Germany updates: Companies pledge €631 billion investment – DW – 07/21/2025
An alliance of top German companies pledged to invest at least €631 billion ($733 billion) in Germany over the next three years.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz met with executives from top German firms on Monday, hoping to rally fresh investment after two years of recession.
While the government has approved billions in tax relief and a €500-billion ($580 billion) fund for infrastructure and climate, Berlin says public money alone won't be enough.An alliance of German companies, numbering in the dozens, pledged to invest at least €631 billion ($733 billion) in Germany over the next three years.
"The investments by the initiative are a very powerful signal that we are now experiencing a shift in sentiment and consolidating it," German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said.
"The message ... is very clear: Germany is back. It's worth investing in Germany again. We are not a location of the past, but a location of the present and above all the future," he added.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that large public investments could be boosted significantly private funding.
'We want to leverage this potential and thus trigger further growth effects," Merz said after meeting with representatives of the "Made for Germany" initiative at the Chancellery in Berlin.
The new government has launched a program to spur on investment and establish a €500 billion fund to splash on German infrastructure over the next 12 years. It has also pledged to cut bureaucratic red tape and speed up digitization.
The initiative is being led by executives from Germany's blue-chip companies, including lender Deutsche Bank and industrial group Siemens.
A summer interview with Alice Weidel, the leader of the far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD), was severely disrupted by protesters on Sunday.
Members of her party have called for a repeat. Watch what happened here:
There has been a continued decline in the number of people employed in Germany's metal and electrical industry, according to the employers' association Gesamtmetall.
The association said that since the beginning of 2025, there had been around 60,000 job losses.
Basing its findings on a survey of companies, the association said that the number of employees in May was 2.5% lower than compared to the same period the year before.
While Germany's new government has taken some measures to relieve the situation, Gesamtmetall's managing director Oliver Zander higlighted a reduction in the electricity tax and the immediate investment program as outstanding issues.
"The speed at which the decline in employment in the metal and electrical industry continues shows, however, that the federal government has no time for breathers," Zander said.
The next heat wave has been forecast in Germany. How is a country known for its lack of air conditioning preparing?
Read the full story about Germany's preparations for heat waves.
Researchers say a far-right social media campaign — that painted a respected law professor as extremist — caused the suspension of the election of judges to Germany's highest court.
Read the full story on the controversial failure to elect a judge to Germany's top court.
Once famed for never being late, German trains almost never run on time anymore.
Deutsche Bahn has launched a refurbishment program that is likely to last at least a decade, and the costs and criticism are increasing.
Read the full story on increasing delays on Germany's rail network.
Germany's bond market calmed slightly on Monday after weeks of rising long-term interest rates. Investors are now waiting for new economic data from the Eurozone and a key decision from the European Central Bank (ECB).
A bond yield is the return investors get for lending money to the government by buying its bonds. When bond prices go up, yields go down — so falling yields often reflect expectations of slower growth or lower interest rates.
Economists believe the ECB will keep interest rates steady for now, but might cut them again as early as September.
Some analysts think this week's Eurozone business activity data could show little change, partly due to global trade worries and a strong euro. That could make German government bonds more attractive, pushing their prices up and yields down.
Senior representatives from around 50 countries are reconvening for another meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group.
The virtual session is set to begin with opening statements from German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, UK Defense Secretary John Healey, and Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.
The Ukraine Defense Contact Group was first launched on April 26, 2022, at the US air base in Ramstein, Germany — leading to the term "Ramstein format."
US President Donald Trump's turnaround on military aid for Ukaine is likely to be the main topic of discussion, as NATO allies work to facilitate the weapons delivery.
Survivors of abuse within the Catholic Church are urging the Vatican to take action against Cologne Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki, following years of controversy and a newly closed investigation.
The plaintiffs accuse Woelki of shielding perpetrators and retraumatizing victims through his handling of abuse cases in the archdiocese.
The complaint, submitted by all 12 members of the survivors' advisory board at the German Bishops' Conference, was drafted by physician and board member Katharina Siepmann.
"The affected often experience the cardinal's behavior as offensive," said Siepmann, who suffered three years of severe abuse as a child and has served on the board since early this year.
The body was established in 2022 to represent victims and advise the Church.
The group's formal complaint against Woelki refers to alleged breaches of church law, not state law. "We ultimately hope that officials in Rome — and the pope himself — will view the cardinal's behavior as unacceptable and intervene," Siepmann told German broadcaster WDR.
In May, Cologne prosecutors announced that Woelki would not face perjury charges in connection with his sworn statements about when he learned of abuse allegations in his archdiocese. The archbishop had been under investigation for more than two years.
Woelki, who remains a cardinal and Archbishop of Cologne, took part in the conclave that chose Pope Leo XIV.
The small town of Bohmte near the city of Osnabrück in the northwestern state of Lower Saxony was the scene of a spectacular accident that left two people seriously injured, including a seven-year-old boy.
For as yet unknown reasons, local police reported, a car appears to have come off the road at high speed before colliding with a parked vehicle and crashing through a hedge.
It then landed on a trampoline, hitting and injuring the child who was playing on it, and bounced into the attic of a barn.
Read the full story about the car that crashed into a trampoline in northern Germany.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is set to meet top executives from major German firms on Monday in a bid to restore investor confidence and revive the struggling economy.
Representatives from around 30 companies — including Siemens and Deutsche Bank — are expected to attend the talks in Berlin, according to sources cited by DPA. More than a dozen firms listed on the DAX, Germany's main stock index, are among those invited.
The meeting will focus on the "Made for Germany" initiative, launched by Siemens and Deutsche Bank, which aims to strengthen the country's investment climate. Participating firms are expected to outline upcoming projects and signal readiness to commit fresh capital.
After two years of recession and amid a bleak outlook for 2025, Merz is urging companies to ramp up domestic investment. His government, which took office in May, has approved multi-billion-euro tax relief packages to stimulate growth.
A government spokesperson last week pointed to the recently passed €500 billion (over $580 billion) infrastructure and climate fund, saying public investment will lead the way — but private sector participation is essential.
Once Europe's growth engine, the German economy has been hit hard by inflation, energy price shocks, and mounting global competition in the wake of the pandemic and the war in Ukraine.
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from the DW newsroom, overlooking the Rhine River in Bonn — the former capital of West Germany.
You join us as Chancellor Friedrich Merz gets ready to woo some of Germany's biggest business bosses to help get the sluggish economy back on its feet.
Top names like Siemens and Deutsche Bank are expected talks in Berlin, along with more than a dozen other DAX-listed giants.
About 30 firms are set to join what's being billed as a major push to rebuild investor confidence in the country's economic future.
Merz is under pressure after two back-to-back years of recession and little sign that 2025 will turn things around.
Follow along for the latest on what Germany is talking about on Monday, July 21.
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DR Congo: Little hope for robust truce with M23 rebel group – DW – 07/24/2025
The recent truce between the DRC government and the M23 rebel group — along with an earlier DRC-Rwanda peace deal — was expected to usher in new era of stability in the region. Yet even the signatories show little hope. The US, UN and the African Union (AU) were among the first to welcome the July 19 truce between the Democratic Republic of Congo and the M23 rebel group which had been championed by the US and Qatar. The Doha Declaration of Principles , building on a peace deal the DRC and Rwanda signed in Washington on June 27, was meant to serve as another "meaningful step toward advancing lasting peace and stability in the Great Lakes region," according to the US Department of State. Rwanda's willingness to sign, and its passive observation of, the Doha agreement was seen as tacit admittance to its role in the long-standing conflict, although Kigali continues to deny its support of the M23. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Just one day after the signing in Doha, the US updated its security advisory for the DRC and especially its capital Kinshasa, advising US nationals in the country to "exercise increased awareness, avoid large gatherings, and monitor local news and security updates." The list of recommended actions include the provision of "enough food and water should you need to stay home for several days" and having "essential items (clothing, medications, travel documents) packed in a bag that you can carry." The advisory resembles the kind of advice US authorities issue residents to prepare for major natural disasters. Reagan Miviri, a conflict analyst and lawyer working with the Congo Research Group in Kinshasa — an independent, non-profit research project — understands the importance of the US State Department's latest travel advisory. "The crisis in eastern Congo is also visible in Kinshasa in some ways," she told DW. "Actors in the US [who] are worried about what could happen in Kinshasa … probably know much more than we do, so perhaps they have other information we don't have." According to Lidewyde Berckmoes, an associate professor and senior researcher at the African Studies Center Leiden in The Netherlands, many parts of the DRC still actively remain under the control of the M23, which is unlikely to change despite this deal. "This region has seen many violent rebel movements, who have been there since the 1990s. There are many places where there's a lot of tension, and where authority is contested," Berkmoes, whose work is focused on Africa's Great Lakes region, told DW. On the ground, the reality of a state of war effectively continues to dictate daily lives in various parts of the country — especially eastern DRC's North and South Kivu provinces where mere days after the DRC-M23 truce was inked, fresh reports of M23 rebels seizing new ground surfaced. According to UN-backed Radio Okapi in the DRC, at least 19 civilians were killed by M23 fighters as part of that expansion, in particular around the village of Bukera. This latest escalation is in clear breach of the Doha ceasefire deal, which calls on all sides in the conflict stop efforts to expand their territorial gains — among various other stipulations. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Human rights activist Philemon Ruzinge believes that the Doha deal will ultimately be of little consequence, despite whatever concessions Kinshasa may make to keep the peace. "The agreement of principles is supposed to be … so important towards a lasting peace agreement," he told DW, adding that the ongoing actions of M23 rebels leave little hope for it to work in the long-run. According to Ruzinge, M23 leaders feel they can continue to enjoy free reign over northeastern DRC on account of the text of the agreement "containing no withdrawal clause" and deliberately being worded in an ambiguous manner. This view was only further solidified by the M23 itself, whose delegation leader at the signing in Doha, Benjamin Mbonimpa, reiterated that the group "will not retreat, not even by one meter." "We will stay where we are," Mbonimpa said. Berckmoes believes that Mbonimpa's attitude is indicative of the overall M23 position: "I don't think M23 will let themselves be sidelined. Rather, I expect that they are looking for ways to have an important say as part of the government." Miviri agrees: "M23 are saying that they are not leaving." She added that this should be taken at face value. "M23 will do whatever it pleases." That view is also shared by people in North Kivu province. Complaints by civil society groups about a lack of government intervention is mounting. In the province's beleaguered capital, Goma, democracy activist Justin Murutsi told DW: "The state has a security mandate for the population. But when there are killings like this and no word from the state, it shows that there's a serious institutional vacuum." "The signing of the Declaration of Principles gives us a little hope, because it clearly shows that the government has accepted the rebels' demands and conditions," said Julien, a resident of the city who believes that M23 will remain in control of large parts of the region. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Political scientist Christian Moleka in Kinshasa wondered whether the parties the conflict are interested in peace. "Do the various parties even have the will to achieve lasting peace?" he said in a DW interview. "Are the follow-up mechanisms really going to work better than in the past, to support the full implementation of these various provisions?" Berckmoes had similar reservations, stressing that there has been "series of agreements in the past, which have not been upheld." She added that for a sustainable peace plan to succeed, various parties and factions all have to be included in all negotiations — not just M23 but "all 160 groups" vying for control. To that end, Berckmoes believes "there's still a long way to go." Miviri took an even more sober stance: "Before speaking of a lasting peace agreement, it just has to first happen. And I'm not seeing it happen, even now." Amid skepticism, criticism, and the surge in violence since the Doha signing, there have also been a few hopeful voices — among them, the US Senior Advisor for Africa, Massad Boulous. According to DRC Interior Minister Jacquemain Shabani, significant progress has been made in recent weeks. He said he is convinced that, despite the ongoing volatile nature of the conflict, "we are close to peace." In the same statement, however, he stressed that "peace is a choice," which "requires work."
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Serbia's student protest movement maintains fragile unity – DW – 07/24/2025
Serbia's student protest movement set out to demand justice, rejecting ideology in favor of broad democratic values. But as internal divisions emerge, could diminishing unity undermine the movement's chances of success? "Only truth and justice" — these were the demands the student protesters presented to the Serbian authorities eight months ago in the wake of the collapse of the canopy at the entrance to Novi Sad railway station on November 1 that killed 16 people. United under the slogan "You've got blood on your hands," they rejected leaders, ideologies and parties alike, demanding only accountability for the deaths of those killed in the tragedy. "We had a minimal ideological consensus around which we united," said Tatjana Rasic, a student from Novi Sad who joined the protests at a very early stage. "We were not asked to express views on other issues, and we followed general democratic principles — unity, tolerance, justice," she told DW. Right from the word go, the flags of Serbia and the universities were the only ones welcome at the students' protests. It was an attempt to return state symbols to the citizens rather than let them become tools of politics. But as the protest movement grew, so, too did the ideological diversity within it. Flags bearing slogans like "We won't give up Kosovo," traditional Serbian caps and nationalist symbols began popping up at protests with increasing frequency. At the same time, veterans of the Yugoslav wars of the 1990s often came to demonstrations and acted as "security guards" for the students. There was growing criticism that the protests had turned into a platform for Greater Serbian nationalism. This criticism peaked on June 28 — Vidovdan, a national and religious holiday that is deeply rooted in Serbian national mythology. The major anti-government protest on that day was dominated by nationalist and conservative speeches, including one by Milo Lompar, a university professor known for glorifying war criminal Radovan Karadzic. Cultural analyst Aleksandra Djuric Bosnic told DW that such criticism comes not only from resistance to the destructive legacy of the 1990s, which were marked by the bloody Yugoslav wars and the misuse of pseudo-patriotic narratives in Serbia, but also from a fear that Serbia might slide back into ideological patterns of the past. "For those of us who belong to the generations that were traumatized by the 1990s, the memory of Slobodan Milosevic's Vidovdan speech at Gazimestan [in 1989] is itself traumatic," said Djuric Bosnic. "When added to that, on June 28, part of the speech contained formulations reminiscent of the manipulation of national sentiment in the 1990s, as well as the narratives of a unified Serbia and the Serbian world — a construct of the current regime — the culmination of these criticisms is understandable," she said. Responding to accusations that the student movement had veered to the right, the students pointed out that before every protest, they urged participants to come without party or ideological symbols, but stressed it was often impossible to control the crowd. "Moreover, people started seeing us literally as a political movement and expected us to take a stance on the ideological spectrum. But within our organization, that is very difficult — because we have to discuss it at the plenary assembly, listen to every individual, and in the end, we were not even sure why that was demanded of us," said Tatjana Rasic. That is why plenary assemblies often lasted for hours, exposing deep ideological rifts among students — especially on questions of "national significance" such as the independence of Kosovo or the 1995 Srebrenica massacre. "No matter how difficult it is for me personally to believe that someone can have a different view to me but still be part of the same struggle, we had to accept it. It became clear that there are indeed many people with different opinions," said Rasic. But despite all this, the student movement has apparently had a significant impact on young people's attitudes. The National Youth Council of Serbia (KOMS) conducts research into young people's attitudes. For years, it noted high levels of political apathy among young people, their inclination toward tradition and their preference for a "strong hand" in governance. However, preliminary 2025 data from KOMS has shown changes in young people's views on the EU and important national questions such as Kosovo. "The biggest changes brought by the student movement relate to the way democracy is valued and understood. Today, 60% of young people believe democracy is the best form of governance, compared to 40% last year," Milica Borjanic of KOMS told DW. "Previously, around 60% of young people said Serbia needs a strong leader, but now, for the first time, over 50% say it does not," said Borjanic. Political scientist Boban Stojanovic, who has been involved in KOMS research for years, believes those people who want the students to make ideological declarations are actually acting in bad faith. "The only real social divide at the moment is between the government — characterized by a lack of freedom, corruption, national betrayal and absolute inequality — and a new student or political movement whose values are freedom, justice, tolerance, the fight against corruption and the protection of national interests," said Stojanovic. He believes the movement's greatest strength lies precisely in its inclusiveness. However, he also believes that without unity, the current regime cannot be defeated. "The government knows this and is trying to sow division in the student movement over issues like their stance on the EU, Kosovo and, of course, they tried to exploit [the 30th anniversary of] Srebrenica to the fullest," Stojanovic added. Aleksandra Djuric Bosnic said it's impossible to fundamentally change value orientations while populist autocracies hold power. "The right time for redefining the value system will come only when Serbia becomes a democratic and lawful state again," she said. "Some red lines — if we truly want Serbia to become a country of free and dignified citizens — must never be crossed in that new and liberated state," she said. "There must be no revision of history, no minimization of the crimes committed by Milosevic's regime during the 1990s wars in the name of Serbian citizens, no absolution of war criminals, nor interference in neighboring countries' political processes. These are fundamental ethical principles." The students themselves would be happiest if the focus returned to the issue that initially brought them together: justice for those who died at Novi Sad railway station last November. Tatjana Rasic is clear about what the students want to achieve: "We want a state that functions properly, with laws and the separation of powers principle," she said. Rasic is also convinced that despite differences of opinion, the students are united. "I think even if I were to imagine an ideal parliament, it wouldn't be a problem at all for it to have different viewpoints and I think our protest has been going on for that long because, despite our differences, we always return to the fundamentals from which we started," she said.
DW
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Germany updates: Poland to extend border checks – DW – 07/24/2025
The border controls with Germany and Lithuania were due to expire next month. Meanwhile, Germany's second-largest airport is reportedly planning a "repatriation terminal" to process migrant deportations. DW has Left Party () has criticized the German government's decision not to sign an appeal to end the war in the Gaza Strip immediately and called for a special parliamentary debate on the subject. A total of 28 countries, plus the executive body of the European Union, the European Commission, have signed the appeal which calls on Israel to "adhere to its commitments in regards to international humanitarian law" by ending its war in Gaza. Germany, however, is not among the signatories, arguing that the appeal is not explicit enough in naming the attack on Israel by the Palestinian militant group Hamas on October 7, 2023, as the cause of the war. Left Party chairs Heidi Reichinnek and Sören Pellmann called the government's failure to sign the appeal as "a complete admission of failure" and insisted: "Germany must also join the public pressure [on Israel] and finally turn words into actions." The far-left opposition party, which has 64 seats (10.16%) in the Bundestag, has also called for a special sitting of parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee. "The government continues to close its eyes to the suffering in Palestine and is not prepared to live up to its responsibility and act," said Reichinnek and Pellmann, adding that lawmakers must be informed of "all information on the current situation" in Gaza. Representatives of the center-left Social Democrats (SPD), including Development Minister Reem Alabali Radovan, and the environmentalist Green party have also called on the German government to sign the appeal. Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (CDU) has referred to constant, ongoing discussions between the German and Israeli governments concerning the latter's actions in Gaza. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The German Football Federation (DFB) says Euro 2025 was a "success" for Germany, despite Wednesday night's dramatic semifinal defeat to Spain, and has backed head coach Christian Wück to lead the team into the future. "We are one hundred percent convinced by Christian and his path," said DFB President Bernd Neuendorf before the departure of the German delegation from Zürich on Thursday morning. "He aimed to bring about a transformation and we have to say he has succeeded." Germany lost 1-0 to Spain on Wednesday night, taking the world champions to extra-time just days after holding on for over 130 minutes with just ten players to beat France on penalties in a dramatic quarterfinal. President Neuendorf was full of praise for the young German team, saying: "This is precisely the path we want to be on." An average of 14.26 million German viewers tuned into watch the semifinal, and head coach Wück said he was "proud" that his team had "generated such euphoria." Germany's Federal President, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who was in the stadium to support the team in person on Wednesday, called the players "true role models" and praised them for "playing this tournament with so much passion and footballing ability." Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who is known to be a supporter of Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund, wrote on Instagram: "You fought until the very end … thank you for these brilliant football moments – we are proud of you!" Spain will face reigning European champions England in the final on Sunday. The western German city of Duisburg on Wednesday night marked the 15th anniversary of the Love Parade tragedy, which saw 21 people killed and more than 650 injured in a deadly crush at a music festival on July 24, 2010. Although experts found numerous failings in the planning and authorization of the event, no individuals were ever brought to justice for one of the deadliest tragedies in modern German history. After a decade-long investigation, charges of involuntary homicide and physical injury resulting from negligence brought against the city of Duisburg and the event organizers were dropped in 2020 on the grounds that no relevant blame could be leveled at any individuals. Rather, the court found that a "number of circumstances" led to the tragedy. Wednesday night's memorial event, which saw 1,000 candles lit for the victims, is likely to be the last of its kind, with the association responsible for organizing it set to be wound up. "For some, the tenth anniversary was already the opportune moment to find closure," said spokesperson Jürgen Widera, saying that the emotional need for an annual event was dropping off. A permanent memorial at the site of the tragedy just south of Duisburg city center features the words (Love never ends) in seven languages to reflect the mother tongues of the victims from Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, China and Australia. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Police in the southern German state of Bavaria last week carried out raids and made arrests in connection with a suspected million-euro fraud case related to COVID-19 medication, it was confirmed on Thursday. Raids took place at 16 premises in the Bavarian cities of Munich, Regensburg, Bamberg and Bayreuth, resulting in the arrest of two people who remain in custody on suspicion of selling the government-procured drug Paxlovid "outside the prescribed distribution mechanism" — in other words, on the black market — in 2023. State prosecutors are investigating damages of up to €2.6 million ($3 million). The German government purchased large amounts of Paxlovid at the height of the pandemic and the drug was approved in January 2022. Doctors could prescribe the drug to patients who could then receive it for free at pharmacies, which in turn were compensated by the state. Germany's Police Union (GdP) has called for tighter immigration checks at German airports after a media report highlighted thousands of cases of "secondary migration," or asylum claims being made in Germany despite asylum having already been granted elsewhere in the European Union (EU). "The federal police control bridges, motorways and major roads on the borders with Poland and Austria, checking for irregular entry attempts being made by migrants and asylum seekers," said a spokesman. "But there's a loophole at airports." The comments came after a report by Germany's media group revealed that around 8,000 recognized asylum seekers had applied for asylum in Germany between January and May this year, despite having already been granted asylum in Greece, which is also in the EU. The group obtained the figures from the German Interior Ministry, which said that a total of 26,000 such secondary applications had been made in 2024. According to EU law governing "secondary migration" in the bloc's free-movement Schengen zone, recognized asylum seekers may spend up to 90 days in another EU country, but may not make another application for asylum there. "People who have been granted protection in Greece must make use of that protection there," said a ministry statement. In April, Germany's Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig ruled that single, healthy migrants who are able to work could legally be deported to Greece, where the court said they would face no extreme hardship. The Greek government, however, has said it will not take back refugees who make asylum claims in Germany, even if they've first made claims in Greece. Refugee aid organizations continue to speak of an "inhumane situation" for refugees in Greece. "No bed, no bread, no soap," one such group told the group, a "drastic formula" which "has not changed in years." To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron put on a show of unity during the latter's visit to Berlin on Wednesday. But while the two presented a united European front in response to tariff threats from US President Donald Trump and an intention to discuss corruption issues with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, disagreements remain regarding the development of the joint Franco-German FCAS next-generation fighter jet and the condemnation of Israeli actions in Gaza. "Big topics, great unity," headlined German public broadcaster on Thursday morning, while news magazine quipped: "No fish rolls, at least" – a reference to Macron's visit to Germany in October 2023 when Merz's predecessor Olaf Scholz treated him to a , a local Hamburg delicacy with an acquired taste. Read more about what Merz and Macron discussed on DW. The Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK) said on Thursday that it was "appalled" by the suffering being endured by Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and called on the German government to ensure the enforcement of international law. "The humanitarian situation for the civilian population in Gaza is catastrophic," ZdK President Irme Stetter-Karp told the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND). While acknowledging that Israel "has a legitimate right to defend itself against the terrorist organization Hamas," she said that didn't absolve the Israeli government from its responsibility to respect international law. Stetter-Karp also said Israel's military operations were impacting the civilian population to an "unjustifiable" extent and highlighted the acute threat of starvation, illness and death facing children in the besieged enclave. "We are aghast that 875 Palestinians have been killed while trying to access aid at the distribution centers in Gaza," she said. "This approach by the Israeli government must end immediately!" Stetter-Karp also highlighted the plight of Palestinian Christians in the occupied West Bank, who she said were increasingly the targets of Israeli settler violence. Germany's second-largest airport is reportedly planning to construct a special deportation terminal in which police will process the repatriation of migrants to be deported. According to a planning document seen by the Reuters news agency, the so-called "repatriation terminal" at Munich Airport is to be around 60 meters (about 200 feet) long and spread over two floors. The facility, which is designed to facilitate "up to 100 arrivals and departures processing up to 50 individual measures and group charter flights daily," is planned for 2028 and will also include a "central check-in in order to coordinate repatriations efficiently," according to the document. German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt and Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann, both of the Christian Social Union (CSU), the Bavarian sister party of the conservative Christian Democrats (CDU), have taken a strong stance on deportations of migrants with criminal convictions or rejected asylum claims. Munich Mayor Dieter Reiter, of the center-left Social Democrats (SPD), said the deportation of those convicted of crimes to their home countries was a sensible measure. "Therefore I don't think it's fundamentally wrong to propose such a terminal," he said. But political support is not universal. Local Green party politician Gülseren Demirel told the broadsheet: "We are more than critical of a specific terminal for deportations." While you're here: Every Tuesday, DW editors round up what is happening in German politics and society. You can sign up here for the weekly email newsletter, Berlin Briefing. Welcome to DW's coverage of developments in Germany on Thursday, July 24. Despite Germany's dramatic defeat in the Euro 2025 semifinal last night, we all have to carry on, so here's what's on the agenda today:
