Germany news: Lufthansa pilots back strike action
Published September 30, 2025last updated September 30, 2025
What you need to know
Pilots at German airline Lufthansa and its cargo unit have voted strongly in favor of strike action after talks over pensions collapsed, their union has said.
The Vereinigung Cockpit union wants higher company contributions for about 4,800 pilots, saying benefits have fallen since a 2017 reform.
Lufthansa has rejected the demands as too costly. No strike date has yet been announced.
In other news, a poll has found that Germans are increasingly less likely to believe the country has grown together as one since unification.
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Here’s a roundup of the stories that Germany talked about on Tuesday, September 30:
First German golds at World Para Athletics Championships
German sprinters Felix Streng and Johannes Floors completed a 1-2 finish in the men's prosthetics 100 meters final at the World Para Athletics championships in New Delhi.
Streng completed the course in 10.73 seconds, just 0.02 seconds ahead of Floors, with Paralympic gold medalist Sherman Guity from Costa Rica finishing third, also clocking a time of less than 11 seconds.
"It was extremely close," Floors said after. "This shows how fiercely competitive this 100-meter field is."
Earlier on Tuesday in New Delhi, 30-year-old shot put thrower Niko Kappel secured the first German gold medal of the event, and his third World Para Athletics gold.
"Everything's hurting. My elbows, my fingers, everything. But right now I couldn't care less," the 2016 Paralympics gold medalist said after securing gold with a 13.34-meter throw.
Germany has a total of five medals after the first few days of action in India. Andreas Walser won bronze in the T12 class long jump on Tuesday, while Leon Schäfter put the German athletes on the board on Monday with silver in another long jump class.
Unemployment dips just below 3 million in September
Germany's unemployment numbers dipped back below 3 million in September, according to provisional figures released by the Federal Labor Agency on Tuesday.
The total fell by roughly 70,000 to 2.955 million in September, a dip from 6.4% of the potential workforce to 6.3%.
However, the figure is approximately 150,000 higher than the September 2024 tally. Demand from employers still seemed muted: the number of unfilled jobs was also roughly 66,000 lower than this time last year, with 630,000 vacancies on record nationwide.
The unemployment rate has hovered between 6% and 6.4% since December 2024, the highest levels in around a decade.
Andrea Nahles, the chairman of the labor agency and a former Labor Minister and Social Democrat politician, was cautious when asked if the winds might be changing.
"We are seeing the first signs of reaching bottom in the labor market," Nahles said, albeit before cautioning: "I do not yet see a turnaround."
"Unemployment and underemployment falls in September simply for seasonal reasons," Nahles warned. "The necessary impulses for a stronger recovery in the labor market are still missing."
One typical reason for a September boost is that the academic year begins in September, meaning students often start their studies and so drop out of the unemployment statistics.
Nahles cautioned that it was possible that the figures could tip back above 3 million during the course of the winter.
READ — Drones and hacking a daily threat in Germany
As Denmark, Poland and Estonia all report recent airspace violations, pointing the finger at Russia, German critical infrastructure faces similar threats on an almost daily basis.
A government security official said this week that armed drones were now becoming a more common sight near sensitive sites.
In some cases, foreign governments are suspected of direct or indirect involvement. Sometimes it's criminal groups looking to make a profit. And domestic extremists who are more focused on sabotaging German businesses or institutions also play their part.
DW's Beth Schumacher has taken a closer look at the frequency of the attacks, the kinds of groups involved, and authorities' difficulties dealing with them. Read the story in full here.
Elderly patient killed as train hits ambulance in western Germany
An 88-year-old patient has died after a collision between a regional train and an ambulance in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia, police say.
The ambulance had stopped on a level crossing in the Borken district during a medical emergency when the barriers closed and the train struck the vehicle.
Police said the woman died as a result of the crash. The train driver, one passenger and all three ambulance crew members sustained light injuries. Earlier reports had mentioned two injured passengers.
The damaged ambulance was recovered on Tuesday morning. About 100 passengers had to leave the regional train, which later continued its journey without them. The rail line remains closed.
Berlin to rename street after Helmut Kohl on reunification anniversary
Berlin is set to rename a central street after former Chancellor Helmut Kohl to mark the 35th anniversary of German reunification, the city government said Tuesday.
The Hofjägerallee in the Tiergarten district, which runs toward the city's landmark Victory Column, will become Helmut-Kohl-Allee in honor of Kohl's role in reunification and European integration.
"With the naming of a street after Dr. Helmut Kohl, his historic achievement is made visible in a dignified form," said Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner. He said that Kohl earned lasting merit for Germany and Berlin through his leadership in bringing the country together and deepening European ties.
Munich mayor apologizes after Oktoberfest crowding scare
Munich's mayor has apologized three days after a temporary closure of the overfilled Oktoberfest grounds sparked panic among visitors.
Mayor Dieter Reiter said in a video posted on Instagram that he is "explicitly sorry" to those — especially families with children — who felt unsafe and overwhelmed."
"That should not have happened," he added. "Thank God, no one was seriously harmed. We were simply lucky."
The crush built on Saturday around the 5 p.m. table change, when visitor flows converged and about 300,000 people were on the Theresienwiese at once. Entry was sealed for roughly 30 minutes, and many visitors described fear in the crowd before the situation eased after about an hour.
Reiter said festival management and security services began reviewing the incident Saturday evening, including why announcements initially went out only in German. He called for tighter control of admissions before any closure and better crowd routing.
German inflation seen at 2.4% in September
Germany's annual inflation rate is expected to reach 2.4% in September 2025, up from 2.2% in August, the Federal Statistical Office has said in a roundup of preliminary figures.
Consumer prices rose 0.2% compared with the previous month.
Core inflation, which excludes food and energy, is projected at 2.8%. Service prices rose 3.4% year-on-year, while goods prices increased 1.4%. Energy costs fell 0.7%, easing from sharper declines earlier in the year, and food prices rose 2.1%.
Poll shows fewer Germans feel east and west have grown together
Only 35% of Germans believe the country has grown together since reunification, according to a Forsa survey for the Federal Foundation for the Study of the Communist Dictatorship in East Germany.
The figure matches levels from the early 2000s, down from a peak of 51% in 2019.
Regional differences between remain stark. Just 23% in the east say Germans have become one people since 1990, compared to 37% in the west. In 2017, 43% of easterners still felt that way.
Younger respondents were more optimistic, with nearly half of under-30s saying unity has been achieved, versus 25% of over-60s.
Party preference also played a role: 45% of conservative CDU/CSU supporters viewed the country as united, compared with 29% of center-left Social Democrats and Green voters. Far-right Alternative for Germany and socialist Left Party voters were slightly above the average.
At the same time, 85% of respondents considered it important to continue addressing the history of the East German dictatorship, especially in schools and public debate.
Foundation director Anna Kaminsky said the results showed how fragile the sense of unity remains, while shared remembrance is "the strongest bond of our society."
Survey finds rising antisemitism in Germany
Jews in Germany are experiencing increasing antisemitism since the Hamas-led attack on Israel nearly two years ago and Israel's subsequent war in Gaza against the Islamist militant group, according to a new survey.
Respondents reported social isolation and exclusion in all areas of life, including schools, universities, work and doctor's offices.
The Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency presented the study's interim report in Berlin on Tuesday. According to the authors, it is the first of its kind in Germany.
Individual and group surveys generally revealed a loss of trust among Jewish people, the agency explained. Some respondents said they were now concealing their Jewish identity to protect themselves from attacks and discrimination.
The study paints "a depressing picture, but one that is by no means surprising to Jews," explained Josef Schuster, President of the Central Council of Jews in Germany.
"The dramatic escalation of antisemitism in the past two years has resulted in Jews being increasingly excluded from equal participation in society."
Such experiences "signify a loss of freedom and fuel fear," Schuster explained. "It is time to counteract this discrimination."
The Independent Federal Commissioner for Anti-Discrimination, Ferda Ataman, warned: "We must take the fears and concerns of Jews seriously. They must feel that the rule of law is there for them."
Germany arrests suspected Syrian militia leader for crimes against humanity
Federal prosecutors in Germany have arrested an alleged leader of a Syrian militia that supported the regime of ousted leader Bashar Assad.
The man is accused of crimes against humanity for directing assaults on demonstrators in Aleppo in 2011, using batons, metal rods and electric shocks to disperse protests after Friday prayers.
Prosecutors say one demonstrator later died from their injuries, while others were handed over to police or intelligence services and subjected to torture and abuse in detention.
Federal Criminal Police officers detained the suspect in Berlin with local police support. He is due to appear before a federal judge in Karlsruhe on Wednesday to determine whether he will remain in custody.
Lufthansa pilots back strike mandate
Pilots at Lufthansa have voted in favor of strike action in a union ballot.
The Vereinigung Cockpit union said a large majority of cockpit staff at Lufthansa and Lufthansa Cargo supported their wage commission.
No date has been announced for the strike. The last time Lufthansa pilots went on strike was in 2022.
The union is demanding higher employer contributions to company pensions for about 4,800 pilots.
It says benefits have fallen since a 2017 reform that switched from payout guarantees to contribution guarantees.
Lufthansa has rejected the claims as unaffordable. After seven rounds of talks, the union declared negotiations had failed.
A day earlier, Lufthansa said it planned to cut a slew of administrative jobs by 2030 as it streamlines operations, although it said it would not be cutting operational roles.
Court jails former political aide in AFD-linked China spy trial
The Dresden Higher Regional Court has delivered a guilty verdict in the trial of a former aide to far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) politician Maximilian Krah over alleged espionage for China.
The court found that Jian G., a German national, passed on confidential documents and other information from his time in Krah’s European Parliament office. He also collected data on AfD leaders and monitored Chinese dissidents.
The court jailed G. for four years and nine months.
Read more about the verdict here.
Cabinet retreat aims to rebuild team spirit
Almost five months after being sworn in, the conservative-Social Democrat federal cabinet is holding its first retreat, hoping to rebuild team spirit after a rocky start.
The two-day meeting at Villa Borsig on Lake Tegel in northwest Berlin is set to focus mainly on cutting bureaucracy and improving the competitiveness of the German economy.
"Companies are in some cases backed up against the wall or standing with one foot over the edge. That's why we have to deliver results quickly here," conservative Chancellor Friedrich Merz urged before the start of the retreat.
After only a short time in office, satisfaction with the ruling coalition of the center-right CDU/CSU bloc and the center-left Social Democrats (SPD) has fallen to a record low.
On Wednesday, the government plans to adopt a modernization agenda for state and administration that would cut bureaucracy costs by 25%, or €16 billion (nearly $19 billion), partly by reducing federal staff levels by 8%.
The previous "traffic-light" coalition had held its cabinet retreats at Meseberg Palace, 70 kilometers north of Berlin. There, the center-left Social Democrat, Green and business-focused Free Democrats repeatedly pledged to quarrel less — only for disputes to resume soon after.
Unlike in Meseberg, Merz and his 17 ministers will not stay overnight on the premises. Still, a social element is planned: after the day’s program ends, they will share a dinner together.
Welcome to our coverage
Guten Tag from DW's newsroom on the banks of the Rhine in Bonn.
You join us as German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and his cabinet — a coalition of his conservative CDU and the center-left SPD — head off for a two-day retreat. The aim? To patch things up and rebuild some team spirit after a shaky start.
The two-day get-together is taking place at Villa Borsig, a stately house on Lake Tegel in northwest Berlin.
The main focus is on trimming Germany's famously heavy bureaucracy and finding ways to make the economy more competitive.
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