Poland’s most influential politician leads polls ahead of crucial October electionUpcoming general vote will pitch referendum questions to people as Donald Tusk hopes to oust ruling Law and Justice partyThu Aug 17 2023 - 17:13
Germany drops legal commitment on Nato defence spendingBerlin buys €3.2bn missile defence system from Israeli Aerospace Industries and US company BoeingThu Aug 17 2023 - 17:09
Germany legalises cannabis, but political noses are out of jointWith Berlin’s so-called traffic light coalition now blinking red, all eyes are firmly on Olaf ScholzWed Aug 16 2023 - 18:15
Same-sex blessing controversy underlines deep divisions within German Catholic ChurchPriest censured for including same sex couple in a blessing of 25 couples while a record 522,000 left the Catholic Church in Germany last yearWed Aug 16 2023 - 08:52
German taxi app allows young people to get home safely for half the price after nights outDriver draws other half of payment from a €125,000 public fund from the Brandenburg state governmentFri Aug 11 2023 - 19:00
Debate still rages in Berlin over vote to buy back properties from big landlordsSell-off of apartments in German capital two decades ago could be reversed for some with corporate landlords holding 3,000-plus unitsThu Aug 10 2023 - 17:36
Local council revolt mirrors growing German budget standoffAs fears grow of Germany as the ‘sick man of Europe’, the FDP’s embrace of the debt brake sits uncomfortably with massive investment required for Berlin’s green and digital economic transformationThu Aug 10 2023 - 05:00
Poland to increase troops at Belarusian border as helicopters violate airspacePolish prime minister warns of plan to destabilise country before October electionWed Aug 02 2023 - 17:00
Berlin dog-lover has day in courtConflicting versions of events as man in court for allegedly biting police when asked to move alongTue Aug 01 2023 - 18:13
Third Koran burning triggers promises of action in Denmark and SwedenOrganisation of Islamic Co-operation disappointed with countries’ responses to date and role of freedom of expression as ‘licence’Mon Jul 31 2023 - 19:40
‘War is returning to Russian territory,’ Ukrainian leader says following drone strikes on MoscowPolish prime minister warns of ‘a step toward further hybrid attacks’ from mercenaries near the Suwałki Gap on the Polish-Lithuanian borderSun Jul 30 2023 - 19:43
AfD backs far-right candidates in challenge to leadershipTwo-thirds of party delegates back Maximilian Krah, a controversial 46-year-old lawyer and former member of Germany’s centre-right Christian Democratic UnionSun Jul 30 2023 - 17:44
Polish women go public in protest at restrictive abortion regime Public prosecutor reportedly ordered domestic septic tank drained to confirm that a woman had miscarried and had not had an illegal abortionFri Jul 28 2023 - 17:56
German contradictions overshadow welcome for Russian army desertersConcerns are growing at pushback against church asylum and its future under any new EU asylum rule bookFri Jul 28 2023 - 17:48
Germany’s sluggish economy prompts nationwide soul-searchingIMF forecasts show most EU economies to expand this year, while Germany’s set to contractFri Jul 28 2023 - 05:00
Russia House cultural centre shrugs off sanctions to operate in BerlinCentre is run by state agency created to maintain Russian influence in its neighbourhood and cultivate political and economic interests further afieldWed Jul 26 2023 - 20:15
Polish Catholic order to compensate former care home resident over physical and emotional abuseThe 31-year-old man was just six years old when older boys raped him for the first time in the centre run by Sisters of Mercy of Borromeo in ZabrzeTue Jul 25 2023 - 17:39
‘The journey takes as long as it should’: can Ireland join the train revolution?The Continent is at a travel tipping point with rising flight costs, the hot hell of airports and a new generation of climate-conscious travellersSat Jul 22 2023 - 06:00
The lion pig: Big cat on the loose in Berlin may be a wild boarPolice left red-faced as search is called offFri Jul 21 2023 - 19:28
Violent summer pool gangs raise temperatures in Berlin Columbiabad forced to close for a week after battles between gangs of local youthsFri Jul 21 2023 - 17:02
Germany plans €47bn rail overhaul amid climate fightGovernment seeks to boost rail travel over shorthaul flights to cut carbon emissionsFri Jul 21 2023 - 12:25
‘Barbie’s mother’: German tabloid claims credit for inspiring famous dollBild cartoon became such a hit with readers that the publishers decided to make a Lilli dollThu Jul 20 2023 - 16:55
Letter from fugitive Wirecard executive sparks court clashFormer chief operating officer Jan Marsalek vanished after audit revealed €1.9bn hole in cash reservesWed Jul 19 2023 - 17:08
One-man protest, disguised as apparent burning of Torah, throws gauntlet at Swedish governmentAhmad Alloush staged demonstration in response to series of Koran-burnings in Sweden despite government condemnationMon Jul 17 2023 - 18:03
Germany’s Friedrich Merz talks tough amid far-right surgeHow the country's main opposition leader tackles the increasingly popular Alternative für Deutschland will go a long way to determining whether he gets an opportunity to become chancellorMon Jul 17 2023 - 05:00
Germany adapts to new roles with Nato and ChinaIn the last 18 months Germany has rapidly revived its military and assumed a key role in European defenceFri Jul 14 2023 - 05:00
Swedish souls grapple with uncertainties of Nato membershipSweden finally got unanimous support from alliance members this week after a shift from two holdouts Turkey and HungaryWed Jul 12 2023 - 19:30
Finnish finance minister apologises for ‘stupid’ racist online commentsSince taking office last month, four of the Finns Party’s seven cabinet members have been called out over Hitler jokes and racist remarksTue Jul 11 2023 - 17:36
‘Public service broadcasting is a giant cruise ship’: German largesse carries echoes of RTÉ crisisJournalists at an ARD affiliate spent weeks last year reporting on management avarice and ineffectual oversightFri Jul 07 2023 - 16:28
Hitler jokes and conspiracy theories taint Finnish coalitionEconomics minister resigns over links to neo-NazisWed Jul 05 2023 - 16:48
Far-right Alternative für Deutschland party’s surge in polls triggers alarms in BerlinCandidates win mayoral and county manager roles in first for party as support grows in east of countryTue Jul 04 2023 - 17:24
AfD regional win rips up German political rulebookSonneberg district victory for party candidate Robert Sesselmann will compel other political parties to work with Alternative für DeutschlandTue Jun 27 2023 - 19:00
A warning from history – Derek Scally on Bishop Edward O’Rourke’s stand against Nazi tyranny A powerful anti-fascist voice in DanzigMon Jun 26 2023 - 19:26
An Irish historian’s new theory of Nazism. ‘The idea makes people nervous’An Irish historian has found himself at the centre of a debate over his book, 1923Sun Jun 25 2023 - 05:00
German residential property prices experience steepest fall in 23 years‘The gold-digger mentality is gone, with people buying silly things for silly money’Sat Jun 24 2023 - 06:30
Nothing is sacred as Germany’s battle of the bishops heats up The Catholic Church in Germany is in disarray amid warring clerics, a Vatican reject returned to Freiburg and court-ordered damages for historical abuseFri Jun 23 2023 - 11:02
Balloon-wielding Germans protest against Nato air exercisesThe Kreuzberg protest was designed to disrupt the exercises – and the ‘dominating countries of the world who are relying on aggression’Wed Jun 21 2023 - 17:50
German tabloid Bild cuts 200 staff and embraces AI as it accelerates ‘digital only’ strategyPublisher plans to axe 200 jobs and close six regional offices to boost revenue by €100m over three yearsTue Jun 20 2023 - 19:50
Germany and China promise closer co-operation amid growing background tensionsGerman chancellor Olaf Scholz says Beijing has a ‘very special duty’ to urge Moscow to end warTue Jun 20 2023 - 19:00
Intel agrees to build chip factory in Germany backed by state subsidies of €10bnGerman Chancellor Olaf Scholz signs letter of intent with Intel for a new factory complex, 150km southwest of BerlinMon Jun 19 2023 - 19:33
Finnish far-right coalition deal reflects pan-European trendFar-right Finns party leader Riikka Purra secures seven cabinet posts in a four-party coalition led by conservative prime ministerMon Jun 19 2023 - 17:37
Germany’s far right rises: ‘It won’t be possible to keep the AfD out of office forever – they will get in’Former radio DJ Leif-Erik Holm is hopeful of being elected mayor of Schwerin as his party capitalises on rampant voter disaffectionFri Jun 16 2023 - 12:38
Irish aid to postwar Germany recalled with return of ‘thank you’ album almost 80 years onRetired Dublin architect returned to German city of Saarbrücken to track down the people who helped create gift of gratitude to IrelandFri Jun 16 2023 - 06:00
Thousands protest against Poland’s restrictive abortion laws after pregnant woman dies in hospitalDorota Lalik (33), who was five months pregnant, died of septic shock in a case that echoes that of Savita HalappanavarThu Jun 15 2023 - 22:07
New German security strategy to boost domestic defence and co-ordination national interests abroadScholz says integrated approach to security included cybersecurity and countering disinformation, as well as supply chain security for food, medication, energy and critical componentsWed Jun 14 2023 - 18:21
Europe faces air traffic disruption during Nato military exercisesAir Defender 23 exercise will involve 10,000 participants and 250 aircraft from 25 members of the defence allianceSun Jun 11 2023 - 15:05
West Side Story legend Chita Rivera: ‘Catholic girls practically invented guilt’The 90-year-old glamorous survivor from Broadway’s golden age talks about breaking the rules, her Irish roots and being a trailblazerSun Jun 11 2023 - 05:00
EU agrees radical reforms on migration and asylum laws Countries refusing to host refugees will be charged €20,000 per personFri Jun 09 2023 - 06:26
Poland’s battle with Brussels over controversial reforms steps up a gearEuropean Commission announces it will challenge proposed law allowing inquiries into political opponentsWed Jun 07 2023 - 19:10
Bickering among Berlin coalition partners leaves public unimpressedChancellor Olaf Scholz’s SPD party has slumped in polls and is now neck-and-neck with Germany’s far-right AfDFri Jun 02 2023 - 19:00
