That means to nail one’s colors to the mast, to plant your flag.
Afghan Embassy in Berlin: The flag of their enemy – German soldiers and veterans are appalled: two Taliban representatives have entered Germany as diplomats. Now they are even announcing that they will raise their flag.
That means catcalling.
No wonder Germans prefer using the English word catcalling now too.
Sexual harassment: Germany debates ban on catcalling – While it is illegal in Germany to give a one-fingered salute, making obscene sexual remarks and gestures is not. The center-left Social Democrats want to change that.
Suggestive gestures or noises, graphically obscene remarks — an everyday experience for many women across the world. In some European countries such behavior can land you with a fine or even a jail sentence.
But in Germany, verbal sexual harassment in public is not criminalized under sexual offences legislation passed in 2016, which made non-consensual sexualized acts of touching like groping a crime for the first time.
My government is going to strangle the German car industry slowly, with great care.
And Pleasure.
Germany: Merz pledges to resist 2035 EU electric car switch – Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he would oppose the “hard cutoff” currently planned by the EU, aiming to stop registering new internal combustion engine cars by 2035. The goal was already under review and looking fragile.
Although nobody really wants to go, so just pick them up at the gate.
This non-apology tour is just like last year’s non-apology for the migrant madness tour, only different. “Denial is not just a river in Egypt anymore.” – Angie.
Angela Merkel’s non-apology tour – The former chancellor refuses to reckon with her fraught legacy on the war in Ukraine, instead invoking Covid and a missed chance for talks.
German threatens with Eurovision boycott!
Couldn’t we just have another war instead?
Chancellor Friedrich Merz says that if Israel is excluded from Eurovision 2026, Germany will not take part.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is considering boycotting next year’s Eurovision Song Contest if Israel is excluded.
When asked in an interview with public broadcaster ARD on Sunday whether Germany should voluntarily withdraw from participation in the world’s largest live music event next year if Israel is excluded, Merz said: “I would support this. I think it’s a scandal that this is even being discussed. Israel has a place there.”
Or at least strictly regulated. Then verboten.
Anything in Berlin that is not expressly permitted must be forbidden.
Berlin to crack down on a beloved giveaway tradition – One resident’s trash is another’s treasure has long been part of Berlin’s culture, but the German capital has had enough and plans to raise fines. Will they work?
Between old sofas and broken fridges, boxes of baby clothes and crates of cassettes, hidden treasures dot Berlin’s streets. In one such collection of unwanted stuff, Berlin musician Eno Thiemann discovered a new favorite author.
The Haruki Murakami books were left outside with the label “zu verschenken.” Meaning “to gift”, it’s a tradition that has long seen Berliners leave their repurposable goods on window ledges and in front of houses for others to take. And take, they do. Often within a matter of minutes.
“I was very pleased when I came back in 2013 to see that there’s some kind of culture,” said Thiemann, who had left Berlin three decades earlier before the practice took off. “Most people don’t just throw the trash out — it’s a nice thing to do and it’s enriching the neighborhood.”
But as Berlin plans to fine people for putting items on the street, this informal circular economy could become a thing of the past. The city’s environment department argues that while the idea behind leaving things out for others to take is “good and desirable,” it has “led to excesses that are not in line with the original intention.”
Could be worse.
What do you think the percentage is for American Democrats?
Majority of Germans think Israel is committing genocide in Gaza – poll.
The survey, which was conducted from September 17-18, found that 62% of all German voters believe that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.
It’s the German way.
If you want to properly deregulate, create a new deregulation bureaucracy first. We don’t want anybody to get fired or anything.
Germany’s new deregulation chief vows to be more subtle than Elon Musk – State modernisation minister Karsten Wildberger promises to bring about digital age in country clinging to fax machines.
Despite economic clouds?
Depends on who you ask. And how you look at it. My experience has been that Germans are the happiest when they’re the gloomiest.
Germans Feel a Little Less Gloomy Despite Economic Clouds – The pickup in consumer mood contrasts with a worsening outlook among German business.
Germany is as safe as it can be (all things considered). So move along! Nothing to see here!
Crime statistics: How safe is life in Germany?
Cases of drug trafficking, knife crime and violence on the streets are frequently reported in the German media. But is crime on the rise? And how does Germany compare internationally?
“The new Germany” is “a shame, a travesty,” says Kurt Caz.
In a video, the South African-German travel blogger presents Frankfurt’s notorious Bahnhofsviertel neighborhood near the city’s main train station as the new normal, which has been “completely taken over by crime, illegal migrants and drugs.”
Observing Hermann 