Germany news

Germany news

Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

People born in 1990 are more likely to have an immigration background, and more likely to be highly educated, than the general German population. As the country marks its 35th anniversary, here's a look at how the nation's 35-year-olds are living. People who were born in 1990 are the same age as Germany itself, as that was the year in which the former countries of East- and West Germany were officially unified to form the nation as we know it today.

Last month, Matthias Blubaum did something no other German chess player had in 35 years by qualifying for the World Championship Candidates Tournament. The 28-year-old did so by coming second at the FIDE Grand Swiss Tournament, held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. This means he will be competing against seven other elite players for the right to take on current world champion Gukesh Dommaraju for the title.

"We're really behind when it comes to defending against drones," Defense Minister Boris Pistorius recently admitted. Uncertainty is high after Russian drones invaded the airspace of several NATO countries in recent weeks. Suspected Russian drones have even been supposedly spotted over Germany. On the German television channel ZDF, Pistorius assured viewers that everything was being done "to make up for this shortcoming."

The German business recently sent an email to customers of its virtual private server (VPS) service, notifying them that an extra fee would be levied as of October 30. This charge comprises a monthly fee of £5 (excluding VAT) per Plesk license, which may not seem like much, but because each server a customer operates has its own Plesk license, the extra costs would soon mount up for anyone running more than a few server instances.

"You can't walk through our neighborhood without coming across antisemitic graffiti," says one Jewish woman living in Berlin, who wishes to remain anonymous. For her, antisemitism has become part of everyday life since October 7, 2023, when Hamas, a Palestinian militant group based in Gaza, led an incursion into southern Israel that killed 1,200 people and took 250 hostages. "I realize that I ask myself: where do we go from here?"

In the same week that drones were spotted over several European airports, a cyberattack against security software used by many of those same hubs including Berlin Airport left passengers and personnel scrambling. At the same time, Germany's Deutsche Bahn rail service experienced the latest in a series of high-level sabotage incidents. Similar cyberattacksare experienced by private companies with increasing regularity costing the economy 289 billion ($339 billion), according to Bitkom, the umbrella organization for the digital economy in Germany.

Large crowds waved Palestinian flags and banners reading "Free Palestine" and "Food and water are human rights" as they marched from Berlin's town hall. "Today we can send a signal that the majority, who are against Israel's policies and against this genocide, are visible on the streets and can take action," Dustin Hirschfeld, who took part in the "Together for Gaza" demonstration, told AFP. The protesters finished their march at Berlin's Victory Column monument, the site of a rally and concert by rappers and hip hop artists.

A VW spokesperson said: Volkswagen is adjusting the production programme at its plants to match current customer demand for the models built there. In some plants, this will lead to shift cancellations in the coming weeks, while in others it will result in additional shifts. Weekend shifts will be added at VW's Wolfsburg plant, which is considered the home of the company and its combustion engine cars.

Especially in the east, we see fears of decline, we see an unsettled population, and we all have the responsibility to ensure that... confidence returns,

The AfD is continuing to gain ground in the east, and it seems clear that (Merz's) strategy of trying to stop the AfD is not working,

We have to start to open up the gates and allow our companies to innovate much, much faster.

The survey, which sampled 20,000 people across ten countries (including Germany, France, Poland, the UK, the US, Japan, and India), found that 66 percent of respondents worldwide trust products bearing the "Made in Germany" label. This puts it ahead of Switzerland (in second place with 62 percent) and Japan (third, with 59 percent) in overall consumer confidence. The label influences purchasing decisions positively for 65 percent of respondents, again ahead of Switzerland and Japan, and enjoys a particularly strong reputation for cars and household appliances.

"Russia and China have in recent years rapidly expanded their capabilities for conducting warfare in space," said Pistorius.

As a result, the ECB has suggested storing some extra banknotes at home just in case electronic payment systems fail. In other words, most people across Europe are used to paying with their bank cards or via telephone apps but if these fail in a crisis, then the cash will be vital, the bank says. 'Enough to cover needs for 72 hours' The ECB says having cash at home can protect you from electronic payment system failure, which has happened in the past.

Having been summoned by a few clicks in an app, the electric car slows to a halt outside the former cargo hall of Berlin's now defunct Tegel airport. No one is at the wheel, but upon a passenger stepping inside, a voice announces: This is Bartek, I am your driver today. Please buckle up and we can be on our way.

While other world leaders address the United Nations General Assembly, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is speaking as part of the Bundestag's deliberations on Germany's 2026 federal budget. Leaders of the other parliamentary groups also plan to take the floor as part of the general debate, which is traditionally used for a broad confrontation over the federal government's policies as a whole. Later in the day, the individual budgets for the foreign, defense and development ministries are scheduled.

The 2026 budget is currently being debated in the lower house of parliament, the Bundestag. The draft was presented by Finance Minister and Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil and will be debated for around two months before being voted on at the end of November. The debates will not be easy. Many ministries will have to work with significantly smaller budgets because tax revenues are far from sufficient to cover government spending.

Germany has plans to spend €500 billion to modernise its crumbling infrastructure over the next decade. A new study highlights the challenges ahead - including a potentially catastrophic shortage of skilled labour. Passed by the Bundestag and pending Bundesrat approval, Germany's special fund for infrastructure ( Sondervermögens) is designed to rapidly upgrade Germany's roads, railways, energy supply, hospitals, schools and more.

Merz has made boosting Europe's biggest economy a priority but critics charge that, after four months in power, his government is moving too slowly and not living up to its promises of reform. During a meeting Monday with leaders of Germany's four top business associations, Merz faced a dressing-down for failing to take strong action in areas ranging from welfare reform to tackling onerous red tape, tabloid Bild reported.

We all know that reforms are overdue, in bureaucracy, in the welfare state, in the economy,

Now everything is supposed to get better. With a new boss, a realistic schedule, and a focus on passengers' expectations that trains run comfortably and reliably from A to B as scheduled. On Monday (22.9.2025) in Berlin, Patrick Schnieder, Minister of Transport in the Chancellor 's cabinet, introduced his choice for Deutsche Bahn's new CEO, Evelyn Palla, and presented his plan to improve Germany's railway.

Estonia said the UN security council would hold an emergency meeting on Monday over Russian fighter jets' violation of the country's airspace as Donald Trump expressed his displeasure at the incursion and said he would help defend European Union members if Russia intensified hostilities. Nato forces intercepted three Russian MiG-31 fighters on Friday after they entered Estonian airspace over the Gulf of Finland, triggering Nato and European complaints of a dangerous new provocation but a denial from Moscow.

The morning sun shines on lush vines as harvesters pick grapes. The hillside vineyard looks like it could be in Italy but lies near Berlin, where climate change has transformed winemaking. The 75-year-old owner, Manfred Lindicke, said that rising global temperatures over the decades had helped his grapes sweeten and ripen earlier. "When I started here in 1996, we used to harvest around October 1," he said. "Now we start on September 1."

Evelyn Palla is to become the first female CEO of Germany's Deutsche Bahn national rail operator, German media reported on Saturday. The Bild tabloid reported that Transport Minister Patrick Schneider would announce the appointment on Monday. According to the paper, Schneider will also present his overall plans for the company. There was no immediate comment from the ministry or from Deutsche Bahn.