News from Germany on politics, society, regions and everyday issues relevant to readers in Germany and across Europe.
Within a short period, there were two attacks on Germany's power supply. In Brandenburg, investigators are now looking into suspected terrorism. In Bergheim near Cologne, five lignite power plant blocks have gone offline.
After months of construction, the new Sternbrücke in Hamburg is open to trains again. The first services crossed the bridge on Monday morning.
Germany's statutory health insurance association (GKV) warns that long-term care insurance could run out of money by October, as spending rises nearly three times faster than income and the first half already brought a deficit of 770 million euros.
The railway line between Berlin and Hamburg will be closed from Saturday night to Sunday for final optimization work following the major renovation. Travelers must expect diversions and replacement services.
According to a study by the Institute for Macroeconomics and Business Cycle Research (IMK) of the Hans Böckler Foundation, 81 percent of German adults are concerned about their social security. A majority rejects the planned social reforms.
More than 80 organizations from trade unions, churches, and sports want to provide practical help to people threatened by right-wing extremists.
Deutsche Bahn will close the line between Düsseldorf Hauptbahnhof and Cologne-Mülheim for construction work from Friday evening. The disruption affects not only travelers but also tens of thousands of daily commuters.
Lower Saxony plans to reform upper secondary education with fewer written exams and greater subject choice. Education Minister Julia Willie Hamburg (Greens) calls it a "milestone," while the CDU criticizes the plans.
Construction sites are disrupting rail traffic in and around Munich. Passengers must prepare for S-Bahn restrictions on some days.
The Greens want to connect more cities to rail services with a long-distance guarantee. The proposal is considered unrealistic but could bring movement to a neglected issue.
Federal Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig (SPD) wants to legally ease the installation of air conditioners and sun blinds for tenants. So far, there is no legal entitlement to this.
After an apartment building in Hamburg's Holstenstraße was evacuated, many tenants are worried about the safety of their own homes. Structural engineer Michael Dartsch explains in an interview with Zeit when cracks actually become dangerous.
The forest fire in the Belgian nature reserve Hohes Venn has not moved closer to the German town of Monschau. But the fire brigade is not giving the all-clear.
In the first half of 2026, nearly 9,300 people voluntarily left Germany, according to a report by the Funke Mediengruppe – about 26 percent more than in the same period last year.
Hundreds of thousands celebrated at the Berlin techno parade 'Rave the Planet' in the Tiergarten on Saturday. The event took place under heightened security measures after an attack on the CSD three weeks ago.
The German government has no reliable figures on how long children and adolescents must wait for a therapy place. This is according to a response to a parliamentary question from the Left Party, which Spiegel has seen.
The German cabinet has approved a reform package of more than 700 pages, granting domestic and foreign intelligence services greater powers to counter hybrid threats. As Deutsche Welle reports, the reform also draws criticism.
The federal cabinet is set to decide on the reform of child and youth welfare. The Social Association of Germany (SoVD) warns of risks for children with complex disabilities.
The federal government wants to push the BAföG reform through the cabinet today. However, the increase in the housing allowance to 440 euros will only come into effect in the summer semester of 2027, as reported by Tagesschau.
A review by the ADAC has found significant defects at pedestrian crossings in Hesse. As the FAZ reports, one in three zebra crossings near elementary schools is unsafe.
In the first half of the year, employees in Deutsche Bahn's regional transport were victims of violence almost 990 times. The subsidiary DB Regio says the company wants to counter this with stab-resistant vests, body cameras, and more staff.
Following the drone incident in Leipzig, Federal Minister Steffen Bilger wants to quickly improve defense measures at German airports. According to Tagesschau, he is calling for faster equipping of airports.
The youth traffic school at Frankfurt's Grüneburgpark is in urgent need of renovation. The practice area has seen better days, and a new building is not expected before 2028.
Only 25.8 percent of long-distance trains between Hamburg and Berlin currently reach their destination on time. The line had been closed for ten months.
The Berlin–Hamburg rail line will be closed again at night in August and September. Deutsche Bahn says it will fix remaining defects and carry out final optimizations.
Severe thunderstorms swept across parts of Germany on Monday evening and into Tuesday, causing damage and disrupting rail traffic, particularly in Thuringia and North Rhine-Westphalia.
In the first six months of 2026, 9,663 people were deported from Germany, about 2,100 fewer than in the same period last year, according to the Federal Ministry of the Interior.
The transport of the new Sternbrücke in Hamburg-Altona begins today, Wednesday, a day earlier than planned, according to Deutsche Bahn. The 3,700-ton steel bridge will be moved onto Max-Brauer Allee.
Passengers on S-Bahn lines S5, S6, and S8 as well as the Werdenfelsbahn will face disruptions in August due to bridge construction at Westkreuz. Replacement services will be provided by buses.
Due to slope stabilization work by the railway, the S7 line between Icking and Wolfratshausen will be closed for four weeks starting August 12. Munich's S-Bahn is setting up a replacement bus service.
After the deadly terrorist attack on the Christopher Street Day (CSD) parade in Berlin, the heads of government from Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, and Hamburg have expressed their dismay. According to NDR, a woman was killed and several people were injured.
A repair at a signal box near Südkreuz station is causing delays on several S-Bahn lines this morning. In the evening, a central section of the line will be closed.
The ADAC is warning of increased traffic jam risk on German motorways this coming weekend. The reason is the start of summer holidays in almost all federal states, as well as numerous construction sites and closures.
Hessen is expanding deportations to Afghanistan. The state interior ministry announced that "regular deportations of individuals required to leave the country to Afghanistan are now possible" – no longer limited to criminals and those deemed a threat.
Due to possible fatigue cracks, Bonn's municipal utility SWB temporarily suspended 60 of its 75 trams on Tuesday. According to WDR, the vehicles are to be inspected.
The German railway company is expanding its alcohol ban to every station nationwide, citing safety concerns for passengers and staff.
The young footballers of the Munich-based FC KARS (U10) took part in the Tuscher Sommercup F1 Jugend tournament, which was held on July 19 in Hettenshausen. For the boys, who haven\'t been training together for that long, it was only their second official tournament, but the result exceeded many expectations: three wins, one draw, and only a single defeat in the match against the eventual tournament winner — the TSV Reichertshausen team.
A resident of Aschheim found a brown bottle with dried picric acid while cleaning. The substance is highly explosive, and the fire department carried out a controlled detonation.
A 26-year-old security employee was attacked on a regional train heading to Karlsruhe on Friday evening and fell from the moving train. The severely injured rail security employee is out of life-threatening danger, according to the public prosecutor's office.
After a freight train derailed in Nidderau, the railway line between Friedberg and Hanau will remain closed until at least August 7. The Hessische Landesbahn (HLB) announced that a replacement bus service will be set up.