When Vladimir Putin was sworn in for his fourth term as Russian President on Monday, two Germans took pride of place at the ceremony. Their link to Russian mineral wealth reveals where Putin sees his priorities for relations with Berlin.
German caution on the international stage is all well and good. But sometimes the evidence seems so blindingly obvious that you wonder what it takes to convince them, writes JĂśrg Luyken.
Germanyâs new Interior Minister caused uproar last week when he declared that "Islam doesnât belong to Germany." The Germany expression is a headache to translate, partly because it is so deliberately vague.
It is high time that Germany scraps a 1930s law that forbids doctors from providing women with complete information on how to terminate a pregnancy, argues Kate Cahoon.
When a study published on Tuesday revealed that foreigners in Germany with a visible migration background experience discrimination far more often than foreigners who appear "typically German," it resonated with The Localâs Shelley Pascual.
Diane Kruger gives an impressive performance as a bereaved mother in a new thriller tipped for award-season success. But the film is a wrong-headed tribute to the victims of neo-Nazi terrorism, argues editor of The Local, JĂśrg Luyken. SPOILER ALERT!
OPINION: Just because you live on the other side of the Atlantic, that doesn't mean you can't influence politics in the US. Calling your congressman takes guts, but it can't be harder than talking on the phone in German, argues Alexandra Dufresne.
Germans think Trump would be a disaster for the USA and the rest of the world, argues Hamburg professor Dr. Harry Friebel in an opinion piece for The Local.
Military historian Robin Schäfer explains why he and thousands of German families are horrified by a British TV show promoting the looting of German war graves - exactly as happened to his own great-uncle's remains.
Lawyer Christina Lee argues that Germany shouldn't treat refugees harshly in the name of teaching them the country's 'values' - and that the crisis could be a learning opportunity for Germans themselves.
A poll published on Tuesday showed that a majority of Germans think that there are too many asylum seekers in the country and that Chancellor Angela Merkel is wrong to say "we'll manage this".
According to the BBC, some British leaders are annoyed Germany is getting the pick of refugees coming to the EU. The Local Germany editor Tom Barfield responds that the country's good-guy image is no facade for greedy self-interest.
Footing the bill for debt-ridden EU states and dependency in one's twilight years are among top causes of anxiety among Germans, along with a strong fear of natural disasters, authors of a national study said on Thursday.
The ruling of the European Court of Human Rights this month to uphold France's 2011 ban on wearing the burqa and niqab veil in public has reignited the debate in Germany too, as The Local finds out in Frankfurt.
Germany's reliance on Russian gas continues to limit the nation's diplomatic leverage in the Ukraine crisis. But as leaders once again explore fracking as an alternative, critics told The Local the risks were too high.
Vladimir Putinâs move on Crimea has proven to be a moment of truth for German foreign policy, putting its pledge to play a more active role in international affairs to the test, argues Josef Janning from the European Council on Foreign Relations.
Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has overtaken Angela Merkel to become Germanyâs most popular politician, a poll on Friday showed, with the Chancellor slipping from the top spot for the first time in two years.
Merkel's "grand coalition" government is such an extreme combination of passivity and aggression, it is practically sado-masochist, Malte Lehming argues in Cicero magazine this month.
Professor Michael Wohlgemuth, director of think tank Open Europe Berlin, looks back on the last four months since Germanyâs election campaign began and argues there are no great expectations of the âgrand coalitionâ.
The biggest threat to Europeâs top economy is not foreign competition but its low birth rate. It must open its borders to more immigrants, skilled and unskilled, says The Local's editor Tom Bristow.
Cost-explosions and huge delays at large-scale infrastructure projects are the norm rather than the exception in Germany. Economist Frederik Roeder argues the private sector should be put in charge.
With the US and Germany falling out over revelations the National Security Agency (NSA) tapped Chancellor Angela Merkelâs phone, The Local asks if the scandal will cause long-term damage between the two countries.
American TV series Breaking Bad has been smashing viewing records while scooping awards. Meanwhile, Germany, unlike its European neighbours, has not produced a globally successful show for 25 years. <b>Alex Evans</b> finds out why.
