Worldcrunch
Analysis: In the birthplace of Martin Luther, the relationship among Roman Catholicism, traditional Protestant churches and newer evangelical movements offers a laboratory for how different strands of Christianity today are united and divided by ethics mo
Outperformed in school and, in many cases, the workplace too, men are increasingly being seen as a “problem” – especially when it comes to forming families. Women prefer men who are equally if not more accomplished. Trouble is, there aren’t enough such me
Thousands of babies around the world are born each year without a sex-specific chromosome count, and that may have male or female genitalia – or a mix of both. Germany’s top ethics board is deciding if such ‘intersexuals’ should
Carnival season has just kicked off in Germany. In Cologne and Düsseldorf, hotel and restaurant owners are raking in millions from the beer-fueled festivities, which seems to be getting bigger – though maybe a tad more commercial – with each passing year.
Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) was only recently legalized in Germany. The first German child to have been screened was born on Jan. 27 in Lübeck. Her parents and doctors explain why – and how – they reached their decision.
Many Germans keep working past retirement age, often on a part-time basis or in so-called “mini-jobs.” Why? Some no doubt need to the money to supplement paltry pension payments. But for the financially secure, very different factors drive them back to wo
For the world’s major humanitarian aid organizations, saving human lives has a core business, as well as altruistic, element. Supply and demand matter. So do prices. And like in any other major industry, there are huge logistical concerns to factor in as
Op-Ed: German Chancellor Angela Merkel, daughter of a Lutheran pastor, thinks Europe should save its way out of the current crisis. What the continent should do instead is grow its way to prosperity, even if that means passing along some debt to the next
Starting next year, the German government would like to put a little money in the pockets of stay-at-home parents. The E.U. Commmission in Brussels doesn’t approve, saying the bonus scheme encourages mothers not to rejoin the workforce.
Rice has long been held in great esteem in Asia. Not so in Europe, where it is often dismissed as “food for the poor.” Little by little, however, Europeans are starting to clue in to the fact that rice is far more than just filler food.
Op-Ed: The Berlin opera house scheduled a performance of Richard Wagner’s “Rienzi” – Hitler’s favorite opera – for April 20, the Führer’s birthday. After complaints, the show was rescheduled. Still, how could the Deutsche Oper have organ
Islamic investors must obey the Koran’s prohibitions on dealing in a variety of activities. That can include everything from trading in derivatives to hocking pork products. Düsseldorf-based commercial bank WestLB has just launched an investment
Whether they know it or not, Internet users are constantly building up their digital legacies. But what happens to that ‘dot-com estate’ when someone dies? A growing number of companies are making it their business to bury the cyber lives of the truly dep
In the swinging 70s, the long-locked “German Hair Force” was a major source of embarrassment for the country’s military leaders. Forty years later, the German Armed Forces are once again struggling with image issues, this time related to tattoos and pierc
Part military strategist, part philosopher-king, Frederick the Great ruled what is today the heart of Germany through nearly half of the 18th century. Exactly 300 years from his birth, one German writer takes an unflinching (and ironic) look at Frederick&
Germany is Europe’s only country that has roared back to pre-crisis employment numbers. Still, the International Labor Organization accuses German exporters of being no less than the structural cause of the current euro zone problems.
Adolf Hitler’s “Mein Kampf,” where he lays out his Aryan ideology, remains taboo in Germany. A British publisher’s plans to sell excerpts of the book at German newsstands was scuttled at the last minute after legal thre
After years of living large, German hacker turned celebrity Kim Schmitz is suddenly in serious trouble. At the behest of U.S. authorities, the Megaupload’s founder was nabbed last week in New Zealand. Die Welt charts the unusual career of a “dotc
In Germany, Weng Fine Art makes quick profits by buying 20th century art priced between 5,000 and 150,000 euros and selling it to galleries via auction houses. A new business model that tries to turn culture into commodity.
An exhibit about the Cold War will open this spring in the “Black Box,” a building that now fills the space where American and Russian tanks faced off in 1961. It will eventually be part of a permanent museum exploring the Cold War, in the city where it b
The German travel company Dertour, one of the world’s leading tour operators, publishes catalogues covering many different countries and themes each season. Now for the first time, a catalogue is out called ‘Gay Travel,’ with some offers
A sports collection, new fabrics, fewer gold buttons and an influx of Indian money have Escada back on track. The German clothing company still isn’t back to break-even, but sales – up 7% last year – look set to keep rising.
Volkswagen sales in the U.S. are surging, led by the new Jetta line, which wasn’t much of a hit back in Germany. With its new popular designs and longstanding reputation for durability, VW is notching its best American results in a decade.
Dirk Nowitzki has earned himself some Facebook flack over a television commercial he did in his native Germany. Vegetarians are up in arms over the ad, in which the NBA all star makes an open plug for a national delicacy… sausage!
By all accounts, Carina Lämmle is the youngest college lecturer in Germany. She also happens to teach a discipline so advanced, few have ever heard of it, and most can barely pronounce it. Still, she may study something else when it’s time to ret
“Warm, sexy and always a little different,” is how perfumer Alberto Morillas describes oud, a pricey oil made from agar wood and its resin. Used for centuries in Arab countries, the perfume ingredient is now also a hit in Europe. If you
In Switzerland, police officers and educators invite themselves to dine with kids under investigation, and their families, in a new effort to get both parent and child to understand the consequences of criminal behavior.
With enough space to hold 200 people and an icy 17-meter-high tower, the Schneekirchen snow church has been christened near the German town of Mitterfirmiansreut. Builders had to overcome both architectural and ecclesiastical challenges, not to mention Mo
Op-Ed: Things look gloomy indeed as Europe’s single currency marks exactly 10 years since going into circulation. But even in this lowest moment, we can pinpoint the path forward. And it may start by acknowledging that Greece, for the good of all
In the former East German state of Thuringia, Uwe Böhnhardt was a good student in elementary school. Then something changed. He would wind up at the center of a murderous Neo-Nazi criminal cell. Böhnhardt’s parents try to retrace the steps that l
For those in the know – and with the willpower not to drink up their assets – fine whisky can be quite a rewarding investment. A bottle of 1995 Brora, for example, was worth 100 euros in 1998. Now it sells for five times as much.
Do you give Fido a treat every time he’s been a good boy? Watch out: canines put on weight fast. But rationing what they eat isn’t enough: here’s how to keep a dog’s weight in check or knock off excess pounds.
Essay: “South Park,” the popular and sometimes over-the-top American animated series, has just aired an episode in Germany built around harsh German stereotypes, with allusions to the Nazi era. How does the cliché of the German lack of h
Church employees cannot turn to state courts in matters concerning job loss or demotion, and the European Court for Human Rights may be turned to only in extreme cases.
Christian Wulff entered the office of the German presidency last year with his glamorous second wife seen as a major new asset. But a rolling series of allegations of financial and ethical improprieties — including a luxurious new house in her hometown –
Op-Ed: Emerging countries are wobbling, Italy is paying record interest rates, and the Germans are on alert. With the next economic crisis gathering like a winter storm, politicians must act quickly – never forgetting the lessons of a certain 20th-century
Tanja Höls’ curiosity has earned her a big ‘thank you’ from the State Library in Passau Germany, where the 43-year-old janitor discovered more than 170 valuable old coins worth somewhere in the six figure range. The head of the library h
A group of German sales reps have been caught with their pants down – so to speak – following revelations that they “had contact” with prostitutes during an incentive trip to Brazil. The scandal follows a similar story involving sales reps who behaved bad
A permanent alcohol ban went into effect Sunday for the S-Bahn, Munich’s subway system. The night before, thousands turned up for one last binge. Reporter Marco Marco Völklein shares his notes on this most unusual of underground parties.
Op-Ed: To save the euro, the struggling southern countries must tighten their belts and modernize their economies. But the northern euro zone must change too. If Germany jacked up salaries rather than sitting on its export success, it might just set off a