Every Pentecostal weekend, when the Wave Gothic Festival, a legendary annual gathering for "dark" music and arts, kicks off in the eastern German city of Leipzig, the world is reminded that nobody does goth quite like the Germans. more... [ Forum ]
With tens of thousands of German football fans expected in London for the all-German Champions League final on Saturday, pubs in the English capital are anxiously preparing. Officials have urged fans without tickets to stay home and the city has opted to forgo public viewing areas. By Carsten Volkery in London more... [ Forum ]
The mini hot rod looks like an outsize toy, and its Hamburg-based creators still can't quite believe it's street legal. It offers drivers as much fun as can be had behind a steering wheel, and a bit of discomfort is a small price to pay. By Benjamin Braden, Sara Maria Manzo and Christoph Stockburger in Hamburg more... [ Video | Forum ]
Proving that bad taste never goes out of fashion, an exhibition opened in Hamburg this week that romps through decades of aesthetic atrocities, showcasing hideous design from the early 20th century to the present. more...
For some, it's a dream in pink. For others, it's a monument to misogyny. The Barbie Dreamhouse opened its doors in Berlin on Thursday, and demonstrators and journalists were out in force. Femen also made an appearance -- to burn Barbie on the cross. By Rainer Leurs more... [ Forum ]
They are beautiful, secluded and sometimes bizarre: Europe's smallest, least-known islands have their own unique charm. Some can only be reached by mail boat. Another asks that all visitors arrive in the nude. more... [ Forum ]
Criticism is mounting against the life-size "Barbie Dreamhouse Experience" opening this week in Berlin, with feminist activists calling for protests. Bringing the doll's fantasy life into the real world goes too far in spreading damaging stereotypes, they say. more... [ Forum ]
Brigitta the cat became the victim of animal cruelty when someone shot at her for fun, paralyzing her hind legs. A German animal lover took her in, building a cat wheelchair and paying for an operation. Now Brigitta is repaying her kindness -- by adopting two abandoned kittens. more...
A recent staging of Richard Wagner's "Tannhäuser" at Düsseldorf's Deutsche Oper am Rhein was withdrawn when protests broke out during and after the premier. The director of the production, Burkhard Kosminski, 51, discusses the controversy and why he decided to set the opera in the Third Reich. more... [ Forum ]
A man who dumped some old garments in a clothes container found he had been a little more charitable than he intended this weekend. He accidentally tossed 14,000 euros into the bin along with his hand-me-downs. A frantic search involving the police and fire department ensued. more... [ Forum ]
