Berlin calls air strike in Afghanistan ‘necessary’
The German Defence Ministry on Monday stood by a controversial air strike that is thought to have caused scores of civilian casualties in Afghanistan two weeks ago.
Day: September 14, 2009
SPD’s Ravindra Gujjula: ‘You have to be better than Germans’
Continuing a series of interviews with parliamentary candidates with non-German backgrounds, The Local speaks with Social Democrat Ravindra Gujjula, an Indian-born doctor and mayor in the eastern state of Brandenburg now running for the Bundestag.
Oktoberfest beer cheaper for many tourists despite price hike
The average cost of a litre of beer at this year’s Oktoberfest will be €8.44. And while Germans might moan about the 3.8 percent increase from last year’s price, it’s still cheaper than what many tourists pay for brew back home.
Magna to cut 4,000 Opel jobs in Germany
Canadian auto parts maker Magna said Monday that it planned to cut 4,000 posts at loss-making carmaker Opel once it completes its takeover of the General Motors' German unit.
Queen Mother’s letter tells of brush with Luftwaffe bombing
A letter has been released from the British royal archives in which Queen Elizabeth, wife of King George VI and later known as the Queen Mother, describes a brush with death during a Luftwaffe bombing on September 13, 1940.
Plane with SPD boss makes crash landing
A Contact Air passenger jet carrying Social Democratic Party (SPD) leader Franz Müntefering and 77 others was forced to make a crash-landing in Stuttgart on Monday.
Being schooled in German sensibilities
In the latest installment of Portnoy’s Stammtisch, The Local’s column about life in Germany, Portnoy is dismayed by his growing Teutonic sensibilities as his daughter starts school.
Berlin officers probed after police brutality video posted online
Berlin police are investigating some of their officers after witnesses filmed them beating a demonstrator at a protest against government infringement of Germany's data protection laws.
New internet ‘hybrid mail’ service to compete with Deutsche Post
German publisher Georg von Holtzbrinck has teamed up with private logistics companies to create a 'hybrid mail' service using the internet for quicker delivery at a lower cost, according to weekly news magazine WirtschaftsWoche.
Germany aims to build 40 offshore wind farms
German Transportation Minister Wolfgang Tiefensee on Monday announced plans to build 40 new offshore wind farms that would create 30,000 jobs.
Press: Steinmeier’s better in debate but not good enough
German Chancellor Angela Merkel's beleaguered challenger performed better than expected in a TV debate two weeks before elections but failed to land a knock-out punch, the press said Monday.