suspend an EU cooperation deal with Israel, despite rising anger over the war in Lebanon and the situation in the West Bank. https://www.thelocal.de/20260421/germany-and-italy-reject-suspending-eu-israel-cooperation-deal Tue, 21 Apr 2026 15:56:42 +0200 germany-and-italy-reject-suspending-eu-israel-cooperation-deal Berlin summoned the Russian ambassador on Monday over "direct threats from Russia" against "targets in Germany", the foreign ministry said. https://www.thelocal.de/20260420/germany-summons-russian-envoy-over-threats Mon, 20 Apr 2026 17:10:34 +0200 germany-summons-russian-envoy-over-threats Syrian-born Yasin Alhamdo has lived in Germany since he was nine. In March, just weeks before he was due to sit his final exams to qualify as an industrial clerk, he was told he had 30 days to leave the country. https://www.thelocal.de/20260416/i-did-everything-right-syrian-student-fights-deportation-from-germany Thu, 16 Apr 2026 11:43:24 +0200 i-did-everything-right-syrian-student-fights-deportation-from-germany Friedrich Merz, who was an extremely vocal critic of Germany's previous chancellor Olaf Scholz, has become the world's most unpopular democratic leader, according to a recent survey. https://www.thelocal.de/20260416/germanys-chancellor-merz-takes-title-of-worlds-most-unpopular-leader Thu, 16 Apr 2026 16:44:38 +0200 germanys-chancellor-merz-takes-title-of-worlds-most-unpopular-leader The German government wants to allow firms to give their employees a tax-free bonus as part of measures to relieve residents amid rising fuel and living costs. We look at who could be in line to get it. https://www.thelocal.de/20260414/qa-who-will-get-germanys-tax-free-bonus Tue, 14 Apr 2026 17:01:50 +0200 qa-who-will-get-germanys-tax-free-bonus Since the outbreak of war in the Middle East fuel costs have soared with the price of just about everything else expected to follow. Here are the articles to read to understand which costs are rising in Germany, how to save and what's being done. https://www.thelocal.de/20260416/essential-articles-to-understand-how-the-fuel-crisis-is-affecting-germany Thu, 16 Apr 2026 12:41:31 +0200 essential-articles-to-understand-how-the-fuel-crisis-is-affecting-germany The German government is stepping in to absorb taxes on fuel for two months as drivers and companies reckon with soaring prices. Policy makers also plan to enable employers to offer tax-free 'relief bonuses'. https://www.thelocal.de/20260413/germany-announces-tax-cuts-and-employee-bonuses-for-fuel-price-relief Mon, 13 Apr 2026 14:31:03 +0200 germany-announces-tax-cuts-and-employee-bonuses-for-fuel-price-relief German leaders are looking forward to working with renewed leadership in Hungary after Viktor Orban, who has ruled the country for 16 years and worked against EU interests on a number of issues, was ousted. https://www.thelocal.de/20260413/german-leaders-welcome-hungarys-new-leadership-after-orbans-defeat Mon, 13 Apr 2026 09:12:59 +0200 german-leaders-welcome-hungarys-new-leadership-after-orbans-defeat The far-right Alternative for Germany recently tried, and failed, to significantly tighten the Naturalisation Act. With the issue once again in the spotlight, we look at how parties voted and why citizenship rules are so fiercely debated. https://www.thelocal.de/20260409/are-germanys-current-citizenship-laws-at-risk-after-far-rights-latest-bid Thu, 09 Apr 2026 16:17:49 +0200 are-germanys-current-citizenship-laws-at-risk-after-far-rights-latest-bid If you’re caught without a ticket in Germany, it’s possible you could end up in jail. The justice minister now wants to change that, in a move that could affect thousands of people every year. https://www.thelocal.de/20260407/is-germany-planning-to-decriminalise-fare-dodging Tue, 07 Apr 2026 10:39:35 +0200 is-germany-planning-to-decriminalise-fare-dodging To plug a massive budget hole, a government commission has come up with 66 recommendations for how Germany's public health insurance system could be reformed. Here are the major changes on the table that could affect you. https://www.thelocal.de/20260331/how-germanys-major-public-health-insurance-reform-will-affect-you Tue, 31 Mar 2026 13:59:51 +0200 how-germanys-major-public-health-insurance-reform-will-affect-you Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Monday said he and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa want 80 percent of Syrians in Germany to return to their homeland, as the former Islamist rebel leader visited Berlin. https://www.thelocal.de/20260331/germanys-merz-pushes-return-of-syrians-as-he-hosts-leader-sharaa Tue, 31 Mar 2026 09:38:14 +0200 germanys-merz-pushes-return-of-syrians-as-he-hosts-leader-sharaa German Chancellor Friedrich Merz voiced determination Friday to salvage a warplane programme with France, but also admitted he had come close to giving up on the troubled project. https://www.thelocal.de/20260328/germanys-merz-says-determined-to-save-european-warplane-project Sat, 28 Mar 2026 16:06:40 +0100 germanys-merz-says-determined-to-save-european-warplane-project The US-Israeli war against Iran is unlikely to lead to "regime change", German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Friday, as the month-long conflict showed no signs of abating. https://www.thelocal.de/20260328/us-and-israel-unlikely-to-achieve-regime-change-in-iran-merz-says Sat, 28 Mar 2026 08:48:09 +0100 us-and-israel-unlikely-to-achieve-regime-change-in-iran-merz-says A high-profile case has brought the topic of deepfakes and online sexual harassment to Germany's frontpage headlines. Here's the story that grabbed the nation's attention, and what lawmakers are doing about it. https://www.thelocal.de/20260326/why-is-germany-talking-about-deepfakes-and-sexual-violence Thu, 26 Mar 2026 14:13:26 +0100 why-is-germany-talking-about-deepfakes-and-sexual-violence Germany released its latest climate action plan, which purportedly aims to meet the country's goals of achieving significant emissions cuts by 2030 and later years. But environmental groups say the measures announced are not nearly enough. https://www.thelocal.de/20260325/environmental-groups-say-germanys-new-climate-action-plan-is-deceptive Wed, 25 Mar 2026 15:14:27 +0100 environmental-groups-say-germanys-new-climate-action-plan-is-deceptive State elections have sent shockwaves through the German coalition government. Now parties are scrambling to put through a series of major reforms, with the spotlight on taxes, pensions and health insurance, alongside efforts to expand the workforce. https://www.thelocal.de/20260325/taxes-to-health-insurance-what-reforms-is-germany-eyeing-this-spring Wed, 25 Mar 2026 10:43:36 +0100 taxes-to-health-insurance-what-reforms-is-germany-eyeing-this-spring With the cost of living expected to rise significantly in the wake of the Mideast war, Green party leaders want to ensure affordable transport in Germany by reducing the cost of the Deutschlandticket to nine euros per month. How likely is that? https://www.thelocal.de/20260324/could-germany-bring-back-the-9-euro-ticket-for-public-transport Tue, 24 Mar 2026 12:40:42 +0100 could-germany-bring-back-the-9-euro-ticket-for-public-transport Millions of families in Germany would owe hundreds of euros more in monthly healthcare costs if plans to abolish free spousal cover go ahead. We look at what’s being discussed – and what it could mean for you. https://www.thelocal.de/20260324/is-germany-about-to-scrap-free-health-insurance-for-spouses Tue, 24 Mar 2026 11:42:24 +0100 is-germany-about-to-scrap-free-health-insurance-for-spouses German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's conservatives on Monday revelled in a regional election win even as their national coalition partners had to digest another disappointing performance. https://www.thelocal.de/20260323/merz-cheers-victory-in-rhineland-palatinate-as-social-democrats-mourn-catastrophic-result Mon, 23 Mar 2026 15:57:54 +0100 merz-cheers-victory-in-rhineland-palatinate-as-social-democrats-mourn-catastrophic-result