Practical news on daily life, integration, education, housing and orientation for living in Germany.
According to the 2026 Rent Report by the German Tenants' Association, housing costs have risen for 58 percent of tenants in Germany. The association speaks of a social state crisis and warns against planned cuts to housing benefits.
Two craftsmen rescued an 87-year-old woman from a burning apartment in Göppingen. The men heard screams from an adjacent building and acted immediately.
The job center in the Main-Taunus district helped more people into employment last year than before. By the end of the year, the number of job seekers had fallen to 11,547.
After months of delay, the government of Upper Bavaria has opened the transitional housing facility in Ismaning. On Monday, the first residents moved into the converted office complex.
An Elbe pilot collapsed on Sunday aboard the container ship "Maxine". He was revived by a colleague and flown to hospital by helicopter.
The number of fatal drowning accidents in Germany is rising, with young men particularly at risk in lakes. At the same time, fewer and fewer children are learning to swim, reports Süddeutsche Zeitung.
In Potsdam, residents can now apply for around one in ten municipal services digitally, including ID cards, passports, and housing benefits.
Starting next year, employees will have to present a sick note from the first day of illness. Family doctors see patient care at risk – and feel abandoned by politicians.
The gynecology and obstetrics department at St. Josefs Hospital in Potsdam has closed with immediate effect. Alexianer group cited staff shortages for the early closure.
In the trial against Christina Block, spectators and journalists had to leave the courtroom when a witness was asked intimate details. According to the FAZ, this could have far-reaching consequences for the end of the proceedings.
On a Ryanair flight from Thessaloniki to Memmingen, a window pane shattered shortly after takeoff. Passengers had to hold the man sitting next to the window, and the aircraft returned to the departure airport.
The Starzelbach stream in Alling has partially dried up. Alling fishing club relocated more than 1,200 fish to the Amper river to save them from certain death.
A couple stole bronze sculptures and reliefs from cemeteries over several years, including from a children's cemetery. The Berlin Regional Court sentenced the 68-year-old man to four years and four months in prison, and his 63-year-old wife to four years and two months.
At the Müden Heidschnucke Day in Müden an der Örtze, an 80-kilogram young animal from Neuenkirchen won the title of the most beautiful Heidschnucke ram.
A 66-year-old woman died in a wildlife accident on the B321 in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. According to police, the animal was thrown into oncoming traffic by one car and smashed through the windshield of her vehicle.
More than 15,500 people have signed a petition against the planned closure of the maternity ward at St. Josefs Hospital in Potsdam. The ward is set to close on August 1 as part of hospital reforms.
The Bundestag has passed a law that will automatically pay child benefit from 2027, initially for second children. The law is set to take effect in early January 2027.
With the update to FritzOS 8.25, manufacturer Fritz (formerly AVM) introduces a new data agreement that has many users concerned. It primarily involves diagnostic and maintenance functions.
A four-year-old girl died after being bitten by a dog in Osternienburger Land, Saxony-Anhalt. Emergency doctors could only confirm her death, police said.
Family Minister Karin Prien plans to cut the parental allowance period from 14 to 12 months. Both parents must take at least three months of parental leave to receive the full benefit.
Tenants of the High-Deck-Siedlung in Berlin-Neukölln protested on Tuesday against the state-owned housing company Howoge. They have been complaining about mold, burst pipes, and dampness for years.
The once-famous center of Siemensstadt in Berlin now looks dreary. A new weekly market is set to make the neighborhood more attractive, as Tagesspiegel reports.
A family in Braunschweig discovered dozens of human bones while gardening. Police investigated but ruled out a crime.
The rapper 18 Karat loses his European freedom of movement rights and can be deported to Portugal. The Higher Administrative Court of North Rhine-Westphalia dismissed his appeal.
Police in Nuremberg have arrested two more suspects accused of drugging and sexually abusing girls. The suspects, both Syrian nationals aged 40 and 21, are in custody.
The number of drug deaths among people under 30 in Germany rose significantly in 2025. According to Spiegel, 528 young people died – nearly one in four drug deaths involved someone under 30.
The Alpine clubs in Germany, Austria and South Tyrol are launching a campaign against bedbugs in mountain huts. According to the German Alpine Club (DAV), five to twenty of its huts are affected each year.
Berlin's first adult education report shows that community college offerings have grown, with language courses dominating. In 2024, around 24,500 courses were offered — significantly more than in 2021, according to the Senate Department.
Life expectancy in Germany has reached new records in 2025. According to the Federal Statistical Office, it stood at 83.6 years for women and 79.1 years for men.
Patients in Germany will soon be required to obtain a second medical opinion before receiving a hip implant.
The number of blown-up and robbed ATMs in Germany is declining, according to an insurance company.
The German cabinet has approved a draft law that will significantly cut housing benefit from 2027. The cabinet, led by Construction Minister Verena Hubertz (SPD), aims to save 1.5 billion euros next year and 2 billion euros annually from 2028.
The German cabinet has passed a draft law to overhaul housing benefits. According to the government, the reform will reduce spending and cut administrative red tape starting January 2027.
A man and a woman died in a shooting in Offenburg on Monday morning. Police found the man dead in a driveway; the woman later succumbed to her injuries in hospital.
The 'Communal Living' project in the Wiesbaden district of Bierstadt is nearing completion. The waiting list for the 37 apartments is long.
Around 1.5 million people celebrated Christopher Street Day (CSD) in Cologne on Sunday. According to the organizers, the city has never been as crowded as this year.
A week after suspending tram operations due to extreme heat damage, most trams in Leipzig are running again. The transport company LVB said citizens helped by scraping sealing compound from the tracks.
According to a DGB survey, 40 percent of employees in Germany do not believe they can work until the statutory retirement age. Pessimism is particularly high in nursing, crafts, and construction.
Munich's health department is offering free HPV vaccinations for children and adolescents from July 6 to 10 as part of the Bavarian Vaccination Week.
Only six percent of German households have an air conditioner – a fraction compared to the US, where about 90 percent do. Behind this is a mix of building design, tenancy law, and climate change, as DW reports.