Thursday's top story: German intelligence warns of rising foreign cyber threats
Germany's domestic intelligence agency on Wednesday warned of rising cyberattacks by foreign state-backed actors, urging firms and citizens to step up their vigilance online.
"Germany is an attractive target for state-sponsored cyberattacks," the BfV agency warned in a public advisory, citing the country's central location in the EU and NATO as well as its cutting-edge research and advanced industry.
Russia, China, Iran and North Korea are named as particularly notable perpetrators, each pursuing particular objectives.
READ ALSO: Just how vulnerable is Germany’s infrastructure to attacks and sabotage?
Police on Tuesday arrested two men suspected of plotting to sabotage German naval vessels in docks in northern Germany -- although authorities said they were still investigating who could have been behind the alleged plot.
Last week, Germany's parliament adopted a new law aiming to better protect critical infrastructure from attacks, sabotage, accidents and natural disasters.
The BfV warned Wednesday that "critical sectors such as energy supply, water management, transportation, logistics systems and healthcare are particularly in focus" of cyberattacks as well.
Admission freeze for migrant integration courses in Germany draws criticism
A partial freeze on admissions to integration courses for certain migrants in Germany has sparked criticism from both the Federal Government Commissioner for Integration and course providers.
While ongoing courses continue, the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) has halted new admissions since December 2025 pending an internal audit, leaving many applicants – including asylum seekers, tolerated migrants and Ukrainians with temporary protection – unable to access language and integration classes.
READ ALSO: 'Catastrophic' - German state of Saxony to cut integration budget in half
The Federal Ministry of the Interior confirmed that previously granted admissions remain valid and that funding for 2026 will match the previous year’s €1.064 million.
But the ministry could not specify when the review would conclude or when new admissions might resume. Under German law, migrants with permanent residency have a legal right to integration courses, while others may participate if places are available.
Hungary jails German activist for eight years over attacks on far-right
A Budapest court on Wednesday jailed a non-binary German anti-fascist campaigner for eight years for participating in violence ahead of a far-right event honouring Nazi soldiers.
Before the guilty verdict was given, 25-year-old Maja T. questioned whether a fair trial had been held.
"We all know what verdict the prime minister of this country wants," Maja T. told the court, referring to nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has designated anti-fascist groups linked to the attacks as terrorist organisations.
The accused's father called the hearing "a political show trial."Â
READ ALSO: Germany 'concerned' for far-left activist held in Hungary
Maja T. was accused of involvement in violence in 2023 ahead of a far-right demonstration in Budapest, in which groups mark a failed breakout bid in 1945 by the Waffen-SS and allied Hungarian troops after the city was surrounded by the advancing Soviet army.
Prosecutors said the defendant was one of 19 members of a multinational far-left group that travelled to Hungary and attacked nine people, including German and Polish citizens, whom they identified as far-right extremists.
Victims suffered broken bones and head injuries.
Far-right MP detained over alleged Belarus sanctions breach
German police detained a regional lawmaker of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) in a state parliament Wednesday for questioning about a suspected breach of EU export sanctions on Belarus.
A photo in the Bild newspaper showed Jörg Dornau, 56, a businessman and MP for the Moscow-friendly party in the eastern state of Saxony, being led out of the state parliament's debating chamber.
A little earlier, deputies had voted to strip him of his parliamentary immunity.
Dornau is accused of having exported a vehicular crane to Russia ally Belarus in 2022 and falsely declaring the destination as Kazakhstan, say Leipzig prosecutors.
Customs officers searched his home and vehicles, prosecutors said.
"The searches serve to secure items that may be considered as evidence in the investigation," prosecutors said.
Under European Union sanctions put into place after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, exports of industrial equipment to Belarus, Russia's close ally, are heavily restricted.
Dornau was fined over 20,000 euros last August by parliamentary authorities for having failed to disclose his financial interest in a Belarusian onion farm.
The AfD is accused of being overly friendly to Moscow, while many inside the party say it is in Germany's interest to have a good relationship with Russia. Though no AfD politician has been convicted of spying for Russia, some have been accused of inappropriate links.
READ ALSO: Anti-immigration AfD party wants to bring ICE to Germany
Tuberculosis case prompts mass testing at Brandenburg kindergarten
Around 130 children and staff at a kindergarten in Senftenberg, southern Brandenburg, are undergoing precautionary blood tests after tuberculosis was diagnosed in a four-year-old child, authorities announced.
The Landkreis Oberspreewald-Lausitz confirmed the positive test result on Monday, prompting swift action from the local health office.
Testing began Wednesday and is slated for completion this week, supported by a nearby clinic. Samples will be taken at the facility and health office. Officials emphasised that tuberculosis, a rare notifiable disease in Germany caused by airborne bacteria, spreads less easily than common colds – especially from young children, who are rarely highly infectious.
No additional cases have surfaced so far and the kindergarten remains open.
The child's parents tested negative and are under medical observation. Parents at the Kita have responded calmly, a district spokesperson noted.
This incident follows a January tuberculosis case at a vocational school in neighbouring Bautzen, Saxony, where one secondary infection was confirmed.
READ ALSO: Where in Germany are you most likely to catch an STD?
With reporting by AFP and Paul Krantz.
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