Berlin

Fatou, a gorilla at the Berlin Zoo, has celebrated her 69th birthday, making her the oldest gorilla living in captivity worldwide. She became the zoo's oldest resident in 2024 after the death of Ingo the flamingo.

Marie-Louise Eta has been appointed as head coach of Bundesliga side Union Berlin until the end of the season, becoming the first woman to take charge of a men's team in one of Europe's top five football leagues.

Marie-Louise Eta has been appointed interim head coach of Union Berlin, becoming the first woman to lead a men's team in a top-five European league. Her appointment follows the dismissal of head coach Steffen Baumgart and his assistants after a 3-1 loss to bottom-placed Heidenheim.

German media reports allege a Berlin youth centre failed to report a girl's rape due to concerns about police scrutiny of Muslim boys, with an affidavit detailing assaults. Authorities deny any cover-up, and the centre has closed.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced an ambitious goal to return 80% of Syrians from Germany to their homeland within three years, following a meeting with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Berlin. The proposal has sparked immediate political criticism and raised questions about its feasibility and impact on Germany's workforce.

A Berlin court has sentenced a 20-year-old Syrian national to 13 years in prison for a radical Islamist knife attack on a Spanish tourist at the city's Holocaust Memorial, with the attacker convicted of attempted murder and attempted membership in a foreign terrorist organization.

The German Air Force conducted a large-scale medical evacuation exercise at Berlin Brandenburg Airport, simulating the rescue of wounded soldiers from Lithuania as part of the Bundeswehr's 2026 Quadriga drills.

Google inaugurated an artificial intelligence center in Berlin on Thursday, part of a 5.5 billion euro investment plan to support Germany's digitization. The move aims to position Germany in the global AI competition amid concerns over technological deficits and dependence on American giants.

Thousands of German teenagers skipped school on Thursday to protest new military service legislation, with about 3,000 gathering in central Berlin according to police. The protests target measures initiated by Chancellor Friedrich Merz's government to strengthen the Bundeswehr.