Germany

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Conservatives win German election while far-right party surges to second place Germany’s mainstream conservatives led by Friedrich Merz won Germany’s national election Sunday, ensuring that Ukraine has an even stronger supporter in the European Union’s largest country and creating hopes for renewal in an economic powerhouse that has been badly battered in recent years. Read more.

Why this matters: The far-right, anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) surged to become the nation’s second-largest political force, gaining from a backlash against the high numbers of migrants and refugees the nation has absorbed over the past decade and a string of extremist attacks that have shaken its sense of security.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Live updates: Analyst says Vance and Musk support of AfD did not sway voters   Germany’s economy is in the dumps. Here are 5 reasons why

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5 convicted of plotting to overthrow the German government and kidnap the health minister

A German court on Thursday convicted five people of plotting to overthrow the government in a far-right coup and kidnap the former health minister. The Koblenz Higher Regional Court sentenced the four ringleaders to prison sentences between five years and nine months to eight years Read More.

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German parties agree to form a new government after months of drift in Europe’s biggest economy

German election winner Friedrich Merz has sealed a deal to form a new government that aims to spur economic growth, ramp up defense spending, take a tougher approach to migration and catch up on long-neglected modernization. Wednesday's agreement follows weeks of negotiations as Europe faces uncertainty over U.S. President Donald Trump administration’s sweeping tariffs and its commitment to European allies’ defense. Read More.

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Fatou, the world’s oldest gorilla in a zoo, is celebrating her 68th birthday in Berlin

Fatou was born in 1957 and came to the zoo in what was then West Berlin in 1959. She lives in her own enclosure, apart from the zoo’s more boisterous other five gorillas, who range in age from 4 to 39. “She has the peace she deserves at her high age,” vet André Schüle said. Read More.

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In a historic first, Merz’s bid to become Germany’s 10th chancellor fails first ballot The conservative leader was widely expected to win the first round of voting in parliament, but failed by six votes.  Friedrich Merz needed a majority of 316 out of 630 votes in a secret ballot. A candidate for chancellor has never failed to win on the first ballot since the end of World War II. Read more.

What to know: The parties will now regroup to discuss next steps, but it was not immediately clear how long the process could take. Merz can run again, but other lawmakers can also throw their hat in the ring.   The lower house of parliament — called the Bundestag — has 14 days to elect a candidate with an absolute majority. There is no limit to the number of votes that can be held within the two-week period. If Merz or any other candidate fails to get that majority, the constitution allows for the president to appoint the candidate who wins the most votes as chancellor, or to dissolve the Bundestag and hold a new national election.   Merz sought to take the helm of the 27-nation European Union’s most populous member after outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government collapsed last year. The country has the continent’s biggest economy and serves as a diplomatic heavyweight. Merz’s portfolio would include the war in Ukraine and the Trump administration’s trade policy on top of domestic issues such as the stagnant economy and the rise of a far-right party.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany sues after spy agency labels it an extremist party   Marco Rubio criticized Germany. The foreign ministry hit back

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Merz appointed German chancellor hours after unprecedented parliamentary defeat

Germany’s Friedrich Merz has formally become chancellor at the second attempt, hours after an unprecedented defeat signaled deep discontent within his coalition.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/06/europe/merz-chancellor-german-parliament-intl?

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Cologne starts its biggest evacuation since 1945 to defuse WWII bombs

More than 20,000 residents were being evacuated from part of Cologne’s city center on Wednesday as specialists prepared to defuse three unexploded U.S. bombs from World War II that were unearthed earlier this week. Read More.

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German zoo kills 12 baboons that it didn’t have enough space to house, despite protests

A zoo in the German city of Nuremberg said it killed 12 baboons on Tuesday despite protests, capping a saga rooted in concerns that the zoo had too little space to house a growing group of the animals. Read More.

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A speeding motorist driving at 199 mph on Germany's Autobahn is fined more than $1,000

A motorist was clocked driving at more than 320 kph (199 mph) on the Autobahn west of Berlin, a record high at more than 124 mph above the speed limit, German police said. Read More.

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Germany halts military exports to Israel for use in Gaza amid outcry over Netanyahu plan

Germany won’t authorize any exports of military equipment to Israel that could be used in Gaza “until further notice,” Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Friday, in a strikingly quick response by one of Israel’s strongest international backers to a decision by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Cabinet to take over Gaza City. Read More.   Germany imposes partial arms embargo on Israel over Gaza City occupation plan Germany announced Friday that it will impose a partial arms embargo on Israel in response to the Israeli cabinet's decision to approve a new offensive to occupy Gaza City. https://www.axios.com/2025/08/08/germany-arms-embargo-israel-gaza-city-occupation? Outrage at Israeli plan to take over Gaza City that could displace 1m Palestinians The future of 1 million Palestinians hangs in the balance after Israel’s security cabinet approved a new ground offensive aimed at taking complete control of Gaza’s largest city in a decision that has triggered global outrage. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/aug/08/israel-cabinet-approves-netanyahu-gaza-city-takeover-plan?

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Germany leads a military exercise in the Baltic as tensions with Russia simmer

ROSTOCK, Germany (AP) — Germany is leading a major military exercise that focuses on moving troops and equipment to Lithuania as tensions with Russia on the eastern fringe of NATO simmer.

https://apnews.com/article/germany-military-exercise-nato-baltic-russia-quadriga-3ec000f1274972af2e32840938a61bdb?

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Police say Oktoberfest reopens after a security sweep due to a bomb threat

MUNICH (AP) — The Oktoberfest fairgrounds closed for several hours Wednesday as police conducted a security sweep of the famed beer festival due to a bomb threat by a suspect linked to an explosion across town in northern Munich.

https://apnews.com/article/germany-oktoberfest-closed-explosion-905642601406720cfe3abbfc5bf2af97?

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Drone sightings

Munich Airport in Germany was forced to close for almost seven hours overnight after a wave of drone sightings disrupted operations. A total of 17 flights were grounded shortly after 10 p.m. local time, affecting nearly 3,000 passengers. The airport reopened at 5 a.m. local time when flight arrivals and departures were deemed safe. Munich becomes the latest European airport to close after sightings of drones in the vicinity. A spate of sightings at several airports across Denmark and Norway in recent weeks impacted tens of thousands of passengers. Europe has also been on high alert due to alleged incursions by Russian drones into NATO airspace over Poland and Romania, and the alleged violation of Estonian airspace by Russian fighter jets. Munich Airport temporarily shut after drone sightings, another mysterious overflight in EU airspace Munich Airport was temporarily shut down overnight after several drone sightings in the area, the latest mysterious drone overflights in the airspace of European Union member countries, officials said. Read more. What to know: The incident was the latest in a series of incidents of mysterious drone sightings over airports as well as other critical infrastructure sites in several European Union member countries. It wasn’t immediately clear who has been behind the flyovers, but European authorities have expressed concerns it could be Russia. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ European positions on Russia harden as drone incidents, cyberattacks and sabotage mount   Putin praises Trump but warns that supplies of US long-range missile to Ukraine will badly hurt ties   Zelenskyy warns that Russian drones endanger Chernobyl and other nuclear plants in Ukraine

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German far right setting agenda as opponents amplify its ideas, study finds

Mainstream parties are increasingly allowing the far right to set the agenda, researchers in Germany have found, describing it as a shortcoming that had unwittingly helped the far right by legitimising their ideas and disseminating them more widely.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/oct/18/german-far-right-setting-agenda-as-opponents-amplify-its-ideas-study-finds?

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Forgery Plot Foiled

German police announced yesterday that they had busted a transnational scheme to sell 20 forgeries of paintings by artists including Rembrandt and Pablo Picasso. Several suspected fakes were seized during coordinated raids across Germany, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein last week. Authorities allege that a 77-year-old German man led 10 accomplices in the scheme that priced the counterfeits between $465K and $150M. Investigators became suspicious after the man tried to sell two supposedly original Picasso paintings on the art market, then claimed to possess Rembrandt’s "De Staalmeesters" despite the original hanging in Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum. An art expert confirmed that the Rembrandt was a copy, rather than a lost masterpiece. The rest of the confiscated works will be examined in the coming weeks.

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German far-right party sets up its new youth wing as thousands protest

GIESSEN, Germany (AP) — A confident far-right Alternative for Germany set up its new youth organization on Saturday even as thousands of protesters converged on the western city of Giessen, where the party held its meeting, some of them clashing with police.

https://apnews.com/article/germany-far-right-afd-youth-organization-protests-53265d4217f54ad0b8669be549b9731a?

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Germany sharply rejects RFK Jr.'s claims that it prosecutes doctors for vaccine exemptions

BERLIN (AP) — The German government has sharply rejected accusations by U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. claiming that it has been sidelining patient autonomy, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

https://apnews.com/article/germany-us-health-kennedy-accusations-covid-patients-5bb5d4b7c004ef2b31dc809b732ca590?

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Cologne Cathedral, one of Germany’s best-known landmarks, to charge tourists for admission

BERLIN (AP) — Cologne Cathedral, a famous German landmark and popular tourist draw, will start charging an admission fee to visitors as church officials struggle with rising maintenance costs, according to an announcement on Thursday.

https://apnews.com/article/germany-cologne-cathedral-tourists-admission-fee-80a8d9b9188f47d607ced40cd0d2e97f?

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🦍 Fatou, the world's oldest gorilla living in captivity, celebrated her 69th birthday today with a feast, munching on cherry tomatoes, beets, leeks and lettuce at the Berlin Zoo. Go deeper.