Germany

People in Germany are driving more again

In a reversal of a trend, people in Germany are driving more again. According to data from the the Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA), personal cars registered in Germany covered 594…

Read More Here

Germany outlines emergency draft plans

A bill to be put forward by Defense Minister Boris Pistorius would allow the Cabinet, with parliamentary agreement, to call up conscripts if a situation arises that requires a rapid…

Read More Here

Merz supports not flying rainbow flag on German parliament during Pride

Germany Chancellor Friedrich Merz has supported a move not to fly the rainbow flag — a symbol of the LGBTQI+ community — on the Reichstag building in Berlin during Pride celebrations.…

Read More Here

Syrian juvenile charged with Taylor Swift concert plot

Germany has charged a Syrian juvenile with supporting a foreign terrorist organization for helping to plan a foiled attack on a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna last year, the prosecutor…

Read More Here

Germany to stop funding migrant rescue ships in Mediterranean

Germany is cutting financial support for charities that rescue migrants at risk of drowning in the Mediterranean, saying it will redirect resources to addressing conditions in source countries that spur…

Read More Here

Germany to hire 11,000 more military personnel this year

The German government will provide funds for an extra 11,000 military personnel by the end of the year, an increase of around 4%, tabloid Bild reported, citing government sources. The…

Read More Here

Germany will need thousands more troops under new NATO targets, says defence minister

Germany's military, the Bundeswehr, will require an estimated 50,000 to 60,000 additional troops to meet NATO's updated defense requirements amid the growing threat from Russia, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said…

Read More Here

Germany to Make It Easier to Declare Countries Safe in Curbs on Asylum

The German government plans to make it easier to declare certain countries of origin safe under a push to reduce the number of asylum seekers, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said…

Read More Here

Russia may attack Nato in next four years, German defence chief warns

Members of the Western alliance Nato need to prepare for a possible attack from Russia within the next four years, according to Germany's chief of defence. General Carsten Breuer told…

Read More Here

Germany steps up to replace ‘unreliable’ US as guarantor of European security

By Stefan Wolff, Professor of International Security, University of Birmingham Two statements from world leaders this week bear closer examination. On May 27, the US president Donald Trump took to…

Read More Here

Trump spurs questions about safety of Germany’s gold in New York

The safety of Germany's gold reserves held overseas and in New York in particular, until recently mainly a talking point for the country's far-right party and gold bugs, is becoming…

Read More Here

German government restricts migrant family reunification, path to citizenship

Germany's government approved measures to restrict family reunification for migrants and delay citizenship access on Wednesday, forging ahead with a major shift in migration policy under conservative Chancellor Friedrich Merz.…

Read More Here

Germany shifts tone on Israel over ‘incomprehensible’ Gaza carnage

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz delivered his strongest criticism yet of Israel’s massive airstrikes on Gaza, calling them "no longer justified" or "comprehensible" in the fight against Hamas. Speaking at a…

Read More Here

German Chancellor Merz sees no sign war in Ukraine will end soon

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Wednesday dampened expectations of a quick end to the war in Ukraine. "There are currently no signs that this war will end quickly," Merz said…

Read More Here

Germans narrowly back weekly working hours limit over daily cap

A narrow majority of German residents support replacing the current daily working hours limit with a weekly cap, according to a new YouGov survey. The poll, conducted for dpa, found…

Read More Here

Germany warns draft may return if troop numbers fall short

Germany may return to conscription if too few people volunteer for the military, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius warned Wednesday. Speaking in his first parliamentary address since the new government took…

Read More Here

UPDATED: Germany’s Merz wins vote for chancellor after surviving historic defeat

German conservative leader Friedrich Merz has won a parliament vote to become Germany's next chancellor at the second attempt. Merz had initially fallen six votes short of the absolute majority…

Read More Here

Germany’s Merz to form government after SPD backs coalition deal with conservatives

Germany’s coalition government is set to take power after the Social Democrats (SPD) voted to join forces with the CDU/CSU conservatives, clearing the way for Friedrich Merz to become chancellor…

Read More Here

Germany says it will step up military role in NATO amid increased uncertainty

NATO can count on Berlin to step up its contribution to the defence of Europe as the Atlantic alliance faces a future more uncertain than 70 years ago when Germany…

Read More Here

Merz Names New Foreign Minister

Johann Wadephul, a veteran conservative and defense policy expert, is set to become Germany’s next foreign minister at a crucial juncture in Europe’s relationship with traditional allies and adversaries. His…

Read More Here

German doctor charged with murder of 15 patients

A German palliative care doctor has been charged with murdering 15 of his patients using a cocktail of lethal drugs. Prosecutors in Berlin have accused the 40-year-old of setting fire…

Read More Here

New German coalition to abolish 3-year citizenship path

The next German government consisting of the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU)/Christian Social Union (CSU) alliance and the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) will abolish a 3-year expedited path to citizenship…

Read More Here

Germany is back, says Merz, after sealing government deal

Germany's conservatives under Friedrich Merz have reached a deal with the Social Democrats to govern Europe's biggest economy, five months after the previous government collapsed. Merz, 69, said their agreement…

Read More Here

Far-right Alternative for Germany leads opinion poll for first time

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) on Wednesday finished top of a German opinion poll for the first time, hours before the next governing coalition in Berlin was set to…

Read More Here

UPDATED: Germany temporarily halts resettlement of UN refugees

Germany has temporarily suspended any further admission of refugees via a UN resettlement programme, the dpa news agency reported on Tuesday, citing the interior ministry and the UN refugee agency…

Read More Here

Global crackdown on Kidflix, a major child sexual exploitation platform with almost two million users

Kidflix, one of the largest paedophile platforms in the world, has been shut down in an international operation against child sexual exploitation. The investigation was supported by Europol and led…

Read More Here

Germany’s military faces severe staffing shortages and aging personnel

An official report on the state of the German military painted a grim picture this week, with a whopping 28% of positions among the lower enlisted ranks unfilled as of…

Read More Here

Germany’s Merz wants European nuclear weapons to boost US shield

German Chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz on Sunday said he would like talks with France and Britain about sharing their nuclear weapons, but not as a substitute for U.S. nuclear protection of…

Read More Here

Germany’s next government wants to do ‘whatever it takes’ to boost defence

The prospective partners in Germany’s next government have said they will seek to loosen rules on running up debt to allow for higher defence spending. Centre-right election winner Friedrich Merz,…

Read More Here

Mannheim attack: ‘It’s daily news now, here in Germany’

Like many towns and cities in Germany's western states this week, Mannheim should be full of revelers celebrating the final colorful and joyous days of the annual Carnival season. Though its…

Read More Here

German police on alert after ISIS calls for carnival attacks

Police are on high alert ahead of Germany’s traditional carnival celebrations this week after social media connected to the ISIS militant group called for attacks targeting revelers in Cologne and…

Read More Here

German election: Merz’s CDU wins election, AfD second

Friedrich Merz's CDU/CSU conservative alliance has won the general election with 28.6% of the vote, according to preliminary results announced by Germany's federal electoral body. The far-right Alternative for Germany…

Read More Here

German voters demand change as Europe’s biggest economy stalls

Germany's economic model, once driven by cheap Russian gas and strong exports to China, is no longer sustainable, leaving the country in stagnation and uncertainty. Developing a new growth strategy…

Read More Here

UPDATED: Man drives into crowd in Munich, Perpetrator must be punished and leave the country, German leader says

Munich police said Thursday afternoon there was no public danger after a car drove into a group of people earlier in the day in the capital city of Germany's southern state…

Read More Here

Germany offers maternity leave for women after miscarriage

The German Bundestag, or lower house of parliament, on Thursday evening passed a law that extends maternity leave protection to women who suffer a miscarriage after 13 weeks of pregnancy.…

Read More Here

Merkel Criticises Leader of Her CDU Party for Cooperating With German Far-Right

Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel criticised the leader of her Christian Democrats (CDU), Friedrich Merz, for drawing on support from the far-right to pass a motion in parliament, in a…

Read More Here

As Holocaust is commemorated, Jewish groups warn of rising antisemitism

On International Holocaust Remembrance Day, on January 27, people remember the six million Jews and millions of other victims of Nazi persecution during WWII. Monday marks the 80th anniversary of…

Read More Here

Violent human traffickers halted in Germany and Hungary

The German Criminal Inspectorate (Karlsruhe Kriminalinspektion) and the Hungarian National Bureau of Investigation THB Unit (Nemzeti Nyomozó Iroda Emberkereskedelem Elleni Osztály), supported by Europol, have dismantled a criminal network involved…

Read More Here

UPDATED: Two killed in German park in stabbing attack; Afghan suspect arrested

A 28-year-old man from Afghanistan was arrested following a knife attack on Wednesday in a park in Bavarian town of Aschaffenburg in which two people were killed, including a toddler,…

Read More Here

Germany and US have long been allies – that could change with Trump

By Sylvia Taschka, Professor of Teaching of History, Wayne State University Less than 24 hours after Donald Trump was elected president of the United States in November 2024, the German…

Read More Here

Currently ‘no prospect’ of charges against Madeleine McCann suspect: German prosecutor

The German prosecutor investigating the disappearance of British toddler Madeleine McCann has said there is currently no prospect of charges being brought against the main suspect in the case, Sky…

Read More Here

Foot-and-mouth outbreak in Germany forces meat and dairy export ban

Germany is facing international restrictions on its meat and dairy exports following its first outbreak of highly contagious foot-and-mouth disease in over 30 years. As a result, the EU's largest…

Read More Here

AfD embraces mass deportation of migrants as German election nears

Germany's far-right party, Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), is on the rise, buoyed by recent regional successes and its radicalised agenda. At its conference in Riesa, Saxony, the party outlined plans…

Read More Here

German police investigate suspected Russian espionage at military bases

German police have launched an investigation into suspected cases of Russian espionage after drones were spotted over several military installations in Bavaria, according to a statement on Monday. Against the…

Read More Here

Musk hosts German far-right leader on X, stirs angst about election meddling

Elon Musk urged Germans to vote for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) in an upcoming national election during a broadcast he hosted with the party's leader on his social…

Read More Here

Two police officers in Berlin injured in explosion

Two police officers have been injured, one seriously, following an explosion on Thursday night outside a police building in Berlin. Authorities in the German capital said the officers were on a routine security…

Read More Here

Olaf Scholz: German election ‘will not be decided by social media owners’

The German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, has urged voters not to let the “owners of social media channels” decide next year’s snap election, after Elon Musk repeatedly endorsed the far-right party…

Read More Here

What is known so far about the Magdeburg market attack

Here is what we know so far about the man who was arrested as the suspected driver in a car-ramming attack on Friday at a Christmas market in the German…

Read More Here

Scholz loses confidence vote against his government, triggering early elections

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has lost a confidence vote in parliament, leading to its dissolution and the call for fresh national elections. The result clears the way for snap elections…

Read More Here

German Christmas markets get creative as prices hit new highs

For Eva Henschke, Germany's Christmas markets are a chance to temporarily forget about the colder, darker days with a hot mug of mulled wine or eggnog and a bratwurst off…

Read More Here

Three parties combine to keep victorious far-right at bay in east German state

Three parties in the eastern German state of Thuringia joined forces on Thursday to keep the election-winning Alternative for Germany out of power, electing as state premier a conservative who…

Read More Here

Germany’s SPD nominates Scholz as chancellor candidate

Germany's ruling Social Democrats officially made Chancellor Olaf Scholz their lead candidate for February's election, billing him as a safe pair of hands compared with the opposition conservatives contender who…

Read More Here

Germany draws up list of bunkers amid Russia tensions

Germany is drawing up a list of bunkers that could provide emergency shelter for civilians, the interior ministry has said, at a time of rising tensions with Russia. The list…

Read More Here

At least 20 people were arrested in major European people smuggling sting

In a significant blow to human trafficking networks, authorities across Europe conducted a coordinated operation targeting a Syrian-organised crime group involved in one of the continent’s largest people smuggling rings.…

Read More Here

Germany’s Scholz calls for compromise as opposition leader lays out election bid

During the first Bundestag session since the collapse of Germany's ruling coalition last week, the leader of the largest opposition party, Friedrich Merz, outlined his vision for the country's future…

Read More Here

Germany’s SPD, Greens, conservatives propose Feb 23 for election

Germany's Social Democrats, Greens and conservatives have proposed Feb. 23 as a date for a new election, sources told Reuters on Tuesday. The Rheinische Post newspaper first reported the date.…

Read More Here

Germany may hold election sooner than planned, Scholz says

Olaf Scholz could hold a vote of confidence in his leadership that would pave the way for new elections sooner than planned, he said Sunday night following pressure from across…

Read More Here