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 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 The CDU has taken victory in Rhineland-Palatinate, ensuring they will lead the state's next government and ousting a state-wide traffic light coalition led by the SPD. https://www.thelocal.de/20260323/merzs-party-leads-far-right-makes-gains-in-rhineland-palatinate-state-election Mon, 23 Mar 2026 09:02:20 +0100 merzs-party-leads-far-right-makes-gains-in-rhineland-palatinate-state-election Two parties are neck and neck ahead of Sunday’s state election in Germany’s most famous wine region. With education, infrastructure and immigration on the agenda, the outcome in Rhineland‑Palatinate could reshape politics far beyond Mainz. https://www.thelocal.de/20260318/whats-at-stake-in-rhineland-palatinates-state-election-on-sunday Wed, 18 Mar 2026 12:48:53 +0100 whats-at-stake-in-rhineland-palatinates-state-election-on-sunday Christmas is a time when Germany's south-west really shines. The region's Christmas markets, or 'Weihnachtsmärkte', are one of the highlights of the festive season. https://www.thelocal.de/20231124/the-best-christmas-markets-in-baden-wurttemberg-and-rhineland-palatinate Fri, 24 Nov 2023 12:13:34 +0100 the-best-christmas-markets-in-baden-wurttemberg-and-rhineland-palatinate The state of Rhineland-Palatinate is known for its beautiful landscapes, wine, and a dialect even Germans themselves struggle to understand. We break down the lingo you'll need to understand the natives. https://www.thelocal.de/20210407/pfalzisch-a-guide-to-the-distinct-dialect-of-rhineland-palatinate Wed, 07 Apr 2021 20:25:51 +0200 pfalzisch-a-guide-to-the-distinct-dialect-of-rhineland-palatinate German Chancellor Angela Merkel's centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) was in crisis mode Monday after suffering heavy losses in two regional polls, seen as a rebuke of its pandemic management six months before a general election. https://www.thelocal.de/20210315/merkels-cdu-party-in-crisis-after-defeat-in-regional-polls Mon, 15 Mar 2021 10:37:06 +0100 merkels-cdu-party-in-crisis-after-defeat-in-regional-polls German police said Friday they had busted a network hosting so-called Darknet platforms illegally trading drugs, stolen data and child pornography online on servers hidden in a former NATO bunker. https://www.thelocal.de/20190927/germany-cracks-cyber-bunker-hosting-darknet-sites Fri, 27 Sep 2019 18:51:01 +0200 germany-cracks-cyber-bunker-hosting-darknet-sites Police in the southwest of the country on Monday reported that they seized nearly 50,000 tabs of LSD. Investigators say the haul is the largest in the country's history. https://www.thelocal.de/20180605/largest-ever-lsd-haul-in-germany-seized-in-rhineland-palatinate Tue, 05 Jun 2018 12:55:56 +0200 largest-ever-lsd-haul-in-germany-seized-in-rhineland-palatinate When police in western Germany stopped a car which was swerving across the road on Monday, they couldn't believe their eyes at the sight of the driver. https://www.thelocal.de/20160503/police-catch-3-year-old-joyriding-in-mothers-car Tue, 03 May 2016 19:07:37 +0200 police-catch-3-year-old-joyriding-in-mothers-car Viewers of German TV news bulletins in recent weeks have been bombarded with news about state elections in Saxony-Anhalt, Baden-Württemberg and Rheinland-Palatinate on March 13th. But why? https://www.thelocal.de/20160304/heres-why-march-state-elections-in-germany-matter Fri, 04 Mar 2016 13:00:18 +0100 heres-why-march-state-elections-in-germany-matter German federal police are checking all trains crossing into the country from France, a spokesman said on Saturday, while officers in border areas are on high alert. https://www.thelocal.de/20151114/german-police-checking-all-trains-from-france Sat, 14 Nov 2015 20:14:11 +0100 german-police-checking-all-trains-from-france An 11-year-old girl was killed in a horrific accident on a fun-fair ride in Rhineland-Palatinate on Friday. https://www.thelocal.de/20140815/child-dies-on-amusement-park-ride Fri, 15 Aug 2014 17:36:00 +0200 child-dies-on-amusement-park-ride Lawyers acting for a German doctor who was jailed for three-and-a-half years after he took 35,000 intimate photos of patients on a secret camera are calling for his sentenced to be revised. https://www.thelocal.de/20131119/defence-call-for-secret-camera-doc-to-skip-jail Tue, 19 Nov 2013 09:59:00 +0100 defence-call-for-secret-camera-doc-to-skip-jail As part of our summer tour of Germany's UNESCO World Heritage sites, we take a look at the majestic castles and palaces along the wine-making Rhine River valley region. https://www.thelocal.de/20130718/50901 Thu, 18 Jul 2013 09:30:00 +0200 50901 A German artist is celebrating what would have been Karl Marx's 195th birthday by unveiling 500 gnome-like statues of him in his home town. He wants to provoke people into thinking about the philosopher again. https://www.thelocal.de/20130503/49509 Fri, 03 May 2013 16:52:00 +0200 49509 A three-week-old baby who was snatched from her pram as her mother was walking down the road in the Czech Republic last week has been found in Germany. A man and three women have been arrested. https://www.thelocal.de/20120710/43677 Tue, 10 Jul 2012 16:55:00 +0200 43677 German police arrested a 55-year-old woman on Saturday evening on suspicion of killing her two-year-old granddaughter by cutting her throat, after the girl’s parents left her with her grandparents. https://www.thelocal.de/20120625/43353 Mon, 25 Jun 2012 08:45:00 +0200 43353 Scientists want to study samples of the world’s oldest wine, currently on display at the Historical Museum of the Palatinate in the western German city of Speyer. There’s just one problem: everyone’s afraid to open the bottle. https://www.thelocal.de/20111209/39405 Fri, 09 Dec 2011 12:55:00 +0100 39405 German Chancellor Angela Merkel's party risks losing power in its wealthy heartland for the first time in half a century in a crucial state election Sunday held in the shadow of the Japan nuclear crisis. https://www.thelocal.de/20110327/33991 Sun, 27 Mar 2011 15:00:00 +0200 33991 A drunk man at the Kaiserslautern train station sounded a fire alarm Wednesday in hopes that fire fighters would rescue his beer, police reported. He is now under investigation for the misuse of emergency services. https://www.thelocal.de/20110202/32829 Wed, 02 Feb 2011 16:40:00 +0100 32829