offbeat

Crane called in after stray water buffalo cause massive autobahn logjam

The A3 between Düsseldorf and Cologne was closed down on Monday morning due to five water buffalo blocking the motorway. Emergency services had their work cut out trying to gather the bulky beasts back in.

Immigration

Au pairs rules relax for non-German families

Foreign families will soon be able to officially engage au pairs from outside the European Union, as long as they speak German at home, as the government prepares to change the law.

Food and Drink

Motorway mop up after salad dressing spill

Police arrived early Tuesday morning at a crash in western Germany to find the autobahn drenched in a salad dressing-style spill after a truck loaded with mustard and vinegar skidded and crashed.

Terrorism

Al Qaida 'planned to take German hostages'

Documents seized in May linked to al Qaida leaders indicate that the terrorist organisation was aiming to take hostages in Germany and other Western countries as part of a "war of attrition," according to a newspaper report.