- yesterday
Russia orders closure of German consulate in St. Petersburg following Leipzig drone dispute
Moscow ordered Germany to close its St. Petersburg consulate by September 18 and shutter Goethe-Institut branches, retaliating against Berlin's closure of Russian diplomatic sites following an airport drone incident.
- 3d ago
German police hunt suspect after finding 12 explosive devices near power substations
German authorities are searching for a 48-year-old climate activist suspected of planting 12 homemade explosives near electrical substations in eastern Germany. Bomb disposal teams neutralized the devices on Friday without causing power outages.
- 6d ago
Germany blames Russia for Leipzig airport drone attack and shuts Bonn consulate
German authorities identified two Russian-linked suspects behind an explosive drone plot targeting a Ukrainian Antonov transport plane at Leipzig/Halle airport, prompting Berlin to close Russian diplomatic offices.
- Sep 1
Germany blames Russia for Leipzig airport drone plot and shuts Bonn consulate
German authorities have formally attributed an August drone attack attempt targeting Ukrainian transport aircraft at Leipzig/Halle airport to Russian intelligence, ordering the closure of Russia's Bonn consulate and canceling the lease of the Russian House in Berlin.
- Aug 29
Hellweg and BayWa Bau & Garten to wind down with 35 stores sold and 79 facing closure
German DIY chains Hellweg and BayWa Bau & Garten will be liquidated after finding buyers for only 35 of over 110 branches, with remaining stores scheduled to close by late November 2026.
- Aug 25
Germany blames Russia for Leipzig airport drone plot and closes consulate as Moscow retaliates
Berlin has shuttered a Russian consulate and cultural center following an attempted August drone sabotage at Leipzig/Halle Airport, prompting Moscow to order the closure of three Goethe-Institut branches.
- Aug 18
Deutsche Telekom acquires Polish fiber operators Fiberhost and INEA for €1 billion
Deutsche Telekom has agreed to acquire Fiberhost and INEA from Macquarie Asset Management for €1 billion, expanding T-Mobile Polska's direct reach to 1.4 million households.
- Aug 17
Forest fire in Westerwald reaches 20 meters from homes before firefighters gain control
A forest fire in Gebhardshain, Rhineland-Palatinate, came within 20 meters of homes on 16 August, prompting the evacuation of 20 families before firefighters brought it under control.
- Aug 12
German cartel office approves 50+1 rule after 8-year review but orders Bundesliga to fix three problem areas
Germany's Federal Cartel Office closed its eight-year review of the 50+1 rule on 12 August 2026, finding no fundamental antitrust objections but ordering the Bundesliga to fix three problem areas, including phasing out sponsor exceptions for Wolfsburg and Leverkusen.
- Aug 10
Western Europe records hottest June-July ever as oceans hit new temperature high
Western Europe saw its warmest June-July period on record with an average of 21.62°C, 2.79°C above the 1991-2020 norm, as global ocean surfaces also reached a record 20.96°C in July, the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service reported on 10 August.
- Aug 9
Rhine water levels hit record lows at Kaub, splitting Europe's key waterway and disrupting industry
The gauge at Kaub fell to 6 centimetres on Friday, the lowest since records began, forcing cargo ships to cut loads to a fifth of normal capacity and effectively dividing the river into two non-connecting sections.
- Aug 9
German states suspend Sunday truck driving ban as drought cripples river shipping on Rhine, Danube and Elbe
Several German states temporarily suspended the Sunday and holiday truck driving ban to shift freight from drought-stricken rivers to roads, drawing praise from industry and criticism from environmentalists and opposition parties.
- Aug 5
Drones over German military base housing Patriot systems after explosive drone found at Leipzig airport
Two drones were spotted over a Bundeswehr base in Mechernich that repairs Patriot air defense systems, days after a drone carrying explosives was found at Leipzig airport near a Ukrainian cargo plane.
- Aug 5
Danube and Rhine drop to record lows: nuclear plants halted, cruises cancelled, and barges run at a fifth of capacity
The Danube and Rhine have hit critical lows after a summer of heatwaves above 40°C and reduced Alpine snowmelt, cutting shipping, halting nuclear reactors in Romania and Hungary, and forcing cruise passengers onto buses.
- Aug 3
NRW fire unit sent home after 36 hours: Spain no longer needs German wildfire help
A 50-strong specialist wildfire unit from North Rhine-Westphalia is returning to Germany after Spanish authorities decided on Sunday evening that the situation in Castile and León had eased and external assistance was no longer required.
- Aug 1
Rhine at record low chokes German freight as Bilger lifts Sunday truck ban
The Rhine gauge at Kaub fell to 17 centimetres on Wednesday, the lowest since measurements began in 1880, crippling cargo traffic on Germany's most important waterway. Transport Minister Steffen Bilger announced emergency measures including suspending Sunday truck driving bans after a crisis summit with industry in Bonn on Thursday.
- Jul 31
Hamburg Pride draws record 300,000 a week after Berlin attack, security doubled
One week after a fatal extremist attack at Berlin's Christopher Street Day, Hamburg's Pride parade drew a record 300,000 participants under doubled police protection, with a minute of silence for the victims.
- Jul 29
Danube drought forces nuclear plant shutdowns in Hungary and Romania
Record-low Danube levels from prolonged heatwaves have pushed Hungary's Paks plant toward its first full shutdown in its 44 years of service and threaten Romania's Cernavoda reactor, as both countries scramble to conserve electricity.
- Jul 26
Berlin police shoot dead suspect in Pride parade attack that killed one and injured 29
Abdul Ballout, 21, was tracked to a community garden in Spandau on Sunday and shot after charging officers with a knife. The attack on the Christopher Street Day parade left one woman dead and 29 injured.
- Jul 16
German conservatives to elect Spahn's successor on 29 July after surrogacy resignation
The CDU/CSU parliamentary group will convene a special session on 29 July at 14:00 in Berlin to elect a new chair, after Jens Spahn resigned on Saturday under pressure from Chancellor Friedrich Merz and his own party over his use of a surrogate mother in the United States.
