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For now, we are pausing our coverage. Tune in again on Sunday morning for more German news and analysis.
German coalition government at lowest approval rating since May
The ruling coalition in Germany is continuing to see diminishing public support, an Insa poll conducted for the Bild am Sonntag newspaper showed.
Nearly 70% of the respondents said that they were dissatisfied with the performance of the governing coalition. which comprises the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU), its Bavarian sister party Christian Social Union (CSU), and the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD).
With only 21% expressing satisfaction, this is the lowest approval rating recorded since the government took office in May.
The poll interviewed 1,005 people from December 4 to 5.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz was also rated poorly, with 68% of respondents expressing dissatisfaction with his work and only 23% approving of it.
Germany’s populist BSW party elects two new leaders
The Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) has elected two new party leaders at a federal party conference held on Saturday.
Amira Mohamed Ali and European lawmaker Fabio De Masi will take the reins of the party following party founder Sahra Wagenknecht’s withdrawal from the federal chairmanship.
De Masi garnered 93.3% of the votes cast at the party gathering, while Mohamed Ali was confirmed in office with 82.6% of the votes.
The two politicians used to be members of the Left Party along with Wagenknecht and were founding members of the BSW in January 2024.
German mountain climber dies in Austrian avalanche
A 19-year-old mountain climber from Germany has been killed following an avalanche on the Zugspitze in southern Austria.
Tyrol police said that the young alpinist had been ascending a fixed cable route when an avalanche was triggered, dragging him to his death over steep and rocky terrain.
Police said that the man had been with another 21-year-old companion, who was secured to the cable with a carabiner and was not swept away in the incident.
Mountain rescue teams along with avalanche rescue dogs managed to locate the 19-year-old some 350 meters down the mountain.
He had been buried by snow and despite resuscitation attempts. Police said he died at the scene.
A Level 2 warning of a risk of avalanche was in force over many areas in Tyrol on Saturday. The moderate level indicates that weak layers in old snow may become loosened by climbing activity.
Merz, Macron and Starmer to meet Zelenskyy in London
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will be joining French President Emmanual Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for talks in London on Monday.
Merz’ spokesman confirmed the talks would take place as the chancellor was about to set off from Jordan to Israel on his first official visit.
Just confirmed: Merz will join Starmer, Macron for E3 meeting with Zelenzkyy in London on Monday, Merz spokesman just told us.
Merz is about to take off from Jordan to Israel on 1st official visit. pic.twitter.com/vLephNKAdr— Michaela Kuefner (@MKuefner) December 6, 2025
Macron took to X to announce that the talks would be taking place, with the comments coming as Ukrainian and US officials held a third straight day of talks in Miami to discuss a plan to end the nearly four-year war.
“I will travel to London on Monday to meet with the Ukrainian President, the British Prime Minister, and the German Chancellor, in order to take stock of the situation and the ongoing negotiations within the framework of the US mediation,” Macron wrote, slamming what he called Russia’s “escalatory path” after fresh overnight strikes.
“We will continue these efforts with the Americans to provide Ukraine with security guarantees, without which no robust and lasting peace will be possible,” he added.
Russia is locking itself into an escalatory path and is not seeking peace.
I firmly condemn the massive strikes that targeted Ukraine last night, particularly its energy and railway infrastructure.
We must continue to exert pressure on Russia to compel it to choose peace.…
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) December 6, 2025
Germany’s populist BSW party to adopt new name but same initials
German populist party BSW — short for Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht, or Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance — is changing its name.
The party will be called the Alliance for Social Justice and Economic Reason (“Bündnis Soziale Gerechtigkeit und Wirtschaftliche Vernunft” in German) in the future, it said on Saturday at a federal party conference.
The move will take effect on October 1, 2026. To honor its founder, Sahra Wagenknecht, the party is still to be known by the same initials, BSW.
The rebrand is meant to distance the party from its association with Wagenknecht, who created the BSW in early 2024 following her split with the socialist Left Party.
In November, Wagenknecht announced that she is stepping down as chair of the BSW.
Woman dies after Ingolstadt street stabbing
A 45-year-old woman has died after being stabbed on the street in Germany’s southern city of Ingolstadt, police said.
According to the German DPA news agency, the woman got into an argument with her former male partner on Friday evening when he attacked her with a kitchen knife.
Her 49-year-old ex-partner is currently under police guard in hospital after sustaining serious injuries.
Police said the dead woman’s two sons, aged 23 and 17, attempted to intervene to protect their mother, hitting and kicking her assailant.
One of them suffered a slight injury to his hand, according to the police spokesman.
Ingolstadt is situated between Munich and Nuremberg, on the banks of the Danube River.
Earlier this year, cases of domestic violence reached a new high in Germany, with almost 266,000 people registered as victims of the crime.
Germany vows top-5 world sports ranking by 2035
Germany’s Olympic body DOSB says the country wants to be one of the top five sporting nations in the world by 2035.
The DOSB set six ambitious targets for the next decade at its general meeting in Frankfurt, including increasing the number of Olympic medals won.
Unser Land. Fit für die Zukunft. 🏟️🙌
Eine Nation. Eine Vision. Lasst uns die Olympischen und Paralympischen Spielen wieder nach Deutschland holen.#DafürSeinIstAlles pic.twitter.com/luWIzly4fe
— Sportdeutschland (@sportDland) December 6, 2025
To achieve this, the body wants children and young people to spend more time exercising. A target of 90 minutes per day has been set.
At present, only one in five young people meets the target, DOSB data showed.
The sports body plans to campaign for German residents to have access to a modern sports facility within 15 minutes of their home.
Source : https://www.dw.com/en/germany-news-verbal-attacks-on-mps-nearly-triple/live-75044910
