Munich Residents Vote in Favor of Olympic Bid
Residents in the city of Munich have voted in favor of bidding to host the Olympics in 2036, 2040, or 2044. The vote passed comfortably on Sunday, with 60% of voters supporting the plan. Bavaria’s state premier Markus Söder described the result as “a very strong signal.” According to Mayor Dieter Reiter, 60% of those who cast their vote said “yes” to Munich hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games in the proposed years. “This is a good day for Munich,” he said, while Jörg Ammon, the head of the Bavarian State Sports Association, called the outcome a “dream result.”
However, there is still a long way to go as Munich, which hosted the 1972 Summer Olympic Games, will have to compete against Berlin, Hamburg, and the Rhine-Ruhr region in Germany. “I’m very excited to see the reactions from the competing cities,” Reiter said.
Germany Plans to Spot More Russian Submarines
Germany and the UK plan to jointly trace Russian submarines in the northern Atlantic. The defense ministers of both countries took a ride on one of the high-tech planes that will make this possible. Here’s how Russian submarines and suspicious ships could be detected.
Mass Culling of Birds in Germany Amid Avian Flu Outbreaks
Around 400,000 chickens, ducks, geese, and turkeys have been culled at more than 30 commercial poultry farms following several outbreaks of avian influenza, Germany’s animal health institute said on Sunday. “We had similar figures in 2021, the strongest ‘avian influenza year’ to date. It is impossible to predict how the situation will develop, but the FLI [Friedrich Loeffler Institute] is expecting a further increase in outbreaks and cases,” the institute’s head, Christa Kühn, said, adding: “The situation remains highly dynamic.”
The northeastern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and that of Brandenburg, which surrounds Berlin, have seen the highest cull rates. On Sunday, a district in Brandenburg announced that 130,000 more birds would be killed after bird flu cases were detected. There has also been preemptive culling of livestock in other states after the FLI confirmed cases of infection with the highly contagious H5N1 avian influenza virus.
Wild birds migrating to southern regions are seen as the main carriers of avian influenza, with cranes being affected this year more than usual. This has been seen particularly in northwest Brandenburg, where they have been dying in large numbers during their normal stopover in the region on their way to France, Spain, or North Africa.
Kühn said there was a low risk of infection for the general population, but that those “who come into contact with infected animals, such as the teams that clear affected poultry houses or collect dead wild birds, have a moderate risk of infection and therefore wear protective clothing.”
Police Urge More Security at German Train Stations
The German Police Union (GdP) is calling for more federal officers at railway stations and wider powers to carry out checks, amid growing political debate over urban migration. GdP chief Andreas Rosskopf told the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND) editorial network that “it is becoming increasingly dangerous, especially at the large railway stations in city centres, including for our colleagues. They are experiencing less and less respect and acceptance.”
The call follows controversial remarks by Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who said migration policy failures have changed the face of German cities. Europeans are “afraid to move around in public spaces” due to migrants who do not obey the law, Merz said. “More security at train stations also results in a better image of the city,” Rosskopf said, referencing Merz’s original remarks.
Federal police currently oversee borders, airports, and train stations. Rosskopf also called for police to be allowed to conduct random checks without suspicion.
Cooling Towers at Former Nuclear Plant in Southern Germany Demolished
The two cooling towers at the former Gundremmingen nuclear power plant in southern Germany were demolished on Saturday. The two 160-meter-high towers, consisting of a total of 56,000 metric tons of reinforced concrete, were brought down by controlled explosives. As part of Germany’s nuclear phaseout, the former Gundremmingen nuclear power plant was shut down at the end of 2021. Since then, it has been undergoing decommissioning, which will continue into the 2030s.
Once decommissioning is completed, the operator RWE plans to use the site as a battery facility to store solar power. A photovoltaic plant and a new gas-fired power station are also planned.
German Army Faces Setbacks in Digitalization Project
According to a report in the Sunday newspaper Welt am Sonntag, ongoing challenges with the digitalization of the German Army’s land forces could harm their operational readiness. The digitalization program for land-based operations (D-LBO) is intended to link individual soldiers, vehicles, command vehicles, and mobile command posts through modern, secure digital networks.
Documents from the Defense Ministry and the Bundeswehr cited by the newspaper suggest that a proposed solution would preserve “military operability” but would require a “temporary reduction in operational readiness.” The Defense Ministry has repeatedly stated, in response to questions about radio system issues, that the project remains on schedule. However, even after another test planned for November, the system will reportedly be suitable only “for training and exercises,” and not yet ready for combat use.
Porsche Pauses Shift to EVs as Profits Tank
Profits at Porsche plunged by nearly 96% in the first nine months of 2025. The German carmaker attributed the decline to a change in strategy, shifting its focus back to combustion engines due to weak demand for electric vehicles.
Protest in Hamburg Against Merz’s ‘Cityscape’ Remark
Around 2,000 people braved the rain in Hamburg on Saturday to protest against Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s comments on migration. Under the motto “We are the cityscape!”, demonstrators displayed slogans such as “Standing together against racism and division” and “Merz out of our cityscape!” The Left Party, Fridays for Future Hamburg, and smaller left-wing groups called for the demonstration.
The party accused Merz’s center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) of aligning its rhetoric with the far-right Alternative for Germany party (AfD). “The CDU is going crazy — and with every new right-wing statement, Chancellor Merz is further ingratiating himself with the AfD,” the Left Party said.
Call for Ban on Free-Range Poultry Farming to Combat Bird Flu
Germany’s poultry industry is calling for urgent action amid the rapid spread of bird flu. The Poultry Industry Association of the southwestern state of Baden-Württemberg is urging a nationwide mandate requiring free-range poultry to be kept in closed barns or coops to contain the highly contagious H5N1 virus.
The Friedrich Loeffler Institute reports that more than 200,000 birds have already been culled this fall, with cases rising sharply during the autumn migration. Migrating cranes, wild geese, and ducks have been particularly affected. Experts warn the outbreak could rival the severe wave of 2020, when more than 2 million birds were destroyed.
On Friday, Federal Agriculture Minister Alois Rainer said it was a “top priority to prevent the spread of the virus, protect animals, and avert damage to our agriculture and food industry.” He also mentioned ongoing talks with ministers from the federal states responsible for the issue.
Does Adopting Far-Right Rhetoric Help or Hurt the Political Center?
Parties of both the center-right and the center-left are unintentionally strengthening far-right parties by repeating their ideas and rhetoric in a doomed attempt to shrink their support, according to a new study by the Berlin Social Science Center. Chancellor Friederich Merz’s recent remarks on Germany’s “cityscape” are the latest example.
Germany Has Increased Deportations in 2025
The number of deportations from Germany rose significantly in the first three quarters of 2025 compared to the same period last year. Government figures obtained by the Left Party in the Bundestag show over 17,600 people were deported between January and September, compared with 4,706 in the same period in 2024. Most people were sent to Turkey and Georgia. Almost one in five deportees was under 18, and more than 300 were over 60.
Some opposition politicians have criticized the rise, warning of deportations to countries with poor human rights records. The government has not commented.
German Rallies Against Merz Migration Comments Continue
Demonstrations against Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s recent remarks on urban migration are expected to continue through the weekend. During a visit to Potsdam last week, Merz spoke about his government’s efforts to toughen migration policy. The primary aim, he said, was to continue combating what he called illegal immigration.
“But we still have this problem in our cityscape, of course, and that’s why the federal interior minister is facilitating and carrying out large-scale deportations,” he said. The remark has drawn widespread criticism, including from members of his coalition government.
Merz, when asked by a journalist on Monday to clarify the comment, doubled down, saying, “ask your daughters what I might have meant.” On Wednesday, Merz clarified that he was referring to migrants without residence permits and jobs who do not comply with German laws.
In a survey commissioned by public broadcaster ZDF, 63% of respondents said they agreed with the chancellor’s statements, while 29% said they disagreed. However, only 18% of respondents said refugees cause issues in their neighborhood, with some 74% stating that they have not noted any significant problems or none at all.
Social Democrat and Deputy Chancellor Lars Klingbeil appeared to criticize Merz’s choice of words in a speech to a trade union federation on Wednesday. “I would like to live in a country in which politics builds bridges and brings society together, rather than dividing with language,” Klingbeil said. “And I will also say to you: I’d like to live in a country in which someone’s appearance does not decide whether or not they fit in a city’s image.”
Protests were planned on Saturday in Hamburg, Magdeburg, and Nuremberg. Several demonstrations have already occurred in recent days, with thousands taking part.
