Authorities say there are 1,933 missing children cases nationwide, up 6.8% from the year before. And, travellers in Germany seem nervous when it comes to air travel, amid the war in Iran, a survey suggests.
More than a million people attend a sunny Carnival of Culture parade in Berlin
More than 1.1 million people attended the annual Carnival of Cultures parade in Berlin, organizers said.
The parade, founded in the 1990s, celebrates diversity and peaceful coexistence in the German capital and is held during the Pentecost holiday weekend.
Cultural groups representing communities from around the world marched along Karl-Marx-Allee in traditional costumes, with live music and dance performances, as hundreds of thousands of spectators gathered for one of Europe’s largest multicultural street festivals.
Organizers said 67 groups, or 4,000 participants, showcased their talent this year.
The sunshine no doubt contributed to the parade’s lively spirit.
German student ‘wins’ Swedish island
A German student is among five people who have won the “Your Swedish Island” campaign.
Miriam Wiskemann from Düsseldorf will for the next year become the custodian of a Swedish island in the competition run by the Swedish Tourism Board.
“There are no specific obligations,” Miriam Wiskemann told German news agency dpa.
The main requirement is that the winners do not interfere with Sweden’s right of unfettered public access to the land.
The island consists of rocks and was colonized by cormorants in the 1990s.
It is accessible only by watercraft and lies around six kilometres off the west coast of Sweden in an archipelago near a nature reserve.
The competition garnered 2,242 applications from around 100 countries. The other winners come from Canada, the United States, the Netherlands and Switzerland.
Social media ban for kids likely to be ineffective — Interior Minister Dobrindt
Conservative Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt has spoken out against a state-imposed ban on social media for children, saying it was simplistic to see such a move as the sole solution to the problems they cause for young people.
“A simple ban would be difficult to enforce and, for that reason, not particularly effective,” Dobrindt, a member of the Bavarian Christian Social Union (CSU) told the Funke media group.
He said that in the end, it was up to families to decide when and if a child should receive a smartphone, adding that social media were now integral to everyday life.
“Responsibility cannot simply be shifted entirely in one direction or the other. But state action in this area cannot work without the involvement of families,” he said in the interview, published on Monday.
German politicians are currently debating whether to introduce a ban on social media use for children under the age of 14, with recommendations from an expert commission appointed by Youth Minister Karin Prien expected soon.
According to a survey conducted in April by the Bavarian Research Institute for Digital Transformation, around two-thirds of people in Germany, or 66%, support introducing a social media ban for children under 14.
Man looking for ‘lost shoe’ at Munich zoo, gets trapped in bison enclosure
Emergency services in Munich got an unusual callout Sunday evening after receiving a distress call from a man trapped in a local zoo’s bison enclosure.
Police said the call for help came in at around 9:45 p.m. (1945 UTC/GMT) from a 23-year-old man who said he had gotten lost in the bison enclosure, after trying to retrieve a lost shoe.
The man told emergency services that he had accidentally knocked his shoe over a fence and that his attempt to retrieve his footwear resulted in him getting stuck in the electrified enclosure housing the Thalkirchen Zoo’s bisons.
Responding police officers managed to locate the man and, together with zoo staff, rescue him.
The man suffered some minor scrapes and a head injury and was taken to hospital by ambulance.
Police said the rescue operation proceeded smoothly and that the bison were able to go about their business unimpeded.
The missing footwear, police said, was located.
Thousands of chickens die in poultry farm fire
A fire at a poultry farm in the western German state of Saarland has killed several thousand chickens.
Police said that preliminary assessments indicated that the cost of the damage at the farm in the district of Hemmerdorf could amount to some €1 million ($1.16 million).
They said a large proportion of the 7,000 animals at the farm had been killed in the blaze, which broke out in the early hours of Monday.
The fire brigade needed several hours to bring the conflagration under control, according to the police.
The cause of the fire remains unclear.
Saarland, the second smallest German state by area, borders directly on both France and Luxembourg.
More than 1,900 missing children in Germany
German authorities say that more than 1,900 children are listed as missing and that the figure is up from a year before.
German news agency dpa cited the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) as saying that there were 1,933 unresolved missing children cases nationwide.
That figure is up from the year before where there were 1,810 open missing children cases, representing an upward trend of 6.8%.
The BKA said that the numbers include recent disappearances and unsolved cases from years prior.
The vast majority of are resolved the federal agency said.
“Even though the number of cases have risen significantly, the clearance rate has remained consistently high,” a police spokesman said.
The figures deal with children aged up to and including 13 years old.
“Generally speaking, 96% of cases are resolved within three months,” the spokesman said.
Most missing children cases involve parental abductions, repeat runaways or unaccompanied minor refugees, dpa cited the BKA as saying.
Possibility of jet fuel shortage causing jitters among German travellers — survey
A new survey has found that a high proportion of travellers from Germany are concerned about the possibility of a jet fuel shortage as a result of the war in Iran.
The representative poll conducted by management firm SAP Concur found that 62% of respondents had changed travel behaviour due to the possibility of disruption.
Nearly half were ditching air travel altogether, with 46% opting to travel by train or by car.
The company found that one in five people surveyed had already cancelled or rebooked their flights or had experienced an airline cancel their flight due to the concerns.
“Anyone travelling in the coming weeks should plan flexibly,” the German news agency DPA quoted Michael Schmitz, a manager at SAP Concur, as saying.
“That means considering alternatives to flying, such as trains or rental cars, where possible, and rebooking as quickly as possible in the event of cancellations. Travellers should document any additional costs and keep their receipts,” Schmitz said.
Berlin police scramble after man threatens children with gun
A man is under investigation after he allegedly threatened children with a weapon in Berlin, triggering a major police response.
Police on Sunday said the 35-year-old stepped onto a balcony in the Hellersdorf district on Saturday evening, complained about noise and held a long gun while threatening to cause them harm.
The children ran away, and a witness alerted authorities. Officers, including a special forces unit, entered the apartment and found two other adults inside, a 47-year-old man and a 43-year-old woman.
Police seized a long gun with a magazine but no ammunition, two prohibited knives and nearly 8,700 suspected smuggled cigarettes.
After his identity was verified and police procedures were completed on-site, the 35-year-old was released. The 47-year-old apartment resident, to whom the seized items were attributed, was taken into police custody for identification procedures, after which he was also released. Further investigations are ongoing.
Germany condemns Russian missile strike near Kyiv
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has sharply condemned Russia’s latest missile attacks on the Ukrainian capital region.
He said the government denounced the “reckless escalation” and reaffirmed that Germany stands firmly with Ukraine.
Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul described Russia’s “missile terror” as shocking, calling the use of the Oreschnik intermediate-range missile a further escalation. He said it underscored the need to continue strengthening Ukraine.
Wadephul discussed additional financial support for Ukraine with counterparts at a NATO foreign ministers’ meeting in Helsingborg, according to the Foreign Office.
Russia said it had used the missile in response to what it called Ukrainian attacks on civilian targets. Ukrainian authorities said the strike hit the city of Bila Tserkva.
Earlier, Ukraine’s air defense there had been a combined attack involving 600 drones, 90 missiles and cruise missiles. One strike damaged the studio of German broadcaster ARD in Kyiv, prompting condemnation from Germany’s leading journalists’ association.
Dortmund to play in 2026 Supercup after Bayern cup win
Bayern Munich’s German Cup win is arguably good news for archrivals Borussia Dortmund.
Stuttgart’s loss to the Bavarians in Saturday’s match means they don’t get to play in the German Supercup.
That gives Dortmund, who finished the league in second place, a chance to take a tilt at another title and prize money.
The two sides last met in the Supercup in 2021, when Bayern won 3–1.
The Franz Beckenbauer Supercup is scheduled for August 22, 2026. The match guarantees a boost to finances, with recent prize money at €3 million ($3.48 million) for the winner and €2 million for the runner-up. The venue has yet to be announced.
Poll shows doubts over Germany’s defense readiness
Many people in Germany have expressed doubts about the country’s ability to defend itself in an attack.
A survey by Insa for the newspaper Bild am Sonntag found that only 17% of respondents believe the Bundeswehr could adequately defend Germany; 72% disagreed.
Concerns about a potential Russian attack have declined, with 38% saying they are worried compared with 50% who are not. In September 2025, a majority had still expressed concern.
Fears are significantly higher when it comes to hybrid threats. Around two-thirds of respondents said they are concerned about cyberattacks, sabotage, or disinformation affecting life in Germany, while just over one in five said they were not worried.
The survey was conducted between May 21 and 22 among 1,005 respondents and is considered representative.
German lawmakers visit Taiwan to boost ties
A delegation from the German Bundestag has arrived in Taiwan to deepen parliamentary cooperation.
The five-member group, led by Green Party lawmaker Till Steffen, said the visit aims to strengthen ties with the island claimed by China.
Steffen said Taiwan is an important partner sharing democratic values, adding that both sides face growing challenges from authoritarian forces. He said the delegation also wants to convey this message to President Lai Ching-te.
The group is set to meet Lai on Tuesday and hold talks with former president Tsai Ing-wen, as well as lawmakers, business representatives and civil society figures.
The delegation, which includes members from multiple German parties, is scheduled to remain in Taiwan until May 31.
Source : https://www.dw.com/en/germany-news-more-than-1900-missing-children/live-77272115
