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Civil rights

Germany takes strong stance on gay rights

A gay couple holds hands in Nigeria

Homosexuals are marginalized in many countries: some 80 nations make homosexuality punishable by law. Germany has put renewed emphasis on gay rights, and is working with the EU to protect homosexuals everywhere.

UN chief Ban tells African Union summit to uphold gay rights

Security

Syrian agents intimidate dissidents in Germany

ARCHIV - Ein Polizist steht am 28.12.2011 in Berlin vor der syrischen Botschaft. Am Dienstag (07.2.2012)teilte die Bundesanwaltschaft in Karlsruhe mit, das in Berlin zwei mutmaßliche Spione aus dem Libanon und Syrien festgenommen wurden. Sie würden verdächtigt, für einen syrischen Geheimdienst in Deutschland lebende Oppositionelle beobachtet und ausgeforscht zu haben. Foto: Maurizio Gambarini dpa/lbn +++(c) dpa - Bildfunk+++

Two alleged Syrian spies have been arrested for spying on Syrian dissidents in Germany. The intelligence agencies say that such spying is by no means rare but they do what they can to protect them.

Germany vows to press on despite Syria UN veto

Suspected Syrian spies arrested in Germany

Trade

Kazakh-German link

Kazakhstan hopes to win the EU as another key trading partner alongside Russia and China.

Germany signs deal with thorny partner Kazakhstan

POLITICS

Two pupils watch the proceedings at the state parliament in Stuttgart

Party's over

Fed up with party politics, many independent voters are after new forms of political engagement.

Government surveillance of Left party has murky legal basis

Cold snap in Germany

Germany Today

A Berlin bus driver offers shelter for the homeless on winter nights.

  • Congratulations from the Art World

    Gerhard Richter Turns 80

    Congratulations from the Art World

    On February 9th, one of Germany's most important contemporary painters, Gerhard Richter turns 80 years old. Museums in Paris, Dresden and Berlin will join in the celebrations and Berlin’s New National Gallery will present a comprehensive retrospective of his work. The exhibition includes some 150 paintings spanning the painter's lifetime.

  • East-West Biography

    Gerhard Richter Turns 80

    East-West Biography

    After leaving school at 16, Richter worked initially painting sets for amateur theatre productions. In 1951 he was accepted at the Art Academy in Dresden and only managed to come to West Germany in 1961 just prior to the construction of the Berlin Wall. He then studied at the Düsseldorf Art Academy until 1963.

  • Politically Motivated

    Gerhard Richter Turns 80

    Politically Motivated

    It took some time for Gerhard Richter to establish his career after his move to the West. Together with fellow artists Sigmar Polke and Konrad Lueg, he started the "Capitalist Realism" movement - an ironic response to the "Socialist Realism" of the GDR. The painting "Negro" (Nuba) is from 1964.

  • Family Pictures

    Gerhard Richter Turns 80

    Family Pictures

    The painting "Betty" is what is termed an "anti-portrait", as it shows Richter’s daughter from behind. Indeed none of his other motives have been reproduced as often as this one in catalogs, posters and postcards. In 2001, a survey was conducted by the art magazine "Frieze," with gallery owners, art collectors and critics, who chose "Betty" as one of the five most popular motifs in art history.

  • Seascapes

    Gerhard Richter Turns 80

    Seascapes

    Gerhard Richter painted his first large-scale seascapes at the end of the sixties. In the Seascape "See-See," from 1970, the gray sky reflects an upside-down gray ocean. In the painting, Richter simply painted two bodies of water that meet in the middle. To the human eye though the upper sea looks like the sky.

  • Enlightenment

    Gerhard Richter Turns 80

    Enlightenment

    Just like images of the sea, Gerhard Richter regularly utilizes the image of a burning candle as a motif in his paintings. The painting "Candle" from 1982 is one of a series the German artist painted in the early 80s. It is a symbol of the silent protest against the socialist regime by East Germans.

  • Controversial history

    Gerhard Richter Turns 80

    Controversial history

    In 1988 Richter caused a sensation with his series, the "Stammheim cycle". The title "October 18, 1977" refers to the day when four arrested members of the Red Army faction (RAF) – a terrorist organization - were found dead in their prison cells. Faint photographic images portray the youthful image of terrorist Ulrike Meinhof, the suicides and the prisoners burial in Stuttgart.

  • Shimmering Pixels

    Gerhard Richter Turns 80

    Shimmering Pixels

    Gerhard Richter has used color charts in his work since 1966. The work "4096 colors", which he designed for the Cologne Cathedral, was inaugurated in 2006. It consists of 11,500 colored glass panes. Depending on the sun's position, the work creates different points of light that dance throughout the cathedral.

  • Portrait Painting
    more

    Gerhard Richter Turns 80

    Portrait Painting

    Over the last fifty years Gerhard Richter has created around 1000 pieces of art. Real-life people play an intricate part in many of them and he often uses photographs as a basis for his paintings. Richter married Sabine Moritz in 1995 and created his painting "Girl Reading" in 1994. The picture alludes to Johannes Vermeer’s masterpiece "The Letter Reader".

People and politics: The political magazine

Under Fire - The Flaws and Failings of Germany’s Domestic Intelligence

Series: Taking Germany’s Pulse

No GM in Germany - Genetically Modified Foods Not Welcome

Culture Column

Scene in Berlin

Goodbye to Berlin's corner pubs

New Mediterranean migrants feel at home in Berlin

Strolling Berlin's Gaza Strip

Germany in focus

Reports from Germany

Cologne's favorite beer makes new friends abroad

Old-style photo booths revived in Berlin

Board game designers on a roll in Germany

Visit Germany

Bronze statue of Bach next to the St.Thomas church in Leipzig

A visit to Bach locations

Follow in the footseps of J.S. Bach with a trip through Eisenach, Köthen Castle and Leipzig.

Leipzig – three travel tips

Word of the week

Laufpass

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