BERLIN: Germany deported a man to Syria for the first time since the civil war broke out in that country in 2011, the interior ministry in Berlin said Tuesday.&nbsp;A Syrian immigrant previously convicted of criminal offences in Germany was flown to Damascus and handed over to Syrian authorities on Tuesday morning, the ministry said.&nbsp;&quot;Our society has a legitimate interest in ensuring that criminals leave our country,&quot; Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said in a press release.&nbsp;The deportation just before Christmas capped months of talks with Syria&#39;s government, which mirrored similar efforts by Berlin to strike a deportation deal with the Taliban in Afghanistan.&nbsp;Human rights groups have criticised efforts to send immigrants back to either country, citing continued instability and evidence of rights abuses.&nbsp;But Germany&#39;s conservative-led government has made the resumption of deportations to Syria a diplomatic priority since former president Bashar al-Assad fled the country just over a year ago.&nbsp;In July, Austria became the first European Union country to deport someone to Syria since 2011.&nbsp;The German ministry said that deals have now been struck with both Damascus and Kabul to allow regular deportations of &quot;criminals and dangerous individuals&quot; in the future.&nbsp;Roughly a million Syrians fled to Germany to escape the civil war, many of them arriving in 2015.&nbsp;The Syrian man deported on Tuesday had served a prison sentence in the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia for aggravated robbery, bodily harm and extortion.&nbsp;The ministry said an Afghan man was also deported to his home country on Tuesday. That man had also served time in prison for intentional bodily harm and other crimes.

Europe

Middle East

Germany deported a Syrian man convicted of crimes, marking its first return to Syria since 2011, after talks with Damascus. Berlin says deals now allow deportations of criminals, despite criticism from human rights groups internationally.

Germany deports man to Syria for first time since 2011

BERLIN: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Tuesday he expected to soon end border controls after EU countries backed a significant tightening of Europe&#39;s migration policy.&nbsp;The new measures, supported by EU interior ministers in Brussels on Monday, include setting up &quot;return hubs&quot; outside the 27-nation bloc for failed asylum seekers.&nbsp;Merz said the plans meant that &quot;we will be able to shift border controls to Europe&#39;s external borders&quot; but without specifying when German border controls may be lifted.&nbsp;Germany first introduced border checks with its nine neighbours in September 2024 under former chancellor Olaf Scholz, aiming to curb irregular immigration and heighten security.&nbsp;Merz&#39;s government further tightened border checks when it took power in May, moving to boost police numbers and reject most asylum seekers as part of a crackdown on migration.&nbsp;Members of Europe&#39;s Schengen area are allowed to temporarily reintroduce border controls for up to two years in response to serious threats such as terrorism or large-scale unauthorised migration.&nbsp;Speaking in the western city of Mainz, Merz said that he had &quot;always considered the border controls to be something of limited duration&quot;.&nbsp;&quot;If a common European asylum policy is launched in the European Union, that will be exactly what we always wanted,&quot; he said.&nbsp;The new measures agreed in Brussels must still be approved by the European Parliament before coming into force.&nbsp;As well as return hubs outside the EU, they also threaten penalties for migrants who refuse to leave European territory, including longer periods of detention.&nbsp;Migrants could also be returned to countries that are not their countries of origin, but which Europe considers &quot;safe&quot;.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Germany may soon end border controls after EU interior ministers approved stricter migration measures, including return hubs outside the bloc, penalties for non-compliant migrants, and shifting controls to Europe’s external borders.

New EU rules mean Germany can soon end border controls: Merz

BERLIN: Germany unveiled the country&#39;s first national space security strategy on Wednesday, with Defense Minister Boris Pistorius vowing to expand military and civilian capabilities in orbit.&nbsp;The strategy comes weeks after Pistorius announced plans for the Armed Forces to spend 35 billion euros ($41 billion) by 2030 on space defenses, citing growing threats posed by Russia and potentially China.&nbsp;&quot;We must develop and possess the capacity for deterrence and defense,&quot; Pistorius told a press conference in Berlin.&nbsp;Both Russia and China are &quot;heavily involved&quot; in space and &quot;positioning themselves to influence other satellites&quot; from Europe and the United States, Pistorius said.&nbsp;The minister acknowledged that &quot;Germany alone will not keep pace with Russia and China,&quot; but said European NATO countries can work together &quot;to ensure that we remain capable of action and defense&quot;.&nbsp;The German initiative follows other European efforts to achieve greater independence in space.&nbsp;The multinational European Space Agency plans to launch an internet satellite constellation, dubbed IRIS2, by 2030.&nbsp;In October, three major European aerospace firms announced plans to merge their satellite options to create a credible European rival to US billionaire Elon Musk&#39;s SpaceX rocket company and Starlink internet system.&nbsp;Satellite systems play a central role in modern communications, internet service, GPS systems and weather forecasting -- all with major implications for military operations as well as civilian life.&nbsp;A cyberattack against satellites at the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine caused the failure of several hundred wind turbines on German soil, Pistorius noted.&nbsp;&quot;Everyone can imagine what an effective strike in space could do to satellite systems -- it would paralyse entire countries, and I think it is only natural for Europeans, Germany and NATO to want to protect themselves against this,&quot; Pistorius said.&nbsp;The minister vowed that Germany would &quot;not pursue an offensive strategy in space,&quot; but said that the ability to launch counterstrikes against opponents is necessary.&nbsp;&quot;We will neither attack nor allow the attack of another nation&#39;s satellite, now or in the future,&quot; Pistorius said.&nbsp;Germany is aiming for a &quot;peaceful, sustainable and rules-based&quot; use of space in order to &quot;prevent an arms race,&quot; according to a press release.&nbsp;Cooperative European space efforts include joint launch capabilities, efforts to develop reusable rockets and international space programmes.&nbsp;The minister for space and research, Dorothee Baer, said on Wednesday that Germany&#39;s space security strategy also includes &quot;programmes on asteroid defense&quot; and efforts to &quot;address the major issue of space debris&quot;.&nbsp;

Germany introduced its first national space security strategy, aiming to boost civilian and military space capabilities amid rising threats from Russia and China. It emphasizes European cooperation, deterrence, satellite protection, reusable rockets, asteroid defense, and managing space debris.

Germany beefs up defense in outer space as Russia threat looms

BERLIN:&nbsp;Germany is set to remove restrictions it imposed in August on arms exports to Israel that could be used in the Gaza Strip, the government announced Monday. &ldquo;The restrictions on arms exports to Israel ... will be lifted,&rdquo; government spokesman Sebastian Hille told reporters, adding that the decision &ldquo;will take effect on 24 November.&rdquo; Chancellor Friedrich Merz had justified the original August decision as a reaction to plans announced by the Israeli government at the time for an escalation in its Gaza City offensive. &ldquo;We have always stated that we would review this practice in light of developments on the ground,&rdquo; Hille said on Monday. &ldquo;Since 10 October, there has been a cease-fire in Gaza, which has also fundamentally stabilised,&rdquo; he added, noting that &ldquo;this forms the basis for this decision&rdquo; to lift the restrictions. &ldquo;We expect everyone to adhere to the agreements that have been made,&rdquo; Hille said, including &ldquo;maintaining the cease-fire, providing large-scale humanitarian aid.&rdquo;

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz speaks during an economic summit hosted by German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung at the Adlon Hotel in Berlin on November 17, 2025. (Photo by Tobias SCHWARZ / AFP)

Americas

Germany is set to remove restrictions it imposed in August on arms exports to Israel that could be used in the Gaza Strip, the government announced Monday.

Germany to lift curbs on arms exports to Israel

Muhammad Usman Amin

ISLAMABAD: Germany Federal Ministry of the Interior Spokesperson Elena Singer stated on Wednesday, in an exclusive comment to Pakistan TV Digital, that it has held talks with Afghanistan&rsquo;s de facto authorities to establish a formal process for deporting Afghan nationals.&nbsp;Speaking to Pakistan TV Digital, the ministry spokesperson confirmed that discussions were held at a technical level with Kabul&rsquo;s de facto authorities to create a structured mechanism for deporting Afghan migrants from Germany.&nbsp;This development follows recent reports that Germany had offered certain Afghan individuals in Pakistan, who had been shortlisted for asylum in Germany. This includes a sum of &euro;1,500 to forgo relocation to Germany and remain in Pakistan, or &euro;5,000 to return to Afghanistan, a move that has caused dismay among asylum hopefuls.&nbsp;In an official statement to Pakistan TV Digital, the spokesperson confirmed the new government&rsquo;s policy to repatriate Afghan citizens, a move signaling a controversial engagement with the Taliban.&nbsp;&ldquo;The Federal Government is currently holding talks with the Afghan de facto authorities in order to establish a return mechanism that will allow the regular repatriation of Afghan citizens,&rdquo; said Singer.&nbsp;The ministry stated that this policy is part of the government&rsquo;s &ldquo;coalition agreement.&rdquo;&nbsp;The incumbent Friedrich Merz-led government in Germany, a coalition between the Christian Democrats and the Social Democrats, signed an agreement during their campaign pledging to take a tougher stance on migration and to resume deportations of Afghans and Syrians. This marks a departure from the previous administration, which had promised not to carry out such deportations.&nbsp;The statement further noted that deportations &ldquo;will be resumed, starting with criminals and persons considered a potential threat.&rdquo;&nbsp;This new diplomatic engagement follows a precedent set in July 2025, when &ldquo;a first return operation under the current government took place, during which 81 Afghan citizens who had committed serious crimes in Germany were repatriated.&rdquo;&nbsp;Previously, deportations had been conducted with Qatar acting as an intermediary. However, this time Germany is engaging directly with the Afghan authorities.&nbsp;The goal of the new talks is to move beyond one-off operations and establish a regularized process.&nbsp;The spokesperson noted that the &ldquo;return mechanism&rdquo; is intended for Afghan citizens who &ldquo;have no legal right to stay in Germany and are required to leave the country.&rdquo;&nbsp;This could potentially mean that deportations will be expanded to include Afghans whose asylum applications have been rejected and who are therefore residing illegally in Germany.&nbsp;Moreover, the ministry&rsquo;s use of the term &ldquo;de facto authorities,&rdquo; instead of &ldquo;the Afghan government,&rdquo; when referring to the Taliban, clearly indicates that Berlin is dealing with the group in power without recognizing it as the legitimate government.&nbsp;The ministry acknowledged the sensitive nature of the negotiations, concluding that &ldquo;no further information can be provided at this stage of the talks.&rdquo;

Afghanistan

Germany’s Interior Ministry confirms holding talks with Afghanistan’s de facto authorities; purpose is to establish a formal deportation process for Afghan nationals; marking direct engagement with the Taliban after previous indirect repatriations via Qatar

Germany negotiates with Taliban over refugees but denies 'legitimacy' 

BERLIN: Google unveiled Tuesday its biggest-ever investment in Germany, pledging 5.5 billion euros ($6.4 billion) for a new data centre and other projects, as Europe seeks to catch up in the AI race.&nbsp;&quot;We are driving growth in Germany,&quot; Chancellor Friedrich Merz said as the investments, to be made by 2029, were announced.&nbsp;&quot;Our country is and will remain one of the most attractive places for investment in the world,&quot; he said.&nbsp;Google&#39;s plans include a new data centre and expansion of an existing centre in the western state of Hesse, providing computing power for artificial intelligence.&nbsp;It also plans to expand its offices in Berlin, Frankfurt and Munich, and outlined various projects aimed at reducing its greenhouse gas emissions.&nbsp;These included buying renewable wind and solar energy and a &quot;heat recovery project&quot; that would see excess heat produced by a data centre re-used by local residents.&nbsp;The plans will support around 9,000 jobs a year in Germany, Google said.&nbsp;The investments are a boost for Germany, whose economy is struggling, as well as for Europe it seeks to catch up with AI leaders the United States and China.

Artificial Intelligence

Google announced a record $6.4 billion investment in Germany by 2029, including new and expanded data centers, office growth, and green energy projects, creating about 9,000 jobs and supporting Europe’s push to advance in artificial intelligence.

Google unveils $6.4 bn investment in Germany

MANAMA:&nbsp;Jordan and Germany said on Saturday that an international force expected to support a future Palestinian police in Gaza under US President Donald Trump&#39;s post-war governance plan should have a UN mandate. Under the US-brokered ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, a coalition of mainly Arab and Muslim nations is expected to deploy forces in the Palestinian territory, which has been devastated by the war. &lsquo;Security Council mandate&rsquo;The so-called international stabilization force is supposed to train and support vetted Palestinian police in the Strip, with backing from Egypt and Jordan, as well as secure border areas and prevent weapons smuggling to Hamas. &quot;We all agree that in order for that stabilization force to be able to be effective in getting the job done, it has to have a Security Council mandate,&quot; Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said. Jordan, however, will not be sending its own forces to the Strip. &quot;We&#39;re too close to the issue and we cannot deploy troops in Gaza,&quot; Safadi said, adding his country was nonetheless ready to cooperate with the international force. &lsquo;Clear basis in international law&rsquo;Safadi was speaking at the IISS Manama Dialogue conference in Bahrain alongside his German counterpart Johann Wadephul, who also supported a UN mandate for the force, saying it would &quot;need a clear basis in international law&quot;.&nbsp;&quot;We understand that this is of utmost importance to those countries who might be willing to send troops to Gaza and for the Palestinians. Germany would also want to see a clear mandate for this mission,&quot; Wadephul said. &lsquo;a US-led occupation&rsquo;&nbsp;The idea of the stabilization force has drawn some criticism, with UN experts last month warning it would &quot;replace Israeli occupation with a US-led occupation, contrary to Palestinian self-determination&quot;. The UN has mandated international peacekeeping forces in the region for decades, including UNIFIL in southern Lebanon, which is currently working with the Lebanese army to enforce a November 2024 ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel.

The idea of the stabilization force has drawn some criticism, with UN experts last month warning it would 'replace Israeli occupation with a US-led occupation, contrary to Palestinian self-determination'.

Jordan, Germany say international force in Gaza needs UN mandate

BERLIN: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz vowed Monday to take on the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) ahead of five state elections next year as the party surges in the polls. The AfD scored a record 20.8% in a general election in February, and its ratings have since continued to rise, with many surveys now putting it as the biggest party. Merz said the AfD would be the &quot;main opponent&quot; of his conservative CDU/CSU alliance at state elections in Saxony-Anhalt, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate, and Berlin in 2026.&nbsp;&lsquo;Very clearly and explicitly&rsquo;&quot;We will now also be very clear and very explicit about where the AfD stands in terms of content, and we will distance ourselves from them very clearly and explicitly,&quot; he said after a party conference in Berlin. In the two former East German states of Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the AfD is currently projected to win by a clear margin. This has led some regional CDU officials to call for the party to drop its opposition to forming political alliances with the far right.&nbsp;&lsquo;Wants a different country&rsquo;&nbsp;But Merz insisted that his party would not collaborate with the AfD, some of whose branches have been declared right-wing extremist by German intelligence services. &quot;This party has declared its intention to destroy the CDU. It wants a different country,&quot; Merz said. &quot;It is not just details that separate us. We are separated from the AfD by fundamental issues and fundamental political convictions.&quot;&nbsp;&lsquo;Wants to destroy us&rsquo;Referring to offers of collaboration from the party, Merz said, &quot;the hand that the AfD repeatedly extends is in reality a hand that wants to destroy us&quot;. The AfD last year became the first far-right party to win a regional election in Germany since the Nazis, in the eastern state of Thuringia. One survey for the Bild newspaper on Sunday put the AfD at 27% of voting intentions at the national level, ahead of Merz&#39;s CDU/CSU at 25%. Germany&#39;s mainstream political parties have long maintained a &quot;firewall&quot; against cooperation with the AfD.

Says the AfD will be the "main opponent" of his conservative CDU/CSU alliance at state elections in Saxony-Anhalt, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate, and Berlin in 2026.

Germany's Merz vows to take on ascendant far-right AfD

ZURICH: Spain still topped the FIFA men&rsquo;s world rankings published Friday that show Germany back on track to be a top-seeded team in the World Cup finals tournament draw on December 5 involving US President Donald Trump.&nbsp;Germany rose two places to No. 10 after back-to-back wins in a World Cup qualifying group against Luxembourg and Northern Ireland. Germany had lost its opening qualifier last month against Slovakia.&nbsp;Croatia, runner-up at the 2018 World Cup and a semifinalist in the 2022 edition, fell to No. 11 after drawing one of its games at the Czech Republic last week.&nbsp;The 12 top-seeded nations in the 48-team draw will be the three co-hosts, the United States, Canada and Mexico plus the nine highest-ranked direct qualifiers in the updated FIFA rankings for November.&nbsp;Current No. 9 Italy is likely heading to European playoffs in March as runner-up in a qualifying group led by Norway, meaning the No. 10-ranked team should be assured of avoiding other top-seeded nations in the draw for the June 11-July 19 tournament.&nbsp;Spain leads from World Cup title holder Argentina, followed by No. 3 France, England, Portugal, the Netherlands, Brazil and Belgium in eighth.&nbsp;The World Cup draw seedings will follow the FIFA rankings through pots 2 and 3, with pot 4 including the six lowest-ranked direct qualifiers plus six placeholders awaiting the winners of playoffs in March.&nbsp;Four European teams will advance through playoffs, and two more places are on offer in a global bracket of six non-European teams that will include Bolivia and New Caledonia.

Football

Spain stayed atop FIFA men’s rankings as Germany rose to tenth, securing a likely top seed for the 2026 World Cup draw, while Croatia slipped and Italy faces playoffs.

Spain retains top FIFA spot, Germany climbs into top seeds

ASCHAFFENBURG: An Afghan man accused of a deadly knife attack on a group of toddlers in Germany went on trial Thursday, nine months after an incident that inflamed a heated pre-election debate on immigration. Germany was shocked by the stabbing spree that killed a two-year-old boy and a 41-year-old man who tried to protect the children and left three others wounded in the southern city of Aschaffenburg. Five toddlers from a kindergarten class were in a public park, accompanied by two teachers, when the assailant attacked them with a kitchen knife.The suspect arrested at the scene of the January 22 attack has been only partially named, in line with usual practice by the German judiciary, as 28-year-old Enamullah O. History of mental illness&nbsp;He has a long history of mental illness and prosecutors said an expert assessment concluded his psychiatric state meant he was not criminally responsible. The public prosecutor&#39;s office has previously said there was no indication the suspect acted out of extremist or terrorist motivation, and they were seeking to have him permanently confined to a psychiatric facility. The trial is expected to stretch over several days of proceedings in October. The suspected attacker injured a two-year-old Syrian girl, one of the teachers as well as a 72-year-old man who had also tried to protect the children. He was arrested shortly afterwards and it soon emerged that the authorities had tried and failed in 2023 to deport him to Bulgaria -- the first EU country he had arrived in. In August 2024, he allegedly threatened a fellow resident at an accommodation for asylum seekers in the nearby town of Alzenau with a butcher&#39;s knife and caused her minor injuries. Political reactionsThe Aschaffenburg stabbings, which followed a string of other bloody attacks in Germany, provoked intense political reactions. Friedrich Merz, the leader of the centre-right Christian Democrats who went on to become chancellor, promised a &quot;fundamental&quot; overhaul of asylum rules and strict border controls &quot;from day one&quot; if elected. About a week later, Merz, then the opposition leader, relied on support from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) to pass a non-binding resolution through parliament demanding stricter immigration and refugee policies. Merz&#39;s decision to rely on far-right support broke a longstanding taboo in post-World War II German politics, prompting fierce criticism and mass street protests.

The public prosecutor's office has previously said there was no indication the suspect acted out of extremist or terrorist motivation, and they were seeking to have him permanently confined to a psychiatric facility.

Articles tagged with "Germany"