A large-scale police operation in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia has targeted biker gang crime. Meanwhile, Germany is to bid again for a non-permanent seat in the UN Security Council.
England captain Harry Kane set the tone for a thrilling match by opening the scoring for Bayern with a penalty kick.
However, PSG came back from a one-goal deficit to take a 5-2 lead. Then, just before the hour mark, Bayern scored twice in three minutes to improve their chances in next week's return leg in Munich, where a spot in the May 30 final in Budapest will be decided.
Wadephul also discussed a number of other foreign policy issues in an interview DW's Berlin bureau Max Hofmann in New York.
Touching on the EU's role in NATO , Wadephul said the alliance is "going into its next phase." "This year we will clearly define the burden shifting between what the EU does and what the US is contributing," he added.
Meanwhile, Wadephul said Trump's Board of Peace would not replace the role of United Nations.
"If you look at the situation in the Gaza Strip, the Board of Peace was very useful," he said. "But if you look to the rest of the world, I would say the UN system is our Board of Peace and that is what we are defending and what Germany is engaged on." Wadephul also touched on Germany's campaign to become a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council.
"The chances are good, but it's a democracy — we can win; we can lose," he said. "We have some experience as we have for six times been a non-permanent member. We are campaigning for us, not against others." https://p.dw.com/p/5CyWD Skip next section WATCH: As cyberattacks threaten Germany, can Berlin keep data safe?
04/28/2026 April 28, 2026 WATCH: As cyberattacks threaten Germany, can Berlin keep data safe?
Dmytro Hubenko Editor Cyberattacks on Germany are intensifying. From airports and railways to public services and industry, critical infrastructure is under threat. DW investigates how prepared Germany is to defend itself in cyberspace.
As cyberattacks threaten Germany, can Berlin keep data safe?
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video https://p.dw.com/p/5CyQU Skip next section Trump says Merz 'doesn't know what he's talking about' on Iran 04/28/2026 April 28, 2026 Trump says Merz 'doesn't know what he's talking about' on Iran US President Donald Trump has slammed German Chancellor Friedrich Merz for his comments on the US-Israel war with Iran.
Merz said on Monday that Washington appeared to lack a clear strategy and questioned what kind of exit the US might pursue. He added that Tehran was in the process of "humiliating" the United States in the ongoing conflict.
In his response on Tuesday, Trump said the German chancellor "doesn’t know what he’s talking about" and that if Iran acquired a nuclear weapon, "the whole world would be held hostage." "I am doing something with Iran, right now, that other Nations, or Presidents, should have done long ago. No wonder Germany is doing so poorly, both Economically, and otherwise!" Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform.
Wadephul said he got this impression from his meetings at the UN, including with Argentinian Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno.
"It's a good sign," Wadephul said, while adding that the "international community is also clearly of the opinion that Iran must be prevented from developing a nuclear weapon." "This world does not not need new nuclear powers; rather, this world needs fewer nuclear weapons," Wadephul said.
According to preliminary figures from the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) , around 655,000 live births were recorded in 2025, compared to around 680,000 in 2024.
Last year, the country recorded more than one million deaths. This brings the birth deficit to around 350,000, setting yet another record.
As the number of women of childbearing age declines in Germany, birth rates are projected to continue falling.
The German Family Association says family-unfriendly structural policies are to blame.
Read more about the story here .
The animal moved through a previously dredged channel into the barge after helpers had pulled it in that direction with straps. Live footage showed crews guiding the weakened animal into the vessel, which is set to tow it toward the North Sea or Atlantic.
The whale, native to the Atlantic, had been roaming near the German Baltic coast since early March, stranding multiple times and becoming entangled in nets. For the past four weeks, it had been stuck in a shallow inlet near the Wismar Bay area.
After several initial attempts failed, two entrepreneurs came forward to finance the latest rescue bid. Many uninvolved experts have rejected the late rescue effort as pointless, but the authorities have allowed it to proceed.
The previous goal of reaching the landmark by 2040 was implemented as recently as 2022.
Under Tuesday's change, Bavaria is abolishing a target of its own and instead adopting the federal government's nationwide target date of 2045.
Bavaria is one of Germany's wealthiest states per capita as well as a major industrial and agricultural producer.
The state had previously lauded its plans for more ambitious goals than the nationwide targets.
It's not yet clear when the new target will come into force, as it will still need to secure approval from the responsible authorities and clear the state parliament.
German news agencies cited sources in the ministry as saying that the government had agreed to introduce such charges in the coming year. The policy idea has met with resistance from Christian Democrat party members and some federal and state ministers.
Similar charges for plastics were also reportedly under consideration, but with clarification of the details still necessary.
A special commission looking into Germany's creaking finances — with borrowing and spending increasing despite attempts by the government to make cuts — recommended a tax on sugary drinks modeled on a similar law introduced in the UK.
It recommended a tax of €0.26 (roughly $0.30) per liter on drinks with more than 5 grams of sugar per 100 mililiters, and €0.32 for more than 8 grams.
Other tax changes under consideration include increasing taxes on alcohol and tobacco products.
Given the government's plans to reform income taxes and reduce the income tax burden for low- and middle-earners, coupled with the fuel tax breaks issued in response to the war in Iran , the need to balance the books with other stealth taxes or welfare cuts could intensify.
Berlin under pressure to fix pensions, health care and taxes To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video https://p.dw.com/p/5Cx0F Skip next section German intelligence warns of potential attacks by pro-Iranian group 04/28/2026 April 28, 2026 German intelligence warns of potential attacks by pro-Iranian group German intelligence authorities have said they believe a pro-Iranian group intends to carry out more attacks in Europe, and of a more violent nature than previously.
The little-known group, called Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya (HAYI), has already carried out a number of attacks, mostly arson attacks, on Israeli and US institutions in Europe since March 9, the BfV intelligence agency told the Handelsblatt daily.
It said the group's threat to "no longer limit itself to 'simple' attacks but to include more dangerous means in the long term" was new.
It said that meant the group might use explosives or firearms in future attacks.
"The organization uses various channels from the extremist Shiite and pro-Iranian sector in various social media to report on its activities," the BfV said.
The group had openly threatened "Israeli institutions and so-called enemies of Islam in Europe," it said.
Experts believe that Iran's Revolutionary Guards could be behind the group.
A whole 15% of respondents in the survey by digital industry group Bitkom reported using AI applications daily, with a further 19% said they did so at least once a week.
But 22% of participants said they do not use or plan to use the technology.
Almost three-quarters of respondents (72%) said they believe Germany is too dependent on the US when it comes to AI, however.
Only 11% of respondents said they have few or no fears in relation to AI.
Fears about AI included concerns that it could spread misinformation that is hard to detect (50% of respondents) and that it could gain too much power (49%).
Private usage included help with everyday issues (54%), shopping (21%), travel preparation (21%) and counselling on personal questions (44%) or those related to health or finances (34% and 21% respectively).
In the workplace, just under half (48%) of participants use AI, while 45% reject its usage, according to the survey.
The most popular AI platform was ChatGPT (71%), with Google's Gemini (50%) and Microsoft's Copilot (43%) also counting high numbers of users. Elon Musk's Grok (6%), Anthropic's Clauda (5%) and Le Chat by European company Mistral (4%) trailed far behind.
The survey was conducted with 1,003 people aged 16 and over in Germany between March and April.
Why do people tell ChatGPT their problems?
The environment minister of the northeastern German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Till Backhaus, said the regional government had given the green light for the plan, funded by two entrepreneurs.
The attempt is to be made despite concerns from environmental organizations and marine wildlife experts that it could cause the animal more pain.
But Backhaus said that vets associated with the initiative had confirmed that the animal, said to be around 5 or 6 years old, is well enough to be transported.
Under the plan, straps will be used to guide the some 12-ton, 13-meter-long (40-foot-long) whale, dubbed "Timmy" by the media, through a dredged channel to a transport barge that could tow it towards the North Sea.
The whale has run aground in shallow water in the Baltic Sea five times.
The case has been making headlines in Germany for several weeks.
Reul told journalists that police had arrested the president of the Leverkusen chapter of the group, which was banned shortly before the raids took place.
Numerous Harley-Davidson motorbikes of unknown ownership had been found in the president's workshop, Reul said, while weapons had also been seized during the raids in his state.
"Initial indications also point to a profit-oriented cultivation of narcotics," he said, adding that biker groups had nothing to do with "motorcycle romanticism" but rather with organized criminality.
Anyone who was a member of such groups had to expect to find "the police standing in their bedroom one morning. Not as a guest, but with a search warrant," he said.
Rare earth magnets are used in many products, including electric vehicles, wind turbines and consumer electronics.
The opening of the plant, operated by start-up HyProMag, comes as Europe seeks to reduce its dependence on China for rare earths.
Funds for the plant's construction came from the EU as well as the German government.
The facility aims to produce 750 metric tons (827 US tons) of magnets a year by 2028.
Current EU demand is about 20,000 tons a year.
The AfD has said it wants to see homeless people and people addicted to drugs evicted from the center of Düsseldorf to areas at the edge of the city.
It said the "walk" aimed to give its representatives a better picture of the situation in the inner city.
Among other things, the AfD invited Lena Kotre , a party member who is a member of parliament in the eastern state of Brandenburg, to speak at a gathering in the evening The 38-year-old politician, who also took part in the "walk," is seen as a radical advocate of "remigration" or the mass deportation of people seen by the AfD as undesirable.
Counterprotesters used whistles and loud music to underline their cause.
Some also set up a "cage" containing volunteers from the homeless and drug scene to protest at the AfD's plan.
The AfD has rapidly been gaining popularity across Germany, with one recent survey putting its support at 28% — ahead of the conservative bloc of Chancellor Friedrich Merz that leads the coalition government.
