All articles tagged with #germany
Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Germany faces real threats after another explosive drone was found near Leipzig airport, with investigators probing the incident and the government weighing expanded intelligence powers to counter hybrid attackers.
If the AfD wins Saxony-Anhalt, Germany’s political establishment is weighing containment options—from excluding the party from sensitive interior-minister discussions and building information barriers to potentially cutting its fiscal support or even using federal coercion. Experts warn these moves could backfire by fueling AfD grievances or degrading intelligence sharing with allies, while some argue that governing the party might prove a more effective constraint than any tactic.
Sixteen people were injured when a coach carrying more than 50 German high-school students and four teachers collided with a delivery van near Wezep, Netherlands, crashed through a guardrail and overturned; eight of the injured, including the van driver, were seriously hurt, with all treated at hospitals as investigators probe the cause. It was unclear how many of the wounded were students.
A Mannheim councilor proposed hosting group-sex parties at city hall to transform the city into a 'swingers paradise,' claiming about 50 locals are interested and likening it to Cap d’Agde; officials doubt the plan's legality and feasibility, but he says the aim is to destigmatize swinging and boost revenue, and will seek permits.
German authorities say a cache of weapons found in Berlin was intended for attacks; authorities are investigating the case and tracing suspects.
Berlin plans almost €12 billion to field a four‑part long‑range weapons buildup intended to deter Russia, including a mass‑produced low‑cost cruise missile for fielding by 2027, U.S.-made Tomahawks to be stationed in Germany by the end of the decade, and European hypersonic/other high‑end missiles developed with the U.K.; the plan also features Typhon‑Tomahawk capability and contracts aimed at mass production, with funding pending Bundestag approval. It seeks to hit targets deep behind the front and sustain conventional deterrence below nuclear threshold, reflecting Ukraine lessons and marking a shift toward multiple missile types rather than a single European system.
Germany is investigating possible Russian links in the discovery of a weapons cache, as anger grows after it emerges the Berlin Pride attacker had been freed weeks earlier, prompting questions about why he was not imprisoned.
Germany recorded roughly 14,000 heat-related deaths this summer according to the Robert Koch Institute, with about 9,600 deaths in one late-June week during temperatures above 40C. Spain and France also reported thousands of heat-related deaths, underscoring how heat amplifies pre-existing conditions rather than always being the direct cause. The data has spurred calls for stronger climate adaptation, including more air conditioning in hospitals and nursing homes and possible constitutional changes to enshrine climate protections.
German authorities found a stash of handguns in a forest near Berlin believed to be intended for Russian intelligence-backed assassinations; a suspect was reportedly arrested in Romania as investigators from the federal prosecutor’s office and the domestic intelligence service probe the operation and potential orders from Russia, with targets including defense industry figures, exiled opposition, and Ukraine supporters.
Ukrainian suspect Volodymyr Zhuravlyov, linked to the 2022 Nord Stream sabotage, was arrested in Croatia under a German European arrest warrant while working as an adviser on the film Snake Island, starring Adrien Brody and Sean Penn; Germany seeks his extradition, after Poland previously refused to extradite him.
The NHL announced a multiyear partnership with Bayern Munich to grow hockey in Germany, adding four regular-season games in coming years (Bruins in Munich in 2027-28 and Oilers in Cologne) after two 2026 Düsseldorf games, plus joint branding, content, and merchandise; Bayern’s massive global following will help expand the NHL’s European footprint, with potential for future outdoor games at the Allianz Arena and further Germany-based events through 2028-29.
A second Ukrainian national linked to the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline blasts was arrested in Croatia and will be extradited to Germany, where prosecutors say he helped coordinate the attacks with an ex-Ukrainian army officer; the first suspect has already been charged, Kyiv says it has limited information to comment, and authorities say the aim was to permanently halt gas deliveries through Nord Stream 1 and 2.
A Ukrainian man was arrested in Croatia on suspicion of taking part in the September 2022 Nord Stream pipeline explosions, allegedly one of the divers who planted the explosives; the arrest makes him the second suspect in the case, with other Ukrainians previously arrested in Poland and Italy and now facing extradition to Germany; prosecutors say a yacht near Bornholm was used to plant charges, the blasts disrupted the Russia–Germany gas link, Kyiv denies involvement, and Germany maintains jurisdiction over the case.
German lawmakers from across the governing coalition condemned Itamar Ben-Gvir’s call for nightly targeted killings in Gaza and urged the EU to sanction him, a stance spanning conservatives, SPD, Greens, Left and AfD. While the push signals broad disapproval, EU sanctions require unanimity and Berlin has not yet acted, wary that timing could influence Israel’s October elections.
Gamescom 2026 will host nearly 50 country pavilions from 40 nations—up 25% from 2025—on a sold-out 233,000 square meters of show floor, with over 1,600 exhibitors from 67 countries; Bulgaria, Cyprus, Hungary, Morocco and Nigeria are new exhibitors, and the event features the largest indie area to date plus Gamescom Dev with 380+ speakers, running August 26–30 in Cologne, Germany.