Hypo Real Estate boss quits abruptly
The head of nationalized bank Hypo Real Estate resigned abruptly on Thursday because of differences of opinion with the government’s bank rescue fund.
Day: March 25, 2010
Digging into the great dachshund decline
Is Germany’s emblematic dog breed, the dachshund, dying out? With breeding statistics showing steady decline, The Local's Kristen Allen gets ankle-deep in wiggling wiener dogs at a champion show to investigate.
Lesbian Holocaust memorial plan upsets historians
Holocaust scholars on Thursday attacked a bid to include images of kissing lesbians in a monument dedicated to the thousands of homosexuals persecuted by the Nazis, saying it distorted history.
Email drags Merkel into Kunduz affair
Chancellor Angela Merkel’s office was told within hours of the Kunduz air strike that civilians had been killed, despite the government’s insistence for days afterwards that only Taliban fighters had died, a report said Thursday.
Care workers reach long-awaited minimum wage deal
Hundreds of thousands of people who care for the sick and elderly will soon be paid a minimum wage of at least €7.50 per hour, under a deal announced Thursday.
Westerwelle to kick off Gay Games in Cologne this summer
German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle has agreed to be the official patron of the eighth annual Gay Games in Cologne this summer, the organisation reported on Thursday.
Berlin’s ‘historic gem’ shines with new light
Berlin’s oldest church, the 800-year-old Nikolaikirche, reopened to great fanfare this week after two years' reconstruction work returned it to its former glory.
Merkel to push for ‘last resort’ aid for Greece
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she will push at Thursday and Friday's EU summit for International Monetary Fund aid to Greece and bilateral loans from eurozone members, but only as a "last resort."
Cologne ‘sex tax’ eyed by other cities
A tax on prostitution that is earning Cologne hundreds of thousands of euros a year is gaining favour elsewhere in Germany, with other big cities also considering a levy on sex work.
What’s on in Germany: March 25 – 31
This Week's Highlights: Baby Dee in Berlin, a spring fair in Frankfurt, and ex-Depeche Mode member Alan Wilder brings his Recoil project to Munich.
Consumer sentiment steadies after five-month plunge
German consumer sentiment has stabilised after a five-month slide, helped by government efforts to limit the damage from the global economic crisis on employment, the GfK research group said Thursday.
Scientists discover new human species in Siberia
Scientists at the Max Planck Institute in Leipzig say they have discovered a previously unknown type of human after tests on a 30,000-year-old finger bone found in Siberia.
FDP: ‘Foolish’ traffic sign changes must end
Patrick Döring, transportation expert for Germany's Free Democrats, said Thursday that nationwide changes to traffic signs put through the last government should be stopped because they are too expensive and some traffic violations can no longer be fined.
Robben takes Bayern Munich to German Cup final
Dutch winger Arjen Robben produced a wonder goal in extra-time to seal Bayern Munich's 1-0 win over Schalke on Wednesday in their German Cup semi-final to set up a final against holders Werder Bremen.