The Local Germany

German holidaymakers take top spot in tipping

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 09:50:00 +0200

Germans on holiday may have a reputation for being over-organised, demanding or boorish, but it seems they are the Europeans most likely to tip their wait staff. Many even do their homework to find out what the local rate is.

Cardinal: Women should stay at home and breed

Fri, 24 May 2013 09:25:00 +0200

A leading German Catholic cardinal says the government should encourage women to stay at home and breed - rather than bring immigrants into the country to solve its demographic problems.

Fewer flats free in Germany

Thu, 16 May 2013 11:29:00 +0200

Singletons living alone, combined with people flocking from country to city are just some of the reasons Germany has a dwindling amount of empty housing, according to a new survey.

Intimate Bryan Adams photos 'exposed'

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 15:16:00 +0100

Bryan Adams might be a world-famous rock star, but he's also a serious photographer. Nevena Rakocija caught up with him in Düsseldorf as he opened his new exhibition mixing intimate portraits of unknown British war veterans and celebrities like Amy Winehouse.

Court: internet users must pay TV fee

Tue, 02 Oct 2012 17:32:00 +0200

Everyone with a computer connected to the internet in Germany must pay television and radio license fees, the Constitutional Court ruled on Tuesday - just a few months before the system is changed to one levied per household.

Climbing legends in the Dahner Felsenland

Thu, 25 Aug 2011 09:02:00 +0200

Looking for “legendary” rock climbing, Matt Herron heads to Rhineland-Palatinate’s Dahner Felsenland.

Fake census forms probe drug consumption and penis size

Wed, 11 May 2011 17:56:00 +0200

Forms masquerading as Germany's 2011 census but instead asking questions about drug consumption and penis size have been arriving in post boxes around the country.

Germany desperate to break Italian curse

Wed, 09 Feb 2011 11:29:00 +0100

Captain Philipp Lahm insists Germany must beat Italy in Wednesday night's friendly to break the Italian curse on his team and end 16-years of defeat at the hands of the Azzurri.

Dentists accept emergencies only as insurance budgets run out

Tue, 02 Nov 2010 09:36:00 +0100

Many people with state health insurance in Germany will likely be turned away from dentist offices for the rest of the year, according to a media report Tuesday. A large portion of practices have already used up budgets allotted by insurers.

Nearly half of Germans say nuclear power stations should run longer

Sun, 18 Apr 2010 15:02:00 +0200

Nearly half of Germans support the idea of allowing nuclear power stations to operate longer than planned in order to provide electricity, according to a new survey.

Organised crime may have caused Cologne archive collapse

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 10:01:00 +0100

Suspicion that organised crime may have been behind the deadly collapse of Cologne’s city archive grew on Monday as more falsified building protocols emerged.

Cologne considered evacuation near metro

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 13:18:00 +0100

Nearly a year after a dramatic cave-in underneath Cologne’s historical archive left two people dead, the city’s authorities considered evacuating large parts of the centre along a new metro line.

Germany grapples with relentless winter weather

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 14:15:00 +0100

Unrelenting winter weather forced the evacuation of a Baltic Sea island and caused hundreds of traffic accidents in Germany on Tuesday, as another storm threatened to dump more snow across much of the country.

When the Maharaja came to town

Fri, 15 Jan 2010 15:17:00 +0100

Seeking an exotic respite from Germany’s dreary winter, Rhea Wessel takes a subcontinental sojourn with an Indian circus.

'Abwrackprämie' named word of the year

Fri, 18 Dec 2009 17:08:00 +0100

The Society for German Language (GfdS) on Friday crowned Abwrackprämie, or “wrecking premium,” the most important German word of 2009.

Westerwelle promises more domestic time

Sun, 13 Dec 2009 14:36:00 +0100

Guido Westerwelle, Germany's tyro foreign minister and leader of the Free Democratic Party, said he would devote more time to domestic politics in the new year after a hectic and exhausting opening spell.

US holiday Halloween casts a spell over German youth

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:32:00 +0100

Halloween celebrations are becoming increasing popular in Germany, particularly among young people, according to a new survey released on Thursday.

German students favour America for study abroad

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 16:13:00 +0200

More than half of German students who study abroad choose the United States, a new poll by a Berlin research publisher has shown.

Weather system 'Wolfgang' bringing stormy end to week

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 17:19:00 +0200

Low-pressure system “Wolfgang” will likely bring severe thunderstorms and hail to Germany on Wednesday and Thursday followed by a chilly weekend, the German Weather Service (DWD) said on Tuesday.

Germans stop working for the taxman

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 18:40:00 +0200

If sitting down at your desk in Germany this morning felt somehow different, it’s perhaps because you’re no longer working for the taxman.