North Rhine-Westphalia is CDU’s ‘powerhouse’ — state premier
North Rhine-Westphalia state premier Hendrik Wüst of the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party called his state “the powerhouse of the CDU.”
Wüst wrote on X after initial projections on Sunday evening showed that his party is set for victory in Germany’s most populous state.
The result also demonstrates that the center-right party in North Rhine-Westphalia is “the pacesetter for strong election results for the CDU throughout Germany,” Wüst said.
SPD co-leader disappointed by NRW election results
Bärbel Bas, the co-chairperson of the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), said she is disappointed at her party’s showing in local elections in North Rhine-Westphalia on Sunday.
Bas, who is also the federal Labor Minister, acknowledged to regional public broadcaster WDR that the party was unable to “stop the downward trend.”
“The results do not make me happy, of course,” she added.
The SPD is projected to finish second, with around 22% of the vote.
However, Bas insisted that the outcome is not the disaster for the SPD that had been predicted ahead of the vote.
“We must, of course, ask ourselves how we can get out of this slump,” said Bas, who added that the performance of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) should be a concern for all democratic parties.
The SPD has struggled at the ballot box recently. February’s federal election was the party’s worst result since 1887.
Germany beats Turkey to win EuroBasket title
Germany’s men’s basketball team won its second ever European title after defeating Turkey in the EuroBasket 2025 final in Riga on Sunday night.
The reigning world champions beat the Turks 88-83 thanks to a strong showing from NBA star Dennis Schröder, who was named the MVP of the tournament.
Legacy of racist Nuremberg Laws still lingers in Germany
Who is German — and what exactly makes someone German? Germans have been arguing about these issues for centuries.
The constitution, called the Basic Law, is clear: a German is anyone with a German passport.
Citizenship cannot be revoked, and discriminating against citizens on the basis of their religion, origin or language violates the Basic Law’s fundamental values.
This is one of the lessons learned from the Nazi regime’s reign of terror from 1933 to 1945, which systematically disenfranchised, terrorized and murdered Germany’s Jewish population in particular. Sinti and Roma, homosexuals, disabled people and political opponents, among others, were also targeted and were denied their German identity.
Thieves steal almost all ripe grapes from 2 vineyards
Nearly all of the ripe grapes have been stolen from two vineyards covering an area of around 8,000 square meters in the western state of Rhineland-Palatinate .
The theft is estimated to cost two independent winemakers in the village of Gundheim “several thousand euros,” police said in a statement.
The village is near the city of Worms, which is about 60 kilometers (37 miles) south of Germany’s financial capital Frankfurt am Main.
The grape varieties affected are Riesling and Sauvignon blanc.
Authorities said the alleged perpetrators had “acted professionally and with considerable logistical effort.”
“Due to the amount of stolen goods, it must be assumed that at least one larger vehicle or several means of transport were used,” police said.
Anyone witnessing suspicious people or vehicles near the vineyards between September 6 and Sunday has been asked to contact the police.
AfD is now a ‘major party’ — Chrupalla
Tino Chrupalla, the co-leader of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) with Alice Weidel, hailed the initial forecasts, which predict that his far-right party has more than tripled its share of votes in the local elections in North Rhine-Westphalia.
“We are a major party and we all bear a great responsibility for Germany,” he posted on X.
