Germany updates: Military draft might return, Pistorius says

A man with German and US citizenship has been arrested and charged with a criminal complaint in New York for an alleged arson attack on a US embassy building in Tel Aviv earlier this month.

The man is accused of attempting to set fire to the branch office of the US Embassy, the US Justice Department said in a statement on Sunday. FBI agents arrested the 28-year-old at a New York airport after Israeli authorities deported him. 

According to the Justice Department, the man approached the embassy branch in mid-May with a backpack. He allegedly spat at a security guard, and fled having left the backpack behind.

Investigators found "three rudimentary improvised incendiary devices commonly known as Molotov cocktails," the department said. 

The man was detained on the same day in a hotel in Israel. The department said his social media revealed that earlier in the day on May 19, he posted, "join me as I burn down the embassy in Tel Aviv. Death to America, death to Americans."

Law enforcement authorities confirmed the presence of flammable fluid in the devices. Other social media posts from an account believed to be used by the suspect revealed his threats to assassinate US President Donald Trump.

The man was brought before a court in New York on Sunday and detained into custody. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison.

Germany's Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has said Germany is deeply concerned about the "unbearable" human suffering being caused by Israel's military offensive in Gaza, in an interview with public broadcaster ARD on Sunday.

Wadephul added he was in touch with Israeli, Middle Eastern and European peers, to seek to broker solutions.

"Germany has a clear position: no expulsions (of the Palestinian population) from the Gaza Strip, an end to hunger. And the Strip as well as the West Bank belong to the Palestinians, on the way to a two-state solution," he said.

Meanwhile, the Foreign Minister also focussed on to Russia's latest wave of attacks on Ukraine, Wadephul said they should be answered with additional Western sanctions.

Russian forces launched a barrage of 367 drones and missiles at Ukrainian cities overnight, including at the capital Kyiv, in the largest aerial attack of the war so far, killing at least 12 people and injuring dozens more, officials have said.

"(Russian President Vladimir) Putin is not interested in peace, he wants to continue this war, and we must not allow this, which is why the European Union will agree additional sanctions," he said in the live interview on ARD's Bericht aus Berlin.

Wadephul added that the US was also able to launch new sanctions packages, and he hoped that the weight of the measures would get Putin to the negotiating table, to avoid what he called potentially severe consequences for Russia's economy and energy sectors.

Uganda has suspended all military cooperation with Germany, accusing the German ambassador of engaging in "subversive activities," according to the country's army.

"The Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF) has with immediate effect suspended all ongoing defence and military cooperation activities with the Federal Republic of Germany," army spokesperson Chris Magezi said on X.

Magezi said the decision was based on "credible intelligence reports" alleging that German Ambassador Mathias Schauer was involved with hostile groups operating against the Ugandan government.

The German embassy did not initially issue a public response.

The development comes amid growing international criticism of Uganda's treatment of political opponents. Human rights groups say the government has intensified its crackdown ahead of presidential elections in seven months.

President Yoweri Museveni's son and army chief, Muhoozi Kainerugaba —widely viewed as his heir-apparent — has drawn controversy for threatening opposition figures and recently claimed online to have abducted and tortured the bodyguard of the main opposition leader.

Local media reported that Schauer recently met with Museveni's brother and criticized Kainerugaba’s inflammatory social media posts. Schauer has served as Germany’s ambassador to Uganda since 2020.

The 39-year-old woman suspected of having injured 18 people in a stabbing at Hamburg's central train station had previously come to the attention of the authorities, officials said on Sunday.

The woman, who is from the northern state of Lower Saxony, has been known to police since 2021, a spokesman for the state Interior Ministry said.

Officials added that the suspect had been released from a psychiatric hospital just the day prior to the stabbing.

A spokeman for the Health Ministry in the state of Lower Saxony added the woman had been ordered by a court to be treated in a psychiatric institution in the northern German city of Cuxhaven for three weeks after she was found in a state of helplessness in early May.

According to the clinic, the woman was released because there were no medical findings at the time of her discharge to justify further treatment.

Police initiated criminal proceedings against the woman in several cases last year, according to the ministry.

Spanish soccer giant Real Madrid has confirmed Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso as its new coach from June 1.

Former midfielder Alonso had confirmed earlier this month he would leave Leverkusen, having last season led the club to its first Bundesliga title to end Bayern Munich's 11-year domination of the league.

"Xabi Alonso will be the Real Madrid coach for the next three seasons, from June 1, 2025 until June 30, 2028," the Spanish club said in a statement. The move had been widely expected.

Basque trainer Alonso had an agreement allowing him to leave if one of his former clubs — Real Madrid, Liverpool, or Bayern Munich — wanted to hire him.

His achievement of going domestically unbeaten during Leverkusen's surprise run made him a top target for European clubs.

As well as winning the league with Leverkusen last season, Alonso also steered them to German Cup and German Super Cup victories — completing a historic domestic treble.

The 43-year-old takes over at the Spanish club from Italian Carlo Ancelotti, who is expected to become Brazil's national team coach.

German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil has urged "serious negotiations" with the United States after President Donald Trump threatened to impose 50% tariffs on European Union imports starting June 1.

Trump made the threat Friday, saying discussions with the EU were "going nowhere" and that he was "not looking for a deal." He repeated his view that the EU "banded together to take advantage of us."

The proposed tariffs would sharply raise the current 10% baseline and risk deepening economic tensions between two of the world’s largest trading powers.

"We don't need any further provocations, but serious negotiations," Klingbeil told Bild, adding that he had spoken to US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. "The US tariffs endanger the US economy just as much as the German and European economy."

Markets fell in response to Trump’s remarks, with stock prices dipping and the US dollar weakening on fears of renewed global disruption.

EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic said the bloc remained committed to securing a deal "that works for both" and stressed that trade relations "must be guided by mutual respect, not threats."

Klingbeil reaffirmed Germany's backing for the EU's unified approach, saying, "We as Europeans are united and determined to represent our interests."

Germany's finance minister has been urging "serious negotiations" with the US after President Donald Trump threatened 50% tariffs on EU imports starting June 1.

Lars Klingbeil warned the move risks hurting both economies and said he’s already spoken with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

On Saturday, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said mandatory military service, which was scrapped in 2011, could be reinstated.

DW's Bonn newsroom keeps you up to speed with the latest headlines from Germany at a time when Europe's economic powerhouse is facing several major challenges from within and abroad.

Stuttgart survived a late scare against underdogs Arminia Bielefeld to win the German Cup final 4-2 at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin on Saturday night.

The Bundesliga side had been cruising after going four goals up with over 20 minutes left to play, but were made to hold off a late fightback from the Third Division champions, who scored twice in the last 10 minutes.

The fairytale ending legions of Arminia fans and many neutrals had been hoping for wasn't meant to be.

Read more about Stuttgart's victory over Arminia Bielefeld in the German Cup final.

Bavarian Premier Markus Söder attended a disputed pork festival in the southern German state on Saturday.

"Out and about in Lower Bavaria at the first Viechtach Pig Festival: This is a true feast of pork," Söder posted on X.

Animal rights activists from PETA protested against the barbecue competition in the forest town of Viechtach, close to the Czech border.

But despite the controversy surrounding the event, no serious incidents were reported between pork enthusiasts and the activists.

"Of course, no one is forced to eat meat. Everyone can eat what they want. But for me personally, a grilled piece of pork from Bavaria is simply unbeatable. A life without meat? Theoretically possible — but pointless," Söder added, with a smiling emoji.

Söder, who leads the center-right Christian Social Union (CSU), the sister party of the ruling Christian Democratic Union (CDU), posted photos of himself holding a sandwich of traditional fried sausage — known in Germany as a "bratwurst" — and standing next to a pig being spit-roasted, as well as him addressing the pork festival's attendees.

According to German news agency dpa, Viechtach mayor Franz Wittmann had introduced the idea of a barbecue competition in a bid to attract locals and tourists.

But the proposal of a meat roasting competition angered local animal rights group Vegan in Viechtach, with the small town in the headlines for months before the event.

Germany's antisemitism commissioner has called for a debate on the country's staunch support for Israel.

Protecting Israel's security and supporting its interests in international organizations is one of Germany's "Staatsräson" ('Reason of state').

The policy is tied to Germany's historical responsibility to Israel after the Holocaust during World War II, in which 6 million Jews were killed.

Felix Klein told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung that while protecting Israel and defending its right to exist underpin German policy, he said that support can only go so far.

"We must do everything in our power to preserve the security of Israel and Jews worldwide," he said. "But we must also make it clear that this does not justify everything."

Israel has come under increasing international pressure over its military campaign in the Gaza Strip, which it launched in response to a Hamas terror attack on southern Israel in October 2023.

In addition to over 53,000 mostly civilian deaths, the Palestinian enclave has been devastated by waves of Israeli air strikes and multiple ground invasions.

International organizations including the UN have warned of a looming famine in Gaza, after Israel imposed a blockade on humanitarian aid, including food supplies, on the Gaza Strip for weeks. Israel partially eased the blockade this week.

"Starving the Palestinians and deliberately making the humanitarian situation dramatically worse has nothing to do with safeguarding Israel's right to exist,” Klein said.

"The humanitarian situation in Gaza is catastrophic. A country that occupies a territory must ensure that the population is adequately fed, that relief supplies get through and that medical care can take place," he said.

The antisemitism commissioner said the fact that Israeli government officials were questioning that is "unacceptable," pointing out that Israel, as a democracy, is "bound by international law."

"Germany can and must remind it of this," Klein said. 

He emphasized that Israel is entitled to defend itself against Hamas, whom he accused of "genocidal hatred," but he questioned the "proportionality" of Israel's military action.

A magistrate on Saturday ordered the only suspect in a knife attack at Hamburg's Central Station to be placed in a psychiatric clinic.

According to police, the woman was arrested for attempted murder in conjunction with 15 counts of grievous bodily harm.

Earlier in the day, the German police said that there does not appear to be a political motive behind the attack, which injured 18 people.

Read more on the aftermath of Friday's knife attack at one of the country's busiest railway stations. 
 

Germany is considering bringing back military conscription from next year unless more volunteers sign up for the armed forces, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has said.

In an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntaggszeitung (FAS), which was published on Saturday, Pistorius outlined plans to boost Germany's understrength army.

The initial plan to boost numbers will rely on volunteers, but Pistorius warned that could change if numbers remain insufficient. Compulsory military service was scrapped in 2011.

"Our model is initially based on voluntary participation," Pistorius told the newspaper.

"If the time comes when we have more capacity available than voluntary registrations, then a decision may be made to make recruitment mandatory. That is the roadmap," he added.

Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine three years ago, Germany has sought to boost its defense spending and capabilities.

Some 100,000 additional soldiers are required to meet its obligations as part of the NATO military alliance.

Pistorius added that Chancellor Friedrich Merz's coalition government is hoping to introduce a new military service bill by January next year. 

The defense minister accompanied Merz to Vilnius last week for the official unveiling of an armored tank brigade, Germany's biggest foreign military mission since World War II.
 

Moldovan President Maia Sandu has been awarded the prestigious Theodor Heuss Award for her achievements in fostering freedom and democracy in her country.

"Sandu is the president of a small country, but she is a big model with her courage, her persistence, her commitment to the political cause of liberty and democracy," said Gesine Schwan from the Theodor Heuss Foundation.

Sandu, who was not personally present at the award ceremony in the southern German city of Stuttgart, but sent a video message in which she said that democracy had not just happened in Moldova but had had to be fought for.

She said that it was still fragile in her country, as in all young democracies, but was getting stronger all the time.

The citizens in the former Soviet republic had chosen the rule of law over corruption and peace over provocation, she added.

Sandu, who turned 53 on Saturday, became the president of Moldova in 2020 as the country's first female head of state. She is a strong supporter of Moldova's accession to the EU and has promoted anti-corruption measures, economic reforms and liberalization throughout her political career, as well as being a strong supporter of Ukraine as it fights the ongoing invasion by Russia.

Moldova started EU accession talks in December 2023.

The Theodor Heuss Foundation, established in 1964, is named after the Federal Republic of Germany's first chancellor and aims to promote civil courage and democracy with its award, first presented in 1965.

Former award-winners include the German philosopher Jürgen Habermas and the Russian human rights organization Memorial International.

All the people injured in Friday's knife attack at Hamburg's main rail station are now in a stable condition, police said on Saturday.

Three women, aged 24, 52 and 85, and a 24-year-old man had received life-threatening injuries in the attack by a 39-year-old female suspect who is believed to be mentally ill.

Fourteen others were also wounded, seven of them seriously.

Following the attack, the chairman of the GdP police union, Andreas Rosskopf, called for improved surveillance methods at train stations, notably the use of AI-assisted camera technology.

Such technology should "also include behavioral recognition so that such abnormal conduct can be detected ahead of time," he said.

Witnesses have allegedly reported seeing the woman brandishing the knife at another site in the station before going to the platform 13/14 where the crime was committed.

Users of mobile phones in Germany are being asked to help close the last gaps in coverage throughout the country by reporting areas where reception is poor or lacking.

The initiative, organized by the federal, state and local governments, is to start on Monday and run until next Sunday.

Users can go to the free broadband measurement app of the Federal Network Agency (BNetzA) so that gaps in reception are noted.

"Together we will create an up-to-date picture of network availability — and thus provide a database for better mobile coverage overall," said Digital Minister Karsten Wildberger.

Although mobile phone coverage in Germany has much improved in recent years, there are still spots in both rural and urban areas where users are frustrated by little or no reception.