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Local Germany
31-07-2025
- Business
- Local Germany
Kitas and Deutschlandticket: What Germany plans to spend money on in 2026
If you're feeling like you've heard a whole lot of federal budget news as of late, you're not wrong. It was only a month ago that the federal budget plans for this year were approved , and then at the top of July further changes were made to that budget. READ ALSO: Tax cuts and pensions - How Germany's budget changes could impact you Germany's previous traffic light government failed to pass a budget for 2025 when talks broke down between the Social Democrats (SPD), the Greens and the Free Democrats (FDP). So now the new black-red coalition, of the Christian Union parties (CDU/CSU) and the SPD, have been moving to draft and approve budgets for both 2025 and 2026. The draft budget approved on Wednesday July 30th is for 2026. To sum it up concisely, it promises more money for just about everything: from bridges and railway lines, to the German army, as well as digitalisation and education. In this sense, the budget agreement can be seen as the conservatives trying to make good on their previous campaign promises to stimulate the economy and boost Germany's infrastructure and defences. Presenting the draft budget in Berlin, Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil (SPD) said, "We are investing in the future now so that our country will be more modern, fairer and safer tomorrow." German Finance Minister and Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil arrives to present a draft of Germany's federal budget for the year 2026. (Photo by John MACDOUGALL / AFP) However, the spending requires that the government take on significant new debt, and there still isn't funding for key tax cuts that had been proposed. Here's the plan as things stand: Big figures A total expenditure of €520.5 billion is planned for 2026, which is 3.5 percent more than is expected for this year. The biggest portion of the budget is to go to the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, at around €197.4 billion. Most of that is for an increase in subsidies to the pension insurance scheme. Around €41 billion is budgeted for the long-term unemployment benefit (known as Bürgergeld ), including support for accommodation and heating in 2026. This is around €1.5 billion less than is planned for the current year because the government is counting on a revival of the labour market and a falling number of benefit recipients. FACT CHECK: Are immigrants in Germany taking advantage of the welfare state? Large investments are also planned, including in the renovation of Germany's rundown bridges and railway lines , and towards improving digitalisation and education. Advertisement The German army ( Bundeswehr) is to receive significantly more money next year - its budget is set to be increased by about 32 percent to around €128 billion. Strengthening the German military was among the chief reasons that government leaders pushed to relax the debt brake earlier this year. Defence spending is expected to continue to rise massively in the coming years amid the geopolitical instability in Europe. READ ALSO: Germany has ditched the debt brake, but what will the consequences be? What services are being funded? Several projects announced in the black-red government's coalition agreement are expected to be funded next year. Among these are subsidies for social housing, more money for Kitas, and a continuation of the Deutschlandticket . A reduction of VAT on food in restaurants is also planned, plus an increase in the commuter allowance. What's not being funded? The draft notably does not include funding for a reduction in taxes on flights. Last year, an aviation tax was increased. There is also no mention of an electricity tax reduction for private households, which was suggested in the conservative's election campaign. This would cost an additional €5.4 billion. "At the moment, there is no foreseeable room for manoeuvre in the federal budget," government sources told DPA. Cuts are planned for development spending, and job cuts are planned in the federal administration, and in security agencies. Advertisement Can Germany afford it? To help fund next year's budget, the government plans to take out €89.9 billion in new loans, as well as taking €84.4 billion from the special funds recently set up for infrastructure and climate protection. German leaders are faced with mounting budget constraints, as their plans for boosting the economy, defence and revitalising infrastructure are quickly adding up to a hefty price tag. In the following years, from 2027 to 2029, a €127 billion gap is forecast. "The 2027 budget will be an enormous challenge for the government," Finance Minister Klingbeil said, hinting that austerity measures are likely to follow. READ ALSO: How could welfare reforms in Germany affect you? With reporting by DPA.
Toronto Sun
15-07-2025
- Sport
- Toronto Sun
Barca star Lamine Yamal faces probe into dwarf entertainers at 18th birthday
A complaint was made by the Association for People with Achondroplasia and Other Skeletal Dysplasias with Dwarfism Spain and Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal turned 18 at the weekend. Photo by John MACDOUGALL / AFP Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. BARCELONA — Barcelona star Lamine Yamal is facing an investigation regarding the presence of a group of people with dwarfism as entertainers at his 18th birthday party last weekend, Spain's Ministry of Social Rights told AFP Tuesday. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The winger celebrated with a private event in Olivella, around 50 kilometres west of Barcelona, which the ministry asked the prosecutor's office to probe, following a complaint from the Association for People with Achondroplasia and Other Skeletal Dysplasias with Dwarfism (ADEE). Yamal turned 18 on July 13, the day after his party on Saturday night, which many of his team-mates attended, along with celebrities from the music world including Bizarrap and Bad Gyal. 'The ADEE has filed a complaint, so this ministry has asked the prosecutor's office to investigate to see if the law has been violated and, therefore, the rights of people with disabilities (have been),' Spain's Ministry of Social Rights told AFP. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. ADEE 'publicly denounces the hiring of people with dwarfism as part of the entertainment' and said they would take legal action as it 'perpetuates stereotypes, fuels discrimination, and undermines the image and rights' of people with disabilities. Guests were not permitted to film at the event but a video emerged of a group of people with dwarfism heading into the party. 'No one disrespected us, we were allowed to work in peace,' said one of the performers anonymously on Catalan radio station RAC1, saying there were four of them present. 'We're normal people who dedicate ourselves to what we love doing in an absolutely legal way… 'For a couple of years these people (the ADEE) have wanted to harm us, they want to prevent us from doing what we like, but they have not offered any work or training to those who are affected… This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'All this fuss has come about purely because it was Lamine Yamal's party.' The performer said they dance, deliver drinks and do magic tricks to entertain guests at the events they work at. Dominican rapper Chimbala, of short stature, published a video on Instagram of himself singing on stage with Yamal, with Barca team-mates Gavi and Alejandro Balde dancing in the background. 'Lamine Yamal at 18, the best player in the world, signing my song 'Abusadora', thank you for inviting me to your (birthday),' wrote Chimbala. Yamal is a candidate to win the Ballon d'Or after a helping Barcelona to a domestic treble of La Liga, the Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup last season. The Spain international has scored 25 goals for the club in 106 appearances, having made his debut at just 15 years old in 2023. Yamal's representatives did not respond to a request for comment. Columnists Uncategorized NFL Editorial Cartoons NHL
Local Germany
02-07-2025
- Climate
- Local Germany
Today in Germany: A roundup of the latest news of Wednesday
Wednesday's top story: Relief coming for Europe after brutal heatwave After days of record-breaking heatwaves across Europe, relief will start to arrive from the Atlantic on Wednesday, bringing thunderstorms and cooler temperatures to parts of western Europe. Germany's national weather service is forecasting a peak of 40C on Wednesday in the economic capital Frankfurt, but that will plummet to 27C by Thursday. High temperatures are also expected to peak in Berlin by Wednesday afternoon at around 39C. "For the continent as a whole, the month is likely to be ranked among the top 5 warmest Junes on record," said the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. Advertisement "Due to climate change caused by humans, extreme heat is becoming more frequent and intense. This is something we must learn to live with," said Clare Nullis, spokesperson for the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), a UN agency based in Geneva. A hooded crow freshens up in a fountain in Berlin on June 26, 2025, as temperatures hist 30 degrees Celsius in the German capital. (Photo by John MACDOUGALL / AFP) Extreme heat can cause dehydration, muscle cramps, headaches and nausea. The most serious risk is heatstroke, which can lead to death, especially in vulnerable people. READ ALSO: The official German advice for how to stay safe in a heatwave The all-time heat record for Germany was measured on July 25, 2019 and was 41.2C at the DWD weather stations Tönisvorst and Duisburg-Baerl (both in North Rhine-Westphalia). Number of sick days due to heat on the rise The number of sick days due to the effects of heat is rising. In 2023, it stood at around 92,700 – or twelve percent more than the previous high in 2018, according to data from the Ministry of Social Affairs. The figures include days lost due to heatstroke, sunstroke, and heat exhaustion - and fluctuate from year to year depending on the weather conditions. In 2021, for example, there were just under 32,400 days lost due to heat, compared to around 71,200 the following year. Overall, however, the curve has been rising since 2015. READ ALSO: Heatwave rules - Who decides when it's too hot for school in Germany? According to the figures, men are affected by heat in the workplace much more than women. In 2023, men had 63,145 days of absence due to heat. For women, the figure was less than half that, at 29,577. The disparity is partly explained by the fact that men are more likely to work in physically demanding outdoor jobs, such as road or housing construction. The Green Party parliamentary group is proposing time off work for employees during hot weather. A draft resolution by the party's executive committee states: 'We want employers to be required to take measures to protect the health of their employees when temperatures at the workplace reach 26 degrees Celsius.' Rail traffic disrupted in northern Germany Long-distance rail services in northern Germany were disrupted on Tuesday because of multiple embankment fires and a bomb disposal operation near Osnabrück Central Station. According to Deutsche Bahn, the embankment fires were in the Hamburg, Lower Saxony, and Saxony-Anhalt areas and caused delays on routes between Berlin and the Ruhr area/Hanover as well as between Hamburg and Berlin. Advertisement Property prices in Germany rise again Residential property prices in Germany rose again in the first quarter of 2025. From January to March, they increased by an average of 3.8 percent compared to the same period last year, according to Germany's Statistical Office. This represents the largest increase since the third quarter of 2022 and the second increase in a row. From the end of 2022 onwards, real estate prices had fallen across the board due to higher interest rates and material costs. The trend didn't reverse until the final quarter of 2024, with an initial increase of 1.9 percent. German performance by rap group Bob Vylan cancelled A German music venue said Tuesday that a planned performance by rap duo Bob Vylan would not take place after its frontman led an anti-Israel chant at the Glastonbury festival. London-based Bob Vylan, who often tackle racism in their tracks, were slammed by international and British politicians after they led the crowds in chants of "Death to the IDF" -- the Israeli military. Bobby Vylan of British duo Bob Vylan crowd surfing while performing on the West Holts Stage on the fourth day of the Glastonbury festival in south-west England, on June 28, 2025. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP) The group are due to support the band Gogol Bordello on a European tour this autumn but the venue in Cologne, the Live Music Hall, said in a post on its Instagram account: "The band 'Bob Vylan' will NOT perform as a support act on 13.09.2025!" An employee at the venue who did not wish to be named told AFP that "we decided together with local organisers that (Bob Vylan) will not perform here after the media uproar", which followed their set at Glastonbury. On Monday, British police said they were launching a criminal investigation into remarks made by Bob Vylan and fellow rap group Kneecap at the festival in southwestern England. Advertisement The BBC, which broadcast the festival, later apologised for not pulling the live stream of the band's set. With reporting by DPA, AFP and Tom Pugh.
Sinar Daily
30-05-2025
- Sport
- Sinar Daily
History-makers Chelsea roar back to beat Real Betis in UEFA Conference League final
WROCLAW - Chelsea roared back to beat Real Betis 4-1 in the UEFA Conference League final in Wroclaw on Wednesday, becoming the first club to complete a clean sweep of European trophies. Manuel Pellegrini's enterprising Betis caught the favourites cold with an early goal from Abde Ezzalzouli against a flat-footed and listless Chelsea. Real Betis' French defender #15 Romain Perraud lies on the ground after being fouled by Chelsea's Portuguese midfielder #07 Pedro Neto during the UEFA Conference League final football match between Real Betis and Chelsea FC in Wroclaw on May 28, 2025. (Photo by John MACDOUGALL / AFP) But Enzo Maresca's second-half substitutions injected energy and Cole Palmer changed the complexion of the game in a five-minute spell, setting up Enzo Fernandez and Nicolas Jackson to score. Substitute Jadon Sancho made the game safe in the 83rd minute as the Spanish side faded in their first European final and Moises Caicedo added gloss to the scoreline. Chelsea are the first club to win the full set of five UEFA club tournaments -- the Champions League, Europa League, Conference League, Super Cup and the now-defunct Cup Winners' Cup. They have also won their first silverware since Todd Boehly's consortium took over from former owner Roman Abramovich in 2022, following an era of unprecedented success for the club. Boehly was on the pitch at the end, savouring the win that seemed unlikely when Betis were in control in the first half. Chelsea have ended the season with a flourish after also securing a place in next season's Champions League following a fourth-placed finish in the Premier League. Maresca, in his first season at Stamford Bridge, said he hoped Conference League glory would be a launchpad for the club. "The club have invested lots of money in the last three or four years, so they are also waiting for results," Maresca told TNT Sports. "Hopefully this can be a starting point and from tonight, from this season, (we are) building something important." The Spanish side went ahead in the ninth minute through Ezzalzouli, who scored the goal against Fiorentina that took his side to the final. Chelsea's Argentinian midfielder #08 Enzo Fernandez celebrates after scoring the equalising goal during the UEFA Conference League final football match between Real Betis and Chelsea FC in Wroclaw on May 28, 2025. (Photo by John MACDOUGALL / AFP) Malo Gusto lost the ball and it broke to Betis captain Isco, who produced a clever pass to find Ezzalzouli on the edge of the box, with the Moroccan drilling a left-footed shot across Filip Jorgensen. Minutes later Marc Bartra tried his luck from distance but this time Jorgensen was equal to the task, producing a flying save. Urged on by their massed ranks of fans, Betis went close again when Johnny Cardoso's shot from inside the box was deflected behind. The Premier League side were enjoying the bulk of possession but struggling to create meaningful chances, with Betis defending well and Isco, a five-time Champions League winner with Real Madrid, pulling the strings. Palmer magic Maresca brought on James for the struggling Gusto at the break and the English side looked livelier. Pellegrini was forced a change when goalscorer Ezzalzouli was forced off, with Jesus Rodriguez coming on to replace him. Maresca also made a number of other changes, including bringing on Sancho, but it took two moments of magic from Palmer to turn the tide. The England man produced a pinpoint inswinging cross from the right that found onrushing Argentina midfielder Fernandez, who got between two defenders to head the ball past Adrian in the 65th minute. Suddenly Chelsea's tails were up and the fans behind the goal were in full voice. Five minutes later Palmer twisted and turned before producing another superb cross that Jackson bundled into the net. Jackson should have scored a second goal but a heavy touch allowed the Betis goalkeeper to gather. But Sancho made it 3-1 when he combined with fellow substitute Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and finished from an angle and Caicedo added a fourth from the edge of the box. Victory for Chelsea breaks an astonishing cycle of wins for Spanish teams. Taking into account World Cups, European Championships, Champions League and the UEFA Cup/Europa League, of the previous 27 men's finals involving Spanish teams, all 27 had had Spanish winners. Four Spanish club sides had been defeated in that time, but in all cases by fellow La Liga sides. Earlier, the centre of Wroclaw was packed with fans from both clubs, with green-and-white clad Betis fans outnumbering their English rivals. Poland's Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak said police made 28 arrests after supporters clashed in the city's market square. - AFP
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Tesla sales fall again in Germany as drivers steer clear of Musk
Almost 46 percent fewer Tesla cars were registered in Germany in April than the same month last year (John MACDOUGALL) Tesla sales nosedived again in Germany last month even as electric vehicle sales rose strongly, data showed Tuesday, as German drivers voted with their wallets against billionaire owner Elon Musk. Just 885 Tesla electric vehicles (EVs) were registered in April, 45.9 percent fewer than the same month last year, the KBA federal transport authority said. That was almost half as many as BYD, a Chinese competitor, managed: 1,556 BYDs were registered in April, a rise of 756 percent on the year. At the same time, overall EV registrations rose 53.5 percent year-on-year and now account for almost 19 percent of the market, the highest share since the government removed a subsidy for electric vehicles in December 2023. Tesla's sales have been slowing worldwide due to a combination of fierce Chinese competition as well as anger at Musk's outspoken political positions. He has faced particular hostility in Germany for backing the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) before February's general election by appearing via video link at a rally and broadcasting a conversation with its co-leader, Alice Weidel, on his X platform. Other political parties in Germany shun the AfD and Germany's domestic intelligence agency last week classified it as a right-wing extremist organisation. Some German Tesla drivers have put "I bought this before Elon went crazy" stickers on their vehicles and the backlash has also taken more forceful forms. Tesla cars have been targeted in suspected arson attacks in Berlin and Dresden, and protesters have staged demonstrations against the carmaker. Over the three months to April, Tesla registrations fell a whopping 60.4 percent from the same period a year ago. Overall car registrations in Germany fell 0.2 percent in April versus the previous year, a sign that the market is stabilising after they fell almost four percent in March. Tesla chairman Robyn Denholm last week denied that the carmaker's board was looking to replace Musk as CEO. vbw/jsk/lth
