- 5d ago
Germany's online vacation rental bookings hit record 68.3 million overnight stays in 2025, driven by domestic demand
Travellers booked 68.3 million nights through Airbnb, Booking.com and Expedia in 2025, a 13% jump from last year and more than 83% above pre-pandemic levels. Domestic demand drove the boom, while Berlin drew two-thirds of its guests from abroad.
- Jul 25
Bayern Munich lose 2-1 to third-tier Wehen Wiesbaden with squad averaging 17.6 years
In the first friendly of the summer, a Bayern Munich team with an average age of 17.6 lost 2-1 to third-division SV Wehen Wiesbaden, celebrating its 100th anniversary. Stars like Harry Kane were still absent after the World Cup.
- Jul 20
Italian singer Noemi suffers head injury after falling off stage during concert in San Salvo, cancels shows for four weeks
The singer was taken to hospital in Vasto after falling while greeting fans during a free concert on 19 July; she posted a message saying she has a head injury and must rest for four weeks.
- Jul 20
One in three restaurants in major German cities deletes Google Maps reviews, nationwide sample shows
A nationwide sample by the German Press Agency (dpa) shows that up to one in three hospitality businesses in major German cities have had Google Maps reviews removed after complaints, spotlighting a new transparency notice Google began displaying in late April.
- Jul 16
CHE survey: 27.9% of German students live with parents, but regional gaps are wide
A nationwide CHE survey of over 87,000 students finds 27.9% still live with their parents, while private flats and shared apartments are nearly as common. Regional differences are stark, from Saarland's 42.8% at home to Saxony's preference for solo renting.
- Jul 16
Dublin joins Munich, Paris and Rome in imposing water restrictions as heatwave drains European reserves
A six-week garden-hose ban took effect in Dublin overnight, while Munich issued its first-ever compulsory water-saving order, signalling a deepening crisis across the continent after a dry winter and spring.
- Jul 15
Hesse's top court to rule Wednesday on legality of 2022 transport-reform petition that gathered 70,000 signatures
The Hessian State Court in Wiesbaden will announce its verdict at 11:00 on Wednesday in the case brought by the 'Verkehrswende Hessen' initiative, whose 2022 petition for a new mobility law was rejected as unconstitutional by the previous state government.
- Jul 14
University of Kassel delays civil clause reform to November as student protests mount
The University of Kassel's Senate is considering softening its self-imposed civil clause, sparking protests while three other Hessian universities confirm they will maintain their commitments to purely peaceful research.
- Jul 13
German airfares jump 8.5% in first half of 2026 as kerosene costs bite
International flights from Germany cost 8.5% more in the first half of 2026, driven by expensive kerosene after the Strait of Hormuz blockade. Package tours rose more moderately at 3%.
- Jul 11
German construction prices jump 5% in May, fastest since 2023, as Iran war drives material costs higher
The price of new conventional residential buildings climbed 5% year-on-year in May, accelerating from 3.3% in February and reaching the steepest increase since summer 2023. The Federal Statistical Office cited military escalation in the Middle East as a fresh cost driver on top of earlier Ukraine-related pressures.
- Jul 11
Deutsche Bahn halts regional lines, diverts ICEs as Fulda junction upgrade adds 60 minutes to journeys
Regional trains cancelled, long-distance ICEs on 60-minute detours, and multiple stations skipped as the Fulda junction upgrade collides with other major works.
- Jul 11
World Population Day: UN projects peak of 10.3 billion by 2080s as Germany shrinks
While the world population hits 8.3 billion, UN projections show a peak of 10.3 billion around the 2080s, with Germany's population already declining.
- Jul 10
Deutsche Bahn starts five-month closure of right-bank Rhine line, night-time restrictions in Rhine-Main
From Friday, Deutsche Bahn closes the right-bank Rhine line between Wiesbaden and Troisdorf for five months of modernisation, while night-time works disrupt S-Bahn and regional services in the Rhine-Main area until late September.
- Jul 9
Hesse's big cities see population surge while countryside stagnates
Hesse's major cities gained 12.5% more residents between 2004 and 2025, while rural districts added just 0.2%, widening the urban-rural divide in one of Germany's densest states.
- Jul 7
German life expectancy reaches new high in 2025, federal statistics show
New data from the Federal Statistical Office shows life expectancy at birth for women reached 83.6 years and for men 79.1 years in 2025, both all-time highs.
- Jul 6
German industrial orders rebound 1.9% in May, beating forecasts as defence and transport contracts surge
German factory orders rose 1.9% in May from April, surpassing the 1.5% forecast, as large contracts for aircraft, ships and military vehicles offset weakness in the auto sector.
- Jul 5
Sexual offences rise in Hesse's swimming pools as heatwaves drive visitor numbers, police report
Police in Hesse recorded 87 sexual offences in public pools last year, up from 74 in 2024, while total crimes fell. Recent incidents in Frankfurt and Griesheim have put the issue back in focus.
- Jul 2
US general leading forces in Europe forced out after 18 months as Hegseth reshapes Pentagon leadership
General Christopher Donahue, a highly respected four-star commander and the last American soldier to leave Afghanistan, relinquished command of US Army forces in Europe and Africa during a ceremony in Wiesbaden on Thursday. The departure was forced by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as part of a wider purge of senior military leaders.
- Jul 1
Germany's birth rate falls to 1.32, lowest level since 1997
The combined birth rate fell 2.7% from 2024 to 1.32 children per woman, the Federal Statistical Office reported. Total births in 2025 dropped to 654,241, the lowest post-war figure.
- Jun 29
German state investments surge 12.3% in 2025 to highest level since 2000, driven by 47.7% jump in defense equipment spending
Government gross investments reached €147.5 billion last year, with equipment outlays skyrocketing 47.7% thanks to a special defense fund. Construction investment, meanwhile, grew only 2%, and the investment-to-GDP ratio remains below the EU average.
