Skip next section Germany arrests Libyan war crimes suspect wanted by ICC
07/18/2025July 18, 2025
Germany arrests Libyan war crimes suspect wanted by ICC
German authorities on Friday announced that they had arrested a senior official wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on suspicion of having committed war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The ICC warrant for Khaled Mohamed Ali El Hishri’s arrest cites his oversight of a prison notorious for the regular torture and sexual abuse of detainees.
El Hishri is accused of facilitating crimes including murder, torture and rape committed between February 2015 and early 2020
The ICC, which has been investigating crimes committed in Libya since the outbreak of civil war in the country in 2011, has said that El Hishri will remain in German custody until national proceedings can be completed.
“I thank the national authorities for their strong and consistent cooperation with the Court, including leading to this recent arrest,” ICC Registrar Osvaldo Zavala Giler said in a statement.
https://p.dw.com/p/4xeQk
Skip next section Germany’s Merz voices support for EU’s latest Russian sanctions
07/18/2025July 18, 2025
Germany’s Merz voices support for EU’s latest Russian sanctions
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Friday welcomed the EU’s announcement of yet another raft of over its ongoing invasion of neighboring Ukraine.
“It’s good that we in the EU have now agreed on the 18th sanctions package against Russia. It targets banks, energy, and the military industry. This weakens Russia’s ability to continue financing the war against Ukraine,” wrote Merz in a social media post on X.
The sanctions were announced by the EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas. On Friday, Kallas wrote on X, “The EU just approved one of its strongest sanctions packages against Russia to date,” claiming, “Each sanction weakens Russia’s ability to wage war.”
Read the .
https://p.dw.com/p/4xeI0
Skip next section Germany faces worst outdoor strawberry harvest in 30 years
07/18/2025July 18, 2025
Germany faces worst outdoor strawberry harvest in 30 years
German farms are bracing for their smallest outdoor harvest since 1995, with just 75,500 tons expected this year, according to initial estimates from the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis).
That’s 4% below last year’s already weak crop of 78,600 tons — and 24% below the six-year average of 99,900 tons.
Asparagus yields are also falling, with just 98,900 tons forecast — 9% less than in 2024 and the worst harvest since 2010. Compared to the 2019–2024 average, the shortfall is 15%.
A key reason is the shrinking area under cultivation. Outdoor strawberry acreage is down 4% from last year to 8,100 hectares — the lowest since 1995.
Producers cite high costs and weaker demand for domestic strawberries, which are considered a premium product, as reasons for scaling back.
https://p.dw.com/p/4xe7U
Skip next section German FM Wadephul in Paris for Franco-German talks
07/18/2025July 18, 2025
German FM Wadephul in Paris for Franco-German talks
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul on Friday traveled to Paris to meet with French colleague Jean-Noel Barrot. The two are scheduled to , which Chancellor Merz promised to invigorate upon taking office.
One issue the two are likely to address is Germany’s tightening of its borders under the new administration.
Moreover, the two will exchange notes on support for Ukraine in its ongoing defense against invading Russian troops. Germany, for instance, recently as the US backs off from its support under President Donald Trump.
Wadephul and Barrot will also discuss the ongoing crisis in the Middle East and specifically, the fate of a last month.
https://p.dw.com/p/4xe8v
Skip next section Germany resumes deportations to Afghanistan07/18/2025July 18, 2025
Germany resumes deportations to Afghanistan
A chartered flight has returned a group of Afghans from Germany after failed asylum claims and criminal convictions.
The German Interior Ministry on Friday confirmed it sent Afghan nationals back to their home country on board a flight from Leipzig airport.
“This morning, Germany is deporting 81 Afghan nationals to their country of origin as part of a collective repatriation effort,” the ministry said. “These are Afghan men who are legally required to leave the country and who have a criminal record in the past.”
More than 10 months ago, Germany resumed deporting Afghan nationals for the first time since the Taliban seized power in 2021. Then-Chancellor Olaf Scholz had pledged to ramp up removals of rejected asylum-seekers.
His successor, Friedrich Merz, made tougher migration policy a key pillar of his February election campaign.
Read the .
https://p.dw.com/p/4xe4m
Skip next section Merz to hold first summer press conference
07/18/2025July 18, 2025
Merz to hold first summer press conference
German Chancellor on Friday morning will hold his first summer press conference since taking the oath of office in May.
The annual event, which usually begins with a statement by the chancellor followed by journalists’ questions, can last hours and is typically a chancellor’s last appearance before heading into summer vacation.
Merz is expected to field questions on the recent postponement of appointments to Germany’s Constitutional Court in parliament, the war in Ukraine, and the ongoing tariff spat with the US.
https://p.dw.com/p/4xe2G
Skip next section Dobrindt hosts Zugspitz migration summit
07/18/2025July 18, 2025
Dobrindt hosts Zugspitz migration summit
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt on Friday will host several colleagues for a discussion on tightening .
The meeting, which will take place at the top of Germany’s highest mountain, the Zugspitze, will be attended by the interior ministers of Austria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France and Poland, as well as by EU Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner.
The ministers are scheduled to discuss deportations to third-countries as well as plans to shift asylum application processes there, fighting human trafficking, and the security of EU exterior borders.
Dobrindt has said he aims to release a so-called “Zugspitze declaration” at the meeting’s end.
Critics have dubbed the meeting the “isolation summit.”
https://p.dw.com/p/4xe2B
Skip next section Welcome to our coverage07/18/2025July 18, 2025
Welcome to our coverage
Guten Tag and welcome to our coverage from DW’s newsroom in Bonn.
Today, German Chancellor will hold his first summer press conference, while Interior Minister hosts EU colleagues to discuss migration policy, and Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul heads to Paris for talks on Franco-German ties and other international issues.
This will all take place as Germany carries out its second deportation flight of Afghans since the Taliban returned to power.
Stay here with us for this and other news from Germany.
https://p.dw.com/p/4xe0A
The post Germany updates: Dobrindt talks migration with EU ministers appeared first on Deutsche Welle.
