Villagers expand self-built broadband network

Shunned by government and big telecom companies, a group of villagers in rural northwest Germany is set to expand the super-fast internet network they built to a second village. The Local’s Tomas Urbina went to meet the villagers as they prepare to put shovels in the ground. On a Thursday evening in August, about half …

Opinion: In defence of Uber – Three reasons it beats taxis

Uber has quickly become the most contentious technology company in Germany, challenging the taxi establishment as well as regulators across the country, as attempts to ban the chauffeur app leap from the municipal to the national stage. The following is an excerpt of an opinion piece I pitched and edited for The Local Germany. As …

Europe’s biggest tech show debuts in Berlin

Bendable televisions, a smartphone with an edge and the smart home that takes care of you — the IFA consumer electronics show burst onto Berlin’s exhibition grounds on Friday. Crowds poured into the brand new City Cube Berlin to ogle the latest offerings from global electronics giant Samsung. With the new building all to themselves, …

Germany’s brain drain is Europe’s gain

Figures from the European Union show that while many German professionals are able to find work abroad with their well-recognized qualifications, Germany doesn’t always extend the same courtesy to foreigners. From 2003 to the end of 2013, Germany topped the list of countries whose professionals have sought to relocate and be accredited in other European countries, …

Berlin struggles to sell former Goebbels villa

After two failed attempts, Berlin is trying again to sell the sprawling estate and villa once known as Joseph Goebbels’ illicit love nest, but so far, nobody’s buying. The address of the former villa of Hitler’s propaganda minister is as misleading as it is revealing. Number One, Friendship Place, northeast of Berlin, is thought to …

Germany sends burgers and sausages to Kurds

Germany’s new-found determination under the third Merkel government to take its place on the world stage may be standing on shaky foundations. Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier reaffirmed his commitment to increasing Germany’s role in the world’s conflict zones at the annual conference of German ambassadors in Berlin on Monday. “We need the courage and willingness …

Dying town centres seek the miracle cure

Home to two-thirds of Germany’s population, many of its small cities and towns are struggling to revive their declining centres. The Local’s Tomas Urbina reports from Delmenhorst in Lower Saxony, as it tries to dig its way out of the economic doldrums. It’s 2 p.m. on a Saturday afternoon and the downtown promenades in Delmenhorst, …