Kate Brady

Germany’s identity crisis: The trains no longer run on time Germans are deeply frustrated over a train system that is falling apart, undermining the punctuality that has long been core to Germany’s national self-image.

Germany is having an identity crisis: It's trains no longer run on time. Not even close.

Here's how bad it's gotten: Switzerland has stopped allowing some German trains past the border city of Basel because they're messing up the (more reliable) Swiss network

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Germany’s Friedrich Merz named chancellor after parliamentary setback Merz won in a second round of voting after failing to secure an absolute majority in an earlier round.

Aaand he's in. Friedrich Merz is Germany's new chancellor. Amid soaring global tensions, Germany’s allies are looking to Berlin to anchor a reimagined European security strategy. But today's unexpected setback has cast doubt over the long-sought stability.
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BSW leader Sahra Wagenknecht said she's considering having the election results legally reviewed after narrowly missing the 5% threshold by 0.03 points. If BSW were in fact to hold seats in the Bundestag, the majority situation would change and Merz' hopes of a two-party coalition would be scuppered

After the leftist populist BSW and the neo-liberal FDP failed to cross the 5% threshold to sit in the Bundestag, the only viable two-party coalition for the conservative Union would be with the Social Dems. All parties rule out coalition with the far-right AfD, who said they are still open to talks.

Final preliminary result is out: Friedrich Merz is one step closer to the chancellery after Germany's conservative CDU/CSU won Sunday's election. But it's a weak win. It was the Union's second-worst federal election result.
The far-right AfD, meanwhile, doubled its 2021 result to finish second.

Moin.