Thursday's top story: German military runs training exercises in Berlin U-Bahn
In Berlin soldiers engaged in a training exercise on Wednesday night in the Jungfernheide U-bahn station.
Photos and videos shared by German media outlets showed groups of soldiers from the German army in combat gear entering the station, and marching through the underground tunnels along the train tracks to approach a train.
Active drills have also taken place in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), where some 500 vehicles approached the Lower Rhine in June, with troops building mobile bridges. If NATO were to be under attack from an enemy in the east, NRW would likely serve as a central logistics hub.
The German government on Wednesday backed legislation that would allow the military to respond to unauthorised drones in domestic airspace, including by shooting them down.
Recent drone incidents in Germany and elsewhere in Europe in recent months have been blamed on Russia, and governments are scrambling to bolster their defences.
The new German law enables the armed forces to "combat, intercept and even shoot down" drones, said Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt.
Germany recently moved to expand police powers to counter drone threats. But Germany's constitution puts strict limits on military operations during peacetime within the country's borders.
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Stuttgart 21 rail project delayed again
Yet another delay has hit the Stuttgart 21 station and high-speed rail project.Â
Deutsche Bahn bosses said on Wednesday that the long-awaited underground station and new high-speed rail links in Stuttgart, Baden-WĂĽrttemberg, will not open as planned in December 2026.
The setback marks yet another delay to the project, which has already spent 15 years under construction.
Most recently, in July this year Deutsche Bahn announced that it wanted to put at least part of the project into operation from December 2026. Long-distance and some regional services were to run to the new underground station from then, while some regional services would continue to terminate at the old above-ground terminus until July 2027.
It is unclear when the initial work will finish, although rail bosses are aiming for some time in 2027.
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Berlin's official new year celebrations to go ahead
Berlin is set to bring in 2026 with an official street party and fireworks display at Brandenburg Gate.
Mayor Kai Wegner (CDU) said on Wednesday that free tickets for around 20,000 people will be available from December.
The party is scheduled to begin at 10pm, with a seven-and-a-half-minute fireworks display planned for midnight. The event will be broadcast live on ARD.
Franziska Giffey (SPD), Senator for Economic Affairs, said: "At the Brandenburg Gate, we want to offer Berliners and visitors to our city an event with charisma and state-of-the-art fireworks – and without an admission fee.” She added that this was good for local economy.
The show will receive a €590,000 funding boost in total. The lottery foundation is contributing €290,000, a further €100,000 each is coming from the Senate Chancellery and the Economic Administration, and €50,000 each from the Interior and Cultural Administration.
Meanwhile, broadcaster ZDF is hosing its New Year's Eve show "Wilkommen 2026" from Hamburg's HafenCity district.
US national in German court over China spying offer
A US citizen went on trial in Germany on Wednesday accused of offering sensitive information to China while he was working for a civilian contractor at a US military base.
The suspect, partially named as Martin D., worked for a US Defence Department contractor between 2017 and 2023, prosecutors told the court in the western city of Koblenz. This included working at a US military base in Germany from at least 2020.
In 2024, the suspect allegedly "contacted Chinese government agencies several times and offered to pass on sensitive information from the US military to a Chinese intelligence service," prosecutors said when the suspect was charged.
Martin D. was arrested in Frankfurt in November 2024 and charged in August.
Berlin has seen an increase in suspected spying cases linked to Russia since the Ukraine war, and to China, with ties to Beijing under growing pressure.
Meanwhile in economic news, on Wednesday official data showed that China has reclaimed its title as Germany's top trading partner, dethroning the United States after President Donald Trump launched his tariff onslaught.
Germany to give one billion euros for rainforest protection fund
Germany is set to fork over one billion euros over a period of ten years for a new fund to protect rainforests.
This was announced by Environment Minister Carsten Schneider and Development Minister Reem Alabali Radovan at the World Climate Conference in Belém (COP30).
"It's about protecting the tropical rainforests, the lungs of our world," explained the SPD politicians in a joint statement.
Earlier, Brazil's Environment Minister Marina Silva had also reported on Germany's contribution and called on all states to make contributions.
Exactly how much money Germany is giving had been eagerly awaited. Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) had only announced a "considerable sum" during his short visit to Brazil, but without being more specific.
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Rainforests are sometimes referred to as the "lungs of the earth" because they can absorb climate-damaging greenhouse gases. But in many places, they are threatened by deforestation to create agricultural or pasture land or to mine gold.
The fund, with a targeted volume of $125 billion, would distribute around $4 billion annually after a start-up period to around 70 developing countries for projects designed to boost conservation efforts. In the first week of November, at the official launch, the initiative was already supported by 53 countries, including 19 potential state investors, according to Brazil.
With reporting by DPA, AFP and Rachel Loxton.
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