#Germany

#Germany

Worldwide, autocracies are on the rise, populists are gaining momentum, democratic societies are under pressure. Wars, inflation, fear of economic decline are causing great uncertainty. The "Germany-Monitor 2025" shows that the vast majority of Germans believe in democracy, and that support for democracy as a form of government is increasing, especially in the east of the country. This was announced by the Federal Government Commissioner for Eastern Germany, Elisabeth Kaiser, in Berlin on Thursday this week:

First round of the quarterfinals are done, as Slovakia maintained their stable run, as they pushed to win today's match against Team Germany, officially eliminating them from the tournament. For a brief moment, Germany felt the spark of a deep tournament run. Slovakia, however, proved to be the ultimate extinguisher. Just as Germany found their rhythm in the second period, Slovakia snuffed out the flame and began to pull away on the scoreboard.

They now face Germany to wrap up round robin play, with the second overall seed in tournament play up for grabs. It doesn't seem like they will get the top seed due to goal differential, as Canada has a 2 goal advantage with France up next. It's unlikely the Rangers are able to make up that differential against Germany. That's fine. Team USA has been shaky at times, especially in net, but it's more about how they play in the elimination tournament.

"It cannot become a lasting barrier," Klockner said.

Germans love their potatoes. They eat on average 63kg a person every year, according to official statistics. But the exceptional glut of potatoes produced by farmers during the last harvest has overwhelmed even the hardiest of fans. Named the Kartoffel-Flut (potato flood), after the highest yield in 25 years, the bumper crop has inspired one farmer to organise a potato dump on Berlin, with appeals going out around the German capital for people to come to various hotspots and pick them up for free.

In Berlin, hospitals and clinics and working nonstop to treat a surge of patients with injuries from falling on icy pavements. Surgeons have been working through the night to cope with the influx, with many patients suffering broken bones, concussions and even near-paralysis from falls according to reporting in the Berliner Zeitung. Meanwhile, on Thursday night alone, police in Hanover and the surrounding region recorded 37 traffic accidents due to slippery roads, though thankfully only one person was slightly injured.

Ministers in Germany and France shot back at US President Donald Trump on for his comments claiming that the US had "never needed" its European NATO allies despite it being the only NATO member in history to invoke the mutual defense clause Article 5 and alleging that non-US troops in Afghanistan had "stayed a little back" from the frontlines. Germany's Defense MinsterBoris Pistorius said Trump should apologize, while also implying that he was not exactly holding his breath.

Could Germany boycott the 2026 World Cup? Oke Gottlich, president of Bundesliga side St. Pauli and one of ten vice presidents of the German federation, told the Hamburger Morgenpost newspaper that the time has come to seriously consider and discuss this in terms of possibly boycotting the World Cup. What were the justifications for the boycotts of the Olympic Games in the 1980s? he said. By my reckoning the potential threat is greater now than it was then. We need to have this discussion.

You join us this dry January day as a survey shows that fewer people in Germany are drinking alcohol, with consumption down sharply over the past decade.

German drivers were warned to expect disruption to their journeys on Tuesday as highway maintenance workers and tunnel operators went on strike amid an ongoing wage dispute. In the populous western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) alone, workers at all 28 tunnel operation centers walked out, leading to the closure of at least 11 long tunnels around the region and nationwide.

Germany on Monday thanked US President Donald Trump for extending Berlin an invitation to take up a seat on his so-called "Board of Peace." German government spokesman Steffen Cornelius said: "We are thankful for this invitation. We share the aim of pursuing peace in the world. It is in Germany's core interest to end the conflict in Gaza for good."

Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has long sought close ties to the Trump administration in its quest for powerful international allies and an end to its political isolation at home. But as public sentiment in Germany increasingly turns against U.S. President Donald Trump and his foreign interventionism - in particular his talk of taking control of Greenland and his seizure of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro - AfD leaders are recalibrating, putting distance between their party and a U.S. president they previously embraced. "He has violated a fundamental election promise, namely not to interfere in other countries, and he has to explain that to his own voters," Alice Weidel, one of the AfD's national leaders, said earlier this week.

The number of Indians working in MINT professions mathematics, IT, natural sciences, and technology including engineering has risen by nearly ninefold since 2012 to more than 32,800, the study found. About one-third of full-time Indian workers aged 25 to 44 are employed in MINT occupations. The trend has also been fueled by a sharp rise in Indian students in Germany.

The deportation just before Christmas capped months of talks with Syria's government, which mirrored similar efforts by Berlin to strike a deportation deal with the Taliban in Afghanistan. Human rights groups have criticised efforts to send immigrants back to either country, citing continued instability and evidence of rights abuses. But Germany's conservative-led government has made the resumption of deportations to Syria a diplomatic priority since former president Bashar al-Assad fled the country just over a year ago.

German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt on Thursday said the government in Berlin is keen to fly some 565 Afghan refugees with standing admission approval to Germany as soon as possible. "We have an interest in ensuring that this is dealt with as quickly as possible and are in contact with the Pakistani authorities," Dobrindt said. "We want to conclude this as far as possible in December. But there may still be some cases that need to be handled in the new year."