Daily Briefing 26.08.2026, 16:18 (CEST)

Germany growing again after three-year recession, says Merz

Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said Germany is on the road to economic recovery, declaring that the country is growing again after three years of recession.

Migrant shops shut doors in pre-election protest against Germany's AfD

Businesses run by migrants in the German city of Magdeburg closed their doors for several hours on Wednesday in protest against the anti-migrant Alternative for Germany (AfD), which is lead...

Volkswagen boss visits at-risk German plant, warns on costs

Volkswagen chief executive Oliver Blume has addressed workers at the company's troubled Emden plant in north-western Germany, warning that labour costs at the site are more than double thos...

Bayern midfielder João Palhinha completes transfer to Benfica

Bayern Munich midfielder João Palhinha has completed a transfer to Benfica, the Bundesliga champions said in a statement on Wednesday.

Study: House-building crisis has shaved 0.6 points off German GDP

A collapse in residential housing construction between 2023 and 2025 has weighed on Germany's overall economy, with around 84,600 fewer homes built in 2025 than two years earlier, according...

Frankfurt airport worker dies of malaria after mosquito bite

An employee at Frankfurt Airport has died after contracting malaria, with imported mosquitoes said to be the cause of the infection.

Watzke regrets Čeferin's decision to not run for FIFA presidency

German Football Federation (DFB) vice president Hans-Joachim Watzke currently sees no strong challenger to controversial FIFA president Gianni Infantino in the football ruling body's upcomi...

'Journey to Mars:' Elversberg looking forward to Bundesliga debut

SV Elversberg is the 59th and, to date, the smallest club to ever play in the Bundesliga. The stars of the sport are in for a culture shock in the state of Saarland.

Thousands of fans celebrate new games at Gamescom opening show

Around 5,000 people gathered in the western German city of Cologne on Tuesday for the opening of Gamescom, the world's largest gaming trade fair, where trailers for a string of upcoming tit...

German economy grows 0.3% in second quarter, beating estimate

The German economy grew 0.3% in the second quarter from the previous three months, slightly more than the initially estimated 0.2%, the Federal Statistical Office said.