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:
Around 1.9 million people with university-level qualifications were at risk of poverty in 2025, an increase of 350,000 compared with 2022. The figures from Germany's official statistics office were released in response to a request from the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW). The rise comes as the number of graduates grew to 21 million nationwide. Yet data from the Federal Employment Agency show unemployment among academics climbed to 3.3%, up from 2.2% three years earlier.
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.
An agreement signed last Friday by the defense ministers of Germany and Ukraine will allow the German military, Bundeswehr, to benefit from the expertise of military instructors from Ukraine. "The plan is to incorporate the experience of Ukrainian soldiers into army training, particularly at the army's troop schools," a Bundeswehr spokesman told the dpa news agency, without providing details. Germany is responding to the significant changes that have occurred on the battlefield in Ukraine since Russia attacked almost four years ago.
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.
"With this law, we are implementing European requirements in a maximally innovation-friendly way and creating lean AI supervision with a clear focus on the needs of the economy," Federal Digital Minister Karsten Wildberger said in a statement.
Figures released by the Interior Ministry showed that a total of 818 crimes targeting "media" were registered with the BKA, Germany's federal investigative police force, between April 1, 2024 and November 30, 2025. That averages out at roughly 41 cases per month over a 20-month period, and compares to 290 crimes, for an average of roughly 24 per month, in the calendar year 2023. The increase equates to roughly 71%.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz is on a three-day visit to the Gulf region as Germany seeks closer partnerships on business, energy and security. DW has the latest. Merz met with Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on Thursday Image: Kay Nietfeld/dpa/picture alliance Skip next section What you need to know Chancellor Friedrich Merz is in Doha on his second stop of a three-day visit to the Gulf region On Wednesday, Merz met with the Saudi Crown Prince seeking 'new level' in ties
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.
Two men reportedly fired shots at an elite police unit during a car chase in southern Germany Tuesday evening, causing a road accident in which five people were lightly injured. Officers from the Spezialeinsatzkommando (special deployment unit, or SEK) had attempted to arrest three men, aged 23, 24 and 30, in the small town of Absberg near the city of Nuremberg on suspicion of illegal possession of weapons.
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.
The business wing of Germany's leading Christian Democrats party is proposing a ban on workers' legal entitlement to work part-time, arguing that those wishing to work fewer hours should have to acquire special permission to do so. Currently, every employee in Europe's largest economy has a fundamental right to carry out part-time work, with many, particularly women, often needing to do so for reasons relating to childcare or looking after elderly relatives.
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.
Europe's largest economy reversed its downward trajectory last year after two years of recession, with growth driven by household and government spending. Germany's economy expanded by 0.2 percent in 2025, returning to growth after two years of recession, official data showed Thursday, despite challenges ranging from the US tariff blitz to weak demand in China. The growth was mainly due to increased spending by private households and by the government, Ruth Brand, head of Germany's statistics agency Destatis, said in a statement.
Guten morgen from Bonn, where the snow and ice from the weekend have given way to cloudy skies and rain. In this blog, we will bring you the latest news from and about Germany, including calls from the head of the country's Armed Forces reservist association for European and German troops to be deployed to Greenland to ward off threats of annexation from the US and President Donald Trump.
Factory orders in long-struggling Germany unexpectedly posted a sharp jump in November, boosted by higher demand for defence equipment as Europe rushes to rearm, official data showed Thursday. New orders increased 5.6 percent month-on-month, according to preliminary figures from statistics agency Destatis, the third straight monthly increase. Analysts surveyed by the financial data firm FactSet had expected a decline of 1.3 percent. Russia's invasion of Ukraine has prompted Germany and other European countries to start re-arming, with Chancellor Friedrich Merz vowing to unleash hundreds of billions of euros on defence.
The share of renewables in German power production almost stagnated in 2025, data showed Monday, as concerns grow about a shift away from green policies under conservative Chancellor Friedrich Merz. The figure had increased strongly in previous years as Europe's biggest economy aims to reach a goal of green power accounting for 80 percent of its energy mix by 2030.
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.
If Germany could choose a well-trained teacher from abroad, it would probably be someone like Inge Pizarro Krause. With her eight years of study and two years of classroom experience in Vina del Mar, the 33-year-old from Chile is highly qualified and is now preparing to tackle Germany's desperate teacher shortage. Pizarro Krause has been studying German, didactics and pedagogy under the special program since August. And she has already had a taste of teaching at a vocational school.
