Günter Grass' Revelation that he Served in the Waffen SS Draws Mixed Reactions
The author Günter Grass has revealed that he wore the uniform of the Waffen SS during the final months of World War II. Grass’s admission became public in an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung regarding his soon to be released memoir Beim Häuten der Zwiebel (Peeling the Onion).

Where is the Berlin Wall? Germany Remembers Berlin Wall Victims, Berlin Approves Plan to Mark the Path of the Wall
As Berlin demolishes and carts off the rubble of other relics of the former single-party dictatorship in the East such as the Palace of the Republic, it seems the wall is making an unlikely comeback, with a € 40 million plan recently unveiled to mark the path of the dismantled edifice.

Resurgent Germany Overtakes US and Bolsters European Economic Upswing
The World Cup and a wave of summer construction projects have contributed to an economic upswing in Germany that has bolstered growth across Europe and left the United States lagging behind for the first time in years.

World Cup Boosts Turnover and Profits for German Sporting Goods Giant adidas
While the German national team made a strong showing with third place in the World Cup, the German sportswear giant adidas was the clear winner in this Summer’s games, according to figures released last week.

"Ladenschluss": Düsseldorf loosens restrictions on business closing hours
Soon shops will be free to close whenever they want - from Monday to Saturday, that is - in Germany's most populous state, North Rhine-Westphalia. The tide has thus turned in an ongoing debate among policymakers, trade unions, churches and consumers with a view to prying open retail doors that still tend to stay locked earlier than in many other European countries.

From Berlin to Broadway: Remembering Brecht 50 Years On
"Change the world; it needs it" - this appeal from Bertolt Brecht has lost none of its validity although 50 years have passed since his death. 'Brecht fever' has hit Germany this summer, and new productions of some of his most famous works are being staged in New York.

Freedom of Artistic Expression? Düsseldorf Prosecutors Investigating Possible Charges Against Madonna for Disco Crucifixion
The Düsseldorf prosecutor’s office told the German magazine Stern that Madonna may be subject to criminal proceedings due to a segment of her show that features the singer in a crown of thorns hanging like Christ on a mirrored cross.

Remix: German Painter Georg Baselitz's New Takes on his own Works On Display in Munich
You won't hear these remixes at the club. In fact, you won’t hear them at all, but that probably won’t stop them from selling like the latest Madonna single, given Saxony-born painter Georg Baselitz’s record as one of the world’s best-selling living artists. Baselitz is methodically repainting works from a career that spans four decades, a process he likens to the “remix” in pop music.

Homo Germanicus: Neanderthal Hut Discovered in Rhine Valley
Archeologists working in a coal mine at Inden in Germany’s Rhineland announced that they are excavating the site of a 120,000 year old Neanderthal hut. Over 60 stone tools were found in the immediate vicinity of the hut, including flint blades for cutting hides or meat and hatchets.