- 2d ago
CHE survey: 27.9% of German students live with parents, but regional gaps are wide
A nationwide CHE survey of over 87,000 students finds 27.9% still live with their parents, while private flats and shared apartments are nearly as common. Regional differences are stark, from Saarland's 42.8% at home to Saxony's preference for solo renting.
- 3d ago
Dublin joins Munich, Paris and Rome in imposing water restrictions as heatwave drains European reserves
A six-week garden-hose ban took effect in Dublin overnight, while Munich issued its first-ever compulsory water-saving order, signalling a deepening crisis across the continent after a dry winter and spring.
- 4d ago
Hesse's top court to rule Wednesday on legality of 2022 transport-reform petition that gathered 70,000 signatures
The Hessian State Court in Wiesbaden will announce its verdict at 11:00 on Wednesday in the case brought by the 'Verkehrswende Hessen' initiative, whose 2022 petition for a new mobility law was rejected as unconstitutional by the previous state government.
- 5d ago
University of Kassel delays civil clause reform to November as student protests mount
The University of Kassel's Senate is considering softening its self-imposed civil clause, sparking protests while three other Hessian universities confirm they will maintain their commitments to purely peaceful research.
- 5d ago
German airfares jump 8.5% in first half of 2026 as kerosene costs bite
International flights from Germany cost 8.5% more in the first half of 2026, driven by expensive kerosene after the Strait of Hormuz blockade. Package tours rose more moderately at 3%.
- Jul 11
German construction prices jump 5% in May, fastest since 2023, as Iran war drives material costs higher
The price of new conventional residential buildings climbed 5% year-on-year in May, accelerating from 3.3% in February and reaching the steepest increase since summer 2023. The Federal Statistical Office cited military escalation in the Middle East as a fresh cost driver on top of earlier Ukraine-related pressures.
- Jul 11
Deutsche Bahn halts regional lines, diverts ICEs as Fulda junction upgrade adds 60 minutes to journeys
Regional trains cancelled, long-distance ICEs on 60-minute detours, and multiple stations skipped as the Fulda junction upgrade collides with other major works.
- Jul 11
World Population Day: UN projects peak of 10.3 billion by 2080s as Germany shrinks
While the world population hits 8.3 billion, UN projections show a peak of 10.3 billion around the 2080s, with Germany's population already declining.
- Jul 10
Deutsche Bahn starts five-month closure of right-bank Rhine line, night-time restrictions in Rhine-Main
From Friday, Deutsche Bahn closes the right-bank Rhine line between Wiesbaden and Troisdorf for five months of modernisation, while night-time works disrupt S-Bahn and regional services in the Rhine-Main area until late September.
- Jul 9
Hesse's big cities see population surge while countryside stagnates
Hesse's major cities gained 12.5% more residents between 2004 and 2025, while rural districts added just 0.2%, widening the urban-rural divide in one of Germany's densest states.
- Jul 7
German life expectancy reaches new high in 2025, federal statistics show
New data from the Federal Statistical Office shows life expectancy at birth for women reached 83.6 years and for men 79.1 years in 2025, both all-time highs.
- Jul 6
German industrial orders rebound 1.9% in May, beating forecasts as defence and transport contracts surge
German factory orders rose 1.9% in May from April, surpassing the 1.5% forecast, as large contracts for aircraft, ships and military vehicles offset weakness in the auto sector.
- Jul 5
Sexual offences rise in Hesse's swimming pools as heatwaves drive visitor numbers, police report
Police in Hesse recorded 87 sexual offences in public pools last year, up from 74 in 2024, while total crimes fell. Recent incidents in Frankfurt and Griesheim have put the issue back in focus.
- Jul 2
US general leading forces in Europe forced out after 18 months as Hegseth reshapes Pentagon leadership
General Christopher Donahue, a highly respected four-star commander and the last American soldier to leave Afghanistan, relinquished command of US Army forces in Europe and Africa during a ceremony in Wiesbaden on Thursday. The departure was forced by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as part of a wider purge of senior military leaders.
- Jul 1
Germany's birth rate falls to 1.32, lowest level since 1997
The combined birth rate fell 2.7% from 2024 to 1.32 children per woman, the Federal Statistical Office reported. Total births in 2025 dropped to 654,241, the lowest post-war figure.
- Jun 29
German state investments surge 12.3% in 2025 to highest level since 2000, driven by 47.7% jump in defense equipment spending
Government gross investments reached €147.5 billion last year, with equipment outlays skyrocketing 47.7% thanks to a special defense fund. Construction investment, meanwhile, grew only 2%, and the investment-to-GDP ratio remains below the EU average.
- Jun 28
Hesse's oldest Autobahnkirche marks 25 years as Germany observes national highway church day
The Medenbach-West rest area chapel on the A3 near Wiesbaden attracts some 20,000 visitors a year seeking quiet. Its silver jubilee coincides with the nationwide Day of Autobahn Churches on Sunday, 28 June.
- Jun 25
Hesse schools deploy chip cards and art to combat toilet vandalism
Schools across Hesse are grappling with vandalised, filthy toilets that students avoid, prompting a range of countermeasures from chip-card access to student art projects.
- Jun 22
Wiesbaden fire drone launches at first alarm, giving crews an aerial head start
A fire station in Wiesbaden is testing a drone that takes off the moment an alarm sounds, reaching the scene before ground crews to stream live video to commanders and first responders.
- Jun 22
Merz faces sharp backlash from Greens and municipalities over planned social spending cuts
Chancellor Friedrich Merz's proposal to trim social programmes to ease municipal budgets has drawn fierce criticism from the Green party and local leaders, who warn that rising social costs are pushing towns and cities toward financial collapse.
