Gardeners tending to allotments were terrified to see animal roaming wild after mauling one of its keepers – but critics have long been concernedA tiger on the loose among garden allotments. Panicked residents summoning armed police ill-equipped to deal with a dangerous predator. And, behind it all, Germany’s self-proclaimed “Tiger Queen” and her private menagerie.In startling scenes over the weekend in the eastern town of Schkeuditz, near Leipzig airport, the mix proved fatal for a big cat named Sandokan and left a keeper seriously injured. Continue reading...
• The United States is deploying 5,000 troops to Poland as it simultaneously reduces its military presence in Germany.
• The move follows the suspension of a planned training exercise, which had previously caused alarm among Polish officials and sparked anger in the U.S. Congress.
• The deployment occurs amid domestic political tension in Poland, where President Nawrocki, elected in June 2025, aligns with the Trump administration and clashes with pro-EU Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
• Germany has announced its World Cup squad, highlighted by the surprise return of 40-year-old veteran goalkeeper Manuel Neuer from retirement.
• The roster includes key players such as Joshua Kimmich and Florian Wirtz, while Kai Havertz has been selected and Serge Gnabry and Chris Fuhrich have been left out.
• The team's success is expected to hinge on critical tactical decisions, specifically regarding the positioning of Joshua Kimmich, who is likely to start at full-back following a record Bundesliga season with Bayern Munich.
• Veteran goalkeeper Manuel Neuer has come out of international retirement to join Germany's squad for the 2026 World Cup.
• Manager Julian Nagelsmann confirmed that the 40-year-old Bayern Munich star will serve as the team's first-choice goalkeeper for the tournament.
• Neuer brings extensive experience to the squad, having earned 124 caps and recently helping Bayern Munich secure the Bundesliga title.
• German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius visited Kyiv to strengthen the strategic military partnership between Germany and Ukraine.
• The visit focuses on leveraging the combat experience of Ukrainian forces to enhance joint defense capabilities and tactical knowledge.
• This engagement is critical as Germany continues to provide significant military aid and seeks to optimize security cooperation amidst the ongoing conflict.
• The European Union is preparing a targeted trade clampdown against China to protect flagging domestic industries from what officials describe as a "Chinese steamroller."
• Brussels is developing a standalone package of measures that can be deployed on a case-by-case basis, rather than implementing broad "Buy European" criteria.
• This strategic shift is designed to secure essential backing from Germany, which has historically resisted blanket protectionist policies that could disrupt its trade relations.
Dr Peter Stafford’s wife and four children are also being monitored for symptoms amid Ebola outbreak in the DRCAn American doctor who contracted Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been flown to Germany for treatment, along with his wife and four children, as the World Health Organization warned of the “scale and speed” of the outbreak.Authorities have reported at least 134 suspected deaths and more than 500 cases of the hemorrhagic Bundibugyo virus, which has no approved treatments or vaccines. The outbreak, which has spread into urban areas, has been declared a public health emergency requiring international response. Continue reading...
‘China has already eaten much of German industry’s lunch and is preparing to start on dinner,’ thinktank saysBusiness live – latest updatesGermany must stop admiring China’s success in the EU or it will sleepwalk into the kind of deindustrialisation the US experienced 25 years ago, a leading Brussels thinktank has said.With China’s surplus with Germany having doubled between 2024 and 2025 from $12bn (£9bn) to $25bn, creating a $94bn trade imbalance, the Centre for European Reform (CER) said Europe’s largest economy risked a repeat of what happened in the US in 2001 when a sudden surge in imports permanently hollowed out towns in the American midwest. Continue reading...
Humpback stranded on sandbank was unlikely to survive, experts had said, recommending it be left to die in peaceGerman authorities have defended their decision to allow a risky rescue attempt of a stranded whale to go ahead, despite experts warning it was “inadvisable” because the animal was hurt and unlikely to survive.The saga of the whale, known as Timmy, had gripped Germany since the beached humpback was spotted stranded on Timmendorfer beach, a sandbank in shallow waters near the coast, nearly two months ago. Continue reading...
Chancellor says he no longer views US as land of opportunity amid ‘deeply polarising’ social climateFriedrich Merz, the German chancellor, already embroiled in a row with Donald Trump over the Iran war, has said he would not advise his children to study or work in the US in the current climate.Speaking to a conference of young Catholics in Würzburg, the conservative leader, viewed by many as a transatlanticist, said he no longer saw the US as the land of opportunity. Continue reading...
Doctor in Brandenburg state allegedly committed the crimes, including child rape, between 2013 and 2025German prosecutors have charged a paediatrician with 130 counts of sexual abuse, including the rape of children, most of them in his care, in a case that has caused shock and prompted clinics to step up safeguards for young people.The 46-year-old doctor, whose name has not been released, has been in custody since November after a mother suspected an assault against her child and notified authorities. The doctor worked in clinics in Brandenburg state, surrounding Berlin. Continue reading...
Brand owner Mondelēz was accused of reducing weight of Alpine Milk bar from 100g to 90g without significantly altering the packagingMany chocolate lovers consider shrinkflation a serious crime – and they have been vindicated after a German court ruled that the makers of Milka cheated consumers by cutting the bar’s size, while keeping the wrapper the same.The three-week case in a regional court was brought by Hamburg’s consumer protection office. It accused the chocolate brand’s US owner Mondelēz of deceiving shoppers by cutting the weight of Milka’s classic Alpine Milk bar from 100g to 90g without significantly altering the distinctive purple packaging. Continue reading...
Albrecht Weinberg spent years teaching students about Nazi atrocities after being imprisoned at Auschwitz and BelsenThree Auschwitz survivors tell their storiesAlbrecht Weinberg, who survived a series of Nazi concentration and death camps and lost most of his family in the Holocaust before returning to Germany in his 80s, has died.Weinberg died in Leer, north-western Germany, weeks after his 101st birthday and the premiere of a film about his life, Es Ist Immer in Meinem Kopf (It Is Always in My Head). Continue reading...
Court in Hanover says man entitled to payout after he and his family had to lie on concreteA German holidaymaker has won a payout of almost €1,000 after being unable to find a sunlounger for himself and his family because other guests had got there first.The man, whose identity is not known, holidayed on the island of Kos, in Greece, with his family in 2024. He said that, despite waking up at the crack of dawn every morning to carry out a 20-minute search, he had not been able to lay claim to a lounger. Continue reading...
Organisers of nationwide protest say its aim is to stop the government turning young Germans into ‘cannon fodder’Tens of thousands of pupils across Germany are expected to boycott the classroom and take to the streets in a nationwide protest organisers say is to stop the government’s rearmament policy turning young people into “cannon fodder”.Despite threats from teachers’ associations and education ministries, which have said anyone who demonstrates during school hours could risk penalties and even expulsion, organisers say they expect the number of participants at Friday’s school strike to be at least as high as the estimated 50,000 who attended each of the first two. Continue reading...
• BioNTech revealed plans to close manufacturing sites in Germany and Singapore, impacting up to 1,860 jobs, as it shifts from COVID-19 vaccine production to oncology therapies.
• The company, which co-developed the mRNA vaccine Comirnaty with Pfizer, will also repurchase up to $1 billion in shares amid a leadership transition.
• This restructuring reflects the post-pandemic decline in demand for COVID vaccines, positioning BioNTech to focus on cancer treatments with greater long-term potential.
Damaged Volkswagen SUV with a person on top of the vehicle was seen speeding through pedestrian zone, local broadcaster saysTwo people have been killed and two severely injured when a car ran into a crowd in the centre of the eastern German city of Leipzig, local broadcaster MDR has reported, citing police.Leipzig police confirmed to Reuters that there were injuries from a driving car but could not give more details. Continue reading...
• President Trump stated the US will pull 'a lot further than 5,000' troops from Germany, confirming Pentagon plans for an initial 5,000 withdrawal.
• Key Republicans expressed worry over the move, while Germany views it as a spur for European defense spending increases.
• The announcement heightens transatlantic tensions amid NATO concerns, with Polish PM Tusk warning of alliance 'disintegration'.
• Indian innovators unveiled a breakthrough drone imaging technology on May 3, 2026, that completely eliminates the need for germanium, a critical mineral prone to supply chain disruptions from China.
• The new system uses alternative materials to maintain high-resolution infrared imaging capabilities, enabling drones for defense, agriculture, and surveillance without vulnerabilities.
• This development enhances India's strategic autonomy in drone tech amid global chip shortages and export restrictions, reducing dependency on imported rare earths.
US announced withdrawal of 5,000 soldiers last week after German chancellor said US was being ‘humiliated’ by IranDonald Trump has threatened to withdraw more US troops from Germany after stunning European leaders and some senior members of his own party by last week announcing the withdrawal of 5,000 soldiers from Germany.The move left 30,000 US troops still in the country, according to CNN. But Trump threatened on Saturday that more cuts were coming. “We are going to cut way down, and we’re cutting a lot further than 5,000,” he told reporters on Saturday. Continue reading...
• The Trump administration announced plans to withdraw 5,000 U.S. troops from Germany over the next 6 to 12 months, impacting the approximately 35,000 American service members currently stationed there.
• Defense Secretary Hegseth is pulling the troops amid ongoing tensions between Trump and the German Chancellor over defense spending and NATO contributions.
• The reduction marks a significant shift in U.S. military presence in Europe and signals potential strains in the transatlantic alliance during this period.
• The Trump administration announced plans to withdraw approximately 5,000 US troops from Germany over the next 6-12 months.
• The troop withdrawal fulfills an earlier Trump threat and reflects tensions over Germany's stance on the Iran conflict.
• The move signals a broader shift in US military posture in Europe and could weaken NATO presence in a key strategic location.
German government calls redeployment of 5,000 troops ‘anticipated’ and reminder of Europe’s need to invest in its own defence‘We love our Americans’: the German town rocked by Trump’s plan to withdraw US troopsNato is seeking to “understand the details” of a US decision to withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany, a redeployment ordered by Donald Trump amid a feud with the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz.The German government sought to play down the severity of Trump’s move, describing it as “anticipated”, and a reminder of Europe’s need to invest in its own defence. The US withdrawal, which the Pentagon said would take place over the next six to 12 months, comes after criticism from Merz over Trump’s war with Iran and his handling of subsequent talks with Tehran. Continue reading...
Spinosaurid fossil bought by Stuttgart institution in 1991 has been the subject of a long restitution campaignIt is a 113-million-year-old bone of contention.After Stuttgart’s museum of natural history bought a fossilised dinosaur skull in 1991, researchers found it was the most complete spinosaurid skull known to date, belonging to a previously unknown genus of the huge meat-eating dinosaurs. Continue reading...
German defence minister responds to US president’s announcement that 5,000 US troops will leave bases in GermanyHello and welcome to our live coverage of events in the Middle East.The German defence minister, Boris Pistorius, said that it was “foreseeable” that the US would withdraw troops from Europe, after the Pentagon announced it would pull thousands of American soldiers from Germany.Trump said he is “not satisfied” with a new proposal from Iran on ending the war, as peace talks remain stalled despite a weeks-long ceasefire. Iran delivered the proposal text to mediator Pakistan on Thursday evening, Iranian state news agency Irna reported, without detailing its contents.The US state department said it was approving military sales totalling more than $8.6bn to Middle Eastern allies Israel, Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. It came as Washington warned European allies including the UK, Poland, Lithuania and Estonia to expect long delivery delays for US weapons as it scrambles to replenish stockpiles depleted by the Iran war, according to a report in the Fianancial Times citing multiple sources.In Lebanon, 12 people were killed in Israeli strikes in the south, Lebanon’s health ministry said, including in the town of Habboush, where the Israeli army had issued an evacuation order despite the continuing ceasefire. Israeli warplanes “launched a series of heavy strikes … less than an hour after” the warning, the state-run National News Agency said.The US Treasury Office warned that any shipping companies that paid tolls to Iran for passage through the strait of Hormuz, including charitable donations to organisations such as the Iranian Red Crescent Society, would risk punitive sanctions. Tehran has proposed charging fees on vessels passing through the strait, as part of a deal to end the war.Trump wrote to US lawmakers on Friday declaring hostilities with Iran “terminated”, despite no change in the US military posture, as he faces continuing pressure at home to seek congressional authorisation for the war.The state department’s announcement on Friday included approving military sales to Qatar of Patriot air and missile defence replenishment services costing $4.01bn and of advanced precision kill weapon systems (APKWS) costing $992.4m. They also included approval of the sale to Kuwait of an integrated battle command system costing $2.5bn and to Israel of APKWS costing $992.4m.Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei urged his people to wage economic battle and “disappoint” its enemies, as the war and years of sanctions take a toll. In a written statement he also said “the owners of damaged businesses should avoid, as much as possible, layoffs and separation of their workforce”. Continue reading...
The US president has criticised Germany’s chancellor, Friedrich Merz, and raised the prospect of pulling US troops from Italy and Spain. Plus, 10 big lessons on ending the fossil fuel eraGood morning.Donald Trump has threatened to withdraw US troops from Italy and Spain a day after he saying was looking at curtailing the number deployed in Germany.What has Congress been saying about the war? A senior Democrat in the Senate grilled the US secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, on Thursday, accusing him of failing to give Trump an accurate picture of the war on Iran while resorting to “dangerously exaggerated” statements to create an inaccurate picture of a US military triumph.What’s the latest on the suspect? The man accused of attempting to assassinate Trump agreed on Thursday to remain in custody while his federal criminal case moves forward. Continue reading...
US president’s latest outburst comes a day after he suggested a possible reduction in US troops in GermanyWhy does the US have military bases in Germany – and will Trump follow through on his threat to cut numbers?Donald Trump has again lashed out at Germany’s chancellor Friedrich Merz, saying he should focus on “fixing his broken country” and trying to end the Russia-Ukraine war – and spend less time “interfering” in Iran.“The Chancellor of Germany should spend more time on ending the war with Russia/Ukraine (Where he has been totally ineffective!),” Trump wrote in a social media post. Continue reading...
Prominent contemporary visual artist explored range of techniques across six decades of workThe German artist Georg Baselitz, whose expressive paintings and sculptures stirred controversy before winning him global acclaim, has died aged 88, local media reported have reported.Baselitz, born Hans-Georg Kern, was among Germany’s most prominent contemporary visual artists with a body of work stretching over six decades across a range of techniques. Continue reading...
UK was close behind, exporting 675,000 tonnes, with much of the waste sent to Turkey, Malaysia and Indonesia Germany was the world’s largest exporter of plastic waste in 2025 and sent more than 810,000 tonnes abroad, according to analysis of trade data carried out for the Guardian.The UK followed close behind, according to the analysis by Watershed Investigations and the Basel Action Network. It exported more 675,000 tonnes, its highest level in eight years and enough to fill about 127,000 shipping containers. Continue reading...
Media tycoon honoured in absentia as critics decry his 20-year sentence under national security lawThe jailed media entrepreneur Jimmy Lai has been awarded Deutsche Welle’s freedom of speech award for his contribution to Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement.The German public broadcaster said on Thursday that Lai would be presented in absentia with the 12th iteration of the award on 23 June at the DW Global Media Forum in Bonn. Continue reading...
