More than 45,000 students in 100 cities took to the streets in Germany to protest against mandatory military service. While the government aims to increase the number of military personnel from 180,000 to 260,000, young people are opposing the introduction of compulsory service. Students carried banners reading: “School Strike Against Mandatory Military Service. Against War and Rearmament. Youth Against Compulsory Service.” Bela Breitner, a spokesperson for the initiative, sa

A study by Passport Reports examined the strength of national passports based on the number of destinations their holders can visit visa-free, with an electronic travel authorization (ETA), or by obtaining a visa on arrival. The Results 1. United Arab Emirates 2. Singapore 3. Spain Spanish passport holders can travel to 121 countries visa-free, while they can enter another 42 countries with a visa on arrival. 4. Malaysia 5. Luxembourg Luxembourg passport holders can travel to

Turkish truck drivers are reportedly being turned away at EU border crossings due to the Schengen 90/180-day rule. Nearly half of Türkiye’s exports to the European Union are transported by road, meaning the issue is also affecting the flow of trade. Reports that drivers have been turned away from Italy’s Trieste port and Bulgaria’s Kapıkule border crossing have triggered concerns across both the transportation and export sectors. “Drivers spend time not only loading and unloa

An unusual travel trend has emerged involving passports. Some travelers are wrapping their passports in aluminum foil in an effort to protect themselves from digital data theft. The practice stems from concerns that criminals or other malicious individuals could steal sensitive information from the passport wirelessly as they pass by. According to Germany’s Federal Office for Information Security (BSI), the contactless chip embedded in passports enables fast and fraud-resista

China’s technology giant UBTECH Robotics has taken a major step that could go down in industrial history. The company has officially launched what is described as the world’s first humanoid robot factory with a mass-production capacity of 10,000 units. Located in the city of Liuzhou in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in southern China, the facility is designed to minimize human intervention and operates on a principle straight out of science fiction: “Robots building rob

Elif Eralp’s family sought asylum in Germany from Türkiye following the 1980 military coup. Her mother, a teacher, was eight months pregnant with Elif at the time. Eralp was born in Munich. Her father was a doctor. Now 45, Eralp is a lawyer and mother of two who speaks Turkish, German, English and Spanish. Under Eralp’s leadership, Die Linke (The Left) increased its vote share by around 12 percentage points and emerged as the strongest party in Berlin with 25.7% of the vote.

Elif Eralp has achieved a historic electoral breakthrough in Berlin. Her victory was celebrated with traditional festivities, including people dancing the halay. The Turkish-German politician could become Berlin’s first female governing mayor with a migration background. Eralp led Die Linke (The Left) to a major electoral breakthrough in Berlin. The party, which had previously been a relatively weak political force in the city, emerged as the strongest party with around 25.7%

Did U.S. President Donald Trump get what he wanted in Greenland? In a post on his Truth Social account on Friday, Trump said: “I am pleased to announce that the United States has reached an agreement with the Kingdom of Denmark and Greenland that provides for enduring control over the security of Greenland.” Trump’s statement came as a surprise after he had repeatedly demanded that Denmark hand over Greenland following his return to the presidency. He had previously refused t

Europe is increasingly on alert over the possibility of Russian attacks, as a series of warnings and security measures from European leaders have raised questions about the nature and scale of the threat. 📌 Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has warned that Russian missiles could eventually strike European territory. 📌 Polish President Karol Nawrocki has referred to the possibility of Poland’s territory being used in the event of a wider conflict. 📌 German Chancellor Friedr

U.S. President Donald Trump described the European Union’s proposal to offer Canada associate membership as “ridiculous” and threatened to impose additional tariffs on European goods. Source: Habertürk

Canada has been invited to become the European Union’s first associate member. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that Canada had been invited to join the European Union as an “associate member.” The EU and Ottawa are seeking to establish a deeper partnership in areas including technology, defense, the Arctic and energy. European Parliament President Roberta Metsola went even further, suggesting that countries such as Australia and New Zealand, along

Germany, France, Italy, Portugal, Greece, Malta, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Belgium have requested additional time to fully implement the Entry/Exit System (EES) at the EU’s external borders. Nine countries have asked Brussels for an extension to complete the rollout of biometric checks at busy airports and border crossings for travelers arriving from outside the European Union. The Entry/Exit System (EES) was scheduled to be fully operational as of September 6 at Schen

Andreas Schleicher, the founder of the world-renowned PISA assessments, has warned that “artificial intelligence is eroding essential skills.” Schleicher described the current picture of student performance in Europe as “truly concerning.” He said the results indicate that young people are losing fundamental skills that are particularly important for navigating the times we live in. The standardized 2025 assessment, involving 15-year-old students across 91 countries, found th

The AfD’s victory in Saxony-Anhalt has shaken Germany. AfD co-leader Alice Weidel accused the government of allowing mass migration to continue and called for the deportation of asylum seekers whom she described as coming largely from “Muslim traditional cultures.” Chancellor Friedrich Merz, meanwhile, said the AfD’s concept of “remigration” amounted to “ethnic cleansing based on origin and skin color.” Tensions escalated during the first plenary session of the Bundestag foll

Volkswagen plans to cut 50,000 jobs worldwide as part of a major restructuring aimed at reducing costs and strengthening the company’s competitiveness. However, plans to close four plants in Germany have not yet been finalized. Of the planned job cuts, around 35,000 will come from Volkswagen’s core brand, while the remainder will affect subsidiaries including Audi and Porsche. The figure includes positions at management level. Volkswagen, one of Germany’s and Europe’s largest

🚨 Germany’s Position:Germany says Russia was behind the drone attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport. On August 4, a drone carrying explosive material was found at Leipzig/Halle Airport in eastern Germany, near Ukrainian cargo aircraft. Germany’s response: 📍 The Russian Consulate in Bonn is being closed. 📍 The contract for the Russian House in Berlin is being terminated. 📍 Entry controls for Russian citizens are being tightened. Russia’s Position: 📍 Moscow has pointed to Berlin

🚨 “We will leave the euro and Schengen.” 🚨 “We will radically restrict immigration.” 🚨 “All 1.3 million Syrians will be sent back.” 🚨 “No more refugees will be brought from Afghanistan by plane.” Alice Weidel, co-leader of Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which has rapidly increased its support in recent years, made a series of striking statements during the German public broadcaster ZDF’s Summer Interview program. Reiterating her pledge to withdra

Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, German security agencies have repeatedly accused Russia of carrying out hybrid attacks in Germany. In recent months, they have issued a series of warnings that Russian intelligence services may be planning assassinations targeting defense industry executives and Russian dissidents in the country. According to German media reports, security authorities believe a weapons cache discovered in a forest belonged to Russian agents and was i

Germany’s economy is showing signs of recovery after recording growth for three consecutive quarters, yet one in four companies is struggling to find qualified workers. The Munich-based ifo Institute has published the results of its latest business survey. The share of companies reporting a shortage of skilled workers rose from 21.1% to 23.2% in April. 📌 Which sectors are facing growing shortages of skilled workers? 🎈 In the telecommunications sector, the share of companies

The share of young people in Germany’s population has declined significantly over the past 40 years, while families with an immigrant background are becoming increasingly prominent among the country’s younger generations. 📌 In Germany, the share of people aged 15–24 fell from 16.7% in 1983 to around 10% today, representing approximately 8.3 million people. As young people make up an increasingly smaller share of Germany’s population, children from immigrant families are play