Germany

Germany has become the first major European country to legalise cannabis for personal recreational use. Under a new law which came into force yesterday, adults may possess up to 50 grams of cannabis and three plants at home and carry up to 25 grams of cannabis in public.

Lawmakers in Germany have voted to approve the partial legalisation of cannabis. The legislation advanced by the country's ruling coalition was backed by 407 parliamentarians. 226 voted against the bill and only four abstained.

A German court has rejected the extradition of an Albanian man to the UK over concerns about British prison conditions – in the second judgment of its kind this year. In June, an Irish court made the same decision when it declined to extradite an individual to Scotland, citing concerns that he

A right-wing judge was among those arrested on suspicion of plotting to storm the Reichstag and overthrow the German government.

An antisemitic sculpture can remain on the facade of a church, Germany's highest court has ruled. The 13th century Judensau in the eastern town of Wittenberg depicts a rabbi lifting the tail of a sow while two Jewish children suckle at its teats.

Germany has abolished a Nazi-era law that prohibited doctors from advertising their abortion services. The 1933 law, which was adopted after Hitler came to power, prohibits the “promotion” of abortion, which is punishable by “up to two years of imprisonment or a fine”.

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has ruled that a German autobahn toll proposal which would have put the burden of cost solely on the owners and drivers of cars registered in other EU member states is contrary to EU law. In an unusual move, infringement proceedings were brought against Germany by