Merz takes a look at Baltic naval base

The German government approved in 2024 a record €12.8 billion ($14.9 billion) of weapons exports, according to a report approved by the Cabinet.

Ukraine was listed as the top recipient, with €8.15 billion worth of military equipment, or 64% of all approved arms exports, according to a statement from the Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy on Wednesday.

Most of the products were tracked and wheeled military vehicles, but the orders also included bombs, torpedoes, missile systems and warships.

Germany rejected 62 applications from countries including Pakistan, Thailand and Malaysia.

Germany has been Ukraine's biggest military backer after the US. Berlin plans to spend €9 billion supporting Kyiv this year and in 2026, according to German Vice Chancellor and Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil. 

"As long as this war continues, we will stand by Ukraine's side, because it is also about our freedom and our security," he said during a visit to Kyiv.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz has cautioned against increasing Russian provocations in the Baltic Sea and stressed Germany’s central role in defending NATO territory.

"The threat from Russia is real," Merz said Thursday after witnessing a naval exercise near Rostock. "We see daily actions by the Russian army, they are testing our readiness and capabilities."

The chancellor vowed that Germany and its allies would "do everything in the coming months and years to protect freedom, peace, and the territorial integrity of alliance territory," pointing to NATO and EU members in the Baltics.

Merz said Germany has an "exceptionally important function" in that effort and must continue investing heavily in equipping its armed forces.

Looking ahead to Franco-German government consultations, he said talks would center on economic and security cooperation. Merz emphasized that the European single market is of "deep economic interest" to Germany and must be preserved and expanded, adding that security, defense, foreign, economic, European, and domestic policy are all closely linked.

German authorities closed more investigations into human trafficking and exploitation in 2024 than in any year since records began in 2000, the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) has said.

A total of 576 cases were completed, a rise of just over 13% from the previous year. The largest share involved sexual exploitation, which reached 364 cases — the highest level in a decade. Such exploitation is increasingly taking place in private homes, a setting that is difficult to monitor and that suggests a large number of unreported cases.

Victims and suspects often come from other European countries, with notable increases among Chinese and Colombian victims. Many victims are women, young people, and minors. Contact is often established online, with the "loverboy method" — in which men lure women into false relationships before forcing them into prostitution — remaining a common tactic.

Minors are particularly at risk. More than 200 cases involved children and adolescents, almost all in the context of commercial sexual exploitation. Weak safeguards on online platforms have contributed to the rise, with the BKA noting two cases where children were offered for sale on the internet.

Germany is seeing a sharp rise in young people from abroad beginning dual ​​​​​​apprenticeships, even as the number of domestic trainees declines, the country's Federal Statistical Office says.

New apprenticeship contracts for foreigners jumped 17% last year, while those for Germans decreased by 4%. Foreign trainees now account for 15% of new apprentices, nearly double the share in 2014. The largest groups come from Vietnam, Syria, and Ukraine.

In a dual apprenticeship, a trainee receives practical, on-the-job training at a company and theoretical instruction at a vocational school simultaneously.

Overall, 475,100 apprenticeship contracts were signed, which is a 1% decrease from the previous year. Around 339,000 people successfully completed their training, bringing the total number of apprentices in the system to 1.2 million.

Most apprenticeships were in industry and commerce (56%), followed by crafts (28%) and liberal professions (9%). Popular choices included medical assistant, office management clerk, and dental assistant for young women, and automotive mechatronics technician, IT specialist, and electrician for young men.

About 700 police officers launched a major search operation at a partially occupied building that has long been linked to the far-left scene in Berlin's Friedrichshain district.

Police said the goal was to identify current residents, with search warrants issued by a court. Backed by technical specialists, officers used battering rams and saws to get through barricaded doors. They searched twelve apartments involving fifteen people, who were allowed to remain.

Other locations were also secured around the city. A police spokesman said the situation was initially calm, though spontaneous protests could not be ruled out.

The owner has been trying for years to evict the residents, who lack tenancy agreements, but legal disputes have stalled the process.

Eviction notices were issued years ago. Former tenants with valid contracts are said to have moved out long ago.

Over the years, residents — some organized in an association — often denied the owner and police access to the building complex. In previous years, officers on the street were frequently attacked at night with bottles or stones. However, the situation had recently calmed.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has called for stronger security cooperation with Estonia and Denmark in response to Russia's actions in the Baltic Sea.

"The security of the Baltic region is also our security in Germany," Wadephul said on his inaugural visits to Tallinn and Copenhagen. He warned of Russia’s "hybrid aggression," citing the cutting of undersea cables and GPS disruptions.

In the Estonian capital, Wadephul is meeting Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna and President Alar Karis before talks in Copenhagen with Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen and European Affairs Minister Marie Bjerre.

Wadephul said Estonia and the Baltic States had long warned of such risks, and Europe now benefits from their foresight. He added that Denmark, holding the EU presidency, is advancing efforts to protect critical infrastructure in the North and Baltic Seas.

From Denmark, Wadephul is set to continue to Toulon in France for a Franco-German Ministerial Council on Friday.

The German Insurance Association (GDV) says insured losses from natural hazards in Germany totaled about €1 billion ($1.2 billion) in the first half of 2025, below long-term averages.

Storms, hail, and lightning caused roughly €500 million in property claims, while flooding and heavy rain added another €100 million. Motor insurance claims reached €350 million.

The association said if the second half of the year brings only average damage, total losses for 2025 could amount to around €4.5 billion, well below the €6.3 billion typical for a year.

GDV chief executive Jörg Asmussen warned, however, that despite the current dip, the long-term trend points to more extreme weather and rising costs.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz is Baltic-bound with a visit to Rostock to meet Navy Inspector Jan Christian Kaack before flying by helicopter to the frigate Bayern.

In Rostock, the chancellor will visit the headquarters of the German-led CTF Baltic command, which has overseen security in the Baltic Sea region for NATO since October. The unit is tasked with deterrence in peacetime and defending alliance territory in a crisis, in a region where the military alliance directly borders Russia.

On the ship, the crew is set to demonstrate aspects of naval service with support from other ships and aircraft. Merz also plans to take a tour and speak with sailors on board the anti-submarine vessel.

It's the chancellor's first visit to see Germany's naval operations.

The headquarters was founded in 2024 and is tasked with planning maritime operations and exercises — as well as leading naval forces assigned by NATO.

With about 15,300 sailors, the navy is the smallest branch of Germany’s armed forces.

Guten Tag from the DW newsroom in Bonn.

We're picking things up today with a look at Chancellor Friedrich Merz making his first visit to the German Navy, heading to Rostock for talks with maritime force chief Jan Christian Kaack.

He’ll also tour the new Commander Task Force Baltic headquarters, set up last year to run NATO maritime operations in the region.

Merz is then due to head to the frigate "Bayern" by helicopter, where naval crews will stage exercises to show off their skills in sea supply and defence against air, submarine, and missile threats.

Meanwhile, insured losses from natural hazards in Germany have come in lower than usual so far this year.

Stay tuned for more throughout the day!