"Women in the northern German town of Lüchow have expressed their dissatisfaction with the design of two urinals in the men's toilet of a museum dedicated to the Rolling Stones. They are shaped like red lips, similar to the legendary logo of the band, but they look more feminine, and they lack tongues. Local activist Roda Armbruster wants the urinals removed. 'That's discrimination against women,' she told regional broadcaster NDR. 'Why does it have to be a woman's mouth? If it had been based on the emblem of the Stones with the tongue, it would have been OK. But the tongue's been left out and they really looks like women's mouths.'"

"A man who sometimes likes to dress as Santa Claus continues to haunt Berlin Christmas markets this week, offering drinks spiked with what is believed to be the drug liquid ecstasy to unsuspecting revelers. Police have been trying to hunt down the man the tabloid press here have dubbed 'Bad Santa' for over a week now, and on Wednesday they released a composite sketch of the suspect based on descriptions provided by witnesses."

"At around 6:25 p.m. on Monday evening, an armed robber wearing a ski mask and a long black coat forced his way into a private home in the town of Schwanewede after a babysitter answered the door, police reported Wednesday. Hearing the commotion, two small children in the house came downstairs — holding their piggy banks. They approached the gunman, who had been holding his weapon under the babysitter's nose, and offered him their life savings. The man lowered his weapon and left without a word."

"The Italians love to drink. That doesn't necessarily mean they're good at it." READ MORE

"Graffiti courses targeting senior citizens are inspiring Germany's older generations to learn the art of spraying. Some see the endeavor as a good way to bridge the generation gap. But others go rogue with their new hobby, tagging city streets using skills learned in class."

"One month ahead of a state election in Berlin, the far-right extremist NPD party is under fire for a provocative new campaign poster. Party leader Udo Voigt is pictured on a motorcycle with a phrase that translates to 'step on the gas,' a slogan many are reading as an open allusion to Nazi death chambers."

This Michael Lewis piece on Germany and its financial industry is incredibly long and incredibly worth it.

"A crazy plan to make German footballers in World War Two play a 'Blitzkrieg' game that copied the tactics of battlefield warriors has been found in a German archive. Devoted Nazi Karl Oberhuber accused the national team trainer Sepp Herberger – the coach for 28 years who led postwar West Germany to its first World Cup win in 1954 – of being 'too Jewish' in his training methods."