On the 5th anniversary of Germany's devastating floods in the Ahr valley, returning to this piece about one couple's astounding grace in their loss & criticism ofthe country's future preparedness for climate-related disasters www.theguardian.com/world/2026/a...

The men, who drugged and secretly filmed their victims, were members of an online gang targeting mainly women of Chinese heritage www.theguardian.com/global-devel...

Dit is Torstraße

Salzburg bans tourists from driving into its historic centre over the summer www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j... via @theguardian.com @deborahcole.bsky.social

"The true miracle of Switzerland’s long economic success is that it avoided the 'Buddenbrooks trap'. In Mann’s novel, successive generations of a prosperous family grow more comfortable, self-focused & emotionally fragile, losing the pragmatism that created their fortune." @josephdeweck.bsky.social

Tune in to our flagship podcast as we discuss the capture and trial of Germany's most-wanted woman after 30 years mainly hiding in plain sight, and how the country sees the bloody and divisive legacy of the Red Army Faction/Baader-Meinhof Gang www.theguardian.com/news/audio/2...

German, the language of love of course of course. Loved talking with this crew and their small army of volunteers

The archive now comprises more than 60,000 love letters, with more arriving by the day, almost all donated from private collections. Each speaks to the intimate life of a couple but also holds keys to understanding eras of history and the evolution of language www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...

Treat yourself this Monday morning to the gorgeously mundane pictures from the funeral Martin Parr's loved ones put together www.theguardian.com/artanddesign...

Can hybrid village stores answer rural Germany’s ‘cry for help’ and fend off far right?

Concerned that the creeping death of the stores is also fuelling the rural disaffection that has driven many voters to political extremes, governments in several regions have stepped in with some 21st-century innovation. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/m...

I'll be talking about the differences and shared pressures between US and German journalism with this powerhouse panel on Tuesday. Do join us, live or online: www.einsteinforum.de/veranstaltun...

Such an eye-opening conversation in Berlin tonight with @jlfeder.bsky.social about his book The Queer Face of War with members of Berlin’s Ukrainian LGBTQ community. The drag queen pictured built coffins after Bucha. Exhibition soon in Kyiv 🇺🇦

What happened to the ‘little refugee girl’?: the 102-year-old Holocaust survivor whose story started outside my doorstep

So pleased to see our beloved Sonja looking like a queen in the pages of The Guardian’s Saturday magazine. She’ll be 103 next month. Read here about her remarkable resilience & joy, and our unlikely connection across the world: www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...

The gutting of voting rights as the US races toward the midterms is the subject of this tight, informative debut episode of the Guardian's new Stateside podcast. Do check it out www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6iG...

Loved making my debut this week on our flagship podcast Today in Focus, discussing the American presence in Germany and many other issues close to my heart www.theguardian.com/news/audio/2...

As someone who has come to love Germany & had my life enormously enriched by living here, I take no pleasure in pointing out the current sobering state of affairs. But there’s still time to pull things around: www.theguardian.com/world/2026/m...

I'm grateful to the Germans willing to talk to me about a still painful period of their families' past, and fascinated that secrets are still only now coming to light after 8 decades www.theguardian.com/world/2026/m...

The Trump administration's decision to withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany will upend many lives. We talked to people in the Rhineland who have seen German-American cooperation as a force for good, and a way of life www.theguardian.com/world/2026/m...

In a rare rebuke of a top Israeli official by an active ambassador, Ron Prosor said he wished to “unequivocally condemn” Bezalel Smotrich’s tirade against Merz, in which he made reference to the Nazi regime and said: “You will not force us into ghettos again.” www.theguardian.com/world/2026/a...

Rest in power, Rik de Lisle, who forged many Berliners' notion of the genial American and inspired a million 'Icke bin's Alter Ami' impersonations of our accent www.tagesschau.de/inland/regio....

"The Orths say the shop has become something of a pilgrimage site for parents who have lost children. When they meet other grieving couples, the initial communication is often wordless. Some reach for a hug as soon as they see them."

How a mother turned her drowned daughter’s passion into a thriving patisserie

Uproar in Germany over a law requiring men to get military approval for long stays abroad. Ministry clarifies a clause affecting those up to age 45 that is part of legislation which came into effect in January. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/a... via @theguardian.com @deborahcole.bsky.social

I meet extraordinary people in this job. Thank you to Inka and Ralph Orth for sharing their daughter Johanna’s passion with me with such generosity and grace www.theguardian.com/world/2026/a...

How a mother turned her drowned daughter’s passion into a thriving patisserie: Hamburg shop set up in tribute to aspiring pastry chef becomes ‘happy’ pilgrimage site for grieving parents Johanna Orth was a fun-loving, determined little girl and later a purpose-driven young woman who rev...

High times or low blows? After two years, Germany's cannabis policy is still divisive, with the SPD hailing it while a CDU minister says it is a risk to young people’s health www.theguardian.com/society/2026... via @theguardian.com @deborahcole.bsky.social

"Not only Hungary". Proud to work on this 3-part series helmed by @jonhenley.bsky.social about threats to civil society, free media and the rule of law amid a far-right assault, even in parts of the EU once deemed invulnerable www.theguardian.com/world/ng-int...

Merz criticised after calling for Syrians in Germany to ‘go back’ home

Merz criticised after calling for Syrians in Germany to ‘go back’ home The German chancellor has drawn condemnation from NGOs and members of his own government — @deborahcole.bsky.social for @theguardian.com www.theguardian.com/world/2026/m...

Excellent exit interview with Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo on making the city cleaner & greener & loads more fun to navigate

"Not only Hungary" series: Far-right governments and politicians in the EU are targeting public media with the same playbook www.theguardian.com/world/ng-int...

'Not only Hungary' series: judicial independence is under threat in several EU countries as populist politicians target judges and authoritarian governments attempt constitutional 'reforms' www.theguardian.com/world/ng-int...

Podgorica’s Karver bookstore, named for Raymond C., is tucked in a former hammam & just about the closest thing to perfection I’ve seen in an age

On-the-nose Hamburg

“There was no dancing in the rain, there was no kissing in the rain,” Robert Habeck describes the formative experience of the Chornobyl disaster to the Guardian's Ajit Niranjan but why he would have been open to a temporary extension of nuclear power in 2022 www.theguardian.com/world/2026/m...

Wie eine Krisendeutung aussieht, die statt Migranten oder Transferempfängern die eigentlichen Schuldigen für die sinkende Kaufkraft identifiziert und probate politische Antworten anbietet, demonstriert der... Sprecher des Tankstellenverbands?

Cologne Cathedral’s plans to charge for tickets spark an outcry. Limiting access to German church to well-off visitors would be ‘socially unjust’, critics say. www.theguardian.com/artanddesign... via @theguardian.com @deborahcole.bsky.social

Volkswagen to cut 50,000 jobs amid Trump tariffs and falling Chinese sales. The car group reports a 54% drop in pre-tax profits, saying that the Iran war could affect demand for Audi and Porsche brands. www.theguardian.com/business/202... via @theguardian.com @deborahcole.bsky.social

Friedrich Merz’s Christian Democrats have stumbled into a busy election year with a defeat to the Greens in a key state poll, as his embattled party struggles to fend off a challenge in other pivotal races from the far right www.theguardian.com/world/2026/m...

A timely re-up of this one in our weekend Long Reads www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017...

Why have other European leaders not joined Sánchez in standing up to Trump on Iran? It's complicated www.theguardian.com/world/2026/m...

Germany moves to legalise wolf hunting after a rapid increase in population and attacks on grazing farm animals www.theguardian.com/world/2026/m... via @theguardian.com @deborahcole.bsky.social

The Berlinale chief will keep her job. But the pro-Palestinian symbols and statements mentioned in the criticism of the festival are protected under German law, meaning the announced compromise will be complex to implement www.theguardian.com/film/2026/ma...

The Iran war will have incalculable implications for Europe – and yet, the chancellor has held back from publicly challenging an increasingly erratic Donald Trump. Grateful for feedback on my This is Europe newsletter debut www.theguardian.com/world/2026/m...

Our Guardian readout of the Trump-Merz talks www.theguardian.com/world/2026/m...

Prominent directors and actors have rallied in support of the American head of the Berlin film festival in response to reports she could be sacked over comments by award-winners criticising the war in Gaza and the German government’s support for Israel. www.theguardian.com/film/2026/fe...

Germany’s coalition government has been accused of abandoning its climate targets after agreeing to scrap parts of a contentious heating law mandating the use of renewables in favour of a draft law allowing homeowners to rely on fossil fuels www.theguardian.com/environment/...