Friday's top story: Britain to hold 'emergency call' on Gaza with Germany and France
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he would hold an "emergency call" Friday with Germany and France on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, urging a ceasefire and steps towards Palestinian statehood.
Announcing the call on Thursday, Starmer said in a statement, "We will discuss what we can do urgently to stop the killing and get people the food they desperately need while pulling together all the steps necessary to build a lasting peace."
He added that "A ceasefire will put us on a path to the recognition of a Palestinian state and a two-state solution which guarantees peace and security for Palestinians and Israelis."
French President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday his country would formally recognise a Palestinian state during a UN meeting in September, the most powerful European nation to announce such a move.
Former German president Joachim Gauck has also recently criticized Israel's military campaign in Gaza, calling it "disproportionate" and "irresponsible."
German Chancellor Merz has also hinted that Germany's stance on Israel's war on Gaza may be changing. He said this week that the "situation there is no longer acceptable". However, he did not join in issuing a joint statement along with 28 Western countries - including Britain and France - that called on Israel to immediately end the war.
Germany's response to Gaza could become yet another rift in the black-red coalition government. The international development minister in Merz' cabinet, a Social Democrat, expressed disappointment with Germany's refusal to join in the joint statement.
Yazidi family deported on the same day court rules they can remain in Germany
A Yazidi family, including four children, had been living in the Uckermark region of Brandenburg before they were deported to Iraq on Tuesday.
On the same day, they were successful in the Potsdam Administrative Court with an urgent application against the threat of deportation. Now, the refugee aid organization Pro Asyl is calling for the family to be brought back to Germany.
“The case of the Yazidi family shows how inhumane the federal government's deportation practices are,” said legal policy spokeswoman Wiebke Judith.
“The family was deported before the court could make a final decision on their case. The fact that an urgent application filed at the last minute was successful for the family shows that this deportation should not have taken place,” she said.
The legal victory was decided practically at the same time as the deportation. According to Flightradar, the flight took off at 10:52am. The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) informed the Brandenburg Central Immigration Authority there was no obstacle to the deportation at around that time.
At around 12:17pm, the Administrative Court's decision was shared.
The human rights spokesman for the Green Party parliamentary group, Max Lucks, had called for the resignation of BAMF President Hans-Eckhard Sommer in Focus magazine.
READ ALSO: Taliban to send envoys to Germany to work on deportations
Germany plans compulsory military screening for young men
Germany plans to reintroduce compulsory screening for military service for 18-year-old men as part of plans to ramp up defence capabilities, a defence ministry source said Thursday.
The drive for now aims to attract volunteers to the armed forces, but includes provisions for compulsory service in case numbers fall short.
As part of planned legislation due to be presented to cabinet next month, all young German men would have to fill out a questionnaire about their readiness and willingness to serve in the military.
The questionnaire would be voluntary for young women.
From 2028, all 18-year-old men would be required to undergo screening to determine their fitness for military service, whether they have shown an interest in joining the armed forces or not.
The planned law would also provide for compulsory military service to be reintroduced if deemed necessary because of the security situation, and provided parliament gives its explicit approval.
READ ALSO: Military service 'could be made mandatory' says German Defence Minister
Shares soar as Deutsche Bank posts bumper profits
Deutsche Bank on Thursday reported its highest second-quarter profit since 2007 and said it was on track to meet annual targets, sending shares in Germany's biggest lender soaring.
From April to June, net profit attributable to the group's shareholders came in at 1.48 billion euros, driven by its investment banking and asset management units.
The bank's shares jumped around six percent in early trading on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.
Revenues rose to 7.8 billion euros in the second quarter, with increases of three percent at its investment banking unit and nine percent at its asset management division.
The retail banking division saw revenues increase by two percent. The unit is undergoing a restructuring and Sewing announced in March that 2,000 jobs would be cut at the division.
Emergency landing made at Hamburg Airport
There was an emergency landing at Hamburg Airport on Thursday afternoon when smoke suddenly billowed from an engine of a Boeing 737.
After landing, all 186 passengers were uninjured and able to leave the aircraft via the stairs before being taken to the terminal building.
The aircraft, operated by Dutch airline KLM, was en route from Stockholm to Amsterdam. Flight operations at the airport were suspended for half an hour.
Volkswagen takes massive hit from Trump tariffs
German auto giant Volkswagen said Friday that tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump had cost it 1.3 billion euros in the first half of the year as it reported falling profit.
The 10-brand group also cut its revenue and profit outlook, warning of "political uncertainty and increased barriers to trade" for the remainder of the year.
With reporting by
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