News + Information
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Germany and Immigration: The Changing Face of the Country
am 19. April 2018 um 17:24
Many Germans feel foreign in their own country and are afraid that immigration is changing their homeland rapidly. Every fifth person in Germany comes from an immigration background and that number will continue to climb. What does that mean for the country? By DER SPIEGEL Staff […]
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German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas: 'Syria Is Not Auschwitz'
am 16. April 2018 um 16:41
In a DER SPIEGEL interview, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas discusses Germany's position on Syria, criticizes U.S. President Donald Trump's Twitter diplomacy and calls for a tougher approach to Russia. […]
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Priced Out: Rising Rents Are Putting the Squeeze on Germans
am 13. April 2018 um 15:57
Housing shortages have become a serious issue in many German cities, where there is a shortfall around 2 million affordable apartments. A new study shows that the problem is hitting low-earners hard. […]
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A Death in Berlin: Deafening Silence After Overdose at Berghain
am 3. April 2018 um 15:58
During an around-the-world trip last summer, a couple from California visited Berlin's legendary Berghain techno club. A few hours later, one of them was dead. Even today, no one seems willing to accept responsibility for the tragedy. […]
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Envy and Prejudice in Germany: An Author's Quest to Explain Muslim Anti-Semitism
am 28. März 2018 um 10:35
Israeli author David Ranan spent a year speaking to Muslims in Germany about anti-Semitism, with the goal of understanding prejudices and their root causes. He has transformed his findings into a book that draws surprising conclusions about the extent of the problem. […]
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The Schism: Merkel's Conservatives Divided and Discordant
am 23. März 2018 um 17:06
Chancellor Angela Merkel's contentious relationship with her new interior minister, Horst Seehofer, threatens to overshadow her fourth term in office. The two conservative leaders fundamentally disagree about who their constituents should be. […]
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The Two Women at the Top: Inside the Relationship Between Berlin's Uncertain New Allies
am 15. März 2018 um 16:09
Never before in German history have two governing parties been led by women. The country's political stability will now hinge on the relationship between Andrea Nahles and Angela Merkel. By DER SPIEGEL Staff […]
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Cyber-Espionage Hits Berlin: The Breach from the East
am 5. März 2018 um 14:29
German intelligence officials issued warnings back in 2016 of a cyber-espionage group known as Snake. But the apparently Russian hackers behind the group were able to breach the German government nonetheless. By DER SPIEGEL Staff […]
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Where's the Enthusiasm?: Germany's New Milquetoast Government
am 5. März 2018 um 10:44
With the Social Democrats having approved a new coalition with Chancellor Angela Merkel, Germany finally has a government. Despite the breakthrough, however, enthusiasm is in short supply in Berlin. […]
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Hope for a New Beginning: Two Years in a German Teen Refugee Home
am 5. März 2018 um 10:25
In recent years, thousands of unaccompanied minors have arrived in Germany hoping to be recognized as refugees. DER SPIEGEL followed eight Afghan teenagers in a group home as they inched their way through the asylum process. […]
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The Diesel Delusion: Court Ruling Could Change Future of Mobility in Germany
am 2. März 2018 um 18:01
A major court ruling in Germany on Tuesday means that millions of diesel cars may soon be banned from city centers in the country. The verdict clearly exposes the vast failings of German policymakers over the years and their cozy relationship with the automobile industry. By DER SPIEGEL […]
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CDU General Secretary Kramp-Karrenbauer: 'The Stability of Our Political System Is at Stake'
am 26. Februar 2018 um 17:27
With Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer having been appointed to general secretary of the conservative Christian Democrats, many see her as Angela Merkel's possible successor. DER SPIEGEL spoke with her about what the CDU must do to remain relevant and the things that make her different from the […]
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The Diesel Disaster: Are Driving Bans Coming for German Cities?
am 21. Februar 2018 um 17:31
A court ruling could ban millions of diesel cars from German city centers, rendering the vehicles worthless. The federal government has considered responding with free public transportation and by forcing car manufacturers to submit to new requirements. By DER SPIEGEL Staff […]
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Big-Tent Blues: The Silver Lining of Germany's Political Chaos
am 20. Februar 2018 um 8:44
A wave of political change is crashing over Germany and the country's once-proud big-tent parties are in a state of crisis. As frightening as the development may be, it also presents an opportunity. […]
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Crumbling Big-Tent Parties: German Politics Enters Era of Instability
am 16. Februar 2018 um 17:34
Germany's big-tent parties have ensured political stability for decades. But they are rapidly losing power and influence. The Social Democrats are witnessing an open rebellion against party leadership while many conservatives are beginning to doubt Merkel's abilities. By DER SPIEGEL Staff […]
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Opinion: Can the Rock of Gibraltar Falter?
am 15. Februar 2018 um 16:38
Germany used to be an anchor of international stability. But that's changing. The political chaos surrounding Angela Merkel's attempts to create a new government serve as a warning that the country is not immune to factors that are destabilizing other European countries. […]
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Chaos in Berlin: Schulz, Merkel and How Not to Negotiate a Coalition
am 12. Februar 2018 um 16:00
It looked like Martin Schulz of the Social Democrats had finally one-upped Chancellor Merkel. But then, just as his party secured key cabinet positions in Germany's potential new government, he messed everything up. And Merkel's position isn't much better. […]
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Breakthrough: Merkel Makes Painful Concessions to Form New Government
am 7. Februar 2018 um 17:00
Despite extremely tough talks, Angela Merkel's conservatives and the center-left Social Democrats reached an agreement to form a coalition on Wednesday. If the SPD doesn't veto the deal in a vote of the party base, a new German government could be in place before Easter. […]
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The 'Mutti' Complex: Why German Politics Can't Move Beyond Merkel
am 6. Februar 2018 um 10:36
Angela Merkel has fundamentally changed German politics. With the country's parties focusing on the chancellor rather than true political debate, it's impossible to know who or what might come next. […]
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History Comes Full Circle: Berlin Before and After the Wall
am 5. Februar 2018 um 16:30
The Berlin Wall stood for exactly 28 years, two months and 26 days. It has now been gone for as long as it was in place. These photos show a city that hasn't done badly for itself in the years since reunification. […]
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Neo-Nazis to gather for 'SS festival' on Hitler's birthday
am 20. April 2018 um 13:43
Hundreds of neo-Nazis were expected to congregate on Friday, which marks Adolf Hitler's birthday, for a two-day festival in a small eastern German town where anti-fascist groups have vowed counter-protests. […]
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'A short bang': Berlin police give all-clear after WWII bomb defused near main station
am 20. April 2018 um 12:52
Thousands of people around Berlin's central railway station were evacuated on Friday to allow disposal experts to defuse an unexploded World War II explosive unearthed on a building site. […]
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Stuttgart police arrest top Porsche manager over diesel scandal
am 20. April 2018 um 10:50
Police in Stuttgart have detained a Porsche manager in a probe into the diesel emissions cheating scandal that the luxury car brand's parent company Volkswagen has struggled to shed. […]
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Ex-official in Bremen suspected of illegally approving 1,200 asylum cases
am 20. April 2018 um 10:32
A senior official at the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) allegedly granted asylum to more than 1,200 applicants without valid legal reasons for their approval. She has since been removed from her position. […]
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Oops! Deutsche Bank makes €28 billion transfer in error
am 20. April 2018 um 10:24
Germany's biggest lender Deutsche Bank on Friday admitted to a massive erroneous transfer of €28 billion in a routine operation, more than the entire bank is worth. […]
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Crackdown on dodgers of mandatory German broadcaster fees in May
am 20. April 2018 um 9:31
Up until now, many German households have been able to avoid the monthly €17.50 fee for public television and radio broadcasters. But this is set to change very soon. […]
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German states call for higher fines for reckless drivers and parking offenders
am 20. April 2018 um 8:56
The federal states are calling for stricter fines for speeders, tailgaters and parking offenders, arguing that they endanger others with their behaviour. […]
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The Local reaches 2,000 Members - will you be next?
am 20. April 2018 um 8:28
Today 2,000 readers of our sites in France, Germany and Sweden have become paying Members – and half that number has joined in the past month. […]
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'I haven't eaten all day': Growing up poor is a dead-end street in wealthy Germany
am 20. April 2018 um 7:43
Chancellor Angela Merkel touted Germany as a country "in which we live well and happily" during her re-election campaign. But those words ring hollow to the one in five children living in poverty in Europe's top economy, with little prospect of climbing the social ladder. […]
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Top German court rules that online ad blockers are legal
am 20. April 2018 um 6:34
Germany's Supreme Court on Thursday threw out a case brought by media giant Axel Springer seeking to ban a popular application that blocks online advertising, in a landmark ruling that deals a blow to the publishing industry. […]
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What and where are the best and worst paid jobs in Germany?
am 19. April 2018 um 14:57
Ever wondered what the top and flop professions are in Deutschland in terms of income, or which states and cities offer the highest salaries? […]
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Hundreds queue across Germany for new special edition five-euro coin
am 19. April 2018 um 13:28
In cities across the country on Thursday, people lined up in order to get their hands on the new specially minted five-euro coin. […]
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Germany to accept 10,000 refugees as part of EU-wide programme
am 19. April 2018 um 10:59
As part of an EU-wide resettlement programme, Germany has promised to take in refugees from North Africa and the Middle East. Though critics say the country is accepting too few. […]
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How The Local can help recruit your dream colleague
am 19. April 2018 um 8:49
Whether you’re filing your taxes, avoiding strikes or dreaming of spring weather, you already trust The Local for your news. But did you know that as Europe’s leading job site for international talent, we can also help you recruit your next dream colleague at work? […]
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Majority of Germans want more protection from globalization: study
am 19. April 2018 um 8:48
57 percent of the people in Germany want the government to put more effort into protecting the country’s economy from foreign competitors, according to a new study. […]
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What to know about the growing wolf population debate in Germany
am 19. April 2018 um 7:33
After over a century and a half of extinction, wolves are back in Germany and multiplying quickly. But who exactly is affected by this growth and does it pose a threat to humans? […]
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Macron visits Merkel in bid to salvage EU reform plans
am 19. April 2018 um 6:49
French President Emmanuel Macron heads to Berlin Thursday for talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel, hoping to breathe fresh life into his grand vision for EU reforms in the face of growing German resistance. […]
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Berlin killer who collected frozen victim's pension jailed for life
am 19. April 2018 um 6:38
A man who murdered a German retiree and kept his chopped-up body in a freezer for over a decade to collect his pension was on Wednesday sentenced to life in jail. […]
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Karl Marx’s birth city sells ‘zero-euro’ bills for his 200th birthday
am 18. April 2018 um 14:23
In Rheinland-Pfalz, Marx's 200th birthday bash is bringing in a lot of capital. Whether the communist philosopher would have been down with this commerce is hard to say. […]
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Video of alleged anti-Semitic attack in central Berlin sparks outrage
am 18. April 2018 um 10:26
German political and religious leaders expressed shock Wednesday over an alleged anti-Semitic attack on two men wearing traditional Jewish skullcaps in central Berlin filmed by one of the victims. […]