- 4d ago
Italy maintains Schengen suspension with Spain, citing ongoing security risks from Ceuta crisis
Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi told the parliamentary Schengen Committee on August 13 that Italy will not lift its suspension of free travel with Spain before August 15, citing unresolved security risks from the Ceuta migrant crisis.
- 4d ago
Italy refuses Germany's Dublin migrant returns, citing pre-pact bilateral agreement
Italy has formally told Germany it will not accept the return of three migrants Berlin planned to expel under Dublin rules, citing a bilateral deal and demanding compensation for NGO rescues.
- 4d ago
Germany commemorates 65th anniversary of Berlin Wall construction as Klöckner warns of persistent divisions
German leaders commemorated the 65th anniversary of the Berlin Wall's construction at a ceremony on Bernauer Straße, with Bundestagspräsidentin Julia Klöckner warning that the Wall still persists in people's minds and Kulturstaatsminister Wolfram Weimer cautioning against trivializing the DDR dictatorship.
- 6d ago
German cabinet approves sweeping intelligence reform granting spy agencies hacking and sabotage powers
Germany's cabinet approved a 700-page draft bill on August 12 granting the BND and BfV intelligence services broad new powers to hack communications, manipulate data, and conduct sabotage abroad, in what officials call the largest reform since World War II.
- Aug 10
Meloni and Frederiksen demand EU action against uncontrolled immigration after Ceuta crisis
Italian PM Giorgia Meloni and Danish PM Mette Frederiksen issued a joint statement on 10 August demanding increased deportations and third-country repatriation centres, following a migration crisis that saw 72,000 people enter Ceuta in 24 hours.
- Aug 9
Germany moves to return 11,745 asylum seekers to Italy under new EU migration pact
Berlin wants to send back 11,745 asylum seekers who entered the EU through Italy, invoking the pact in force since June 12, but Rome rejects the returns and demands compensation for German-flagged NGO rescues.
- Aug 8
Around 10,000 protest in Plauen against German federal government, backed by right-wing extremist Freie Sachsen
Around 10,000 people demonstrated in Plauen, Saxony, on 8 August 2026 against the German federal government, demanding its resignation and new elections. The march, backed by the right-wing extremist Freie Sachsen, was temporarily halted after drummers violated a ban on unified drumming.
- Aug 8
CDU's Frei enforces nationwide AfD cooperation ban ahead of Saxony-Anhalt election where AfD polls at 41%
CDU/CSU parliamentary group leader Thorsten Frei has told Funke Media Group newspapers that the party's ban on cooperating with the AfD applies nationwide, ahead of three September state elections where the far-right party is polling strongly in Saxony-Anhalt.
- Aug 7
ARD poll: AfD hits record 28% as Union slumps to 21%, government satisfaction at 13%
The AfD reaches 28 percent in the ARD-Deutschlandtrend, its highest ever, while the CDU/CSU falls to 21 percent and 85 percent of Germans express dissatisfaction with the federal government.
- Aug 7
Russia downs 605 Ukrainian drones overnight as UN condemns both sides for civilian strikes
Russia said it shot down 605 Ukrainian drones across 20 regions overnight, as UN Secretary General Guterres condemned both Moscow and Kyiv for escalating strikes on civilian areas that killed at least 17 across Kyiv and its region.
- Aug 7
Suspected explosive device near Ukrainian Antonov cargo plane forces overnight shutdown of Leipzig/Halle Airport
A suspected explosive device found near a Ukrainian Antonov Airlines cargo plane forced an overnight shutdown of Leipzig/Halle Airport on 4-5 August, as German authorities investigate potential Russian hybrid warfare and the Bundeswehr reports several hundred drone overflights at military sites.
- Aug 6
Rheinmetall cuts 2026 sales outlook by €300M after Berlin scraps F-126 frigate programme
German defence giant Rheinmetall lowered its 2026 revenue forecast to €13.7 to €14.2 billion after Berlin cancelled the multi-billion-euro F-126 frigate programme, though first-half sales climbed 39% to €5.2 billion.
- Aug 6
RKI revises German heat death toll to 11,900 as Europe toll tops 25,000
Germany's Robert Koch Institute revised its estimate of heat-related deaths sharply upward to 11,900, surpassing the 2018 annual record, as Bloomberg reports over 25,000 dead across Europe.
- Aug 6
Suspected explosive device near Ukrainian Antonov cargo plane forces overnight shutdown of Leipzig/Halle Airport
A suspected explosive device found near a Ukrainian Antonov Airlines cargo plane forced an overnight shutdown of Leipzig/Halle Airport on August 4-5, 2026, with a DHL freighter colliding with a separate unidentified object during the closure.
- Aug 5
Drones over German military base housing Patriot systems after explosive drone found at Leipzig airport
Two drones were spotted over a Bundeswehr base in Mechernich that repairs Patriot air defense systems, days after a drone carrying explosives was found at Leipzig airport near a Ukrainian cargo plane.
- Aug 5
AfD returns to 28% in German poll, opening record seven-point gap with CDU/CSU as Merz's rating hits 14%
Germany's largest opposition party reaches 28% for only the second time in Forsa polling, while support for the governing CDU/CSU drops to a post-election low of 21%. Nearly three-quarters of voters expect the economy to deteriorate further.
- Aug 4
Ukraine's former top commander Zaluzhnyi says NATO membership impossible, cites WWII doctrines
Valery Zaluzhnyi, Ukraine's ex-military chief and now ambassador to Britain, told a meeting of ambassadors that the country's armed forces cannot meet the alliance's standards, calling NATO's doctrines outdated.
- Aug 2
EU split over migration after 60,000 cross into Ceuta; 22 leaders demand border crackdown
After 60,000 migrants crossed into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, 22 EU leaders signed a letter calling for stronger external borders, while Spain accused some partners of 'selfish' reactions and Italy suspended Schengen rules.
- Aug 2
Dieter Hallervorden's CDU campaign tour sparks row over anti-Merz song and Gaza genocide sign
The 90-year-old actor's cabaret performances for Saxony-Anhalt's CDU candidate Sven Schulze drew sharp criticism from the party's federal leadership after he called the defence minister a 'war minister' and displayed a 'Stop the genocide in Gaza' sign.
- Jul 31
Seven German states rebel against coalition plan to abolish 'Rente mit 63' pension
Germany's black-red coalition faces mounting resistance from eight states over its plan to abolish the deduction-free pension after 45 contribution years, with SPD and CDU politicians alike demanding exemptions, transition rules and hardship provisions.
