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February 9, 2012
You are here: thelocal.de > Archive > Last Week
Last Week's Archive
Brutal cold triggers reserve power plants
After exporting power to France earlier this week, Germany has switched on reserve energy plants amid surging demand for electricity due to the ongoing deep freeze hitting Europe. READ »
Star cyclist Ullrich found guilty of doping
Germany’s most famous cyclist Jan Ullrich was found guilty of doping and stripped of his third place in the 2005 Tour de France by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Thursday. READ (3 COMMENTS) »
Germany expels four Syrian diplomats
German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said on Thursday Germany was expelling four diplomats from the Syrian embassy in Berlin after the arrest of two men suspected of spying on regime opponents. READ (1 COMMENT) »
Daimler books record €6-billion profit
German auto giant Daimler, which own Mercedes-Benz, said on Thursday they achieved record sales and profits in 2011, but warned that earnings may be flat this year. READ »
Berlinale opens with revolutionary drama
Diane Kruger stars as Marie Antoinette in "Farewell My Queen," a lush costume drama set on the eve of the French Revolution that will open the 62nd Berlin film festival on Thursday. READ »
Rent-jumping family caught by police
An eight-person family that avoided paying rent for years by moving house every two to three weeks has finally been caught in the northern German town of Schneverdingen. READ (5 COMMENTS) »
What's on in Germany: February 9 - 15
This Week's Highlights: The star-studded Berlinale film festival kicks off in Berlin, Munch goes on view in Frankfurt, and a ukelele orchestra sets up in Munich. READ »
Sick pups found in van
German police this week rescued 92 puppies from a van, after the dogs had spent 13 hours being transported across Europe without food or water. READ (2 COMMENTS) »
The Local's English-language movie listings for Germany
Find movies playing in English in Germany with The Local's cinema guide. READ »
Germany signs €3 bln in deals with Kazakhstan
Germany and Kazakhstan signed agreements Wednesday worth €3 billion ($4 billion) to cooperate on raw materials, industry and technology in Berlin. READ (3 COMMENTS) »
Drunken Munich U-Bahn train driver busted
A drunken train driver for Munich’s U-Bahn metro has been relieved of his duties after being busted driving with a blood alcohol level of 0.2 percent. READ (9 COMMENTS) »
Arctic cold wreaks quirky havoc across Germany
The bitter cold is wreaking havoc across Germany in unexpected ways, with the subzero temps freezing an ice cream factory, forcing gravediggers to use jackhammers and driving penguins indoors. But Hamburg is having a party. READ (6 COMMENTS) »
Exports top €1 trillion despite euro crisis
German exports topped €1 trillion for the first time in 2011, but fell at year-end as the eurozone debt crisis hit demand for goods made in Germany, official data showed on Wednesday. READ (5 COMMENTS) »
Merkel helps boost conservatives' popularity
Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives are flying high in a new opinion poll showing them garnering their best result since her beleaguered coalition took power in 2009. Germans are also more confident the euro crisis can be beat. READ (9 COMMENTS) »
GM threatens major job cuts at Opel
German carmaker Opel was left to prepare for the worst on Tuesday as its US parent company General Motors announced “horrendous” fourth quarter losses and warned of factory closures at its ailing European unit. READ (8 COMMENTS) »
Action! Babelsberg film studio fêtes 100 years
The world's oldest major film studio celebrates its 100th birthday this month with Hollywood stars and European players ready to toast Germany's mythic Studio Babelsberg outside Berlin. AFP's Deborah Cole reports. READ »
Minister calls for school 'Facebook lessons'
Family Minister Kristina Schröder has called on Germany’s high schools to teach the dangers of social networks on the internet. READ (4 COMMENTS) »
German papers win paparazzi case in Europe
German media outlets did not infringe on celebrities' privacy rights when they printed sensitive photographs or stories, the European Court of Human Rights ruled Tuesday. READ »
Immunisations and anal pharmacists
Motherhood in the Fatherland follows mum Sabine Devins as she navigates the cultural quirks of having a baby in Germany. In the latest instalment, she tackles immunisations and baby pharmaceuticals. READ (10 COMMENTS) »
Lost ancient artefacts found after 50 years
Nearly 50 ancient artefacts have been returned to the Bode Museum, Berlin, decades after being looted by Soviet soldiers. The find has sparked hope that more objects lost during the war will turn up. READ (6 COMMENTS) »
Frozen kraut jam leaves autobahn drivers sauer
An accident involving two trucks, a car and a large quantity of sauerkraut caused a 10-kilometre traffic jam on the A5 motorway in the German state of Hesse on Tuesday morning after the German delicacy froze solid on the road. READ (7 COMMENTS) »
Sex helps 'keep you young' in old age
Staying sexually active in old age keeps your brain ticking, according to a recent study in which 70 percent of those Germans over 75 said they were happy with their antics between the sheets. READ (9 COMMENTS) »
Syrian spy suspects arrested in Berlin
German police arrested two men in Berlin Tuesday accused of spying on opponents of the Syrian regime in raids involving some 70 officers, federal prosecutors said. READ »
Rapper on dole faces benefit cut for lyrics
An unemployed Berlin rapper calling himself Tapete has landed in hot water for rapping about living off the state after his job centre discovered his lyrics online. He now faces losing his welfare benefit. READ (8 COMMENTS) »
Hoeneß: Bayern saved Dortmund with €2 mln
With Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich battling it out for top spot in the German league title race, Bayern's Uli Hoeneß has revealed they loaned Dortmund €2 million to help save their rivals from bankruptcy. READ »
Virus lays low thousands of farm animals
Thousands of cows, sheep and goats have been infected with a flu-like virus across Germany, with the number of infected herds increasing sharply over the weekend. READ (9 COMMENTS) »
Germans jailed in UK for owning terrorist material
Two German men were jailed in Britain on Monday after pleading guilty to possessing articles from an al-Qaida magazine. READ (19 COMMENTS) »
Wulff case 'a chance to open up German politics'
As President Christian Wulff remains mired in allegations of impropriety, anti-corruption group Transparency International (TI) has called for politicians to use the case as a chance to open up German politics. READ »
Robust Germany faces rising 'burnout' problem
Germany, holding up better than its eurozone partners in the current economic crisis, is battling the increasingly widespread phenomenon of "burnout" which is supposedly costing its economy billions of euros each year. READ (17 COMMENTS) »
Industrial orders rise amid eurozone gloom
Germany, the eurozone's biggest economy, saw the release of further favourable economic data on Monday with industrial orders in December partly reversing steep falls seen the previous month. READ »
Snow to follow record deep freeze
Germany shivered through record low temperatures of -29 degrees Celsius overnight, but the German Weather Service has forecast an even deeper freeze ahead of snow showers midweek. READ (7 COMMENTS) »
Car thieves discover dead baby
Four young car thieves in the western German state of Saarland notified the police on Sunday night after they stumbled on the corpse of a small baby in the boot of a car they were breaking into. READ (5 COMMENTS) »
Children sit in front row at bloody sex opera
One of Germany’s most famous opera houses, Dresden’s Semperoper, gave teenagers front row seats to the premiere of its new production of Alban Berg’s “Lulu” – which centres on a murderous prostitute. READ (15 COMMENTS) »
Former spy boss moves to Deutsche Bank
Ernst Uhrlau, former head of Germany’s foreign intelligence agency the BND, has been on the payroll of Germany’s biggest bank since the start of February, just two months after his retirement. READ (2 COMMENTS) »
Sarkozy looks to Merkel for re-election help
Increasingly citing Germany as a model for France, President Nicolas Sarkozy will look to give his re-election hopes a boost Monday in a joint TV interview with Chancellor Angela Merkel. READ (3 COMMENTS) »
Man rescued from canoe on frozen river
A man had to be rescued from the frozen River Elbe in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein on Sunday after his canoeing trip in sub-zero temperatures turned out not to be such a good idea. READ (6 COMMENTS) »
Leftist crime on the rise
New figures on politically-motivated crime show a sharp increase in leftist crime in Germany last year, along with a slight fall in right-wing crime, it was revealed Monday. READ (2 COMMENTS) »
China offers Merkel some comfort for Europe
China's Premier Wen Jiabao said a stable Europe was key to stability at home, in comments published Sunday, at the end of a week that saw Germany's chancellor visit Beijing. READ (8 COMMENTS) »
'White Rose' founder declared a saint
The Russian-Orthodox Church canonised one of the founders of the anti-fascist group the "White Rose," Alexander Schmorell, over the weekend in Munich, nearly 70 years after his execution by the Nazis. READ (7 COMMENTS) »
Socks provided key clue in neo-Nazi case
Police investigating the Zwickau-based neo-Nazi terror cell identified one of the group's alleged members, Beate Zschäpe, as the person who blew up the home she shared with two other suspects by analysing her socks, a new report said. READ (1 COMMENT) »
Wulff under fire over car lease deal
German President Christian Wulff faced fresh allegations at the weekend over his conduct in office, with a new report claiming he leased a car from the VW Group for a special discount. READ (11 COMMENTS) »
Bavarian school bars 'impolite' greetings
The head of a middle school in the southern German town of Passau has declared the forms of "hello" and "goodbye" commonly used among northerners unwillkommen in the classroom, claiming they sound disrespectful. READ (32 COMMENTS) »
Westerwelle hammers China, Russia over veto
Germany's foreign minister heaped criticism on Russia and China on Saturday over their veto of a United Nations Security Council resolution aimed at ending the violence in Syria, calling it a "veto against the Syrian people." READ (6 COMMENTS) »
MEP suggests rebranding Greece
A politician with the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) said at the weekend debt-burdened Greece is in need of a new image – and proposed giving the country a new name internationally to help it start over. READ (17 COMMENTS) »
De Maizière urges more military might in Europe
German Defence Minister Thomas de Maizière said Europe should not fear a renewed US focus on Asia and must increasingly look after its own backyard militarily, in remarks made during the 48th annual Munich Security Conference. READ (7 COMMENTS) »
Coldest night yet grips chilled Germany
The cold snap that has put much of Europe in a deep freeze reached its chilliest point in Germany on Friday, with minus 27-degree temperatures making for the coldest night of the winter season. READ (6 COMMENTS) »
Merkel gives mixed review of China trip
German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke of stronger ties between China and Germany on the heels of her visit to the country, but voiced concern about attempts to keep her from meeting with government critics during her trip. READ (8 COMMENTS) »
Politician slammed for remarks on Sharia courts
The justice minister in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate has sparked outrage after proposing that Germany could permit Sharia courts, which operate according to Islamic law, to preside over some civil cases in the country. READ (30 COMMENTS) »
Dortmund top table after win at chilly Nuremberg
Defending champions Borussia Dortmund went top of the German league on Friday night with an impressive 2-0 win at Nuremberg in sub-zero temperatures. READ (1 COMMENT) »
Dissidents storm Syrian embassy in Berlin
A group of Syrian dissidents vandalised the Syrian embassy in Berlin on Friday, destroying furniture and defacing pictures of President Bashar al-Assad. Germany's Foreign Office condemned the intrusion "in the strongest terms." READ (1 COMMENT) »
Bestiality brothels spur call for animal sex ban
Animal sex abuse is on the rise in Germany, with bestiality brothels being set up across the country, according to a state animal protection officer demanding stronger laws to protect mankind's furry and feathered friends. READ (66 COMMENTS) »
Hamburg sues over pricey, late concert hall
Hamburg city is suing the firm building its landmark new concert hall for going tens of millions of euros over-budget and being at least four years late. READ (7 COMMENTS) »
Europe’s German agenda
The economy in shambles, angry street protests, and the government on the brink after passing unpopular reforms. But this is not Greece in 2012 – it was Germany a decade ago. Marc Young looks back to see an agenda for the future. READ (12 COMMENTS) »
China doesn't want to 'buy Europe'
As German Chancellor Angela Merkel wrapped up her visit to China on Friday, the Asian giant’s leaders promised they had no intention to "buy Europe," amid concerns over growing Chinese investment in debt-stricken eurozone economies. READ (6 COMMENTS) »
Germany not responsible for Nazi-era crimes
The United Nations’ highest court declared Friday that modern day Germany isn’t responsible for Nazi war crimes in Italy, saying Rome breached international laws when its courts allowed compensation claims to be made. READ (28 COMMENTS) »
Cake in the face for 'Baron Cut-and-Paste'
Critics of disgraced former German Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg hit him in the face with a big cake on Thursday night, while he was meeting a Pirate Party politician in a Berlin café. READ (17 COMMENTS) »
Most Germans want president to resign
Most Germans now want President Christian Wulff to resign, as the flow of allegations over his behaviour and investigations into his relationships with businesses continues to damage his credibility. READ (4 COMMENTS) »
Thousands of US troops leaving Bavaria
The US military will close bases at Bamberg and Schweinfurt in the German state of Bavaria by 2015 as part of a planned drawdown of its forces stationed in Europe. READ (20 COMMENTS) »
Judge jails wrong-way crash driver indefinitely
A 35-year-old man who deliberately drove the wrong way down a south German motorway and crashed head-on into a car, killing one person has been jailed for 12 years but may be held indefinitely under preventative detention rules. READ (7 COMMENTS) »
Public transport fare dodging an 'epidemic'
An alliance of public transportation providers in Germany has called fare dodging a national epidemic and is demanding higher fines up to €120 for repeat offenders. READ »
Should fines rise for fare dodgers?
Germany’s public transportation largely operates on the honour system, which makes fare dodging easy. Should fines be raised for freeloaders riding without a valid ticket? Have your say. READ (40 COMMENTS) »
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