- 2d ago
German government surveys 23 organizations on civilian service capacity as ASB demands 9-12 month term
The Family Ministry surveyed 23 organizations, with 22 indicating readiness to host conscientious objectors if conscription is reinstated. The Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund insists on at least nine months of service with real qualifications.
- Jul 25
Steinmeier promotes German Hiking Day in Erzgebirge: 20,000 guests, lynx return and a cross-border first
Patron Frank-Walter Steinmeier and wife Elke Büdenbender hiked a stretch of the Westerzgebirge, praising volunteers and the region’s lynx recovery, as organisers prepare for more than 20,000 visitors from across Europe.
- Jul 14
Germany's Rhine minister apologises for state failure on 5th anniversary of Ahr valley flood
Five years after the Ahr valley disaster that killed 135, Gordon Schnieder became the first Rhineland-Palatinate leader to explicitly apologise for state failures that night.
- Jul 14
At Ahr valley memorial, Steinmeier recalls 2021 flood deaths and warns Germany is still not ready for the next one
Bundespräsident Frank-Walter Steinmeier led memorials in Düsseldorf and the Ahr valley on Tuesday for the 184-188 victims of the July 2021 flood, calling the disaster an unmistakable warning that Germany has yet to fully answer.
- Jul 12
Steinmeier calls German coalition's reforms a move into 'forward play,' defends 1 billion euro palace renovation
In a ZDF summer interview from Villa Hammerschmidt in Bonn, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier welcomed the black-red coalition's reform package as ending 'self-blockade' and entering a new phase, while also addressing the upcoming Saxony-Anhalt state election and the renovation costs of Schloss Bellevue.
- Jul 4
Russian missiles kill 15 across Kyiv and its region, Ukraine intercepts none of 28
Overnight Russian strikes with 28 missiles and 115 drones hit Kyiv and its surroundings, killing at least 15 civilians, 14 of them outside the city, and injuring dozens more. Ukraine's air force said it could not shoot down a single missile, citing a critical shortage of interceptor ammunition.
- Jun 28
Kieler Woche 2026 attracts three million visitors, police report fewer crimes despite summer heat
The nine-day sailing regatta and folk festival in Kiel drew around 3 million guests, down from 3.3 million in 2025. Authorities described the atmosphere as peaceful and considerate even as temperatures soared, with criminal offences falling 21% year on year.
- Jun 20
Steinmeier opens 132nd Kiel Week with a sail on the Malizia Explorer and 500 concerts ahead
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier opened the 132nd Kieler Woche on June 20, 2026, after a sailing trip on the research yacht Malizia Explorer with round-the-world sailor Boris Herrmann. The nine-day festival combines the world's largest sailing regatta with 500 concerts and public Viewings of Germany's World Cup matches.
- Jun 18
David Safier turns CDU politician Armin Laschet into reluctant spy in new James Bond parody '00-Laschet'
Bestselling author David Safier follows his 'Miss Merkel' series with a comedy novel in which Armin Laschet, as Germany's president, stumbles into a secret agent role and must save the world. The book is published on 19 June.
