Berlin anarchist activity spikes ahead of May Day protests
An alarming spike in arson attacks by presumed anarchists in Berlin has sparked fears that traditional May Day anti-capitalist protests could see the worst violence in recent years.
Day: April 9, 2009
Police shoot armed robber in car chase
Police shot and seriously injured an armed robber in Hamburg on Wednesday evening after he forced a man to withdraw money from his bank at gunpoint.
Kids caught playing dangerous road chicken game
Several young teenagers invented a new version of chicken on the roads of Günzburg in Bavaria Wednesday evening, police reported.
Industrial output decline slowed in February
German industrial output fell 2.9 percent in February from January, the economy ministry said Thursday, as demand for goods from Europe's largest economy dried up amid the global recession.
Hamburg Jewish Community leader fired over vague heritage
The chairman of the Hamburg Jewish Community (Jüdische Gemeinde in Hamburg), and member of the Hamburg state parliament, was dismissed last week because records showed he was not Jewish, news magazine Der Spiegel reported on Thursday.
Making like the Easter bunny in Berlin
In the latest dispatch of Portnoy’s Stammtisch, The Local’s column about life in Germany, Portnoy explains why the German-invented Easter bunny is an appropriate symbol in a country where the birth rate is tanking and succesful families with children are scorned.
Grown men weep as Bayern are trounced
Bayern Munich returned from Barcelona Thursday morning with the scorn of their elder statesmen piled on their heads, having suffered a 4:0 trouncing at the hands of the Spanish super-club on Wednesday night.
Tobacco giant Philip Morris raising cigarette prices
Smokers might as well light a match to their extra pocket change – leading cigarette manufacturer Phillip Morris plans to raise its prices from €4 to €4.70 per pack by summer, and other companies in the industry will likely follow, daily Stuttgarter Zeitung reported this week.
Sweden rejects Germany in probe against Bishop Williamson
The Swedish Chancellor of Justice has rejected a request from German prosecutors to require a journalist to testify against Catholic bishop Richard Williamson, who denied the Holocaust in a January television broadcast for Swedish broadcaster SVT.
Berlin launches Hypo Real Estate takeover
The German government launched a takeover of troubled Hypo Real Estate bank on Thursday with the aim of stabilising the financial markets as the worst recession since the 1930s sets in.
Sunny weather expected for holiday weekend
Early morning cloud cover on Thursday will disperse across most of Germany to begin what will likely be a sunny Easter holiday weekend.
‘Ivan the Terrible’ Nazi guard gets to stay in US for now
Suspected Nazi guard John Demjanjuk can remain in the United States while an immigration court considers his latest appeal against extradition to Germany, US officials said Wednesday.