Germany updates: Police make massive Captagon bust in east – DW – 07/13/2025
Authorities say it is one of the single biggest amphetamine busts ever in Germany, worth more than €20 million.
The Federal Constitutional Court will rule Tuesday on whether the German government is obliged to stop the US from using its Ramstein Air Base to conduct drone strikes in third countries. The Federal Constitutional Court will decide on Tuesday whether Germany has an obligation to protect third-country citizens from US drone missions that depend on data from US bases in Germany — specifically from Ramstein Air Base in the southwest.
The top court will rule in a case brought on appeal by two Yemeni citizens who say the German government did not do enough to prevent the killing of civilians in their village. Lower courts have been unable to definitively answer the question, though Berlin vehemently denies any negligence.
The men say Germany has an obligation to protect their right to life and that Berlin must investigate — and if necessary — stop the US from carrying out such missions.
Berlin says Washington has given guarantees that it is not violating international humanitarian law and that no US drones are launched, landed or controlled from Ramstein. The base, says the US, merely serves as a data relay point linking the Pentagon to drones at other sites — in this case Yemen — using satellite technology.
Berlin has said it has done enough and that to take further steps would put its EU and NATO relations into question.
The German government says that Berlin and Washington maintain "an ongoing and trusted dialog" when it comes to activities at Ramstein.
The Constitutional Court will now determine whether Germany has any such third-party obligations and whether Ramstein's role as a data relay represents a substantial enough German territorial tie to warrant German intervention.
Police in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt say they have made what is likely one of the largest-ever discoveries of fenethylline in German. Better known under the brand name Captagon, the amphetamine was discovered hidden among pallets full of oil-producing fruits and vegetables at a grocery store in the city of Landsberg.
Police seized 20 pallets on Saturday.
Authorities say some 300 kilos of the drug — in the form of 1.7 million pills — has an estimated street value of €20 million ($22 million).
Police and prosecutors said, "This is likely one of the largest single seizures of this substance in Germany," adding that investigations are ongoing.
from Bonn!
Following the pause, DW resumes its coverage of news and analysis from Germany.
On Sunday, German police announced the biggest discovery of Captagon amphetamines in the country's history. Authorities in the eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt say some 300 kilograms (around 661 pounds) of the drug were discovered in delivery pallets at a local vegetable shop.
Germany's Federal Constitutional Court will also rule this Tuesday on whether Berlin has an obligation to halt US drone missions in third-countries that depend on assistance from US bases in Germany.
Stay tuned for more, and we hope you enjoy reading!
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is set to meet with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the coming days to discuss border security, calling irregular migration "a global problem."
In an op-ed for the , Starmer wrote that Merz's visit will include talks on "what more we can do together to prosecute criminal networks and prevent people smuggling to the U.K."
"The networks of these criminal gangs stretch across countless countries and legal systems, showing no respect for our borders," he wrote.
"We'll go further to tackle this shared issue together," he added.
Saturday was a fairy tale for Germany's castles, and a horror story for its women's football team.
Let's say the only thing getting defended well was Neuschwanstein.
What surprises does Sunday have in store? Join us again in the morning as we continue our coverage.
Sweden made a big statement at the Women's European Championship with a dominant 4-1 win over Germany.
Both teams had already secured a spot in the quarterfinals, but this result gives Sweden a potentially smoother path to the final.
Sweden will face the runner-up of Group D in the quarter-finals, with Germany facing the team that tops that group. That will be France,
England or the Netherlands.
Read how it went wrong for Germany by clicking here.
One week after a father and his son went missing in Eibsee lake in southern Germany, rescue teams have recovered their bodies, German police reported Saturday.
Investigators believe that the 6-year-old boy fell into the lake while the family of four was out on the Eibsee, a Bavarian Alpine lake located at the foot of Germany's highest mountain, the Zugspitze.
His 33-year-old father jumped in to rescue the child, but neither of them resurfaced, police said, adding that there are no signs of foul play.
The mother and the couple's daughter were also on the pedal boat at the time. The family is from the southern state of Bavaria, according to the police.
Emergency responders conducted an intensive, week-long search operation to find the pair.
Economy Minister Katherina Reiche said that the US tariffs "would hit European exporting companies hard," following US President Donald Trump's announcement that he would impose 30% tariffs on all EU goods.
"At the same time, they would also have a strong impact on the economy and consumers on the other side of the Atlantic," Reiche said in an emailed statement.
"A pragmatic outcome to the negotiations must be reached quickly," she added.
You can read more about the reactions to Trump's tariff announcement on Saturday in our special blog.
The Bavarian castle, which inspired the young Walt Disney, is one of the most popular attractions in Germany.
Now it has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. What makes it so magical?
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The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on Saturday announced the newest additions to its list of designated World Heritage Sites during an annual meeting in Paris.
Several sites in Germany were added to the list, namely, the castles and residences of King Ludwig II of Bavaria (1845-1886).
Built in the 1800s in different historicizing styles and defamed as a fanciful if not mad waste of money at the time, the sites have been tourist magnets for nearly 140 years.
The UNESCO designation will no doubt increase the number of people visiting the sites. Some 1.7 million individuals, many of them foreign tourists, visited the castles in 2024.
Politicians in the southern German state of Bavaria have fought for the designation for a quarter century.
Known around the world — in large part due to the Disney corporation's use of Neuschwanstein as a model for various castles, as well as the image of the palace perched on an outcropping and surrounded by Alpine forests — Neuschwanstein Castle, Herrenchiemsee Palace, Linderhof Castle and the King's House on Schachen were all added to the list Saturday.
"The inclusion of the palaces on the World Heritage List is an outstanding tribute to these impressive places," said German Unesco Commission President Maria Böhmer.
"They are all architectural masterpieces and bear witness to the artistic imagination, but also the eccentricity of the fairytale king."
Prior to Saturday's additions, there were 54 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Germany. Globally, there are some 1,223 World Heritage Sites in 168 different countries.
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ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe and labor union IG Metall announced on Saturday that they have reached agreement over hard fought cost-cutting measures at the German industrial company.
A collective restructuring agreement came Saturday after three days of negotiations, with management and labor seeking to put the company back in the black by 2030.
ThyssenKrupp, Germany's largest steelmaker, has struggled with rising energy prices and cheap imports from Asia of late.
In order to combat that trend, lay-offs — up to 10,000 of them — and the cancellation of various bonuses will be undertaken, with laborers taking home less pay in the future.
"We are reducing excess capacity, improving efficiency, and can thus achieve a competitive cost structure," said Marie Jaroni, a member of the company's executive board, in describing the company's long-term viability.
Regional IG Metall leader Knut Geisler noted that concessions made by ThyssenKrupp regarding firings and investment had softened the impact of the agreement.
Now IG Metall union members at ThyssenKrupp must approve the deal.
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German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt on Saturday said recent parliamentary wrangling within the ruling coalition over the appointment of judges to the Federal Constitutional Court do not weaken the institution.
Dobrindt, of Bavaria's conservative Christian Social Union (CSU), was reacting to criticism by opposition parties but also from coalition partner Social Democrats (SPD) who accused the CDU/CSU of "deliberately dismantling our highest German court and our democratic institutions."
Speaking with radio broadcaster Deutschlandfunk (DLF), Dobrindt said, "I don't see any damage to the Federal Constitutional Court at all."
Germany's Bundestag had been scheduled to vote on three appointments to the bench on Friday but the vote was torpedoed when the conservative CDU/CSU bloc unexpectedly withdrew support for a candidate put forth by the SPD over plagiarism accusations.
from Bonn
Following the pause, DW resumes its coverage of news and analysis from Germany.
On Saturday, Germany awaits news from Paris, where the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO is expected to decide whether to grant World Heritage status to the castles of Neuschwanstein, Herrenchiemsee, and Linderhof, as well as the royal residence on Schachen Mountain in Upper Bavaria.
Stay tuned for more, and we hope you enjoy reading!
It's just past midnight here in Germany, so we're pausing our coverage for now and will resume early in the morning.
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Int'l Business Times
2 hours ago
- Int'l Business Times
Merz Makes First Trip To London Amid Warming Post-Brexit Ties
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DW
9 hours ago
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Germany updates: Klingbeil urges stonger ties with Africa – DW – 07/16/2025
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"The global community must be better prepared for health crises," Health Minister Nina Warken said. "The coronavirus pandemic has taught us this." Key measures include requiring countries to report potential international health emergencies to the WHO and to maintain "core capacities" like lab diagnostics and risk communication. The Health Ministry stressed that the law won't limit Germany's sovereignty or its ability to impose domestic protective measures. The draft will now go to parliament for final approval. The organization Environmental Action Germany (DUH) has called for help in identifying sites where the pollutant nitrogen dioxide (NO2) could be present in the air in dangerous amounts. It launched a project on Wednesday during which all German residents can send in their suggestions for where measurements should be taken. The project runs until August 24. 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Twenty years ago, that share was just 17.1% (14 million people). Older people are most likely to live alone: 34% of those over 65 do so, and among those aged 85 and older, the share jumps to 56%. But young adults between 25 and 34 also stand out, with 28% living alone — well above average. Women live alone slightly more often than men (21.2% versus 20%). Compared to the EU average of 16.2%, Germany's share of solo households is high — only Lithuania, Finland, Denmark, Estonia and Sweden have higher rates. The lowest shares are found in Slovakia, Ireland and Poland. Single-person households are already the most common household type in Germany, making up 41.6% of all households. According to forecasts, this share could exceed 45% by 2040. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Living alone can come with downsides: one in four people living alone says they often feel lonely — much higher than the 16.3% average for the general population aged ten and older. Loneliness is most common among those under 30 who live alone: nearly 36% of them report feeling lonely frequently. Among solo households aged 65 and older, that share drops to just 17.6%. Single people are also more at risk of poverty. In 2023, 29% of people living alone were considered at risk of poverty — nearly twice as high as the rate for the total population. The proportion of women who sit on supervisory boards at German-listed companies has edged down slightly, according to a new study by the group Women in Supervisory Boards (Fidar). Women held 37% of seats at 179 listed firms, down from 37.3% last year. A quarter of companies had an equal number of men and women on their supervisory boards. The picture at the executive level improved a little, with women now holding 19.9% of management board positions — up from 19.3% a year earlier. The data covers companies on Germany's DAX indices plus other publicly traded and co-determined firms. Germany introduced a binding 30% quota for women on supervisory boards in 2016. Large listed firms with boards of more than three members must also have at least one woman and one man to meet gender participation rules introduced in mid-2022. China has removed its sanctions against German Green Party politician Reinhard Bütikofer after blacklisting him in retaliation for EU measures over alleged human rights abuses in Xinjiang, EU officials said Friday. The measure, seen as part of Beijing's push to reopen dialogue with the European Parliament, comes days ahead of an EU-China summit in Beijing. Bütikofer chaired the parliament's China delegation until this year. In response to the news, the politician slammed China's approach as "arbitrary" and lacking any real political coherence. He pointed out that other EU targets — including Berlin's Mercator Institute for China Studies — remain blacklisted. Beijing imposed the bans in 2021 after the EU hit Chinese officials with asset freezes and travel bans over the treatment of the Muslim Uighur minority in Xinjiang. The sanctions barred Bütikofer and others from entering China or doing business there. Calls for a shake-up of Germany's summer holiday timetable are growing louder, as more states push for an end to what they see as an unfair advantage for Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg — the only two states that always start their school break last. While most of Germany's states rotate their summer holiday slots each year to ease travel chaos and spread demand for holiday accommodation, the two southern states keep their late break thanks to their traditional Catholic Pentecost holidays. The Standing Conference of State Ministers of Education says the special rule ensures enough learning and exam time between Pentecost and the summer break. But critics argue that families in other states are stuck with peak season prices and packed roads, while parents in the south can avoid the rush by taking advantage of the early summer Pentecost period. "This rigid system is no longer fair," said the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia's Education Minister Dorothee Feller. Rhineland-Palatinate's Education Minister Sven Teuber echoed her call, telling the German newspaper : "Summer holidays are not a privilege for a few states. We need constructive solutions, including from those that have shown little flexibility so far." "State uprising against extra sausage for Bavaria," was the newspaper's online headline, using a German term for preferential treatment. Germany's holiday calendar is based on the 1964 Hamburg Agreement, which fixes the total number of school holiday days at 75 per year and sets a framework for when the summer break can start — depending on Easter and Pentecost dates. Bavaria's Premier Markus Söder of the Christian Social Union (CSU) dismissed the calls for change. "We have our holiday rhythm — it's part of Bavaria's DNA," he said. Baden-Württemberg also shows no sign of budging, despite occasional grumbling that its late break sometimes brings chilly, autumn-like weather by early September. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Welcome to our coverage from DW's newsroom in a cloudy but warm Bonn in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. You join us as a row brews over Germany's rotating summer holiday timetable. North Rhine-Westphalia and other states in Germany complain of unfair treatment when it comes to the way that holiday dates are staggered. They want a change to a rota aimed at easing travel chaos, saying the southern states of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg have been keeping an unfair late-slot perk. Other states say this is a headache for families elsewhere who have to juggle peak prices and childcare. However, the Catholic south is sticking firmly to a tradition rooted in the religious holiday of Pentecost. Stay tuned here for this and other news from Germany.
DW
10 hours ago
- DW
US, EU express concern following Israeli strikes on Damascus – DW – 07/16/2025
Israel struck sites in Syria amid fighting between the Druze minority and the Syrian government. Meanwhile, an ultra-Orthodox party withdrew from Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's cabinet. DW has the Syrian government and key Druze religious leader Sheikh Yousef Jarbou announced a ceasefire in the southern Syrian province of Sweida after clashes earlier reportedly left hundreds dead. "An agreement was reached for a ceasefire in Sweida and for the establishment of security checkpoints across the city," the Syrian-state run SANA news agency reported. The Druze-majority city of Sweida is the capital of Sweida province. It's unclear if the ceasefire deal will last, however, as a previous truce collapsed a day earlier. Another influential Druze religious leader, Hikmat al-Hijri, has rebuked the idea of a new ceasefire deal. He urged Syrian government forces to leave Sweida. Al-Hijri earlier called for foreign powers to protect the Druze community in Syria, prompting Israel's military intervention. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told journalists he had phoned "relevant parties" amid the violence in Syria. Rubio said he was "very concerned" by the fighting. Rubio also said he expected imminent "deescalation" after Israel attacked the Syrian army headquarters in Damascus. "We think we're on our way towards a real deescalation," Rubio told journalists, saying there was a "misunderstanding" between Israel and Syria. "In the next few hours, we hope to see some real progress," Rubio said. The EU said it was "concerned" by Israeli attacks on the Syrian capital. "Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity need to be respected," European Council President Antonio Costa posted on X. The Turkish Foreign Ministry labeled Israel's strikes in Damascus an "act of sabotage." "Israel's attacks on Damascus, following its military interventions in the south of Syria, constitute an act of sabotage against Syria's efforts to secure peace, stability and security," Turkey said. The Israeli army struck targets in the Syrian capital of Damascus on Wednesday, as Israel claims its military intervention aims to protect the Syrian Druze minority. "The IDF struck the entrance of the Syrian regime's military headquarters in the area of Damascus in Syria," the Israel Defense Forces said. Two Israeli attacks were reported in the area. It's the third day in a row that Israel launched airstrikes on Syria. "The warnings to Damascus have ended — now painful blows will come," Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on social media platform X. Clashes between Bedouin Sunni tribes and the Druze community broke out in the southern Syrian province of Suweida on Sunday. On Monday, the Syrian government deployed troops to Suweida, with Syria's military then being drawn into fighting with the Druze militias. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights organization said at least 300 people have been killed in southern Syria since the clashes broke out on Sunday. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The Druze are a small ethno-religious group in the Middle East who primarily live in Syria, Lebanon and Israel. Amid the clashes, Druze in Israel have been attempting to enter Syria to help Druze militia groups, with members of the Syrian Druze community then attempting to go into Israel. The Israeli military strikes on Syria come as Israel expresses distrust towards the Islamist-influenced Syrian government of Ahmad al-Sharaa. Al-Sharaa's government came into power after Syrian rebels ousted Bashar Assad, whose family had maintained an iron-grip on Syria for decades. Demonstrations against the Assad regime in 2011 sparked the Syrian civil war. Israel's military has launched strikes in Syria amid clashes between Syrian government forces and the Druze minority. In addition to Syria, this blog will also cover developments in other parts of the Middle East, such as Gaza and Yemen. Stay with us for the latest news, analysis, multimedia content and DW on-the-ground reporting in the region. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
