Germany

German media say toddler among five dead, with 205 people injuredBild, German public-service broadcaster ARD and other media are reporting that four people were killed and 41 were seriously injured in the attack.In addition, 86 people were treated with significant injuries in hospital, while 78 people suffered light injuries. Continue reading...

A small child was among those killed after a car ploughed into a crowd of people at a Christmas market in the eastern German town of Magdeburg, in what local officials are describing as a terror attack. At least 68 people were injured, including 15 who were left in a critical state, according to the city government. In the attack, a black BMW drove straight […]

From campaign manifestos to a quirky German tradition that may actually be American, here's what we've been talking about at The Local this week.

Crisis-hit auto giant Volkswagen said Friday it planned to axe 35,000 jobs by 2030 in Germany after reaching an agreement with unions on a drastic cost-cutting plan.

Shocked survivors recounted the moment a car attack on Friday turned a glittering Christmas market in eastern Germany into a scene of death and carnage.

Witnesses say scenes in eastern German town of Magdeburg ‘reminiscent of a war’ after vehicle ploughs into crowd, leaving at least two dead and 68 injuredAt least two people have been killed and 68 injured after a driver ploughed a car into a crowd at a Christmas market in the eastern German town of Magdeburg on Friday evening. Fifteen people were left […]

Police arrest Saudi Arabian doctor as suspect for attack, according to German state premier. This blog is now closed. See our full report here: Car ploughs into crowd at German Christmas marketGermany’s deputy chancellor, Robert Habeck, has reacted to the Christmas market attack in Magdeburg, saying it was “horrible news”.“My thoughts are with the […]

Local authorities said that one person was arrested after the incident in Magdeburg, west of Berlin. Scores of people were taken to hospital, some in a serious condition. Many police officers and emergency services were at the scene, and the Christmas market manager had told people to leave the city centre, according to broadcaster MDRTwo killed and scores […]

German police arrested a Saudi Arabian man after a deadly car-ramming attack on a Christmas market Friday in which an SUV barrelled through a crowd of revellers at high speed, leaving a trail of bloody carnage.

Dark BMW reportedly drove into crowd in eastern German town of Magdeburg in what is being described as a terror attackGermany Christmas market attack: latest news updatesScores of people were injured and at least two people, including a small child, were killed on Friday after a car ploughed into a crowd of people at a Christmas market in the eastern German […]

German health minister calls US billionaire’s intervention weeks before election ‘undignified and problematic’ Elon Musk has caused outrage in Berlin after appearing to endorse the far-right, anti-immigrant Alternative für Deutschland.Musk, who has been named by Donald Trump to co-lead a commission aimed at reducing the size of the US federal […]

Germany’s chancellor backs auto industry as Volkswagen considers unprecedented plant closuresThe EU should refrain from “punitive” fines on carmakers that fail to meet emissions standards, the German chancellor has said, adding to the heated debate on the future of the key European industry.Olaf Scholz, who is running for re-election in February at a […]

Tech billionaire Elon Musk endorsed the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) on social media, sparking outrage from government leaders.

Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Friday he would speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin again after reinitiating contact with the Kremlin chief last month.

After a landslide vote in parliament, the Deutschlandticket is set to continue in 2025 - but the long-term fate of Germany's popular travel pass remains unclear.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock warned against the threat of "new violence" in Kurdish-held northern areas of Syria as she left for a visit to neighbouring Turkey on Friday.

Current news about the German job market is a mixed bag: a sluggish economy has seen many big companies resort to layoffs, while other industries remain desperate for workers. Here's what jobseekers can expect in 2025.

German lawmakers approved measures Thursday to protect the country's constitutional court from possible future attempts by extremist parties to limit its independence.

To onlookers, it might appear that Germany's political crisis is deepening after the vote of no confidence in the chancellor and the upcoming dissolution of the Bundestag. But these steps are all part of the constitutional path to a snap election.

German opposition leader Friedrich Merz, who hopes to become the next chancellor, is a millionaire ex-corporate lawyer who promises a return to his CDU party's conservative roots as an alternative to the far right.

There are three public holidays in Germany over Christmas and New Year, but many shops and businesses close or cut their hours on other days.

US lawmakers are to consider a bill to end citizenship-based taxation - which would mean that many Americans in Germany would no longer fall under the remit of the IRS and wouldn't have to file yearly US tax returns.

When was the last time you sent or received a fax? Believe it or not, in Germany fax machines are still being used everyday, for various reasons.

The eurozone’s flaws and a lack of growth in the EU have combined to malign effect. ‘More Europe’ is not the solutionThings are not quite going according to plan for Rachel Reeves. The economy has contracted for the past two months and inflation is proving hard to shift. The first Labour budget in more than 14 years received a frosty reception. But […]

Balcony solar panels can save 30% on a typical household’s electricity bill and, with vertical surface area in cities larger than roof space, the appeal is clearThey are easy to install, and knock chunks off electricity bills. It may not be Romeo and Juliet, but Spain’s balcony scene is heating up as the country embraces what has hitherto been a mainly […]

The German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, has announced fresh elections to the Bundestag for February 2025, after the collapse of his SPD-led coalition. Find out which parties are polling best todayGermany is preparing for a general election to the Bundestag, the lower house of its parliament, on 23 February, after its “traffic-light” coalition of social […]

Great-nephew of Alfred Flechtheim, who was forced to flee the Nazis, is frustrated at slow progress in returning works by Picasso and KleeGerman experts have long agreed that Michael Hulton, the sole surviving heir to an illustrious Jewish art collector forced to flee the Nazis, has a strong case for restitution. But after years of waiting, he’s running […]

Favourite to be country’s next leader rails against possible coalition partners even as he says he will restore harmonyThe frontrunner to be Germany’s next leader has pledged to end the infighting that has hobbled the country’s politics in recent years, even as he railed against his most likely coalition partners.The country’s main parties kicked […]

Snap elections will be a referendum on Scholz’s failed coalition. But our leaderless drift is disastrous for EuropeIt was certainly not one of those rather bland debates the Bundestag, the German parliament, is deservedly known for. On Monday, Olaf Scholz, the German chancellor, and his challengers were hurling insults at each other in the hallowed halls […]

It will be hectic for drivers in Germany around the Christmas and New Year period. Here's where and when you can expect the busiest roads - and what to keep in mind while driving in winter.