Germany and Spain hailed the conclusion of a controversial free-trade deal between the European Union and South America’s Mercosur bloc while France said the deal was still unacceptable and farmers’ unions expressed dismay.

Thousands of jubilant Syrians gathered in Berlin on Sunday to celebrate the fall of President Bashar al-Assad, sounding car horns and waving Syrian opposition flags.

In his office in central Berlin, Syrian human rights lawyer Anwar al-Bunni shook his head as he watched President Bashar al-Assad’s government fighting for survival live on television.

From an island ritual that involved smacking women with cow horns to a political stalemate and the joys of Glühwein, here’s what we’ve been talking about at The Local this week.

German campaigners are pushing for reform to remove legal hurdles for women seeking an abortion, with emotions running high on the issue as the country heads for early elections.

With a snap general election looming in the new year, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) will officially nominate co-leader Alice Weidel as its candidate to be chancellor on Saturday.

A German festival that drew controversy after reports of women being beaten with cow horns passed without incident this year when the practice was banned, police said Friday.

The festive season can be difficult for people living abroad far away from their loved ones back home, but we’ve put together a few gift ideas for staying close to friends and family.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in an interview published Saturday that he believed he and US president-elect Donald Trump would be able to develop a “joint strategy” for Ukraine.

The top German word of the year alludes to the collapse of the federal government coalition. Other top contenders were equally timely and political, including ‘fit-for-war’ and ‘drift-to-the-right’.