Germany news: Teacher group urges action over pupil violence

The German government's ongoing and contentious efforts to shore up funding for the public insurance system that forms the backbone of the country's healthcare system has progressed to a review stage within the coalition government before being put to parliament. 

The vast majority of employed people in Germany take out health insurance via one of these public providers, with contributions taken out of their pay packets each month.

Contributions are scaled according to a person's earnings, but there is an upper limit, after which people stop paying. One of the main planned changes is to increase this threshhold, currently €5,812.50 (roughly $6,840) per month before tax, by a further €300 euros. 

Another proposal is to increase the fairly low copayments that people pay when, for instance, picking up their prescriptions. These fees will rise from either €5 or €10 to either €7.50 or €15. 

Nina Warken's Health Ministry calls the reforms a "balanced package" of measures that shares the burden beween employees and employers, who pay a share of their workers' insurance under the system. 

"Because of the enormous financing gaps, unfortunately moderate adjustments in service and a contribution from the insured as well as patients cannot be avoided," the draft law says. 

Among other things, it foresees a reduction in the payments people are eligible for after more than six uninterrupted weeks written off work sick, by somewhere in the region of 5%. Precise rates of payment vary based on a person's income and circumstances.

The government is also considering limiting a system whereby spouses who do not work are eligible for insurance as part of their partner's package, removing this right if they are of working age and do not have either young or disabled children, or relatives in need of full-time care. 

Chancellor Friedrich Merz plans to offer German participation for a possible military mission in the Strait of Hormuz during talks planned for Friday, led by France and the UK, government sources told dpa news agency.

The Bundeswehr could provide minehunters, an escort ship and aerial surveillance for such a mission if certain conditions are met, the sources told dpa.

The Strait of Hormuz is a key route for global oil and gas shipments and has been largely closed since the start of the US-Israeli war against Iran. 

Merz has said that Germany was willing in principle to take part in such a mission, but also planned to "discuss the question of the participation of the United States armed forces" at Friday's talks.

"There are good arguments in favor of it," he told a press conference alongside Irish PM Michael Martin. 

Merz added any German participation in a mission to secure the strait could happen only after "at the very least a provisional ceasefire."

It would also need to be approved by the government in Berlin and parliament. "We are still a long way from that," he added.

The war in Iran is undergoing a ceasefire, which officially came into force on April 8. But it is unclear how long it could last, with the US navy launching a blockade of Iranian ports this week after talks between US and Iranian officials in Pakistan failed to reach a deal to end the war. 

The European Commission has approved Germany’s €3.8 billion (about $4.5 billion) support plan for energy-intensive industries.

Brussels says the scheme aims to shield companies in Germany from high electricity prices and prevent production shifting abroad.

The aid will run through 2028 and targets sectors hit hardest by energy costs, allowing firms to apply for relief payments.

In return, companies must invest at least half of the funding into cutting electricity use without increasing fossil fuel reliance.

Germany's national carrier Lufthansa says its regional subsidiary Lufthansa CityLine will retire 27 older aircraft starting Saturday.

The move marks an immediate cost-cutting step as Lufthansa faces mounting pressure from labor disputes and higher kerosene prices.

Read more here.

Earlier this week, when German Chancellor Friedrich Merz spoke by phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, it seemed like a routine exchange between world leaders.

Afterward, Merz's spokesman Stefan Kornelius sent out a press release about the call, saying that the chancellor had expressed his deep concern about developments in the Palestinian territories.

Read more here.

Fewer people in Germany have been claiming parental benefits, figures reveal, with numbers falling for a fourth straight year.

The Federal Statistical Office says the tally of recipients dropped 3.7% in 2025 to 1.61 million — down nearly 14% from 2021. The decline mirrors falling birth rates.

Women still make up nearly three times as many recipients as men. The benefit is designed to offset lost income when parents reduce or pause work after a child's birth.

At the same time, uptake of "Elterngeld Plus" — a lower monthly, longer-term benefit — has reached a record. Around 648,000 people received or planned to receive it, some 40.3% of all recipients. The trend could suggest more mothers are staying in the workforce, as the scheme encourages both parents to work part-time and share childcare.

Addiction researchers have urged stricter rules and higher prices for alcohol in Germany, warning that current policies are too lenient.

The German Center for Addiction Issues said in its annual report that Germany has one of Europe's least restrictive alcohol regimes and above-average consumption.

Researcher Carolin Kilian said simple measures such as higher taxes, limited availability, and marketing restrictions could reduce consumption and related health costs.

Germany currently has no tax on non-sparkling wine and relatively low beer taxes, which experts say could be raised to drive behavior change. Proposals also include restricting alcohol sales at places like gas stations.

Consumption has declined overall in recent years but remains high, averaging about 11 liters of pure alcohol (2.9 gallons) per person annually — above the European average.

Experts warned that alcohol poses health risks even at low levels and is linked to up to 200 diseases, with around 44,000 deaths in Germany attributed to alcohol use each year.

Strike action by pilots and cabin crew at Lufthansa are well into their fourth day, with widespread flight cancellations.

Frankfurt Airport operator Fraport reported 656 cancellations out of 1,313 planned flights at the hub, mostly attributed to Lufthansa.

A mediation attempt between Lufthansa and the pilots' union Vereinigung Cockpit collapsed a day earlier after both sides failed to agree on negotiation terms. The ongoing walkouts have also overshadowed events marking the airline’s 100th anniversary.

Both pilots and cabin crew are staging walkouts on Thursday, as separate disputes with the company overlap.

Strikes are expected to continue into Friday for core Lufthansa operations, including Lufthansa Cargo and CityLine. At the low-cost airline Eurowings, industrial action is limited to Thursday. Despite this, the carrier still expects to operate more than 70% of scheduled flights.

Bayern Munich are already looking ahead after their dramatic Champions League win over Real Madrid, with a decisive few days looming in their treble chase.

Sporting director Max Eberl has said that sealing the Bundesliga title this weekend would be "a brilliant way to finish" the week after Wednesday's 4-3 win over Real at the Allianz Arena secured a 6-4 aggregate triumph.

Eberl highlighted that the team had managed to fight back after going behind three times in the match. "That sums up the character of this team pretty well," said Eberl. "We can play football, but most of all, we can fight and stay firm. It just feels brilliant."

Bayern can clinch their 35th league title on Sunday against VfB Stuttgart if results go their way, before heading into a German Cup semi-final at Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday.

The focus then shifts quickly back to Europe, with a Champions League semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain starting April 28 in Paris.

Bayern have not lifted the German Cup since their 2020 treble season, when they beat the Parisians in the Champions League final. This time, the French champions again stand in their way — widely seen as one of the toughest tests left in Europe.

One of those behind the latest effort is the founder of the electrical appliance giant MediaMarkt, Walter Gunz. "If you try something, then at least you have a chance of saving it," Gunz told the DPA news agency.

Coverage of the humpback's struggle for survival and efforts to rescue it has gripped the German public. There have been regular demonstrations in support of the stricken marine mammal, calling for renewed rescue efforts. Some online posts targeted officials with death threats.

Alongside Gunz in the bid is entrepreneur Karin Walter-Mommert, who is famed in the equestrian world. "We have no chance, but we're taking it," she told DPA. "Better an end with horror than a horror without end."

"This situation now is unbearable for all of Germany, for people with empathy and compassion," Walter-Mommert added.

German officials have approved an eleventh-hour rescue attempt to save a humpback whale that has been stranded on the Baltic Sea coast for weeks.

The effort, proposed by two entrepreneurs, involves lifting the whale using inflatable cushions and using pontoons to move it.

Till Backhaus, environment minister for the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, said there was a "chance" for the whale, but that it remained "seriously ill."

"We have decided that a rescue of the whale, while it is still alive, can go ahead. We are thus opening up the possibility, for the first time, of returning the animal to its natural habitat," Backhaus said.

Local authorities said two weeks ago that it would no longer be possible to save the animal, dubbed "Timmy" by the German media, which had already been seen floundering for more than a week.

The humpback was originally spotted stuck on a sandbank near the city of Lubeck on March 23, but freed itself. It later swam into an inlet of the small island of Poel, near Wismar, and became stuck again.

Germany's Green Party has proposed a nationwide speed limit on all autobahns to cut fuel use and emissions.

Green lawmakers said a 130 kilometer per hour (about 80 mph) cap would lower fuel consumption, ease costs for drivers, and improve road safety. 

A draft law is being debated in Germany's lower house, the Bundestag, on Thursday. 

Germany is famously one of the few countries with sections of its "autobahn" network still without mandatory speed limits, a long-standing feature often defended on cultural and economic grounds.

The proposal comes as fuel prices have surged in light of the Iran war. A speed limit is not included in the current coalition agreement between Chancellor Friedrich Merz's conservative CDU/CSU bloc and the center-left Social Democrats.

Green co-leader Katharina Dröge said the measure would be a fast and effective way to reduce fuel demand, calling it a "matter of common sense."

Supporters argue that higher speeds significantly increase fuel consumption due to rising air resistance, making a limit an immediate tool that would curb demand and prices.

Backers include environmental and civil groups, as well as the police union and transport advocacy groups.

Violence against teachers in Germany is on the rise, prompting calls for urgent action from the German Teachers' Association (DL).

Police data showed that about 1,300 cases of bodily harm were recorded at schools in 2024, up from roughly 700 to 1,000 cases a year in previous years.

DL President Stefan Dull said incidents range from verbal abuse to physical attacks. In an interview with German broadcaster ZDF, he described the trend as alarming.

Dull said slander and insults in school corridors have increased noticeably, while violence among students is also growing. While special education schools are particularly affected, he said, such problems occur across the school system.

He cited factors including violence in the home, the influence of social media, and negative public role models such as US President Donald Trump. Dull also pointed to broader societal trends, noting similar aggression in areas such as sports and attacks on emergency workers and politicians.

Dull called for stronger responses from schools, including more social workers and a greater focus on building relationships with students to counter disrespectful behavior.

Guten Tag from the DW newsroom in a rainy Bonn.

You join us as we await news of a new attempt to rescue the whale stranded off the port of Wismar in Germany's Baltic Sea.

In other news, Germany's leading teachers' association is urging action to counter a wave of pupil violence against school staff.

Meanwhile, in the Bundestag, the Green Party is launching a fresh push to impose a blanket speed limit on Germany's major highways. 

Stay with us here for these and more stories.