- 2d ago
German employers paid 85.6 billion euros in sick leave remuneration in 2025
Expenditures for continued wage payments during illness rose to 85.6 billion euros in 2025, driven by higher wages, post-pandemic absence rates, and digital reporting.
- 3d ago
German President Steinmeier visits Gamescom as industry excludes AfD politicians
German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier opened the Gamescom congress in Cologne, where industry group Game excluded AfD figures and debated gaming regulations.
- 5d ago
German holidaymakers confront lagging domestic infrastructure and digital services after European travels
Returning summer tourists report superior transport, mobile connectivity, and digital payments across Europe, challenging long-held assumptions of German technical superiority.
- 5d ago
Gamescom 2026 opens in Cologne with over 1,600 exhibitors as German sales drop 3%
The annual gaming fair commenced in Cologne with more than 1,600 exhibitors, while industry figures addressed hardware costs and debated German tax incentives.
- 6d ago
Cologne police arrest 28-year-old suspect after close-range shooting outside Mülheim restaurant
A 41-year-old man was injured on Monday after being shot at close range outside a restaurant in Köln-Mülheim, before police detained a 28-year-old suspect on the banks of the Rhine in Köln-Porz.
- Aug 23
1. FC Nürnberg edge Viktoria Köln 5:4 on penalties in DFB-Pokal opener
1. FC Nürnberg advanced to the DFB-Pokal second round after goalkeeper Jan Reichert saved two penalties in a 5:4 shootout win over third-tier FC Viktoria Köln following a 1:1 draw.
- Aug 23
Wolfsburg overturns two-goal deficit to beat Nürnberg 8-2 as Frankfurt defeats Cologne
VfL Wolfsburg scored eight second-half goals after trailing 2-0 at Nürnberg, while Laura Freigang scored twice for Eintracht Frankfurt in a 2-0 victory against 1. FC Köln.
- Aug 22
SSV Jeddeloh II defeats 1. FC Heidenheim 5-2 in DFB-Pokal opening round
Fourth-tier SSV Jeddeloh II eliminated 1. FC Heidenheim with a 5-2 victory in Oldenburg, while Großaspach advanced on penalties and Bochum beat Fürth 2-1.
- Aug 18
German court sentences Ukrainian man to 15 months in Russian parcel tracking plot
The Higher Regional Court in Stuttgart sentenced a 30-year-old Ukrainian to 15 months in prison for scouting courier routes for Russian intelligence using test packages, while acquitting two co-defendants.
- Aug 18
Sophie Adenot and Anil Menon replace ISS communication antenna during second spacewalk
French astronaut Sophie Adenot and NASA astronaut Anil Menon spent over six hours outside the International Space Station on 25 August 2026, successfully installing a replacement Space-to-Ground communications antenna.
- Aug 16
Klopp starts as Germany coach, admits press conference error and denies El Mala transfer rumor
Jürgen Klopp officially began as Germany's national team coach on 15 August, admitting a press conference misstep and rejecting speculation he urged Cologne's Said El Mala to join Borussia Dortmund.
- Aug 14
Varfolomeev wins third consecutive all-around world title at home Worlds in Frankfurt
German rhythmic gymnast Darja Varfolomeev overcame an early error on the hoop to win her third consecutive all-around world title, scoring 119.500 points in Frankfurt's sold-out Festhalle.
- Aug 14
Deutsche Bahn sues regulator over Italo's planned 2028 rail market entry
DB InfraGo filed an expedited lawsuit in Cologne against the Bundesnetzagentur's July 17 ruling requiring it to reserve at least 25% of capacity on busy corridors for competitors, clearing a path for Italo's 2028 entry with 30 Siemens trains.
- Aug 9
Rhine water levels hit record lows at Kaub, splitting Europe's key waterway and disrupting industry
The gauge at Kaub fell to 6 centimetres on Friday, the lowest since records began, forcing cargo ships to cut loads to a fifth of normal capacity and effectively dividing the river into two non-connecting sections.
- Aug 5
Danube and Rhine drop to record lows: nuclear plants halted, cruises cancelled, and barges run at a fifth of capacity
The Danube and Rhine have hit critical lows after a summer of heatwaves above 40°C and reduced Alpine snowmelt, cutting shipping, halting nuclear reactors in Romania and Hungary, and forcing cruise passengers onto buses.
- Aug 1
Poland summons Russian ambassador after cruise missile lands in Lublin region, producing a 10-metre crater
The Russian Kh-101 missile, produced near Moscow in the second quarter of 2026, exploded in a field near Tarnawa Kolonia on Thursday, 80 kilometres from the Ukrainian border, during a large-scale Russian air assault on Ukraine.
- Aug 1
Russian ballistic missile barrage kills nine in Kyiv, damages Lithuanian embassy; Ukraine intercepted only one of 27 Iskanders
Overnight strikes on 1 August hit five districts of the Ukrainian capital with 35 missiles and 185 drones, killing nine people and wounding more than 30, including four children. President Zelensky said a single ballistic missile was intercepted, citing a lack of Patriot systems.
- Aug 1
Rhine at record low chokes German freight as Bilger lifts Sunday truck ban
The Rhine gauge at Kaub fell to 17 centimetres on Wednesday, the lowest since measurements began in 1880, crippling cargo traffic on Germany's most important waterway. Transport Minister Steffen Bilger announced emergency measures including suspending Sunday truck driving bans after a crisis summit with industry in Bonn on Thursday.
- Jul 29
Danube drought forces nuclear plant shutdowns in Hungary and Romania
Record-low Danube levels from prolonged heatwaves have pushed Hungary's Paks plant toward its first full shutdown in its 44 years of service and threaten Romania's Cernavoda reactor, as both countries scramble to conserve electricity.
- Jul 29
Glen Hansard, Oscar-winning Irish singer-songwriter, dies in Dublin motorbike crash at 56
The Frames frontman and Once star was found on a road near Lucan in the early hours of Wednesday after a member of the public raised the alarm. Gardaí are preparing a file for the coroner.
