Bayern power into German Cup final
Bayern Munich have taken a major step toward a treble, reaching their first German Cup final since 2020 with a 2–0 win at Bayer Leverkusen.
Top scorer Harry Kane opened the scoring midway through the first half, while Luis Díaz wrapped it up in stoppage time.
Bayern will face either Stuttgart or Freiburg in the final in Berlin on on May 23, but first need to focus on their Champions League semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain next week.
The semi-final victory comes just days after Bayern sealed a record 35th Bundesliga title.
IN DEPTH: Jet fuel crisis deepens as Lufthansa cuts flights
The war in Iran is having a profound effect on the global aviation sector. Shortages and surging prices of jet fuel are wreaking havoc on flight routes.
Lufthansa, Germany’s largest airline, announced that it had canceled 20,000 flights between May and October in an attempt to save fuel.
FC Bayern’s women win fourth championship in a row
FC Bayern’s women’s team secured their eighth Bundesliga championship on Wednesday with a 3:2 victory over Union Berlin.
Just three days ago, FC Bayern’s men sealed the deal, and now the women have done the same.
Goals on Wednesday came from Edna Imade, Barbara Dunst and Giulia Gwinn, captain of the German national team.
Speaking after the game, Dunst said, “This is absolutely incredible,” before adding: “We have another big match coming up in the next few days, so we’re taking it easy for now. We’ll save it for later.”
Coach Jose Barclay’s team has four games left on the schedule but they are hot to win the so-called triple — the Bundesliga, the Champion’s League and the German DFB Cup.
They will have their chance to advance to the Champions League final when they square off against Spain’s FC Barcelona on Saturday. They will then face rivals VfL Wolfsburg in the DFB Cup final on May 14.
Germany’s Rheinmetall to supply Bundeswehr with kamikaze drones
German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall will supply the nation’s military, the Bundeswehr, with a classified number of explosives-laden drones.
These loitering munitions can circle a target before autonomously dive-bombing it.
Delivery of the UAVs, which will be produced in the western German city of Neuss, is scheduled for the first half of 2027.
The order placed for FV-014 model drones was made under a framework contract worth €1 billion ($1.2 billion), according to informed sources.
“With the FV-014, the Bundeswehr will acquire another weapon system with which it can protect its own forces and engage critical targets quickly, in a controlled and effective manner,” Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger said of the deal.
Rheinmetall, a producer of classic arms, has lagged on the drone front and is playing catch-up with competitors like Stark, and Helsing, both of which have signed such framework deals with the Bundeswehr already.
Germany, India set to deepen defense production cooperation
Germany and India are set to ink a new arms production deal that would see the two nations collaborate in the construction of battle submarines.
On Wednesday in Berlin, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius signed a 10-point plan designed to enhance defense production cooperation, alongside a team of Indian representatives.
Pistorius also traveled to the northern city of Kiel with his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh, where the two toured the facilities of the German TKMS shipbuilding company.
Pistorius said the deal will lift “industrial arms cooperation to the next level.”
Pistorius said both partners would profit from the deal, not just their industries, but also their armies.
Germany’s federal government must still approve the final deal but Pistorius seems certain it will, saying, “I’m confident we’ll be able to sign a final deal soon.”
India has said that it wants to team up with TKMS to build six new submarines in Mumbai worth as much as €8 billion ($9.3 billion).
According to the SIPRI research institute, India is the world’s largest importer of arms.
Between 2019 and 2023, the country procured some 36% of military hardware from Russia. That trend is waning at the moment.
India’s Rajnath Singh meets Germany’s Boris Pistorius
India’s Minister of Defense, Rajnath Singh, began a three-day state visit to Germany with the aim of bolstering defense relations between the two countries.
After meeting with his German counterpart, Boris Pistorius, Singh wrote on X that they had exchanged views on a wide range of issues, including ways to deepen defense cooperation and address emerging geopolitical challenges.
Singh also said he witnessed the signing of the Defense Industrial Roadmap and the Implementing Arrangement for Cooperation in UN Peacekeeping.
Before the trip, India’s Defense Ministry said talks will focus on strengthening “military-to-military engagements,” and exploring opportunities in areas like cyber security, artificial intellegence and drones.
Ahead of Singh’s visit, speculation grew that the two ministers may even finalize a critical defense contract for the supply of six advanced submarines to the Indian Navy. The deal involves building the submarines in India transfering their design and technology to India.
Merz: Climate protection is important but must not hold economy back
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz reaffirmed Germany’s commitment to climate protection, but said emissions cuts must not undermine economic and industrial growth.
He told a Berlin climate conference that climate policies must be multilateral, ambitious, and effective to retain public support and competitiveness.
“A transformation which leads to deindustrialization will not be accepted by the public and will ultimately hinder innovation,” he said. “Nevertheless, we will continue to be an important sponsor of public climate action.”
Russia to block oil flow from Kazakhstan to Germany
Russia has confirmed its plans to halt oil exports from Kazakhstan to Germany via the Druzhba pipeline from May 1.
“From 1 May, volumes of Kazakh oil previously transported via the Druzhba pipeline to Germany will indeed be redirected to other available logistics routes. This is due to current technical capacities,” Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak told journalists.
The move threatens a key refinery which supplies the vast majority of diesel, petrol and heating oil needed for the German capital, Berlin.
Source : https://www.dw.com/en/germany-news-lufthansa-scraps-20000-flights/live-76891766
