German media is reporting that investigators found a third drone and suspected explosives linked to the Leipzig/Halle Airport incident.
This blog has been closed. Here is a roundup of top stories from and about Germany on Tuesday, August 25, 2026: German media say investigators found a third drone near Leipzig/Halle Airport, along with suspected explosives. Merz says Germany will identify the suspected attackers soon. Security sources reportedly suspect Russian intelligence involvement, which Moscow denies. German economy grows for third straight quarter. Crisis talks between management and workers start at VW.
Reporters Without Borders has spoken out against Russia putting a correspondent for the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) on its Interior Ministry wanted list. FAZ and Russian media reported last week that the paper's Balkans correspondent Michael Martens had been put on the Russian Interior Ministry's wanted list. Martens is wanted in connection with a question he had put to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Belgrade. The FAZ has apologized for the framing of the question but said that seeking to arrest Martens over unfortunate phrasing was an attempt at intimidation.
A Bavarian baker is paying a high price for a half loaf that was 10 grams light. The master baker in Pfaffenhofen was ordered to bring in precision weighing equipment to prevent such complaints in the future. He estimated the costs of buying the equipment and training staff across six branches at around €15,000.
The German Association of Carmakers, or VDA, has issued a critical statement amid the latest potential tariff exchange between Canada and the US. Trump has threatened to impose 50% tariffs on steel, cars, and car parts imported from Canada. The VDA warned that such erratic trade policy creates uncertainty and puts a strain on investments.
Germany deported 23 men to Kabul in Afghanistan on a charter flight early on Tuesday. The Federal Interior Ministry said that of those deported, the vast majority were criminals convicted of serious crimes. The flight left Leipzig/Halle airport early Tuesday.
Germans are spending less of their free time socializing with friends and more on individually planned and digital activities, according to a new representative survey. The Hamburg Foundation for Future Studies found that just 19% of 3,000 respondents said they regularly went out with friends, down from 37% 40 years ago.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has thanked Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Germany for their support for Ukraine's defence and independence. Zelenskyy was responding to a message from Merz marking Ukraine's Independence Day.
German police are investigating suspected sabotage after several cables were cut along a railway line near the town of Backnang, northeast of Stuttgart. The damage disrupted train services as well as internet and telephone connections in the town.
Germany's construction sector has recorded a sharp increase in orders, sales and employment, official data has shown. New orders in the main construction industry rose 11.3% year on year in June. Employment increased by 1.5% from a year earlier to around 545,000 people in June.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said the German government will shortly set out who it believes was behind the August 4 drone attack at Leipzig/Halle airport. Merz said the incident showed Germany was increasingly becoming a target for hybrid attacks. He said the government was strengthening its response, including through a new drone defense center in Magdeburg.
