Germany news: Söder calls for compulsory military service

Mathis Albert became the youngest American to play in Germany's Bundesliga when he made his debut for Borussia Dortmund on Sunday — aged 16 years, 11 months and five days.

Pacey left-winger Albert, who was born in Greenville, South Carolina, in 2009, came on as an 88th-minute substitute towards the end of Dortmund's 4-0 win over SC Freiburg.

Previously, the youngest Americans to play in the Bundesliga were Gio Reyna who made his debut in January 2020 at the age of 17 years, two months and five days, and Christian Pulisic, who was 17 years, four months and 12 days old when he made his first appearance in January 2016.

Both Reyna and Pulisic played for Dortmund, both have since gone on to represent the US men's national team and both are expected to feature at this summer's FIFA World Cup on home soil.

The showpiece event will come too soon for Albert, but the teenager has already represented the United States at youth level – including at last year's Under-17 World Cup.

Albert joined Dortmund's youth academy from Major League Soccer (MLS) side LA Galaxy in 2024 and has made ten appearances the club's under-21 team in the German fourth division this season, scoring one goal.

He had been called up to the senior first-team squad on three previous occasions but had remained on the bench — until his brief appearance on Sunday as Dortmund confirmed qualification for next season's Champions League.

Elsewhere this weekend, freshly-crowned champions Bayern Munich produced a spectacular comeback as they came from 0-3 down to beat Mainz 4-3 on Saturday.

And Marie-Louise Eta's second game in charge of Union Berlin ended in a second defeat, this time at the hands of RB Leipzig, who also took a big step towards Champions League qualification.

More than 8o% of people in Germany do not believe the state pension will be sufficient to maintain their current standard of living in old age, according to the Civey poll, commissioned by the Social Association of Germany and published by the Sunday edition of the Bild newspaper.

What did the survey show?

• 82% of respondents doubted that they would be able to maintain their living standard on a government pension alone. 
• Meanwhile, 11% believe their future pension will be sufficient.
• More than half of the respondents (54%) said they did not have enough personal funds to provide for their retirement.
• 30% said they had sufficient funds.

The poll was conducted between March 24 and April 8, before German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that the state pension scheme would, at best, only provide basic coverage in old age. This statement reignited a debate about the future of government pensions.

Germany's housing crisis is driving up rents and squeezing tenants. While laws like the rent brake aim to protect renters, landlords often exploit loopholes or face no penalties.

Cases in Berlin and Munich show overpriced rents and a rise in short-term, furnished rentals. The government plans reforms, but with too little housing being built, relief may come slowly.

A humpback whale that became stranded off the Baltic Sea island of Poel is set to be towed to the North Sea on a barge in a multi-day operation.

Felix Bohnsack, the technical lead of the private initiative behind the plan, said the whale could be transported in about three and a half days, passing Fehmarn en route to waters near Skagen — a journey of more than 400 kilometers. Its condition will then be reassessed.

The plan is to transport the 12-ton male whale on a barge. The vessel is currently near Hamburg and is expected to arrive off Poel on Sunday. Organizers said they will prepare for the operation, which could begin between Tuesday and Wednesday. The veterinarians involved believe the animal is fit for transport.

The whale was first spotted in the Baltic Sea in early March and has spent much of its time in shallow areas, possibly due to illness.

Schalke took a big step towards returning to the Bundesliga after three years when they secured a 3-2 victory against promotion rivals Paderborn on Sunday, following a fightback from two goals down.

The former UEFA Cup champions now lead Paderborn by six points at the top of the second division, with just three games remaining. Hanover are another point behind, while Elversberg are two points behind Paderborn in fourth place.

The top two teams are promoted directly, while the team in third place plays a tie against the third-from-bottom team in the Bundesliga. Schalke could secure promotion next weekend when they host lowly Fortuna Düsseldorf and Paderborn visit Elversberg.

Schalke were a top Bundesliga team not so long ago, finishing as runners-up as recently as 2018. However, they were relegated in 2021, returned to the top flight for one season, and have been in the second tier since 2023.

The village of Prüm in Rhineland-Palatinate had to be evacuated after a 250-kilogram bomb from the Second World War was discovered.

Some 800 people had to temporarily leave their homes on Sunday as authorities defused the bomb.

Authorities said there was no immediate threat from the bomb and that it was defused within a couple of hours.

Several other disposal operations are planned in Hameln and Bremen on Sunday.

Bavaria's conservative State Premier Markus Söder has criticized the government's plan to boost the number of people enlisting in the armed forces, saying that the only thing that will work is compulsory military service.

"For us it's very clear: If the Bundeswehr is to become the biggest army in Europe, then there's no way around military service," Söder told Bild newspaper.

"With volunteers alone we won't achieve the necessary security our country needs. And security is the prerequisite for freedom," he said, adding: "That's why military service needs to come as soon as possible."

Defense Minister Boris Pistorius is seeking to increase the number of active soldiers from 70,000 to 200,000.

The coalition government was unable to agree on a return to military service, that was ended in 2011 under Chancellor Angela Merkel. The measures make it possible to do a voluntary military service, but the government also agreed to send out questionnaires to all 18-year-olds, which men are obliged to fill out and return.

However, the government has said that if numbers don't reach the desired level, then a compulsory military service may still be introduced.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has joined a chorus of world leaders in condemning the shooting that took place at the White House Correspondents' Dinner in Washington on Saturday evening.

President Donald Trump was in attendance at the event but was whisked away by the Secret Service when gunshots were heard and was uninjured.

"Violence has no place in a democracy. We decide by majorities, not by the gun," Merz wrote on X. "I condemn the attempted attack in Washington and am relieved that President Trump, First Lady Melania Trump and all those present are safe." 

Welcome back to our Germany coverage, to start off today, here's a look at a bit of Germany's LGBT+ history.

If you're wondering what event could possibly combine Germany's last emperor, a gilded porcelain vase and a general who had a heart attack in a pink tutu, then look no further than the Eulenburg Affair.

It shook the German Empire to its core and paved the way for the downfall of the monarchy.

And you can read more about the history of the Eulenberg Affair right here.

We are pausing coverage for now. 

Stay tuned for more Germany news on Sunday. 

 

Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party rose to a record 28% in the latest weekly INSA voting intention poll published on Saturday, widening its lead over the ‌conservative ⁠bloc ⁠to four percentage points.

AfD was founded in 2013 as an anti-euro protest party and broke into Germany's parliament in 2017 after having campaigned on a platform of criticism of immigration policies. 

But the party, which is under investigation by German intelligence services for its extremist views, is now the largest opposition party in the country's parliament after finishing second in federal elections last year.

The conservative CDU party of Chancellor Friedrich ​Merz ‌was unchanged from the previous week at 24%, while the environmentalist Greens slipped one point to 12%. ‌The center-left Social Democrats (SPD) held steady at 14%, and ‌the ​Left Party remained at 11%.

INSA surveyed ⁠1,203 people ​between April 20 and April 24 and asked respondents how they would vote if a federal election were held on Sunday. 

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has removed one of its members after he gave a speech at the launch of the party's new youth wing that drew comparisons with those given by Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.

Alexander Eichwald gave his speech at the conference last November as he sought a position in the party. The controversy overshadowed the event that was aiming to give the youth wing a new slate after its predecessor was shut down for being too extremist.

On Saturday, the party's tribunal approved Eichwald's removal. He was found to have conducted himself in a way that seriously harmed the party.

Authorities in the city of Cologne discovered an unusual item during a routine check of a kiosk, public broadcaster WDR reported on Saturday.

Namely, a bar of chocolate containing the active ingredient in Viagra: Sildenafil.

The sweet is from a Turkish brand, Evelle Hilti, and the bar is called "Make Love."

The product was illegally imported into Germany. The erectile dysfunction medication is normally only obtainable with a doctor's prescription.

The recent growth in the black market sale of arousing products has led to authorities seizing honey and Ginseng teas containing sildenafil.

They warn that such products can be dangerous due to the lack of clarity over dosage.

According to WDR, in a healthy person, the side effects of an overdose include headaches, dizziness, impaired sight and painful erections that can last for hours.

For men with previous health conditions, especially heart conditions, an overdose can be lethal.

Germany's housing market is in crisis. People who rent are feeling the pinch, with a shortage of affordable housing making tenants easy targets for exploitation, as landlords bend and break the rules and regulations.

The Irish low-cost airline Ryanair is planning to halve its number of flights from Berlin Airport and to shut down its base there, citing a plan by the airport to increase charges by 10%.

Berlin Airport has said that the airport and airline were still in talks.

Germany's ADV airports association has reacted with concern over the airline's withdrawal.

"Following the Ryanair announcement, Germany is looking at BER airport, but it is in fact not a decision taken against Berlin, but against the German aviation sector as a whole," ADV chief executive Ralph Beisel said.

"Excessive taxes and charges are preventing German airports from participating in the dynamic growth of European aviation," he added.

Beisel blamed aviation taxes and insurance fees, saying airport charges were lower than the European average.

According to the ADV, a flight from Berlin to Palma de Mallorca would cost the airline around €7,600 ($8,900) in fees and taxes, whereas a flight from Warsaw to Palma costs only around €4,400.

Similarly, long-haul flights from Germany were also more expensive. A flight from Germany to New York would incur fees and taxes of some €23,500, while other European airports charged an average of €13,900.