Large parts of the German state of Saarland were hit by flooding on Friday. Fortunately, no one has been injured so far, an Interior Ministry spokesman said. The ministry spoke of a “widespread flooding situation” with a focus on the southeastern part of the state. In the cities, the situation was tense in the state capital of Saarbrücken, in Saarbrücken-Russhütte, in Eppelborn, Neunkirchen, Gersweiler, St. Wendel, Saarlouis and Merzig. The Saarland state capital Saarbrücken is affected by floodingImage: Harald Tittel/dpa/picture alliance In some places, residents had to be moved from apartments in isolated streets. Some nursing homes, such as one in Marpingen, also had to be evacuated. Severe rain warnings were in effect for much of the west of the country on Friday, but Saarland ended up bearing the brunt of the downpour. Due to the severe flooding in Saarland, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz canceled a European Parliament election campaign appointment...

Bewohner des Kaßbergs berichteten von lauten, dumpfen Geräuschen in der Nacht zu Freitag. War ein Flugzeug so tief über Chemnitz unterwegs? Mehrere Bewohner des Kaßbergs berichteten am Freitagmorgen von ungewöhnlichen Geräuschen in der Nacht zuvor. Der wummernde Lärm trat gegen 23.15 Uhr auf. Auf Anfrage der „Freien Presse“ erklärte ein Mitarbeiter des Luftfahrtamts der Bundeswehr, dass zu dieser Zeit ein Lufthansa-Flugzeug im Landeanflug auf den Flughafen Dresden unterwegs… Registrieren und testen. Schon Abonnent? Melden Sie sich mit Ihren Zugangsdaten an. Jetzt anmelden Deutsche Welle

When heavy metal bands like Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, and Black Sabbath emerged in the 1970s, the scene was dominated by men. It was mainly due to gender roles back then. Metal was considered hard, aggressive and loud, which did not correspond to “traditional female” attributes. Metal queen Doro Pesch on stageImage: picture alliance/dpa Yet from the very beginning, women were part of the scene as fans and musicians. In 1990, Ax’n’ Sex, a band with a female lead singer, performed in Wacken. In the following years, the band from Kiel played there again repeatedly. The same goes for metal icon Doro Pesch, who performed at the renowned heavy metal festival Wacken for the first time in 1993. Members of the Brazilian heavy metal band NervosaImage: DW Join us in Wacken, where we dive deep into the history of women in the metal scene and meet key bands and singers...

Germany’s upper legislature, the Bundestag, on Friday gave the final approval to a law that smoothes the way for people to change their gender and first name by simply making a public declaration. Opponents of the existing system, requiring a court decision, complain it is invasive, costly and humiliating. What is the Self-Determination Act? Under the current transsexual law, people may officially change their first name and gender only after they have been assessed by two psychiatrists and the court has given its permission. The Self-Determination Act would allow these changes to be made in a simple procedure. The law defines a trans person as someone who does not identify with the gender they were assigned at birth, or not solely with that gender. The legislation also applies to those who do not identify exclusively as male or female, termed nonbinary people. The law would require people to inform registry offices three months before...

Am Vormittag ist eine Streikkundgebung der Lokführergewerkschaft GDL am Chemnitzer Hauptbahnhof geplant. Der Arbeitgeber hat vorab einen Gruß an den Gewerkschaftschef ausgebracht. Der Chef der Lokführergewerkschaft GDL Claus Weselsky wird am Vormittag am Chemnitzer Hauptbahnhof erwartet. Die Gewerkschaft hat erneut zum Streik bei der Citybahn Chemnitz aufgerufen und will mit einer Kundgebung auf ihrer Forderungen aufmerksam machen. Das Unternehmen, das mehrere Nah- und Regionalverkehrsverbindungen in Chemnitz und Umgebung… Registrieren und testen. Schon Abonnent? Melden Sie sich mit Ihren Zugangsdaten an. Jetzt anmelden Deutsche Welle

Firefighters and police officials say it is unclear what exactly caused a massive early-morning explosion and fire on Thursday in the western German city of Düsseldorf, the capital of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. However, officials did say there were no preliminary indications of foul play or arson. The fire broke out after an explosion in the ground-floor food and beverage shop of a six-story building jarred residents from their sleep, shattering windows in neighboring houses. Flames quickly engulfed the site, with panicked residents calling emergency services and those on lower floors jumping from balconies onto the glass-strewn street below. Scores of firefighters battled flames and saved people trapped on balconies More than 100 firefighters, police and emergency services workers were at the site to extinguish the fire, evacuate those trapped on balconies and assist those in need. The Düsseldorf Fire Department said some 70 people were attended to during the...

DUH (Deutsche Umwelthilfe, or Environmental Action Germany) won its case against the German government in the higher administrative court of Berlin-Brandenburg in the German capital on Thursday.  The court’s ruling upholds lawsuits brought by Environmental Action Germany alleging that current federal measures to reduce CO2 emissions in various sectors are insufficient, and will fall short of the government’s own legally binding targets for the coming years.  Members of the DUH protested outside of the court building, holding banners and pictures of government members. DUH said the placards were a selection of quotes from concerned members or members of the public. “Numerous people voiced support for the lawsuit ahead of time and demanded sufficient climate protection measures. We are taking all of their statements with us, both outside and inside the court,” the group said online.  What was the case about?  DUH sued for a sufficient climate protection program in the...

Die neue Spielzeit der Theater Chemnitz steht ganz im Zeichen des Kulturhauptstadtjahrs 2025. Doch ob Ballett, Oper, Orchester oder Theater – das heimische Publikum steht bei aller Internationalität im Fokus. Zuweilen verschwimmen die Genregrenzen. Nicht immer muss ein Musical in einem Mehrspartenhaus beim Musiktheater angesiedelt sein. Das Chemnitzer Schauspiel beispielsweise hat in der Vergangenheit sehr gute Erfahrungen mit musikalischen Produktionen gemacht, in denen ein Künstler im Mittelpunkt steht. „Ring of Fire“ mit Philipp von… Registrieren und testen. Schon Abonnent? Melden Sie sich mit Ihren Zugangsdaten an. Jetzt anmelden Deutsche Welle

The Munich Public Prosecutor’s Office on Thursday said it was investigating money laundering activities by a far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) lawmaker. Separately, officials for Germany’s lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, said the legislature had lifted the parliamentary immunity of AfD member Petr Bystron. Bystron, who is the second candidate on his party’s election ticket for the 2024 European elections, is under scrutiny for alleged connections with pro-Russian networks. What we know about the searches The prosecutor’s office said searches were being conducted at several venues. These included an office in Berlin, in the Bavarian districts of Munich, Erding and Deggendorf, and on the Spanish island of Mallorca. The Munich office said 11 public prosecutors and around 60 officers from the Bavarian police force were deployed. However, the office did not confirm the name of the individual being investigated. A prosecutor’s spokesman said properties of witnesses who were not accused in the proceedings...

Germany’s Euro 2024 squad has been announced, with uncapped Bayern Munich midfielder Aleksandar Pavlovic, Hoffenheim’s forward Maximilian Beier and Stuttgart forward Chris Führich the big surprise inclusions. Alongside veterans Manuel Neuer, Thomas Müller, Toni Kroos, and captain Ilkay Gündogan, the preliminary squad also included Führich’s Stuttgart teammates striker Deniz Undav and defenders Waldemar Anton and Maximilian Mittelstädt. Leon Goretzka,  Mats Hummels and Julian Brandt were surprise omissions, with head coach Julian Nagelsmann preferring the aforementioned Pavlovic and Eintracht Frankfurt’s Robin Koch. The 27-man squad will be reduced to the tournament maximum of 26 by June 7 at the latest, when Germany play their final friendly before the Euros. Nagelsmann confirmed however, that all four goalkeepers will go to the Euros, meaning one outfield player will likely be dropped. The manner in which the German FA (DFB) announced the squad caused perhaps even more of a stir than the choice of players. DFB continue connection campaign...