Bild: More and more Germans live on credit / Immer mehr Deutsche leben auf Pump
FAZ: Pakistan sets conditions for Berlin on return of Afghans / Pakistan stellt Berlin Bedingungen für Rückkehr von Afghanen
Funke: Berlin Senate abolishes 30 km/h speed limit / Berliner Senat schafft Tempo 30 ab
Handelsblatt: Bonds collapse / Anleihen brechen ein
RND: Meeting with Xi and Putin planned: Guest of honor at military parade in Beijing: Kim Jong Un’s return to the world stage / Treffen mit Xi und Putin geplant: Ehrengast bei Militärparade in Peking: Kim Jong Uns Rückkehr auf die Weltbühne
SZ: Dispute over Israel policy divides EU / Streit um Israel-Politik entzweit EU
Tagesspiegel: “Bring us to Germany” – 200 Afghans write urgent letter to federal government / “Holt uns nach Deutschland” – 200 Afghanen schreiben Brandbrief an Bundesregierung
taz: Feeding the predators / Raubtierfütterung
Welt: Police union: Border controls are not enough / Polizeigewerkschaft: Grenzkontrollen reichen nicht
Israel is, according to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, facing a decisive phase of the war: Netanyahu said in a video message to the soldiers that they were fighting a persistent and just war. „What began in Gaza must end in Gaza.“ faz.net
- Israel has begun the announced mobilization of around 60,000 reservists. In addition, the service of another 20,000 soldiers already active will be extended. spiegel.de
- Chief of General Staff Eyal Zamir declared at a meeting with reservists that the ground operation in Gaza City had begun and that they were advancing into areas they had never entered before. Hamas would not be able to hide anywhere, said Zamir.
- Several people were killed in an Israeli attack in the south of the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that the shelling took place in the area of the humanitarian zone of Al-Mawasi.
Palestinians hope for acceleration of two-state solution: Recognition of a Palestinian state by leading Western countries speeds up the process, according to Husam Zomlot, head of the Palestinian mission in London. This is the „starting shot for a sprint“ toward implementing the solution, Zomlot told Reuters.
The mayor of Hebron, Tajsir Abu Sneineh, was arrested in the West Bank. The Palestinian city council strongly condemned the arrest, saying troops stormed his house in large numbers and ransacked the furnishings. Israel’s army referred inquiries to the domestic intelligence agency Shin Bet. The background to the arrest was allegations that Abu Sneineh supported the terrorist organizations Hamas and Islamic Jihad and incited against Israel, according to Israeli sources.
UKRAINE
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky renewed a warning of Russian troop concentration: Russia continues to carry out air strikes, Zelensky said in his video message. Apparently, Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin does not want to be forced into peace. t agesspiegel.de
- US President Donald Trump once again criticized Russian leader Vladimir Putin, saying he was very disappointed in him. „We will do something to help people live,“ he said in a radio interview. Referring to the meeting of the two presidents in Alaska, Trump emphasized that he had had a great relationship with Putin.
- Russia and Ukraine are „not yet ready“ for a summit meeting of their heads of state, according to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. He said he had spoken with Vladimir Putin in China and with Volodymyr Zelensky by phone about ways to end the war.
- Chancellor Friedrich Merz suggests Geneva as the venue for a meeting between Volodymyr Zelensky and Vladimir Putin. He said he would recommend this on Thursday at the conference of the „Coalition of the Willing“ after a meeting with Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter in Berlin.
- Friedrich Merz calls Russian leader Vladimir Putin „perhaps the most serious war criminal of our time.“ Appeasement is out of place, Merz said on Newstime. It must be ensured that Russia is no longer able to maintain its war economy.
RTL/ntv trend barometer by Forsa: CDU/CSU 25 percent, AfD 26 percent, SPD 14 percent (+1), Greens 11 percent (-1), Left Party 12 percent (+1), BSW 3 percent, FDP 3 percent, Others 6 percent. n-tv.de
Chancellor Friedrich Merz wants to cut at least ten percent from citizens’ benefit payments: Merz told Sat.1 Newstime that if one did not dare to save ten percent in a transfer system that was going in the wrong direction, then one was failing the task. Currently, citizens’ benefits cost around 50 billion euros per year. The CDU/CSU is pushing for a reform of the social systems, while the SPD does not want to support benefit cuts. Labor Minister Bärbel Bas had called Merz’s remarks that the welfare state could no longer be afforded „bullshit“ over the weekend. Merz said that was not the level of discourse he would accept for the coalition. prosieben.de, tagesspiegel.de, spiegel.de, n-tv.de
- The coalition committee will meet on Wednesday afternoon at the Chancellery to discuss planned social system reforms. The consolidation of the budget and appointments to constitutional judge posts are also on the agenda.
- Against the backdrop of the current debate on citizens’ benefits, NRW Social Minister Karl-Josef Laumann appealed to federal government members to work together better. All ministers must find a workable relationship.
- 363,000 recipients of citizens’ benefits have been unemployed for ten years. faz.net
Asylum numbers in August fall significantly compared to the previous year: 7,800 people applied for asylum in Germany; that is 60 percent fewer than in the same month last year. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said the asylum turnaround was working. The political goal now is to sharpen the joint European asylum system to further reduce migration pressure on Europe.zdfheute.de, tagesschau.de
Chancellor Friedrich Merz promises admission of Afghans after security checks: Merz responded cautiously to a letter from around 200 Afghans demanding swift implementation of German admission pledges. The signatories say they face abduction, torture, and execution in their homeland. Merz said the government was bound by the previous government’s promise. Everything, however, is subject to individual security checks. Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Germany aimed to complete the procedures by the end of the year in coordination with Pakistani authorities. zdfheute.de, faz.net
Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul promotes Indian skilled workers: At the start of his trip, Wadephul attended several appointments in the tech hub of Bengaluru. At a talk at the Goethe Institute, he promoted Indian skilled workers and admitted that Germany must do better in recognizing foreign qualifications. zdfheute.de
Greens accuse government of a „climate policy ghost ride“: The climate policy of the black-red coalition harms people and the economy. At the start of a retreat of the parliamentary group leadership, group leader Katharina Dröge said that the plans of Economics Minister Katherina Reiche to make greater use of fossil fuels amounted to a „climate policy ghost ride.“ Dröge announced an „autumn of resistance.“ Concerning social policy, the Greens intend to critically but constructively monitor the coalition’s policies.tagesschau.de
Number of suspected far-right cases in the Bundeswehr stable: In 2024, 302 cases were added – five fewer than in 2023, according to the Defense Ministry’s annual report. By the end of last year, the Military Counterintelligence Service was handling 1,159 cases. Most of the new cases, 216, were in the area of right-wing extremism. spiegel.de
Fewer and fewer people live in eastern Germany: Since 1990, more than two million people have moved out of the eastern German states. According to the Federal Statistical Office, 14.8 million people still lived there in 1990. In 2024, there were only 12.4 million – a decline of 16 percent. About one million people migrated to the West. The population there increased by the same amount over the same period. zdfheute.de
Germany is named one of the Worst Countries for Expats. Germany ranks 42nd out of 46 countries in the 2025 Expat Insider Survey by InterNations — making it the fourth-worst country to move to. Expats cite housing shortages, slow bureaucracy, poor digital services, and the difficulty of learning German as top frustrations. The country came in last place worldwide for „Expat Essentials,“ which includes housing, admin, digital life, and language. Germany also ranked in the bottom 10 for ease of settling in, with many respondents saying it’s difficult to make friends or feel welcome. Only 19% plan to stay in Germany long-term, while 40% remain undecided. Top expat destinations for 2025? Panama, Colombia, Mexico, Thailand, and Vietnam. IamExpat.de
Part-time employment in Germany rises to record level: More people than ever are working part-time. In the second quarter, the part-time rate rose to a new record of 40.1 percent, according to the Nuremberg Institute for Employment Research. In the 1990s, part-time work was still the exception; today, with 17 million employees, it is the norm, the institute explained. The share has recently grown particularly strongly in the care and education sectors. n-tv.de
Other news:
- Ifo Institute: Home office rate remains stable. heise.de
- Bitkom survey: Streaming surpasses traditional television. absatzwirtschaft.de
- University of Hamburg analysis: One in five can barely read. sueddeutsche.de
- Pilots’ union Vereinigung Cockpit declares talks with Lufthansa failed. n-tv.de
- Significantly more purchases are financed through small loans. zdfheute.de
- Thousands of consultants at the ready: Tupperware plans comeback in Germany. n-tv.de
- MFE boss Pier Silvio Berlusconi meets with Culture Minister of State Wolfram Weimer: more news, entertainment, and series. dwdl.de
Little Dreamers is a parenting app founded by Zeyu, created to help exhausted parents and their babies finally get the rest they need. Combining sleep science with practical, easy-to-follow guidance, the app offers personalized routines, tips, and tools for smoother nights and calmer days. Inspired by her own journey through motherhood, Zeyu built Little Dreamers to empower families with both knowledge and reassurance. With a friendly, no-pressure approach, it’s helping parents in Germany (and beyond) reclaim their sleep and sanity.
Germany’s Love Affair with Paperwork Did you know that Germans even have a word for a love–hate relationship with bureaucracy? It’s called „Behördenwahnsinn“ – literally „authority madness.“ From getting your address registered (Anmeldung) to picking up a parcel, paperwork rules life here — which might explain why Germany scored dead last in „Expat Essentials.“