The Local Germany, 22 November 2019 Gemütlichkeit is one of my favourite German words because it denotes coziness and warmth. And now that winter is here, the country embraces this attitude, wholeheartedly, in cafes and bars, with candles, blankets and warm drinks. Yet winter in Germany also brings with it something distinctly un-positive: second-hand smoke. In […]
Category: news
Audio: 30 years since the Berlin Wall came down
In November 2019, I joined Radio New Zealand (RNZ), a New Zealand public-service radio broadcaster, in an interview to talk about the 30th anniversary of the Peaceful Revolution in Germany, and the fall of the Berlin Wall. You can listen here.
Berlin holds its first African literary festival
Deutsche Welle, 25 April 2018 Berlin’s first literature festival with and by African writers, “Writing in Migration” explores these authors’ trans-cultural experiences. Ahead of the event, DW spoke to three authors taking part in its program Migration, identity and storytelling will be in the spotlight at a groundbreaking new literature festival by African writers. Around […]
Berlin Irish campaign to repeal Eighth Amendment
The Irish Times, April 9 2018 Banner at the warehouse hidden inside a bare industrial estate between Berlin’s diverse Neukölln and Treptow areas. Photograph: Rachel Loxton If it wasn’t for a giant banner of a pair of knickers on the wall, it would look like a typical Friday night at a Berlin club. The poster, […]
The Shocking (and healthy) truth about bread
The Debrief, March 12, 2018 (picture: Studio Pop) © Studio Pop Spoiler: It Isn’t The Enemy There are few situations that can’t be helped with toasted bread and a generous helping of butter. It’s what I eat to cheer myself up when I’m ill or hungover, when I’m in need of a late night snack that’s […]
Shifting political contours in Germany
Cable Magazine Scotland, November 1 2017 The German elections in September saw Angela Merkel win a fourth term as German Chancellor. However, her victory was somewhat overshadowed by the shifting political terrain in Germany. Writing from Berlin, Rachel Loxton reflects upon the mood of the election and casts an eye across the issues facing German politics. As […]
German Election special: The main players
One of the many things I’ve learned since moving to Germany is that politics doesn’t start and end with the UK. Obviously world politics has always been interesting – and is a hyped-up crazy spectacle right now – but I feel the UK is fairly inward looking. It always frustrated me that the newspaper industry in Scotland, […]
When Nigel Farage visited Berlin
Here’s a short tale about the time a man, nicknamed “Mr Brexit”, was invited by a far-right political party to speak at a rally of their supporters in Berlin. It was a slightly bizarre setting. A renaissance fortress, in Spandau, west Berlin, was taken over last Friday by members of the Alternative for Deutschland (AfD) […]
March 5 2017: Extremism on the march – Nazi shadow hangs over Germany’s resurgent far right
Sunday Herald, March 5 2017 AMONG all of Germany’s political parties the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) was the only one to cheer on Donald Trump’s surprise presidential victory. The party, founded just four years ago on the back of the Euro debt crisis, may appear to stand alone but it has managed to gain […]
February 17 2017: Helping refugees in Berlin – it’s no joke, but a Scots comedian is doing his bit
Positively Scottish, February 17 2017 For tens of thousands of refugees who have fled war-torn countries, settling into life in a European city like Berlin is not easy. But Scottish comedian and former DJ Neil Numb is hoping to give them something to laugh about. The 43-year-old from Edinburgh has teamed up with charity arts […]
September 9 2016: Aberdeen DJs at heart and soul of 70s sound
The Evening Express, September 9 2016 It could have gone either way for Steve Willox.
July 5 2016: Fighting to win back trust: Inside Aberdeen’s crematorium
The Evening Express, July 5 2016 Families are gathering at the front of Hazlehead Crematorium as they get ready to say goodbye to their loved one.
Rachel Loxton 