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Below, you can review headlines from Germany from Friday, April 17, 2026:
US approves $11.9 billion arms sale to Germany
The US State Department announced its approval of the potential sale of an integrated combat system and supporting equipment to Germany, estimated to cost $11.9 billion (€10.1 billion).
Reuters news agency has reported that, according to a statement from the State Department, the principal contractors will be Lockheed Martin Corp. and RTX Corp.
Both companies are leading aerospace and defense contractors. Lockheed Martin produces the F-35 fighter jet and satellites. RTX offers a diversified mix of defense and commercial aerospace products.
Merz calls for Hormuz to open 'without restrictions'
Welcoming the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz insisted that it must be unconditional.
"This must be arranged in full compliance with international maritime law, in such a way that there are no restrictions whatsoever," Merz said in Paris following a summit with other European leaders.
They had been meeting to discuss an international mission to secure shipping in the strait after the conflict ends. Germany has repeatedly offered to support such a mission.
Merz also stressed that the strait must reopen "reliably, permanently and without [requesting] payments of any kind," referencing the Iranian proposal that it could charge ships passing through.
Germany's Merz says US should be part of international mission in Hormuz
Germany has repeated its offer to provide support to an international mission to protect shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
Speaking after a summit hosted by France and the UK in Paris, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said his country could offer reconnaissance and mine clearing.
"I require a decision by the federal government, a mandate from the German Bundestag and a sound military concept," Merz said.
"We will therefore take part in the further military planning discussions that are taking place and would also like to see the United States of America participate, if possible. We believe this would be desirable," he added.
Germany moves to criminalize deepfakes and online abuse
Germany has moved to strengthen protections against digital violence with a new draft law targeting deepfakes and online abuse.
Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig has now presented the proposal, saying it would close gaps in criminal law and give victims more tools to defend themselves.
The draft would make creating and sharing pornographic deepfakes punishable by up to two years in prison. It also covers a broader range of offenses, including non-consensual intimate images, digital voyeurism, "revenge porn," and other deepfakes that violate personal rights.
Hubig described digital violence as a "mass phenomenon" affecting millions in Germany.
"Women are particularly affected: In more than six out of ten cases, online violence is directed against women." Online violence can "have consequences just as severe as physical violence in individual cases: It can deeply unsettle, disturb, and hurt people, and destroy their social environment."
The legislation would introduce three new criminal offenses, including bans on sexualized and non-sexual deepfakes that harm individuals, as well as the misuse of technology such as GPS trackers for covert surveillance.
It would ease the path for victims to identify perpetrators through court procedures without needing a lawyer or paying fees. Courts could compel platforms to disclose user data, store evidence, and block accounts even if the user cannot be identified.
The bill, already outlined in the coalition agreement, is expected to be approved by the cabinet next week.
Women in Germany fight back against digital harassment
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German states push back on €1,000 bonus plan
Germany's states have pushed back against a proposed €1,000 ($1,180) tax-free bonus for public sector workers.
A survey of all 16 state governments by the Bild newspaper found none was currently willing to pay the bonus to civil servants and employees.
In an effort to ease the burden of the energy crisis on consumeer, the coalition has agreed to allow private and public employers to pay the bonus to each of their employees, free of payroll taxes and social security charges
Several states, including Bavaria, Lower Saxony and Thuringia, said no final decision had been made, while others have already rejected the plan outright. Brandenburg Finance Minister Daniel Keller said he could not envisage such a payment at this stage.
Saxony-Anhalt Minister-President Sven Schulze also opposed the bonus, citing the cost of a recent public sector pay deal that has already added around €500 million in expenses. Similar concerns have been raised in Baden-Württemberg and Saxony, where officials said further payments were "not appropriate" given existing financial pressures.
Hamburg Finance Senator Andreas Dressel said no single state could decide independently due to collective bargaining rules, adding the public sector could not act as a "wage leader" in the current crisis.
At the federal level, parliamentary group leader of the conservative Christian Democrats Jens Spahn said there was no basis for a similar bonus for federal civil servants. Within the center-left Social Democrat parliamentary group, some have instead called for a tiered approach targeting lower-income workers and federal police.
Woman leaves 20 tarantulas on German train
A woman has been reunited with 20 tarantulas that she left on a regional train in southern Germany.
A train driver discovered a package labeled "Spiders and Scorpions" on a service from the town of Herrenberg to the city of Tübingen and alerted federal police.
Officers inspected the box at Tübingen Hauptbahnhof and found documentation identifying the owner and confirming compliance with species protection rules, a spokesperson said.
The 20 Brazilian tarantulas of the species Avicularia geroldi were each stored properly in individual containers inside the box. All were found unharmed. There were apparently no scorpions.
The owner was contacted and collected the animals later the same day. It was initially unclear how she had forgotten the unusual cargo.
Lufthansa pilot strike grounds hundreds of flights, again
Pilots at Lufthansa have continued a two-day strike, forcing hundreds of flight cancellations at Frankfurt Airport.
Airline operations have been hit once again, with services across Lufthansa, Cityline, Eurowings and the cargo division affected.
The walkout follows earlier strikes this week. Pilots represented by the Vereinigung Cockpit union are demanding improvements to pension arrangements.
Cabin crew also staged strikes earlier in the week, led by UFO, focusing on working conditions.
Hundreds of Lufthansa flights have been canceled each day since the start of the week, although the group said about 70% of its overall flights still operated, including services by non-striking subsidiaries such as Austrian and Brussels Airlines.
The airline announced Thursday it would shut down its Cityline subsidiary with immediate effect, citing the strikes and high fuel costs. The pilots' union criticized the move as being made "without regard for employees."
Police rescue ducklings from highway
Police have rescued four frightened ducklings after motorists reported a family attempting to cross a highway near the town of Bühl in southwestern Germany.
Officers from the traffic unit searched the area and found the young birds stranded in a nearby grass verge. Not all of the ducklings survived the crossing attempt, police said.
The rescued animals were placed in a service cap lined with grass, where they quickly settled, before being taken to an animal shelter for further care.
Augsburg mourns former goalkeeper Manninger
The Bundesliga club Augsburg has paid tribute to its former goalkeeper Alexander Manninger, who died at the age of 48 in a tragic accident.
The Austrian was killed in a traffic accident near Salzburg after his car collided with a local train.
Manninger played for Augsburg from 2012 to 2016, making 36 Bundesliga appearances during his time at the club. He also had spells in Italy and with Arsenal, and earned 33 caps for Austria. He ended his career in 2017 at Liverpool.
"We are deeply shocked by the death of our former player and friend Alexander Manninger," said a statement from Augsburg managing director Michael Ströll. "Alex was not only a first-class goalkeeper, but also a highly respected and outstanding person beyond borders, who enriched our team and our entire club with his character."
Who is behind the latest attempt to save Timmy?
One of those behind the latest effort is the founder of the electrical appliance giant MediaMarkt, Walter Gunz.
"If you try something, then at least you have a chance of saving it," Gunz told the DPA news agency.
Coverage of the humpback's struggle for survival and efforts to rescue it have gripped the German public. There have been regular demonstrations in support of the stricken marine mammal, calling for renewed rescue efforts. Some online posts targeted officials with death threats.
Alongside Gunz in the bid is entrepreneur Karin Walter-Mommert, who is famed in the equestrian world. "We have no chance, but we're taking it," she told DPA. "Better an end with horror than a horror without end."
"This situation now is unbearable for all of Germany, for people with empathy and compassion," Walter-Mommert added.
Stranded whale thrashes as diver approaches
The stranded humpback whale off Poel, dubbed Timmy by German media, has reacted violently to an approaching diver, thrashing its tail and turning sharply in shallow water.
Live footage showed the animal striking with its fluke and rotating nearly 90 degrees, prompting rescuers to pull back from the scene.
The whale calmed down again minutes later and returned to lying still in waist-deep water.
Rescue preparations resume for stranded whale
Preparations for a rescue attempt of a stranded humpback whale off the port of Wismar have resumed, with several boats approaching the animal in shallow Baltic waters.
Live footage showed teams moving in Friday morning as a privately funded initiative readied equipment to lift the whale using air cushions and floating pontoons.
The effort aims to refloat the animal and tow it toward the North Sea or Atlantic.
Authorities in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern have allowed the attempt but said responsibility lies solely with the private initiative.
The whale has been roaming the German Baltic coast since early March and became stranded multiple times, most recently near the island of Poel. Officials and experts say it is in very poor condition, likely ill and possibly dying, with repeated strandings seen as a sign of severe problems.
Earlier rescue efforts were halted more than two weeks ago after being deemed futile and potentially harmful, a view backed by a scientific assessment last week.
As a possible last chance, Environment Minister Till Backhaus approved the plan, with the initiative warning the outcome is "not foreseeable." Backhaus said there was a chance the project could succeed and that it should be taken, adding authorities would closely monitor and oversee the operation and describing the whale as "a seriously ill patient."
Far-right AfD overtakes German conservatives in new poll
The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has edged ahead of the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) for a second time this week.
The survey published by broadcaster ZDF on Friday showed the AfD steady at 26%, while the conservative CDU/CSU bloc of Chancellor Friedrich Merz slipped one point to 25%.
The center-left Social Democrats (SPD), who led the last government, saw their support dip to 12%.
Support for the Greens dipped to 14%, while the Left rose to 11%. The business-focused Free Democrats polled at 3%, with other parties on a combined 9%.
The poll has pointed to growing frustration with the ruling coalition, particularly over its handling of rising fuel prices linked to the Iran war. A large majority said government measures were insufficient, with 81% calling for stronger action and 57% saying the energy transition is moving too slowly.
Overall satisfaction with the coalition of CDU, CSU and SPD has dropped to 27%, down from 34% in March. Approval of Chancellor Friedrich Merz has fallen to 30%.
Ratings for Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil and Economy Minister Katherina Reiche have also weakened, with fewer than a third saying they are doing a good job.
In personal ratings, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius remains the most popular, ahead of the Greens’ Cem Özdemir and Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul. Merz has dropped to eighth place with his lowest rating yet.
The survey, conducted by pollsters Forschungsgruppe Wahlen, is not the first institute to put the AfD ahead of the conservative bloc.
Recent polls by YouGov, INSA and Forsa also rank the anti-immigrant, eurosceptic party as the leading force.
The anti-immigrant eurosceptic party was also ranked as the leading force in polls by YouGov, INSA and Forsa, with the widest margin appearing in a YouGov survey that put the AfD at 27% compared with 23% for the CDU/CSU bloc.
Guten Tag as we look forward to weekend on a sunny Friday morning in Bonn.
We're here as a new poll shows the far-right Alternative for Germany polling ahead of the conservative CDU/CSU bloc of Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
The same poll also confirmed a slump in support for the center-left Social Democrats, Germany's oldest political party.
Stick with us here for the latest stories that Germany is talking about.
