Berlin
- 27m ago
German Pension Contributions Set to Jump to 19.9% by 2028, New Forecast Shows Sharper Rise Ahead
The German Pension Insurance has revised its forecast, now projecting the contribution rate will rise to 19.9% in 2028, a sharper increase than previously expected, piling pressure on the government's reform commission.
- 3h ago
Serena Williams Eyes WTA Berlin Comeback: 23-Time Grand Slam Champion Reportedly Seeks Wildcard for June Grass-Court Event
Tennis legend Serena Williams is reportedly planning a return to the WTA Tour at the Berlin Tennis Open, an event she has not played in 18 years, with multiple German media outlets reporting she has requested a doubles wildcard.
- yesterday
Germany's Bafög Reform in Limbo: Minister Bär Doubts Passage, SPD Fires Back in Coalition Clash
A public dispute has erupted within Germany's governing coalition after Research Minister Dorothee Bär (CSU) cast doubt on the planned Bafög student aid reform, drawing sharp rebukes from the SPD, which insists the deal is still on.
- 2d ago
FDP wählt Wolfgang Kubicki zum neuen Vorsitzenden – 74-Jähriger setzt sich in Kampfabstimmung gegen Strack-Zimmermann durch
Wolfgang Kubicki has been elected as the new federal chairman of Germany's Free Democratic Party (FDP), defeating Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann in a surprise contested vote at the party's federal congress in Berlin.
- 3d ago
Stabbing in Berlin-Wilmersdorf Leaves One Seriously Injured; Schools Secured as Police Hunt Suspects
A person was seriously wounded in a suspected knife attack during a clash between two groups on Prinzregentenstraße. Police deployed around 60 officers and secured two nearby schools.
- 3d ago
Germany's Spring 2026 Blazes with Record Sunshine, Unusual Warmth, and Near-Historic Dryness
The spring of 2026 will be remembered in Germany for its sun-drenched days, summer-like warmth, and a striking lack of rain – with some regions on the brink of the driest spring in over 140 years.
- 3d ago
German ex-minister Scheuer to stand trial over alleged false testimony in car toll debacle
A Berlin court has admitted charges against former German transport minister Andreas Scheuer for allegedly lying to a parliamentary inquiry into the failed car toll project, a prestige scheme that cost the state €243 million.
- 4d ago
Germany Plans Mandatory Reserve Drills: Pistorius Pushes Law to End 'Double Voluntariness' for 200,000-Strong Force
Defence Minister Boris Pistorius is advancing a draft law to compel former soldiers to attend regular military exercises in peacetime, scrapping the current system where both reservists and their employers must consent.
- 4d ago
Berlin's 'Balcony School' teaches urbanites to grow fruit, vegetables and shade on just nine square metres
A new physical 'balcony school' in Berlin-Tempelhof is teaching city dwellers how to cultivate everything from apricots to kiwis on the smallest of balconies, tapping into a post-pandemic hunger for self-sufficiency and green, shaded outdoor spaces.
- 5d ago
German Economic Advisers Slash 2026 Growth Outlook to 0.5%, Warn Social Charges Could Hit 50% of Wages
The Council of Economic Experts cut its GDP forecast to 0.5% for 2026, blaming the Iran War’s surge in energy prices, and warned that social security contributions could reach 50% of income by 2040 without deep reforms.
- 5d ago
German court sentences ex-RAF militant Daniela Klette to 13 years for armed robberies
A court in Verden convicted the 67-year-old of six counts of aggravated robbery committed between 1999 and 2016 while she lived in hiding; her two alleged accomplices remain fugitives.
- 5d ago
German Authorities Arrest Suspected Accomplice in 2025 Berlin Holocaust Memorial Knife Attack
German federal prosecutors have arrested a 37-year-old Syrian man on suspicion of aiding the February 2025 knife attack at Berlin's Holocaust Memorial that left a Spanish tourist critically injured.
- 5d ago
Study: Germany lags behind in university startups, missing opportunity for 13 million jobs and €5 trillion in economic output
A new study by AlpMomentum, Redstone, TU München and Universität Trier reveals Germany ranks in the lower middle of Europe for spinning out startups from universities, with just 9.7 per €100M budget, far behind leader Andorra. Scaling challenges and brain drain to the US are cited as key barriers.
- 5d ago
Bavaria threatens longer wait times if federal health reform cuts burden doctors
Bavaria's state government has announced extensive amendment requests for the federal health reform in the Bundesrat, warning that without corrections, millions of patients could face longer wait times for doctor appointments.
- 6d ago
Russia Threatens Systematic Strikes on Kyiv and Mass Destruction as Germany and EU Summon Envoys
Russia demanded foreign citizens and diplomats leave Kyiv ahead of planned systematic strikes, prompting Germany and the EU to summon Russian diplomats on Tuesday.
- 6d ago
Germany considers hiking long-term care insurance contributions for the childless to plug billion-euro deficit
Health Minister Nina Warken is exploring a 0.1-point increase in the surcharge for childless individuals, pushing their total contribution rate to 4.3 percent as the statutory long-term care insurance faces a deficit exceeding one billion euros this year.
- 6d ago
Germany's Dependency on China for Critical Goods Deepens, Contradicting Government Diversification Goals
A new study reveals that Germany's import dependence on China for strategically vital goods, including lithium batteries, solar panels, and antibiotics, has increased sharply, undercutting Berlin's de-risking strategy.
- 6d ago
German bird count reveals sharp declines for sparrows, swallows, and swifts, while finches recover
The annual 'Hour of the Garden Birds' in Germany recorded steep drops in house sparrows, tree sparrows, common swifts, and house martins, while finch populations rebounded, according to the Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU).
