Skip next section What you need to know
What you need to know
- European interior ministers gather in Munich to tighten EU migration policy
- Germany’s Olympic Committee to decide which city will bid to host the Games in 2036, 2040 or 2044
- Trade unions stage protests in 15 cities against health, welfare cuts
- Former Chancellor Angela Merkel, a Protestant, wins top Catholic charity’s prize
Follow our blog for the latest news and analysis from across Germany for the weekend of September 26-27, 2026.
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Skip next section Rail services canceled, delayed after suspected cable theft09/26/2026September 26, 2026
Rail services canceled, delayed after suspected cable theft
Police blamed disruption to high-speed rail services in western Germanyon deliberate damage to cabling signals overnight.
National rail operator Deutsche Bahn said trains running between Dortmund and Munich, Hamburg and Basel, and northern Germany and Cologne faced cancellations, delays and diversions.
According to the Zuginfo.nrw website, the entire Gelsenkirchen metropolitan area is currently impassable.
A police spokesman said officers were investigating suspected cable theft on a railway line in Gelsenkirchen-Ückendorf, where signals and control systems had failed.
The suspects are believed to have crudely cut and ripped out cables beside the tracks at several points.
It is unclear how long the repair work will take.
https://p.dw.com/p/5NKZPSkip next section Caritas honors Merkel with prize for social cohesion09/26/2026September 26, 2026
Caritas honors Merkel with prize for social cohesion
Former Chancellor Angela Merkel, a Protestant, received one of the highest honors of theCatholic Church’s social welfare charity in Germany.
The 72-year-old was awarded the Elisabeth Prize by the Catholic Caritas Association at an event in the southern city of Augsburg on Friday evening.
The prize is named after Saint Elizabeth of Thuringia, who lived from 1207 to 1231 and who helped people in need. She is the patron saint of Caritas.
The honor recognized Merkel’s commitment to social cohesion, with Caritas President Eva Welskop-Deffaa paying tribute to the “inner compass with which she [Merkel] successfully steered the country’s fortunes.”
The former chancellor told the roughly 400 guests that “there will always be a need for people to be there for one another.”
Once seen by some as Mutti — Germany’s reassuring mother figure — Merkel has become an increasingly divisive figure because of her 2015 decision to open the borders to more than a million refugees.
Critics say Merkel’s decision fueled years of backlash that helped turn the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) from a fringe protest party into a force that now leads most national polls.
https://p.dw.com/p/5NKVzSkip next section Dobrindt seeks ‘hardening’ of EU borders at Munich talks09/26/2026September 26, 2026
Dobrindt seeks ‘hardening’ of EU borders at Munich talks
Several European Union interior ministers are meeting in Munich this afternoon to discuss tightening the bloc’s migration policy.
A spokesperson for German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt told the Münchner Merkur newspaper that the talks will focus on the “implementation of a shift in migration policy.”
The 17 ministers will discuss “further refining the European Migration Pact, consistently hardening the European Union’s external borders, and accelerating returns from Europe,” the spokesperson added.
Germany and Denmark, Austria, the Netherlands, and Greece are due to hold separate talks about the creation of deportation centers or return hubs in third countries.
Germany hopes to secure a deal with a country in Africa or possibly Asia by the end of the year.
Dobrindt’s spokesperson said the EU’s border agency, Frontex, could be turned into a “border protection and genuine return agency.”
Currently, EU member states are responsible for returning asylum seekers whose applications have failed.
EU Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner will also attend the Munich talks.
https://p.dw.com/p/5NKPRSkip next section Munich or Cologne: Germany set to pick Olympic bid city 09/26/2026September 26, 2026
Munich or Cologne: Germany set to pick Olympic bid city
Germany’s Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) will decide at lunchtime which city will bid to host a future Olympic Games.
After the capital, Berlin, withdrew earlier this week, the vote will be a two-horse race between Munich and Cologne-Rhine-Ruhr to be the candidate city for either the 2036, 2040 or 2044 Games.
Germany is keeping its options open regarding which Games to bid for, as the 2036 Olympics is widely expected to go to an Asian country.
The year 2036 is also politically sensitive as it would mark 100 years since Berlin hosted the 1936 Olympics during the Nazi era.
Some policymakers want Germany to bid for 2040, as it will mark 50 years since German reunification.
If it wins, Munich plans to host most Olympic events within city limits and already has stadia and other sports infrastructure in place, including the Olympic Park, which was built for the 1972 Games.
Cologne-Rhine-Ruhr plans to spread the Games across several cities, including Schalke for swimming events, Düsseldorf for basketball and football at Borussia Dortmund’s 81,000-seat stadium.
https://p.dw.com/p/5NKLqSkip next section Welcome to our coverage09/26/2026September 26, 2026
Welcome to our coverage
Good morning from DW. In Munich, you’ll often hear Grüss Gott (greet God), while in Cologne and Germany’s Rhine-Ruhr region, people often say Tachchen (Hey there).
It’s decision day for both cities as Germany’s Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) picks which one will bid to host the Olympic Games in 2036, 2040, or 2044.
Munich will also be hosting European interior ministers for talks on implementing a tougher EU migration policy.
Fifteen other cities, including Berlin, Hamburg and Nuremberg, will stage protests against the government’s planned cuts to the social welfare bill.
We’ll bring you updates on these and other top news stories from across Germany throughout the day.
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