Berlin
- 13h ago
World Emoji Day 2026: 90 Prozent der Deutschen nutzen Emojis, doch fast die Hälfte ist unsicher bei der Bedeutung
Eine Bitkom-Umfrage zum World Emoji Day am 17. Juli zeigt: Während die Gen Z kaum noch ohne die Bildzeichen kommuniziert, verzichtet ein Viertel der Babyboomer komplett auf sie.
- 14h ago
Germany proposes mandatory language tests for all four-year-olds in €9.25 billion Kita reform
Federal education minister Karin Prien unveiled a draft law on 15 July 2026 that would introduce nationwide standardised language assessments for every four-year-old, backed by €9.25 billion in federal funding through 2034.
- 2d ago
German retailers run out of fans and mobile AC units as heatwave pushes temperatures past 30°C
A prolonged heatwave with temperatures exceeding 30°C has emptied shelves of fans and portable air conditioners at major German retailers, with many chains warning no further deliveries will arrive before autumn.
- 2d ago
LaVita micronutrient concentrate wins Germany's 'Golden Windbag' for most brazen advertising lie of 2026
Around 39% of roughly 66,000 voters in a Foodwatch online poll chose the Bavarian brand's €100-per-litre supplement, citing overpricing and misleading health claims.
- 2d ago
Conscientious objection applications in Germany surge to 5,862 in first half of 2026, outpacing full-year totals
In the first six months of 2026, 5,862 people filed applications to refuse armed military service, more than in any full year since 2011 and already 52% above the entire 2025 total.
- 3d ago
Berlin's CDU picks Finance Senator Stefan Evers as lead candidate after Wegner steps back
The Berlin CDU state executive unanimously elected Finance Senator Stefan Evers as its lead candidate for the 20 September Abgeordnetenhaus election, after Governing Mayor Kai Wegner withdrew over a months-long dispute about his crisis management during a January blackout.
- 3d ago
German coalition plans sharper tobacco tax hike, pushing cigarette packs toward €12 by 2030
The black-red coalition wants to raise the tobacco tax more steeply than the cabinet decided last week, adding roughly 40 cents per pack and targeting €4.4 billion in extra annual revenue by 2030.
- 3d ago
Berlin's 'orphan tunnel' rebuild finally begins: Spree to be drained to reconnect U5 after decade of isolation
A symbolic start for the long-awaited reconstruction of Berlin's Waisentunnel, closed since 2016, will require part of the Spree to be drained. The 100-million-euro project aims to reconnect U5 to the network by end of 2030.
- 4d ago
51 percent of Germans oppose black-red coalition's plan to slash heat pump grants, Civey poll shows
A representative poll shows 51 percent of Germans oppose government plans to scale back grants for heat pumps, with SPD voters especially critical of the black-red coalition's policy.
- 4d ago
Germany funds 50,000 Shrike attack drones for Ukraine in €90 million deal
Berlin is financing one of the largest known Western-drone purchases for Kyiv, worth about €90 million, with deliveries already underway and the rest due this year.
- 4d ago
Prien plans €1.6bn parental allowance cut, caps maintenance advance at 16 amid backlash
Federal Family Minister Karin Prien (CDU) wants to trim parental allowance from 14 to 12 months, reduce the maintenance advance for children from 18 to 16 years, and use driving bans to pressure deadbeat parents, triggering opposition from SPD, child welfare groups, and the anti-discrimination commissioner.
- 4d ago
Indonesian word association game 'Dito!' wins Spiel des Jahres 2026 as Reiner Knizia completes triple
The competitive word association game by Martin Ang is the first Indonesian title to claim the world's most prestigious board game award. Reiner Knizia became the first designer to win all three jury prizes with 'Rebirth'.
- 4d ago
German pension report shows average 1,154 euros vs 3,416 for civil servants
A new Bundestag analysis reveals stark differences between state pensions and civil servant retirement benefits, with an average monthly gap of over 2,200 euros. The data, requested by Die Linke, also shows how most civil servants receive at least 3,000 euros gross while 37% of statutory pensioners get under 900 euros.
- 5d ago
Greta Thunberg joins 1,800 protesters at Berlin Rheinmetall site, 15 arrested as police report criminal slogans
Around 1,800 demonstrators marched to the Berlin-Wedding site of arms manufacturer Rheinmetall on Saturday afternoon, with Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg among them. Police reported 15 arrests and the shouting of criminal slogans.
- 5d ago
DLRG records 99 drowning deaths in June 2026, highest since 2003 heat summer
The German Life Saving Association tallied 99 drowning victims across Germany in June 2026, matching the peak last seen in the extreme summer of 2003, as a heatwave sent crowds to lakes and rivers.
- 5d ago
Markus Söder says Minijobs 'remain' in clash with German pension reform blueprint
CSU leader Markus Söder has broken with a government pension commission's call to abolish low-paid 'Minijobs', promising they will endure and warning of damage to hospitality, retail and farming.
- 5d ago
Two serious traffic accidents in Berlin on Friday: an 8-year-old girl and a 58-year-old cyclist injured
An 8-year-old girl suffered a broken leg in a collision with a cyclist in Friedrichshagen, while a 58-year-old female cyclist underwent emergency surgery after a lorry ran over her arm in Friedrichshain.
- 5d ago
Berlin police end 11-hour supermarket hostage crisis, subdue suspect with Taser
The hostage crisis ended Saturday morning when SEK special forces raided the market in Marienfelde, freeing the female cashier and arresting the suspect.
- 6d ago
Berlin supermarket hostage-taking ends after 11 hours, prosecutor seeks detention for suspect
A 29-year-old German man held a cashier at knifepoint in a Rewe supermarket in Berlin-Marienfelde for over 11 hours before police stormed the premises with a taser on Saturday morning.
- 6d ago
German parliament scraps 65% green heating mandate, allows new oil and gas boilers from 2029 with rising biofuel quota
The Bundestag voted 322 to 272 on Friday to pass the new Building Modernisation Act, removing the requirement that new heating systems use 65% renewable energy and once again permitting the installation of pure gas and oil boilers.
