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Germany updates: Protestors derail AfD leader's interview – DW – 07/20/2025

Germany updates: Protestors derail AfD leader's interview – DW – 07/20/2025

DW5 days ago
Far-right leader Alice Weidel's big "summer interview" was disrupted by raucous demonstrators. Meanwhile, a dispute dividing the country's ruling coalition will not go away. Follow DW for more.
Bundestag President Julia Klöckner says Germany's lower house of parliament is under constant cyberattack.
On Sunday, she called for beefed-up cyber defenses as well as expanded rights for parliamentary police when screening visitors.
Meanwhile, Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil is pushing to revive a postponed Bundestag vote on law professor Frauke Brosius-Gersdorf's controversial nomination to Germany's top court.
Also in Berlin, Alternative for Germany (AfD) leader Alice Weidel found herself unable to hear the questions during a prime-time interview when rowdy protestors broke out into song and dance below where they were filming.Alice Weidel, one of the co-chairs of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), was due to give the big "summer interview" that the leaders of the country's main political parties traditionally give to public broadcaster ARD.
However, as she was preparing to begin the question and answer session on a terrace in Berlin's government quarter, demonstrators arrived nearby.
Breaking out into loud singing, dancing, and chanting, they made it extremely difficult for Weidel to hear the questions she was being asked.
She pressed interviewer Markus Preiss to continue despite the difficulty, resulting in what Preiss described as an "acoustically difficult situation."
"At points we really couldn't understand each other," he said afterward.
The European Commission is preparing to ban combustion engine vehicles for company fleets and rental car providers starting in 2030 — a move that some in the industry say would hit Germany's auto market especially hard.
According to , the plan would affect about 60% of all new vehicle sales across the EU, with only 40% of the market made up of private buyers. In 2023, 10.6 million vehicles were sold EU-wide.
The Commission intends to present the proposal by late summer and launch the legislative process. Approval by both the EU Council and European Parliament will be required. A Commission spokesperson confirmed work on the regulation but declined to provide details.
German voices are already pushing back. European lawmaker Markus Ferber, from Bavaria's conservative Christian Social Union, urged Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to scrap the plan. In a letter seen by Bild, he warned that fleet operators would be forced to buy only electric vehicles to meet quotas.
Rental firm Sixt board member Nico Gabriel called the measure unrealistic. "Vacationers will hardly use rental cars anymore, and consumers will barely be able to lease vehicles," he said, pointing to a lack of charging infrastructure across the EU. Other rental firms told Bild they expect prices to rise as a result.
Chancellor-designate Lars Klingbeil of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) is standing by the nomination of Frauke Brosius-Gersdorf to the Federal Constitutional Court and has called for a repeat of the judge election in the Bundestag.
Speaking to , Klingbeil said alleged plagiarism concerns raised by the opposition had been addressed, adding: "We can now put the vote back on the Bundestag agenda."
The Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) remains cautious. "We are not under time pressure and will discuss this calmly within the coalition," a parliamentary group spokesperson told the newspaper. They added that plagiarism was never the main issue, saying: "There are fundamental, substantive concerns within the parliamentary group."
Brosius-Gersdorf has become the focus of a rare political clash over appointments to Germany's highest court. The CDU/CSU initially approved her nomination alongside two other candidates, but last Friday abruptly withdrew its support and urged the SPD to drop her candidacy.
Opponents of the nominee, a law professor, have cited her perceived liberal views, with some media portraying her as "ultra-left" views on issues such as abortion.
Brosius-Gersdorf insists her opinions have been misrepresented, accusing the media of "inaccurate and incomplete, unobjective and non-transparent" reporting.
Klingbeil framed the controversy as a test of principle. "It's a fundamental question of whether we yield to pressure from far-right networks that have smeared a highly qualified woman," he told the newspaper.
Julia Klöckner also called for a new parliamentary police law to better protect the Bundestag and politicians against potential physical attacks — specifically when it comes to ID checks among visitors to the popular institution.
Currently, says Klöckner, domestic security services cannot share information about an individual visitor's criminal records or threat potential with Bundestag police, a situation she blasted as "absurd."
Germany's Bundestag is the most-visited parliament in the world according to Klöckner, with more than 2 million citizens attending sessions each year.
A female brown bear, known as JJ4 or Gaia, that killed a jogger in Italy in 2023 has been relocated to a wildlife sanctuary in Germany.
The move follows legal battles and protests, after the bear — originally set to be euthanized — became the center of a debate over human-wildlife conflict.
Read more about the story here.
Bundestag President Julia Klöckner, speaking with German press agency DPA, called for increased defensive capabilities at the country's parliament, saying it is under constant attack.
"We are recording numerous hacker attacks… the Bundestag is a prime target," said Klöckner, whose position as president of the body is similar to that of the speaker in many other countries.
"We will have to boost our capacity to resist against cyberattacks," she said in remarks to be published Sunday.
"If the German Bundestag were to be shutdown during the reading of a bill or a vote, for example, and deadlines could not be met… that would be a triumph for hackers," said Klöckner. "Defending ourselves against this has to do with the stabilization and resilience of our democracy," not only the protection of the parliament.
The last overhaul of the system was prompted by a May 2015 cyberattack in which the computers of numerous parliamentarians — and even Chancellor Angela Merkel — were infected with spyware.
Five years later, Merkel announced that an investigation had turned up "hard evidence" of Russian involvement.
Russia was also accused of being behind a 2023 cyberattack on the email accounts of then-Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democratic Party (SPD). It remains unknown who was behind a 2024 cyberattack on the headquarters of Klöckner's own Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party.
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German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has warned the United States against escalating the tariff war with the European Union (EU).
"This would lead to everything becoming more expensive for consumers in the USA," he told the newspaper. "The European Union is not defenseless."
Wadephul insisted that EU member states were standing together and that he didn't fear an end to the resistance.
"Indeed, there are states which are demanding more stringency and toughness than Germany thinks is right," he said.
Wadephul reiterated the German government's belief that "the complete dismantling of all tariffs" is the preferred approach, and that "we can reach a positive agreement with the USA through negotiation."
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He said that Chancellor Friedrich Merz is heavily involved in the discussions, saying: "Germans can count on the fact that there is a chancellor standing up for our interests and European interests in Washington."
After the new German government resumed deportations to Afghanistan this week, Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has floated a similar approach for Syria – despite the current unrest in the war-torn country.
"It's possible that, in future, Syrians who have committed criminal offenses [could be] deported," he told the newspaper. "I think that's possible in principle – provided the country develops in [the right] direction."
Southern Syria has been rocked by violence again this week, with the new Islamist-led regime in Damascus struggling to prevent clashes between Druze and Bedouin factions in Sweida and powerless to stop Israeli intervention. Hundreds of people have reportedly been killed.
"We are watching Syria with concern," said Wadephul, calling on the interim government under Ahmed al-Sharaa to ensure that all sections of the population and all religious groups can co-exist.
"No-one should have to fear for life and limb," he said. "But as it stands, we are of the opinion that we have to give this interim government a chance."
Germany spectacularly reached the semi-final of the Women's Euro 2025 on Saturday night, beating France 6-5 on penalties despite having been reduced to ten players for the majority of the evening.
Kathrin Hendrich was sent off in the 13th minute for tugging on an opponent's hair in the penalty area, after which Grace Geyoro gave France the lead from the penalty spot. But Sjoeke Nüsken headed Germany level just nine minutes later.
What followed was 100 minutes of defensive attrition from Germany to somehow reach extra-time and then penalties, where goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger was the heroine.
Germany will face Spain in the semifinal on Wednesday. The other semifinal sees defending champions England play Italy.
Read DW's full match report here.
German police on Saturday shot dead a man who had fired shots at passersby and neighboring buildings in the small town of Leonberg, just west of the city of Stuttgart in the southwestern state of Baden-Württemberg.
Local police and state prosecutors said the 44-year-old German man had indiscriminately fired shots from the second floor of his house, fortunately injuring nobody.
When armed police entered his apartment, he reportedly threatened officers with his weapon and was subsequently shot.
Police secured the weapon which turned out to be a non-lethal gas pistol. Whether or not this was the weapon used to fire the shots from the house was not immediately clear.
The state criminal police office (LKA) is also investigating the police's use of firearms in the operation.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Saturday honored the Central Council of Jews in Germany for its role in society on the 75th anniversary of its founding.
"Jewish life is a part of us," wrote Merz on the messaging platform X, adding that the organization reminds everyone in the country of something "that should be obvious: Germany must be a safe space for Jews."
Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier also honored the day, saying that he was "deeply thankful" that the organization's first leaders had determined to "rebuild Jewish life in Germany in the aftermath of the Shoah ."
Steinmeier said that beyond not letting Germany forget the crimes of its Nazi past and fighting antisemitism, the Central Council of Jews in Germany served as "an important driving force behind the democratic development of German society after 1945."
The institution, which functions as Germany's main political, societal and religious representative for Jews in the country, was founded on July 19, 1950, in Frankfurt — just five years after the end of World War II and the industrial-scale murder of more than six million European Jews at the hands of Germany's Nazi dictatorship.
Today the council comprises some 105 communities and associations, and 100.000 individual members.To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
A majority of Germans have opposed banning the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), according to a new poll.
The survey by the Allensbach Institute, published Saturday by , found that 52% of respondents reject a ban on the party, while 27% support it. In eastern Germany, two-thirds of those surveyed said they were against such a move.
According to the researchers, one key reason is that many Germans know AfD supporters personally. In the West, 67% said they had AfD sympathizers in their social circles; in the East, that figure rose to 88%. While 54% of respondents described the AfD as far-right, only 5% viewed their acquaintances who back the party in the same way.
Another factor behind the opposition to a ban is mistrust toward the parties advocating it. Many respondents suspect those parties are mainly trying to eliminate a political rival that has grown too strong.
The idea of a ban is divisive within Germany's governing coalition. The center-left Social Democratic Party voted unanimously at its June 29 party congress to prepare proceedings and called for a federal-state working group. The center-right Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union has pushed back, citing steep legal hurdles and urging a focus on political argument.
Two parties have been banned in (West) Germany, an openly neo-Nazi party in 1952 and the Communist Party (KPD) in 1956.
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Around half of eligible voters in Germany have said they agree with the federal government's view that Russia poses a danger to the country, according to a new YouGov poll for Germany's DPA news agency.
The survey found that 13% see a very serious military threat from Moscow, while 36% consider it a significant one. By contrast, 30% say Russia poses only a minor threat, and 14% see no threat at all.
The divide is sharp along political party lines. Among supporters of the conservative CDU/CSU bloc, center-left Social Democrats, and the Greens, 58–62% view Russia as a major or very serious threat.
About one-third of these party groups see little or no danger.
The picture flips among far-right Alternative for Germany voters, where 65% say there is little or no military threat from Russia, while 29% see one.
Among supporters of the populist left Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance, only 33% see a threat, while 51% do not.
Supporters of the socialist Left party are evenly split — 48% see a threat, 47% do not.
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German consumers are paying more for meat — and prices are still climbing this summer.
And while retail costs rise, producers of Germany's favorite meat, pork, face falling returns.
According to the Agricultural Market Information Company (AMI) in Bonn, average discount supermarket prices for a 400-gram pack of minute steaks increased by 30 cents in early July, from €3.49 to €3.79 ($4.06 to $4.41). The price for coarse pork sausages rose from €2.59 to €2.89, and a 550-gram pack of chicken schnitzel went up 30 cents to €6.26.
Meat and meat product prices have steadily risen in recent years. The Federal Statistical Office reports that, by June, they were on average 31.7% higher than in 2020.
Poultry had risen by more than 45%, and minced beef by over 68%. The German Meat Industry Association cites several causes: general inflation, rising feed costs, wage increases, and energy policy impacts.
Beef has become scarcer in Germany. According to the industry association, more farms are ending cattle production, citing regulatory pressure and uncertainty about future farming standards. The result has been shrinking herds.
Meanwhile, poultry consumption is rising.
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German media have begun scrutinizing the government's latest deportation flights to Afghanistan, questioning whether the men truly fit the label of dangerous criminals.
One of the 81 men deported on Friday was Haroon I., 27, who was escorted from a facility in Pforzheim under heavy police presence late on Thursday.
Footage of the scene, obtained by , shows the emotional moment.
The report said the man was a convicted cannabis dealer who had already served his sentence. People close to him say he had been rebuilding his life and was well on his way to integrating into German society.
said that Haroon had strong German, was living with his partner, a German woman, had a job and was a member of his community. He also had little connection to Afghanistan with most of his family having left the country.
The convoy was guarded by police in balaclavas who kept back friends and supporters.
Pforzheim was one of the departure points for the new round of deportations to Afghanistan ordered by Germany's centrist coalition. A plane carrying the men left Leipzig airport early on Friday.
The government has said it is delivering on a campaign pledge to deport people to Afghanistan and Syria, starting with criminals and people posing a perceived risk.
After the deportations, the United Nations said no one should be returned to Afghanistan, regardless of their legal status.
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Middle East: No German plans to recognize Palestine soon – DW – 07/25/2025
Middle East: No German plans to recognize Palestine soon – DW – 07/25/2025

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Middle East: No German plans to recognize Palestine soon – DW – 07/25/2025

After France announced plans to recognize Palestinian statehood, Germany said it still supported a two-state solution but saw other priorities regarding the situation in the Palestinian territories. DW has more. France's decision to formally recognize Palestinian statehood continues to garner worldwide attention. However, Berlin said it has no short term plans to follow in Paris' footsteps The US and Israel are the strongest critics, while the move was hailed in the Middle East and by European countries that have already taken the step. Meanwhile, a Reuters report suggests a USAID analysis found no massive theft of Gaza of Britain, France and Germany have called on Israel to allow unrestricted humanitarian aid into Gaza, warning of a "humanitarian catastrophe." The joint appeal comes after French President Emmanuel Macron pledged to recognize a Palestinian state and followed a call between Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. In it, they demanded an immediate ceasefire and warned that "withholding essential humanitarian assistance" is unacceptable — though the statement broke no new diplomatic ground. The three leaders said they are ready to take further action to support both a ceasefire and a political process toward lasting security and peace in the region, but did not specify what steps they might take. Macron's announcement has revealed divisions among the European trio — known as the E3 — over how to address the humanitarian crisis and bring the Israel-Hamas war to an end. While all three countries support a Palestinian state in principle, Germany has said it has no immediate plans to follow France's lead. Macron intends to formalize the recognition at the UN General Assembly in September. Britain also has not joined the move. On Friday, 221 members of the UK Parliament signed a letter urging recognition. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video US President Donald Trump has dismissed the decision by France's Emmanuel Macron to recognize a Palestinian state as pointless. "What he says doesn't matter," Trump told reporters at the White House. "He's a very good guy, I like him, but that statement doesn't carry weight." Trump told reporters Trump's response came after the French president's announcement yesterday that his country planned to formally recognize the State of Palestine in September at the UN General Assembly. Israel will once again allow foreign aid to drop over Gaza, sources told media outlets on Friday, as pressure on Israel mounts to end the hunger crisis in the besieged enclave. "Humanitarian aid air drops on the Gaza Strip will resume in the upcoming days. They will be managed by the UAE and Jordan," an unnamed Israeli official told the French AFP news agency. The Israeli army radio also reported the news, with an unnamed military official suggesting air drops could start as early as Friday. DW spoke to several regional experts to find out why France is now moving to recognize Palestinian statehood. France has traditionally played a diplomatic role in the Middle East. But as Donald Trump has increasingly sidelined Europe, France has been pushing for Europe to take a more independent position from the US on the international stage. As well as the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, calls from some members of the Israeli Knesset to annex the West Bank have also increased the pressure. Michael Stephens, a Senior Associate Fellow at the UK-based RUSI think tank, told DW there was concern that if a Palestinian state isn't recognized now, "there may not be a Palestine left to recognize." France, along with Saudi Arabia, had been planning to co-host a UN conference on the two-state solution, hoping to encourage European states to recognize Palestine, and for some Arab states to normalize relations with Israel. The conference is now set to start on Monday after strikes by Israel and the US forced it to be rescheduled. Hugh Lovatt, a senior policy fellow with the Middle East and North Africa Programme at the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), told DW that French President Emmanuel Macron's comments are intended to build momentum for more European countries to recognize Palestine before the United Nations General Assembly in September. "What the French are doing is they are giving other countries effectively two months to also come on board," Lovatt said. Quentin de Pimodan, international adviser at Greece-based Research Institute for Europeans and American Studies, said Macron is aiming to present a "common front" for a political solution ahead of the UN assembly. Hamas and Egyptian sources suggested on Friday that negotiations on a ceasefire in Gaza would resume next week, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yet again accused Hamas of being the "obstacle" to a hostage release deal. "Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff got it right. Hamas is the obstacle to a hostage release deal," Netanyahu said in a statement on X, adding that Israel and the US were "now considering alternative options to bring our hostages home, end Hamas's terror rule, and secure lasting peace for Israel and our region." Both Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump recalled their negotiating teams from Qatar, where talks were being held earlier this week. Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff said Hamas' latest response to the negotiations showed a "lack of desire" for a truce. Meanwhile, Hamas official Bassem Naim was cited by the Associated Press news agency as saying on Friday he was told an Israeli delegation would depart for talks early next week. An-unnamed Egyptian source also told the state-affiliated Al Qahera News TV that talks will resume next week. Egypt and Qatar have been mediating a ceasefire throughout the 22-month war. France's highest court on Friday annulled a French arrest warrant, issued before his ouster, against Syria's ex-president Bashar Assad over deadly 2013 chemical attacks. The Court of Cassation ruled there were no exceptions to presidential immunity, even for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. However, presiding judge, Christophe Soulard, added that, as Assad was now no longer president after he was toppled in December, 'new arrest warrants can have been, or can be, issued against him' and as such the investigation into the case could continue. Iran has held "frank and detailed" nuclear talks with Germany, France and Britain on last month's war with Israel, a senior Iranian diplomat said on Friday. In a post on X, Iran's deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said in the talks, Tehran criticized the three countries' stances regarding the Israel-Iran war, which erupted when Israel struck nuclear and military infrastructure in Iran and killed much of its military brass, sparking strikes on Israel from Iran. Friday's talks also discussed the prospect of lifting the sanctions on Iran, as well as the snapback mechanism, which allows the swift reimposition of UN sanctions on Iran under the 2015 nuclear agreement if it violates its nuclear commitments. "It was agreed that consultations on this matter will continue," Gharibabadi said. The United Nations' nuclear watchdog has expressed optimism regarding Iran's decision to allow its inspectors to visit the country. International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi said a visit to Iran could take place "within weeks," adding that it could pave the way for UN inspectors' return to the country. "If we do not return soon, there would be a serious problem, because this is an international obligation of Iran," Grossi told reporters during a visit to Singapore. "I am encouraged by what I have been hearing from Tehran in the sense that they want to re-engage with us." Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi had announced Tehran's decision earlier this week. The UN delegation will not have access to nuclear sites in the country, Gharibabadi said, adding the visit's aim would be to reestablish relations between the IAEA and the country. Iran had suspended its cooperation with the UN agency earlier this year, blaming the IAEA in part for Israeli and US attacks on its nuclear facilities in June. The nuclear watchdog had issued a resolution saying Tehran was in violation of its non-proliferation obligations, one day before Israel launched its strikes. After condemnation from the US and Israel, France has defended its decision to recognize Palestinian statehood in September, refuting the argument that it would help the militant group Hamas. "Hamas has always rejected the two-state solution," French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on X. "By recognizing Palestine, France is going against that terrorist organization." France was "backing the side of peace against the side of war," Barrot argued. US and Israeli officials argued that France's recognition of Palestinian statehood would benefit Hamas, which has welcomed the French plans. DW spoke with Hugh Lovatt, a senior policy fellow with the Middle East and North Africa Programme at the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), about the prospects of other European countries following in France's footsteps to recognize Palestinian statehood. Lovatt suggested that Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg and maybe Portugal could be the next European countries to recognize Palestine as an independent state. Germany, as one of the staunchest supporters of Israel in the EU, is unlikely to change its position, he added. "Well, never say never, but I think the Germans have made it very clear that they will be amongst the last to recognize the State of Palestine," he told DW. "The German position is they will do so as the outcome of a two-state solution. That is a very distant prospect and I don't imagine the French move changing that calculation." So far, over a dozen European states recognize Palestine as an independent state, including, most recently, Spain, Ireland and Norway. Lovatt said the most significant nation would be the UK. He said if France could get the United Kingdom on board, it could unlock support for the recognition of a Palestinian state beyond the continent. For instance, "Australia and Canada, which have increasingly aligned themselves with London and Paris on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict." Following France's announcement that it plans to recognize Palestinian statehood later this year, Germany said on Friday it has no such plans in the short term. In a statement, the German government stressed it "remains convinced that only a negotiated two-state solution will bring lasting peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians." But it reiterated that its position that recognizing Palestinian statehood is "one of the final steps" for a two-state solution, stressing that "Israel's security is of paramount importance to the German government." Germany said it was helping create the conditions for Palestinian statehood, including support for the Palestinian Authority. It added that it agreed with France, the UK and its regional partners on the importance of the two-state solution "regardless of the well-known differences of opinion on the question of the right time for recognition." Berlin went on to list what it considers more pressing priorities for the time being, including an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, including German nationals, and the disarming of Hamas. "Israel must immediately and drastically improve the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza and provide the suffering civilian population with urgently needed supplies in a humane manner," the statement read. Germany also said that "there must be no further step towards the annexation of the West Bank," after a vote in the Knesset backed the annexation of the Palestinian-occupied territory. The French NGO Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has accused Israel of deliberately starving the Palestinians in Gaza as a weapon of war, warning that its own staff in the enclave were themselves struggling to find sufficient food. In a statement released on Friday, the MSF reported that one out of every four children between the ages of six months and five years old, as well as one out of every four pregnant and breastfeeding women, were malnourished in the devastated enclave. Since May 18, the number of people enrolled for malnutrition treatment has quadrupled, whereas rates of severe malnutrition in children under five have tripled in the last two weeks. "This is not just hunger — it is deliberate starvation, manufactured by the Israeli authorities," the statement read. "The weaponization of food to exert pressure on a civilian population must not be normalized." The organization also lambasted the US and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) over the nearly daily deaths of Palestinians shot by Israeli authorities near its distribution centers. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video "What we are seeing is unconscionable; an entire people being deliberately cut off from food and water, all while the Israeli forces commit daily massacres as people scramble for scraps of food at distribution sites," says Amande Bazerolle, MSF head of emergency response in Gaza. "Any shred of humanity in Gaza has been wiped out in the ongoing genocide." The report noted that the scarcity of food "is no longer about what people can afford. There is barely any food available in most of the strip." Meanwhile, Reuters interviewed United Nations and humanitarian agency representatives, who said the enclave was on the brink of running out of the specialized therapeutic food needed to save the lives of severely malnourished children. Salim Oweis, a spokesperson for UNICEF in Amman, Jordan told Reuters that supplies of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF), a crucial treatment, would be depleted by mid-August if nothing changed. An analysis within the US government found no evidence supporting Israeli and US claims that the Palestinian militant group Hamas was systematically stealing US-funded humanitarian supplies. The US and Israel have backed a new armed private aid operation under the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). The operation has seen around 1,000 Palestinians seeking food supplies shot and killed by Israeli forces near the GHF militarized distribution site. The analysis was conducted by a bureau within the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and made public via an exclusive report by the Reuters news agency. It was completed in late June, examining 156 incidents of theft or loss of US-funded supplies reported between October 2023 and May of this year. Reuters cited a US State Department spokesperson as disputing the findings, saying there is video evidence of Hamas looting aid but stopping short of providing such evidence. Israel insists it is committed to allowing in aid but that it must control it to prevent theft by Hamas. The UN World Food Program estimates that a quarter of Gaza's over 2 million Palestinians face famine-like conditions, while thousands suffer from acute malnutrition. World Health Organization officials and doctors in the enclave report that children and others are dying of starvation. Israel blames Hamas for the crisis, which has intensified since Israel intensified its blockade on Gaza in March, followed by making the GHF the sole distributor of aid in the enclave in May, replacing UN-led humanitarian aid distributors. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video France's plans to recognize Palestinian statehood were met with widespread approval in the Middle East. The Saudi Foreign Ministry called it a "historic decision," calling on other countries to follow in France's "positive" steps and "adopt serious positions that support peace and the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people." France and Saudi Arabia cohost a ministerial United Nations meeting on Palestinian statehood next week. Jordan's Foreign Ministry also expressed appreciation for the decision, describing it as "a step in the right direction toward the realisation of the two-state solution and the end of the occupation." Palestinians also welcomed the move. Senior Palestinian Authority official Hussein al-Sheikh said it "reflects France's commitment to international law and its support for the Palestinian people's rights to self-determination and the establishment of our independent state." The militant group Hamas, which Israel, the United States, the European Union and others designated as a terrorist organization, said the move would do "justice to our oppressed Palestinian people and support their legitimate right to self-determination." Spain, an EU member which recognized Palestinian statehood last year, also welcomed the move. "Together, we must protect what Netanyahu is trying to destroy. The two-state solution is the only solution," said Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, an outspoken critic of Israel's offensive in Gaza. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The US and Israel are so far the strongest opponents of France's decision to formally recognize a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September. French President Emmanuel Macron announced the plans on Thursday. According to a tally by the French AFP news agency, it would bring the number of countries that now recognize or plan to recognize Palestinian statehood to at least 142. France would be the first G7 power to do so. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called it a "reckless decision." "This reckless decision only serves Hamas propaganda and sets back peace. It is a slap in the face to the victims of October 7," Rubio wrote on X. Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023, left 1,200 Israelis, mostly civilians. Around 250 more were abducted and taken hostage in Gaza. Israel's subsequent war has so far killed over 59,000, according to the health authorities in the Hamas-run enclave. The UN considers the figures reliable. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the move "rewards terror and risks creating another Iranian proxy, just as Gaza became." "A Palestinian state in these conditions would be a launch pad to annihilate Israel - not to live in peace beside it," he said.

Germany urged to reverse Yazidi family's removal to Iraq – DW – 07/25/2025
Germany urged to reverse Yazidi family's removal to Iraq – DW – 07/25/2025

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  • DW

Germany urged to reverse Yazidi family's removal to Iraq – DW – 07/25/2025

Brandenburg's interior minister hopes to bring back a Yazidi family deported to Iraq despite a court ruling halting their removal. The case has sparked criticism over the deportation of people who escaped a genocide. The eastern German state of Brandenburg's Interior Minister Rene Wilke on Friday said he was pushing for the return of a Yazidi family recently deported to Iraq, saying the removal may have violated a court order. The Yazidis are a religious minority that suffered genocide at the hands of the "Islamic State" (IS) militant group in Iraq in 2014, making such deportations particularly contentious. The family, which includes four underage children, was deported on Tuesday, even though a court had lifted their obligation to leave the country on the same day. On Tuesday, 43 people were deported to Iraq on a charter flight from Leipzig to Baghdad. However, contrary to initial claims by the authorities of the participating federal states, the plane was not just filled with single men who were required to leave the country, some of whom had committed crimes in the past. The Yazidi family was also on board. The family's lawyer had filed an emergency appeal with the Potsdam Administrative Court before the flight. The court ruled in their favor, but the family was already en route to Baghdad by then. "Given the chain of circumstances, the specific fate of the family, and the imperative to restore legal compliance, I have instructed the relevant Brandenburg authorities to work with federal officials on bringing the family back — provided the court decision in their favor holds," Wilke said. He stressed that the federal government must issue the necessary travel documents and recognize the court ruling. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Wilke said the incident had personally moved him. The court's written decision, which retroactively suspended the deportation, wasn't available until after they had landed in Baghdad," he noted. "At that point, the involved authorities no longer had the ability to intervene." The Yazidi family, who had been living in Lychen in Brandenburg's Uckermark region, had filed a lawsuit in 2023 against the rejection of their application for international protection and the deportation order. The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees had denied the family's asylum application. Politicians from the center-left Social Democrats, the environmentalist Greens, and the socialist Left Party have called for the family's return. In 2023, the German Bundestag officially recognized the crimes committed by IS against Yazidis in 2014 as genocide. Many Yazidis who fled IS atrocities still can no longer return home because their villages in Sinjar remain destroyed or lawless. Some IS fighters and sympathizers remain active in parts of Iraq, particularly in rural or unstable areas. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The group Nadia's Initiative, which advocates for survivors of sexual violence and aims to rebuild communities in crisis, said it was concerned that the case was not an isolated incident. "The family—two parents and four young children—had lived in Germany for years. The children were enrolled in school and fully integrated into their community. This deportation has devastated the family and undermined their basic sense of safety and belonging." "Other Yazidi families in Germany have also received deportation notices, and many now live in constant fear of forced return to a region still grappling with the aftermath of genocide, displacement, and lack of tangible support from the Iraqi government."

Delayed delivery: German postal services come under attack – DW – 07/25/2025
Delayed delivery: German postal services come under attack – DW – 07/25/2025

DW

time3 hours ago

  • DW

Delayed delivery: German postal services come under attack – DW – 07/25/2025

German consumer complaints about DHL and Deutsche Post reached record highs in the first half of 2025. Letters and parcels are getting damaged, delayed, delivered to the wrong address or just disappear. The German Federal Network Agency received almost 23,000 complaints in the first half of this year — that's up 13% on the same time last year, which was also a record. Almost 90% of complaints relate to market leader Deutsche Post / DHL. Up to 2022, people in Germany were largely happy with their mail service, but then jobs were cut, prices raised and complaints began piling up. Damaged parcels, mail delivered to the wrong house — or not at all — and disastrous delays have been sending the country's blood pressure soaring. "For months on end here, it was drip, drip, drip. First, there would be something, then nothing at all. And then something would arrive and then nothing again. It really wasn't good," Patrick Gröne told German public broadcaster . He had ordered for some live ladybug larvae to fight the aphid problem blighting his house plants. But four weeks later when the much-awaited package finally arrived, the larvae were all dead. He got a replacement batch — eventually. Again, none of the larvae were alive. Another case that has been widely reported in the German media involves an eighty-two-year-old woman who tried in vain to get an ultra-fast delivery to a North Sea island where she was vacationing. Instead of getting the mobile phone that she had forgotten at home the next day, it finally turned up six working days later. Germany's service sector union and communication workers' union DPVKOM are blaming the difficulties on ongoing restructuring and waves of layoffs. And those are not expected to end any time soon. In March, Deutsche Post announced that it would be cutting another 8,000 jobs by the end of the year to save a billion euros ($1.17 bn). Last year, turnover rose to €84.2 billion, but operating profits sank to €5.9 billion. DHL delivery workers are often so pressed for time that they tend to leave parcels for an entire apartment block with neighbors living on ground or first-floor flats. The company is keen to play down the problem. It says the number of complaints is small in relation to the volume of letters and parcels transported by Deutsche Post and DHL: Over twelve billion letters and 1.8 billion parcels in 2024. "In a company with 187,000 employees and around 50 million items processed per day, mistakes can never be completely ruled out," a spokesperson told public broadcaster . Nevertheless, the company is keen to stress that it is constantly working to improve quality. But as well as the complaints lodged with the infrastructure watchdog, BNetzA, Deutsche Post itself logged some 420,000 last year. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Deutsche Post blames this year's specific woes on recent heatwaves — which required workloads to be cut — and union walkouts about job cuts. Moreover, it said not all customers are aware of recent changes in the postal laws. These mean that the company can now take up to three working days to deliver letters. Up to January 1, 2025, they were still obliged to deliver 80 percent by the next working day. So maybe it's all about expectations? Certainly, if things go on like this, Germany's Deutsche Post and DHL are set to have a record year of the worst kind, beating out 2024's total of 44,406 complaints. 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.

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