First wave of swine flu has probably passed

Merkel kicks out minister after election disaster

Chancellor Angela Merkel fired her environment minister on Wednesday afternoon, kicking out Norbert Röttgen who led her conservative party to a historic loss in the country’s most populous state, North Rhine-Westphalia on Sunday. READ (7 COMMENTS) »

Holiday weather offers little to celebrate

Some parts of Germany will be better suited for cross country skis than swim suits over the Thursday bank holiday and long weekend, the German Weather Service (DWD) said on Wednesday. READ (1 COMMENT) »

• 10/05 Temperatures rise, rain to keep falling »
• 03/05 Wet weekend won't stop warming trend »
• 28/04 Weekend weather to wow sun worshippers »

Merkel gives self and ministers pay rise

German Chancellor Angela Merkel will soon have an extra €930 in her pocket each month, after the country's cabinet decided on Wednesday to award themselves their first pay rise for over a decade. READ (1 COMMENT) »

'Blockupy' protests paralyse Frankfurt

Germany’s financial centre was in lock-down on Wednesday, with Frankfurt police advising those bankers insisting on turning up to work early not to wear suits – as police moved in to clear a protest camp in the centre of the city. READ (7 COMMENTS) »

Teenager 'wore horror mask to kill pensioner'

A teenager who killed an old woman by stabbing her 40 times with a knife was wearing a terrifying horror-film style rubber mask during the attack – and then hid it before calling the emergency services, German police say. READ (1 COMMENT) »

Football hooligans ruin Düsseldorf's victory

Düsseldorf football fans invaded their own team’s field on Tuesday evening, disrupting the match which their team was about to win. Their opponents only played to the end on police advice to prevent a blood bath, it emerged later. READ (6 COMMENTS) »

• 14/05 Munich must beat Chelsea to save pride »
• 02/05 'German hooligans look up to the English' »
• 23/04 Hooligans break Leverkusen player's nose »

Left-wingers: we torched EU taskmaster's car

German left-wing extremists have claimed responsibility for an arson attack against the man they hold responsible for impovershing the Greek people. The attackers burned his wife’s car and threw paint and stones at his house. READ (7 COMMENTS) »

Merkel, Hollande: let's keep eurozone together

French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel stressed their desire to keep the eurozone together on Tuesday evening in key talks just hours after France's new leader was inaugurated. READ (4 COMMENTS) »

• 15/05 Hollande arrives in Berlin after lightning strike »
• 14/05 Hollande's party attacks Merkel ahead of meeting »
• 08/05 Merkel to Hollande: 'The eurozone looks to us' »