Culture news Berlin announces huge €130 million cuts to culture budget Germany’s government has confirmed huge cuts to the culture budget in Berlin. 27/11/2024
Economy Big drop in German consumer confidence beats hopes of economic growth A key survey shows Germans preparing to tighten their belts rather than boost private consumption, the sector which provides half of the GDP in Europe's biggest economy. 27/11/2024
Europe News Germany plans to turn buildings into bomb shelters The country's interior ministry said that an app would be designed for citizens to find their closest bunker. 26/11/2024
Europe News Merkel reflects on Putin's tactics and US presidencies in memoirs Angela Merkel's memoirs reflect on her tenure as German chancellor, detailing interactions with global leaders like Putin, Obama and Trump, and her thoughts on Brexit. 26/11/2024
Europe News Germany's job market reliant on thousands of migrants, experts say An analysis by the independent Bertelsmann Foundation has sounded the alarm that Europe's biggest economy will need thousands of additional workers from abroad to thrive. 26/11/2024
Europe News Merkel confronts her legacy in long-awaited memoir Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who served for 16 years, reflects on her childhood, time in office, and her "worry" for the future in her new memoir. 26/11/2024
Europe News German FM questions if DHL plane crash was 'hybrid incident' A cargo plane crashed into a house on its approach to Lithuania's Vilnius Airport on Monday morning, killing one crew member and injuring others. 26/11/2024
Europe News Scholz gets SPD's chancellor candidate nod after weeks of doubt Germany's centre-left Social Democracts have chosen to officially nominate current Chancellor Olaf Scholz as their party's candidate despite his low approval ratings. 25/11/2024
Economy Germany business morale worsens further: Is competitiveness at risk? German business confidence fell sharply in November, with the Ifo Index hitting its second-worst level since January. Rising costs, energy prices, and structural issues are eroding industrial competitiveness, while private sector activity hit a nine-month low. 25/11/2024
Europe News VW workers' union threatens to go on strike after talks fail Earlier this week, the workers announced that they were willing to accept pay reductions so that the company could continue to keep plants open and avoid mass layoffs. 22/11/2024
Travel News China extends visa-free entry to Bulgaria, Romania, Malta and Japan China's rapidly expanding visa-free scheme aims to boost tourism. 22/11/2024
Europe News German Defence Minister says he won't run for chancellor in 2025 The announcement, which Boris Pistorius made in a video posted to SDP social media channels, clears the way for incumbent chancellor Olaf Scholz to run for a second term. 22/11/2024
Europe News Denmark and Norway investigate damaged cables in Baltic Sea Concerns are growing over cables carrying internet data being cut or damaged, with cases reported in a number of European countries including Germany, Finland, Sweden and Lithuania. 21/11/2024
Europe News Ukrainians in Berlin ask Russians to share blame for 'Putin's war' Russian opposition figures organised a march to the Russian embassy in Berlin to mark 1,000 days of the war in Ukraine — and some of the city's Ukrainian residents had mixed feelings. 20/11/2024
Europe News Germany's Olaf Scholz faces pressure to drop re-election campaign Members of the German chancellor's Social Democratic Party are increasingly speculating that Scholz's defence minister, Boris Pistorius, is a more popular choice to lead the country. 20/11/2024
Culture news German architecture prize rescinded for British pro-Palestinian artist The Schelling Architecture Foundation has refused to award the winner of its top prize because they signed a letter pledging to boycott Israeli institutions. 19/11/2024
Business Thyssenkrupp's steel division sees valuation slump The unit has suffered from rocky economic conditions, fierce competition from Asian manufacturers, and a pressure to decarbonise. 19/11/2024
Europe News Damage to underwater cables was 'sabotage', German minister says Two underwater fibre-optic communications cables running between Finland and Germany were discovered cut on Monday, an incident both countries said was under investigation. 19/11/2024
Europe News Finland and Germany discover severed data cable through Baltic Sea In a joint statement, the two countries said the damage comes at a time that “our European security is not only under threat from Russia‘s war of aggression against Ukraine, but also from hybrid warfare by malicious actors.” 18/11/2024
Europe News Russian opposition figures march against Putin in Berlin Prominent Russian opposition figures led a march of at least 1,000 people in central Berlin on Sunday, against President Putin and his war in Ukraine 17/11/2024