A convicted high-profile extremist and transphobic activist has presented themselves as a transwoman, demanding to be sent to a womens’ prison. German conservatives demand a change in the law that made this possible.

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Germany’s largest arms manufacturer, Rheinmetall, cut the ribbon of a new factory for the production of artillery ammunition.

Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger said production of 155-millimeter caliber rounds will be ramped up gradually and reach up to 350,000 rounds per year by 2027.

The plant in Unterlüß in northern Germany will be the largest in Europe and Papperger says similar plants can be built at a similar pace in NATO countries.

The production plants could contribute to a “pan-European defense ecosystem,” Papperger said at an event attended by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius and German Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil.

“Building this factory proves that Germany can do things quickly when it really matters,” Papperger said.

The new plant — whose groundbreaking was in February 2024 — boasts a total investment volume of €500 million ($585.35 million).

Germany’s Federal Statistical Office has revealed that students with their own household spent on average 53% of their disposable income on housing in 2023, more than double the 25% average across the population.

The findings matter because they show young people in education face a housing burden well above the national level, leaving many officially “overburdened” and at risk of financial insecurity.

Students living alone spent 54% of their income on rent and utilities, while those sharing with others spent 37%. Trainees with their own household spent 41% on average, rising to 42% for those living alone. By contrast, shared trainee households faced costs equal to 26% of income.

Students and trainees earn comparatively little, often combining studies with part-time work. Half of students with their own household had less than €930 (just over $1,000) a month in disposable income. Trainees reported a median of €1,278. These low income levels magnify the effect of high housing costs

The German government has approved the establishment of a National Security Council (NSR) aimed at streamlining security policy and decision-making ability in times of crisis.

The NSR — to be chaired by Chancellor Friedrich Merz — will meet regularly and also take on strategic forecasting and planning.

The NSR will include key ministers as well as officials from allied countries and organizations, including the European Union and NATO.

Merz linked the establishment of the NSR and the move to bolster troop numbers with the threat posed by Russia.

“Russia has long been carrying out hybrid attacks against us,” said Merz, highlighting “massive interference” in German democracy and targeted attacks on IT security.

Against a backdrop of war in Ukraine and simmering conflicts elsewhere, Germany’s government is introducing new rules around military service and is even considering reintroducing compulsory service.

According to the German Defense Ministry, Minister Boris Pistorius wants to create a new military service model without having to amend Basic Law.

The draft bill approved by Cabinet seeks to strengthen defensive capabilities with military reservists playing a key role.

“The goal of the New Military Service is to contribute to strengthening the reserve — that is, increasing the number of available reservists — and to strengthening the active troops, especially among the enlisted personnel,” the Defense Ministry said.

In accordance with the draft law, there will be a mandatory survey among men dealing with willingness to perform military service.

This will be sent in a letter with a QR code after a man’s 18th birthday, leading to an online questionnaire.

“For persons of other genders, answering the questions is voluntary, as they are not subject to conscription,” the Defense Ministry said on its website.

The ministry said that German security could not be taken for granted and that another goal of the New Military Service was to provide young people the opportunity of serving Germany.

In light of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the ministry said that the Bundeswehr was focusing on national and alliance defense and creating the necessary structures for this.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced that the government passed a bill for voluntary military service, as the country seeks to significantly bolster troop recruitment.

The new military service model proposed by Pistorius is largely based on voluntary service, and there are currently no plans to reinstate compulsory service.

Pistorius wants to increase the number of soldiers in service from 180,000 to 260,000 by the early 2030s to meet new NATO force targets.

In a press conference after the approval of the proposal, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said: “From today’s perspective, I am confident that we will initially achieve the numbers we need.”

Merz also said that Russia is and will continue to be the greatest threat to Europe’s security for a long time to come.

Lawmakers are expected to rigorously debate the bill and possibly add changes before approving it. 

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk will be heading to Moldova on Wednesday.

The visit comes as the country marks the 34th anniversary of its declaration of independence from the Soviet Union.

The leaders are showing support for President Maia Sandu and her pro-European government ahead of the September parliamentary elections.

In 2021, President Sandu’s Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) won 63 of the 101 parliamentary seats, but the ruling party may lose its majority due to the challenging economic situation.

Moldova borders Ukraine’s western border, and the country is divided between pro-European and pro-Russian forces.

Since the 1990s, Russia has had forces stationed in Transnistria, a narrow strip of land in the east of the republic and a breakaway region.

Russia has had forces stationed in its breakaway region of Transnistria, a narrow strip of land in the east of the republic, since the 1990s.

Ten years on, a new study shows 64% of refugees from Syria, Afghanistan, and Iraq who arrived in Germany in 2015 are employed — revealing deeper trends.

A long-term analysis by the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW) shows that the feeling of being welcome in Germany among refugees has seen a steady decline.

Researchers asked refugees: “Do you feel welcome in Germany today?”

According to the study, only 65% of respondents said they felt welcome in 2023, compared to 84% in 2017.

The figure was 78% in 2020.

The study saw people who applied for asylum or temporary protection in Germany between 2013 and September 2022, surveyed annually between 2017 and 2023, regardless of whether their applications were successful.

The authors of the study found a correlation between the debate on tightening migration measures and the decline in the sentiment of feeling welcome.

“In addition, 2023 saw, as today, a high level of group-focused enmity and increased visibility of migration-critical positions in political discourse,” the analysis states.

Labor costs in Germany were 22% higher last year than the average of 27 other industrialized countries studied by the German Economic Institute (IW).

“The shortage of skilled workers is driving wages further up, and costs in Germany are likely to continue to rise in the coming years,” warned IW economist Christoph Schröder. 

The IW suggested that the federal government could help limit this trend by curbing the growth of non-wage labor costs and responding to the demographic challenge. “Without a reform of the social systems, the country will gradually slide into deindustrialization,” the think tank warned.

From 2018 to 2024, a period marked by multiple economic and geopolitical crises, unit labor costs in German industry rose by 18%.

Despite this, German industry remains among the most productive in the world.

An anti-war alliance called “Rheinmetall Entwaffnen” or “Disarm Rheinmetall” has blocked access to a regional armed forces careers center in the western German city of  Cologne.

The group posted videos on social media showing members dressed in white overalls standing in a line outside the premises with police in close attendance.

“We are not ready for war! We want nothing to do with the wars of the ruling class and are not prepared to die for a country that is increasingly cutting away our entire social infrastructure,” the alliance said in a statement. The blockade was confirmed by local police.

The protest is taking place ahead of the Cabinet’s discussion of the new draft law seeking to address the shortfall in military recruitment.

A spokeswoman for the Bundeswehr in Cologne said freedom of opinion and assembly were fundamental rights and among the highest
values of democracy. 

“We also fight for people to be able to be against us,” she was quoted as saying by the dpa news agency. 

Defense Minister Boris Pistorius is due to present a draft law to Germany’s Cabinet, focusing initially on voluntary recruitment for the Bundeswehr — the country’s armed forces.

Germany and other NATO member states have committed to upgrading their defensive capabilities in the face of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The Bundeswehr, the German armed forces, needs around 80,000 additional professional soldiers and 140,000 reservists under NATO plans.

The draft law up for discussion will initially focus on voluntary recruitment to address the shortfall.

The government wants to “send a very clear signal (…): We are focusing on voluntary service, we are getting these numbers,” Pistorius said on Wednesday on Deutschlandfunk radio, referring to the number of additional troops needed for the armed forces.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said that there is consensus among coalition partners with “no fundamental disagreement” when it comes to the objective.

Germany suspended compulsory military service in 2011 but it and can be reintroduced with a simple majority in parliament, should the expansion plan progress too slowly.

Guten Tag from the DW newsroom in Bonn.

Germany’s Defense Minister Boris Pistorius is due to present a draft bill to the Cabinet on Wednesday, focusing initially on voluntary recruitment for the German military.

The Bundeswehr has a current shortfall of 80,000 professional soldiers and 140,000 reservists.

Meanwhile, a group an anti-war alliance blocked the entrance of a German armed forces regional career center this morning in Cologne.

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