Germany’s deadly floods spread along Danube

Flood waters are continuing to rise in parts of southern Germany, and are now spreading down the Danube to Austria and Hungary.
Five people are now known to have died since heavy rain led to rivers bursting their banks in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg.
One of the victims was a woman who died when her…[Read more]

German anti-Islam activist injured in knife attack

A man has attacked six people, including a police officer, with a knife at a market square in the south-west German city of Mannheim, police say.
One of the people injured was anti-Islam activist, Michael Stürzenberger, who had been preparing to hold a rally in the square, according to his…[Read more]

Germany’s AfD party has gone too far, even for Europe’s far-right coalition

A right-wing German lawmaker made comments seen as so explosively outside the mainstream of acceptable political discourse, that his party was disowned by other far-right leaders, breaking a major coalition in the European Parliament.

Maximilian Krah, of the Alt…[Read more]

France and Germany say Ukraine should be able to use their weapons to strike inside Russia

France and Germany said Tuesday that Ukraine should be allowed to use their weapons against targets inside Russia from which Moscow attacks Ukraine.

Speaking at a news conference alongside German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Tuesday, French President…[Read more]

Punched, choked, kicked: German police crack down on student protests

Germany’s students, labelled ‘terrorist sympathisers’ for protesting against Israel’s war on Gaza, say their right to free speech is under attack.

“We are witnessing a great endangerment of academic freedom – and this has started since the beginning of Israel’s war on Gaza,”…[Read more]

Far right eyes Europe vote surge and ditches German AfD

Far-right parties are on the rise in much of Europe, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni senses a big moment.
“We are on the eve of a decisive election,” the Brothers of Italy leader tells a packed hall in Madrid by video link. Marine Le Pen of France’s National Rally is in the front…[Read more]

Macron makes rare state visit to Germany to boost ties, defend democracy

Emmanuel Macron has begun the first state visit to Germany by a French president in 24 years, to boost ties between the two countries and to emphasise the importance of defending democracy against nationalism in upcoming European elections.

“Franco-German relations are i…[Read more]

Gov’t honors war dead at Chidorigafuchi cemetery

The government on Monday held a ceremony to honor the nation’s war dead at Chidorigafuchi National Cemetery in Tokyo, where the unidentified remains of Japanese soldiers are interred.

Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Keizo Takemi attended the formal service of remembrance. The imperial family w…[Read more]

High-profile opposition figure Renho to run for Tokyo governor

High-profile opposition lawmaker Renho said Monday she will run in Tokyo’s gubernatorial election in July, setting the stage for a likely showdown with incumbent Yuriko Koike, who is seeking reelection for her third term.

The bid to run for governor by the 56-year-old House of…[Read more]

North Korea fires apparent ballistic missile, not to reach Japan

North Korea fired what appeared to be a ballistic missile on Monday, the Japanese government said, with Japan’s J-Alert early warning system indicating the projectile was unlikely to reach Japan.

The incident came after North Korea notified Japan of a plan to launch a…[Read more]

Heavy rains trigger floods in parts of Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands

Heavy rains caused flooding in parts of Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands overnight into Saturday, swamping streets and buildings and sparking evacuations.

In the southwestern German state of Saarland, streets were deep underwater and images on social media showed…[Read more]

Court confirms German intelligence surveillance of ‘extremist’ AfD

A German court has ruled that domestic security services can continue to treat the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) as a potentially “extremist” party.

The ruling, delivered on Monday, means that intelligence services retain the right to keep the party under surveil…[Read more]

The statistics behind Leverkusen’s historic unbeaten Bundesliga title win

Bayer Leverkusen sealed a historic unbeaten Bundesliga season as they lifted the title with a 2-1 win against Augsburg on Saturday.

Here are the numbers behind the remarkable run of manager Xabi Alonso’s team in the 2023-24 season:

0: Bayer Leverkusen did not lose onc…[Read more]

Saudi crown prince seeks soft power in game hub Japan

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman visits Japan this week, where he will hold talks on energy while hunting more opportunities in gaming as he seeks to improve Saudi Arabia’s image.

The reputed “Call of Duty” fan has launched a multi-billion-dollar push into the gaming sector — from tiny…[Read more]

Japanese foreign minister retracts controversial childbirth remark

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa on Sunday retracted her remarks the previous day about the importance of women giving birth, saying her choice of words was liable to cause misunderstanding.

In a campaign speech in support of a Shizuoka gubernatorial election candidate…[Read more]

Locals in central Japan near Mount Fuji count on UFO craze for tourism

Local residents in Yamanashi Prefecture, at the foot of Mount Fuji, are striving to make their city Kofu a tourist magnet with extraterrestrial help from an alien.

Next year marks the 50th anniversary of an incident in which two elementary school children claimed to have…[Read more]

Rat parts found in sliced white bread in Japan, sparking recall

A major Japanese food supplier has recalled more than 100,000 packs of a popular brand of sliced white bread after rat parts were found inside some loaves.

The latest scare adds to a raft of food safety scandals plaguing Asia’s second biggest economy, which has a longstanding r…[Read more]

Japan enacts revised law for swift removal of defamatory online posts

Japan’s parliament on Friday enacted an amended law aimed at facilitating the swift removal of defamatory content on social media platforms like Facebook and X with more transparency.

The revised provider liability limitation law mandates the operators of such platforms to set…[Read more]

Germany: Jewish and Muslim communities search for solidarity

Six months of Israeli retaliation in Gaza for the October 7 Hamas terror attacks have put Jewish-Muslim relations in particular peril. Germany’s hypersensitivity to antisemitism adds an extra layer of difficulty.

Violence in the Middle East brings with it a tragic predictability. For…[Read more]

Germany: COVID rule ‘armed resistance’ group to face trial

The Landgericht Koblenz court in western Germany announced on Friday that it had accepted the charges against the trio.

They are accused of forming a group they called “Paladin” that allegedly planned to offer armed resistance to COVID-related “lockdowns” and other restrictions in…[Read more]