Germany edition

Beck

The following articles have been tagged with "Beck":

Arty Argentine meteorite exhibit falls to earth

Society: 1 Feb 12
An unlikely alliance between an indigenous tribe and leading Argentine scientists has thwarted plans to ship the world's second largest meteorite to Germany's prestigious Documenta art show. READ »

Gritty Reeperbahn faces growing gentrification

Lifestyle: 31 Jan 12
With a four-star hotel soon joining the brothels on Hamburg’s legendary Reeperbahn strip, Stephen Lowman reports how the city’s “sinful mile” is changing. READ »

First German DNA screen baby born healthy

Science & Technology: 29 Jan 12
The first baby to be born in Germany after her embryo was tested for genetic diseases using the controversial PID screening technique saw the light of day on Friday – a healthy girl. READ »

Asylum applications jump to eight-year high

National: 24 Jan 12
The number of people seeking asylum in Germany has jumped to its highest point in eight years, although it is still well below early-90s levels, a newspaper report said Tuesday. READ »

Bayern stung by 'Gladbach's goal-getters

Sport: 21 Jan 12
Bayern Munich coach Jupp Heynckes admitted his side were found wanting as the German league leaders suffered a shock 3-1 defeat at Borussia Mönchengladbach on Friday. READ »

Ikea boss bemoans German bureaucracy

Business & Money: 20 Jan 12
Ikea is becoming increasingly frustrated at complicated German bureaucracy and public protest, which has slowed expansion plans, company head Mikael Ohlsson said on Friday. READ »

Wedding bills served up to Boris Becker

Society: 13 Jan 12
German tennis legend Boris Becker has been told by a court he must pay the minister who presided over his wedding 3,400 Swiss francs (€2,800) in a long-running dispute over the wedding fee. READ »

Man who shot prosecutor only faced mild sentence

National: 12 Jan 12
The businessman who shot dead a prosecutor in court in Bavaria, would have walked out a free man had he not fired a gun at the judge and then turned on the prosecutor. READ »

Teacher in probe for 'making bombs with kids'

National: 11 Jan 12
A German teacher built pipe-bombs with his pupils, setting them off in front of the children who were not given ear or eye protection, according to allegations being investigated by public prosecutors. READ »

Football tournament scrapped after fans riot

Sport: 7 Jan 12
The second day of a football tournament in Hamburg was canceled after violent clashes Friday resulted in numerous injuries and the arrest of 74 fans, organizers announced. READ »

Berlin politician attacked in own home

Politics: 28 Dec 11
A Berlin local politician active in the Syrian opposition was attacked by two men in his home, police said Tuesday, in a case the German foreign ministry said it was following closely. READ »

Zwanziger could quit DFB before spring

Sport: 18 Dec 11
Theo Zwanziger said Sunday he plans to step down as president of the German Football Federation (DFB) before spring 2012. READ »

German hero named ‘Norwegian of the year’

National: 16 Dec 11
A German man has received the honour “Norwegian of the Year 2011” for helping rescue 30 survivors of the Utøya island massacre in July. READ »

Germany's weirdest Christmas markets

Lifestyle: 12 Dec 11
Christmas markets are an intrinsic part of the holiday season in Germany. But for those fancying an odd twist on the standard stalls offering Glühwein, The Local has uncovered markets with erotic, nautical and various other themes. READ »

German football seeks new president

Sport: 5 Dec 11
German football has launched a bad-tempered search for a new boss after the shock resignation of the DFB football association president with a meeting to discuss the options set for this week. READ »

German team offered big bonus for Euro2012 win

Sport: 4 Nov 11
The German Football Association (DFB) has increased its win bonus for the European Championships in Poland and Ukraine next year. Each player will get €300,000 should Germany carry home the title. READ »

Becker disputes wedding minister bill, says charge is over the line

Society: 29 Oct 11
German tennis legend Boris Becker appeared in a Swiss court Friday to dispute a 9,600 Swiss franc fee (€7,850) sought by the minister who presided at his wedding. READ »

Big cuts in store for Bundeswehr

National: 26 Oct 11
The German government announced the biggest cuts in its military since the end of World War Two on Wednesday, closing or significantly scaling down more than 100 of its 400 bases and cutting 15,000 soldiering jobs. READ »

Insurer covered terrorist wanted internationally

National: 21 Oct 11
German insurer Victoria ignored warnings from intelligence services and insured an internationally wanted terrorist for more than two years – with policies worth up to €2 million – according to the Handelsblatt newspaper. READ »

Berlin welcomes departure of Qaddafi

Politics: 21 Oct 11
The death of Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi and the accompanying hope that the country could now begin a new era, has been welcomed by German politicians – although many regretted the fact that he will never now face justice. READ »

What's on in Germany: October 20 - 26

Lifestyle: 20 Oct 11
This Week's Highlights: A French DJ in Cologne, Tori Amos in Frankfurt, and Hungarian chamber music in a Munich museum. READ »

Opposition vents fury over new EFSF extension

National: 19 Oct 11
German opposition parties have demanded another parliamentary vote following reports that the French and German governments are planning to expand the eurozone financial safety net even further. READ »

US medic training on live pigs faces opposition

National: 18 Oct 11
A US company that trains military medics in field operations using live pigs is trying to bring its courses to Germany. Animal rights group PETA believes the company is using US Army protection to bypass German animal protection laws. READ »

TV dancers performed for Chechen leader

Society: 17 Oct 11
Dancers on the payroll of German state TV channel MDR joined Hollywood stars at the controversial birthday party of Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov, who has been accused of human rights abuses. READ »

Welfare couple fight to keep €83,000 in dole benefits

Society: 14 Oct 11
A German couple on state benefits, who were mistakenly paid €83,000 by the job centre, have spent a large chunk of the cash and are fighting to keep some of the rest. READ »

CDU wants stop to EU talks with Ukraine

National: 12 Oct 11
Ruprecht Polenz, chairman of the German parliament’s foreign policy committee, has demanded a temporary halt in negotiations between Ukraine and the European Union after the conviction of former Prime Minister Julia Tymoshenko. READ »

What's on in Germany: October 6 - 12

Lifestyle: 6 Oct 11
This Week's Highlights: Max Liebermann in Hamburg, Samuel Beckett in Munich, and an ancient metropolis comes to life in Berlin. READ »

Nearly 600,000 addicted to internet

Society: 26 Sep 11
Some 560,000 or around one percent of the population between the ages of 14 and 64 cannot control their use of online gaming or the web, with the youngest users the most vulnerable, said the government's top addiction specialist. READ »

Oktoberfest – the main tents

Lifestyle: 13 Sep 11
The Local's Oktoberfest guide tours the best of the big tents. READ »

Oktoberfest – the beer

Lifestyle: 13 Sep 11
The Local's Oktoberfest guide chugs some of the Bavarian tipple fueling this whole shindig. READ »

MPs to boycott Pope's Bundestag speech

National: 13 Sep 11
As preparations are finalised for Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to Germany at the end of the month, a number of MPs have declared they will boycott his speech to parliament. READ »

Scientists create microchip for monitoring tumours

Science & Technology: 1 Sep 11
Scientists at the Technical University in Munich have developed a microchip that can be implanted next to a cancer to monitor its growth. READ »

Alcohol ban begins on Hamburg public transport

Society: 1 Sep 11
A ban on alcohol in Hamburg's public transport system starts Thursday – though drinkers are being given one month's grace before the €40 fines are levied. READ »

Heidelberg home has huge hornet nest

Society: 31 Aug 11
Around 1,000 hornets have built a huge nest on the side of a house near Heidelberg – wowing bug experts and leaving the family bemused. READ »

Schleswig-Holstein CDU unveils new leadership

Politics: 18 Aug 11
Just nine months before the state election, the Christian Democratic Union in Schleswig-Holstein has decided on a new leadership duo after the party leader and top candidate resigned over a love affair with a teenager. READ »

Greens to challenge government over Libyan mission

Politics: 13 Aug 11
The Green party is to file a constitutional complaint against the German government over the army's evacuation operation in Libya in February. The party says Chancellor Angela Merkel is ignoring parliament too often. READ »

Pensioner held for killing and dismembering wife

National: 7 Aug 11
A 79-year-old man from the village of Nindorf in Lower Saxony has been arrested on suspicion of murdering his 72-year-old wife, dismembering her and leaving parts of her body on fire by the side of a road. READ »

Fare dodgers turn to Facebook and Twitter to avoid ticket checks

Science & Technology: 4 Aug 11
Fare dodgers in Germany are using social networks such as Facebook and Twitter to warn fellow travellers of the presence of public transport inspectors on buses and trains. READ »

Greens revive calls for gay marriage

Politics: 29 Jul 11
The opposition Greens have re-opened the issue of gay marriage in Germany, calling for same-sex partners to have the same rights under the law as heterosexual couples. READ »

Weekend drivers face massive traffic jams

National: 29 Jul 11
With summer vacation starting for schools in Bavaria, North Rhine-Westphalia and Baden Württemberg, some of Germany’s most populous regions are bracing for massive traffic jams this weekend. READ »

Deutsche Bank unveils leadership duo

Business & Money: 26 Jul 11
Deutsche Bank on Monday named a canny Indian investment banker and a German veteran of the old school to run the biggest German bank in tandem from May 2012. READ »

Animal collection causes stink after dog defecation complaints

Society: 20 Jul 11
Authorities have removed more than 30 dogs, cats and other pets from a Ruhr Valley flat after the owners built up a collection, possibly in revenge for complaints about the toilet habits of their first two dogs. READ »

Werder Bremen players slapped with tattoo ban

Sport: 12 Jul 11
Bundesliga side Werder Bremen has banned players from getting tattoos during football season, citing health risks such as infection. READ »

Beckenbauer furious over Munich Olympics snub

Sport: 8 Jul 11
German football legend Franz Beckenbauer has accused European members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) of voting against Munich 2018 Winter Olympics bid in order to further their own interests. READ »

Saudi tank deal may be dirty, Greens MP says

Politics: 7 Jul 11
Greens MP Hans-Christian Ströbele has raised the stakes in the political controversy over Germany’s tank sale to Saudi Arabia, suggesting bribe money may be involved in the deal. READ »

Munich bid for 2018 Winter Olympics fails

Sport: 6 Jul 11
Munich will not host of the 2018 Winter Olympics, with games officials announcing Wednesday that the South Korean city of Pyeongchang's bid had been successful. READ »

Lisicki hailed as new Steffi Graf

Sport: 29 Jun 11
German newspapers on Wednesday hailed homegrown tennis star Sabine Lisicki after she made it into the Wimbledon semifinals, wondering if the country at last has a new Steffi Graf. READ »

Conservatives divided over tax cuts

National: 25 Jun 11
Germany's centre-right coalition has announced it is considering middle class tax cuts, but the plans have run into opposition even among Merkel's own conservatives, including the Finance Minster. READ »

Becker's holiday home confiscated by court over gardening bill

Society: 24 Jun 11
Former tennis legend and all-round German celebrity Boris Becker, has had his villa on Majorca officially confiscated by a court because he has not paid his gardening bill. READ »

Watching women’s football – it’s just no fun

Analysis & Opinion: 23 Jun 11
Germany is about to host the Women's World Cup and Sonia Phalnikar couldn't care less – a tough thing to admit for someone considering herself both a feminist and a football fan. A commentary. READ »

Last Red Army Faction prisoner freed

National: 21 Jun 11
Birgit Hogefeld, the last member of the German leftist terror group the Red Army Faction behind bars, was freed prison on Tuesday after serving 18 years. READ »

European aviation authorities find faults in German planes

National: 19 Jun 11
International flight safety authorities found 545 faults in German planes in just over a year, according to a report published on Sunday. Opposition parties say the government is cutting costs at the expense of safety. READ »

What's on in Germany: June 16 - June 22

Lifestyle: 16 Jun 11
This Week's Highlights: Fete de la Musique in Berlin, Jeff Beck plays Hamburg, and Munich celebrates its birthday. READ »

Canadian singer Neema woos German music fans on European tour

Society: 16 Jun 11
Supporting Jeff Beck, Joe Cocker and Elton John on a current European tour, the Canadian singer Neema has been rubbing shoulders with some music heavyweights and winning over audiences with her band and her personal songs. READ »

The best of Berlin in June

Lifestyle: 16 Jun 11
In June, Exberliner, Berlin’s leading English-language magazine, discovers a multitasking café, tries on some communist clothing and explores a new English-language bookstore. READ »

E. coli panic hits Lübeck hard

Society: 8 Jun 11
Germany's killer bacteria outbreak has people running scared in the northern city of Lübeck, where restaurants are empty and vegetables, blamed for the contamination, are withering away at market stalls. READ »

Pope visit set to draw huge crowds

Society: 7 Jun 11
Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to his birth country in September is booking out, with one church service already oversubscribed by eager Catholic worshippers and more than 120,000 ticket requests logged for his five public events. READ »

Authorities still hunting for E. coli source

National: 6 Jun 11
Germany will maintain a health warnings for sprouts as well as tomatoes, lettuce and cucumbers despite initial negative tests for deadly E. coli bacteria, Minister Ilse Aigner said Monday. READ »

Authorities cast doubt on possible E. coli links

National: 5 Jun 11
Scientists have yet to trace the source of an E. coli outbreak that has spread to 12 countries and killed at least 19 people, mainly in Germany, as experts on Saturday ruled out links to a Hamburg festival. READ »

Search for E. coli clues leads to Lübeck eatery

National: 4 Jun 11
German health authorities scrambling to find the source of a deadly E. coli outbreak are zeroing in on a restaurant in Lübeck. Reports also say a harbour festival that took place in Hamburg in May could be linked to the killer bug. READ »

Alarm spreads as E. coli cases rise sharply

National: 1 Jun 11
The number of E. coli cases has risen dramatically in northern Germany, authorities announced Wednesday, with at least 180 new cases emerging in the past 24 hours in Hamburg and Lower Saxony alone. READ »

Zwanziger demands reforms at scandal-ridden FIFA

Sport: 29 May 11
In an interview Theo Zwanziger, president of the German Football Federation (DFB), admitted that FIFA had an image problem, demanded reforms and criticized the British Parliament. READ »

Scandalous insurance reps filmed 'taking drugs' on other trips

Society: 24 May 11
The German insurance representatives who took part in a scandalous ‘motivational’ orgy reportedly indulged in blatant drug-taking on other trips abroad with business colleagues. READ »

Police probe fire cutting Berlin trains and phones

National: 23 May 11
Federal police are investigating a cable fire which disabled much of Berlin’s commuter train network on Monday morning and disrupted phone services, amid fears that it could have been an act of sabotage. READ »

Parties agree Stuttgart 21 price cap and vote

Politics: 21 Apr 11
People in Baden-Württemberg will get a vote on whether to go ahead with the controversial Stuttgart 21 train station construction project, it was agreed on Wednesday night – but the cost of the project will be capped at €4.5 billion. READ »

State politicians took free hotel stay to discuss gambling rules

Politics: 2 Apr 11
A few days before they were set to take part in a meeting on rules governing gambling, four top politicians attended a conference on the subject – with their luxury hotel rooms paid for by an industry magazine. READ »

What's on in Germany: March 31 - April 6

Lifestyle: 31 Mar 11
This week's highlights: Cronenberg in Cologne, improvised music in Munich, and movies by Berlinale Talent Campus alumni screen in Berlin. READ »

German boy's message in a bottle found 24 years later in Russia

Society: 30 Mar 11
A 13-year-old Russian boy found a message in a bottle on a beach and was reunited with its German author, who wrote the note 24 years ago, tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda reported Wednesday. READ »

Doctor jailed for removing organs while using lemon juice antiseptic

Society: 28 Mar 11
A doctor who used lemon juice to disinfect his patients’ operation wounds and removed healthy organs was sentenced to four years in a minimum security facility followed by a four-year ban on practising medicine, a court said Monday. READ »

German warships won't enforce Libyan embargo

National: 23 Mar 11
German warships will not participate in a NATO operation in the Mediterranean to enforce a UN-mandated arms embargo on Libya. But Berlin said Wednesday it will increase its Afghanistan deployment to free up NATO forces. READ »

Deutsche Bahn beefs up security

National: 23 Mar 11
National rail provider Deutsche Bahn plans to improve safety for passengers by significantly increasing their number of security personnel, the company said Wednesday. READ »

Calls go out to reinstate Gorch Fock commander

National: 15 Mar 11
After an investigation largely cleared the commander of the naval training ship Gorch Fock of wrongdoing, calls are going out to put him back at the helm. He had been dismissed by former Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg. READ »

Leipzig Book Fair eyes record attendance rate

Society: 14 Mar 11
Each year Leipzig transforms into a playground for publishers, authors, booksellers and readers. The Leipzig Book Fair, Germany’s second-largest, is less about business than the public – and a love of books themselves. READ »

Popular children's cartoon turns 40

Society: 7 Mar 11
Acclaimed German children’s television programme Die Sendung mit der Maus, or “The Show with the Mouse,” turned 40 on Monday. The secret to its success? The show takes children seriously, its creators say. READ »

Manchester United target Schalke's Neuer

Sport: 2 Mar 11
Manchester United have expressed interest in signing Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer from Schalke 04, the Bundesliga club's president said on Wednesday. READ »

Guttenberg and the price of decency

Analysis & Opinion: 1 Mar 11
Decency has won the day, but the price for that victory is high. Malte Lehming from Der Tagesspiegel examines Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg’s downfall and what his resignation might mean for Angela Merkel. READ »

Major fraud suspected with HIV drugs

National: 24 Feb 11
German federal police and prosecutors are investigating suspected large-scale fraud with HIV medicines, according to public broadcaster NDR. Wholesalers allegedly sold subsidized medicines meant for Africa for huge profits in Germany. READ »

Torrential rain clouds Germany's future

National: 16 Feb 11
Germany faces a soggy future of extreme rainfall and flooding in the coming decades caused by climate change, according to the country's leading meteorologists and disaster protection officials. READ »

SPD and Greens set for power in Hamburg

Politics: 13 Feb 11
A centre-left coalition of Social Democrats (SPD) and Greens looks set to win next week's election in the city-state of Hamburg, according to the latest opinion poll published in Focus magazine. READ »

Of mullets and men

Analysis & Opinion: 11 Feb 11
In the latest installment of Portnoy’s Stammtisch, The Local’s column about life in Germany, Portnoy slicks back his locks to explore the nation’s hairstyle fetishes. READ »

Two soldiers dead, four injured in accident at training area

National: 1 Feb 11
Two Bundeswehr soldiers are dead and four injured after an accident at a training area in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, authorities said late Monday. READ »

Police catch pair of 12-year-old girls driving in pyjamas

Society: 31 Jan 11
A pair of 12-year-old girls have been caught out for a late-night joyride in their pyjamas, police in northern Germany reported Monday. READ »

Crucial papers to include organ donation will

Society: 29 Jan 11
Germany's top politicians want driving licenses and passports to include a person's declaration on whether they want to donate their organs after they die in a bid to boost donor numbers. READ »

Court ruling could mean equal adoption rights for gay couples

Society: 28 Jan 11
Gay couples in Germany are not allowed to adopt children together – only one partner goes on the papers. But a higher regional court ruling that deemed the law unconstitutional this week may change this. READ »

Women and immigrants must fill labour shortage, study says

National: 21 Jan 11
Women and immigrants will have to fill the skilled worker shortage expected to hit Germany in the coming years, according to a new 10-point plan by the Federal Employment Agency (BA). READ »

Organic food demand soars amid dioxin scare

Lifestyle: 12 Jan 11
As the dioxin scare continues in Germany, consumers are storming organic supermarkets, clearing the shelves of eggs and pork products. But experts say the country’s organic food sector is unlikely to keep up with the new demand. READ »

Löw says winter World Cup in Qatar bad for fans

Sport: 5 Jan 11
Germany coach Joachim Löw said Wednesday he was opposed to playing the 2022 World Cup in Qatar during winter, saying it would be unfair to fans in Europe. READ »

German Coptics fear Islamist attacks

Politics: 3 Jan 11
German politicians of all stripes have called for a tougher line against religious intolerance after 21 Coptic Christians were murdered in Egypt, while Copts in Germany warned on Monday they also feared violent attacks. READ »

Youth fire brigade volunteers spark Nazi salute scandal

Society: 30 Dec 10
Youth fire brigade volunteers in North Rhine-Westphalia have sparked a neo-Nazi scandal after they were photographed giving a Hitler salute, media reported Thursday. READ »

What's on in Germany: December 23 - January 5

Lifestyle: 23 Dec 10
The next fortnight's highlights: The Nutcracker in Hamburg, Marilyn Monroe in Berlin and Frankfurt, and magic in Munich. READ »

Bundesrat blocks welfare changes

Politics: 17 Dec 10
Chancellor Angela Merkel's coalition suffered a legislative setback on Friday, when the upper house of parliament blocked proposed changes to the country’s Hartz IV welfare benefits. The defeat could delay plans to implement the reforms. READ »

Blizzard slams Germany

National: 17 Dec 10
The blizzard “Petra” hammered Germany with more snow on Friday, causing countess road accidents, shutting down air traffic and trapping hundreds of people in an icy train. READ »

Cities still stripping Hitler of honorary citizenship

Society: 16 Dec 10
The North Rhine-Westphalian city of Dülmen struck Adolf Hitler from its list of honorary citizens on Thursday. But the Nazi dictator still retains similar recognition in towns across Germany, experts say. READ »

Beckenbauer says FIFA damaged by World Cup vote

Sport: 14 Dec 10
Franz Beckenbauer, a member of FIFA's executive committee, said Tuesday he has lost some confidence in football's governing body after Russia and Qatar were awarded the 2018 and 2022 World Cups respectively. READ »

Islamic centre hit by arson attack

Society: 9 Dec 10
An Islamic centre in Berlin was hit by an arson attack on Thursday, with an assailant hurling a petrol bomb against the building’s facade. It was the third such incident involving a Muslim building in the capital in a fortnight. READ »