German of the day: Drohen

That means to threaten.

And Drone means drone.

Germany to spend 10 bln euros on drones in coming years, defence minister says – Germany will spend 10 billion euros($11.62 billion)in coming years for all kinds of drones, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said at a meeting of NATO defence ministers in Brussels.

He also said that Germany will offer to take the lead in an European Union air defence shield and that Germany will increase its contribution to air policing.

Stunning and brave

And profitable.

Now that everything in Gaza has been decided by someone else.

German deputy leader signals lifting curbs of arms exports to Israel – Germany’s Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil on Sunday signalled his government would lift restrictions on supplying weapons to Israel that were announced in August as a rebuke to Israel’s expanding military operations in Gaza.

The remarks by Klingbeil to German broadcaster ARD on Sunday evening suggested a policy shift following the Gaza peace plan, with a ceasefire holding between Israel and Hamas for a third day ahead of a peace summit in Egypt on Monday.

German of the day: Verbale sexuelle Belästigung

That means catcalling.

No wonder Germans prefer using the English word catcalling now too.

Sexual harassment: Germany debates ban on catcalling – While it is illegal in Germany to give a one-fingered salute, making obscene sexual remarks and gestures is not. The center-left Social Democrats want to change that.

Suggestive gestures or noises, graphically obscene remarks — an everyday experience for many women across the world. In some European countries such behavior can land you with a fine or even a jail sentence.

But in Germany, verbal sexual harassment in public is not criminalized under sexual offences legislation passed in 2016, which made non-consensual sexualized acts of touching like groping a crime for the first time.

13,000 jobs here, 4,000 jobs there…

Progress marches on.

Industrial giant Bosch shocks Germany with plans to cut 13,000 jobs – The Bosch group, one of Germany’s leading industrial players, has announced a far-reaching job cut programme. On 25 September the company said it would cut an additional 13,000 positions by 2030.

Germany’s Lufthansa To Cut 4,000 Jobs By 2030, Targetting Admin – Lufthansa set new financial targets for 2028-2030, including an adjusted operating margin of eight to 10 percent.

There’s lithium in them thar hills!

Except there are no hills thar to speak of.

“Germany Just Found 43 Million Tons Underground”: Lithium Discovery Makes Tesla Batteries While Russia Loses Energy War Forever – Germany’s Altmark region is set to transform the global energy landscape with the discovery of one of the world’s largest lithium deposits, positioning the nation as a pivotal player in the electric vehicle and battery supply chain.

Deregulate through more regulation

It’s the German way.

If you want to properly deregulate, create a new deregulation bureaucracy first. We don’t want anybody to get fired or anything.

Germany’s new deregulation chief vows to be more subtle than Elon Musk – State modernisation minister Karsten Wildberger promises to bring about digital age in country clinging to fax machines.

Germans feel less gloomy?

Despite economic clouds?

Depends on who you ask. And how you look at it. My experience has been that Germans are the happiest when they’re the gloomiest.

Germans Feel a Little Less Gloomy Despite Economic Clouds – The pickup in consumer mood contrasts with a worsening outlook among German business.

German of the day (2025): Hausverbot

That means house ban.

“Nothing personal, nor is this anti-Semitism, I just can’t stand you.”

“Jews are not allowed here!!!!”

German shop sign banning Jews sparks wide condemnation, police action – Flensburg store owner claims ban ‘not even antisemitism. I just can’t stand you’; Israeli envoy: ‘The 1930s are back’; German official slams sign as Jew hatred ‘in its purest form.’

Super safe!

Germany is as safe as it can be (all things considered). So move along! Nothing to see here!

Crime statistics: How safe is life in Germany?

Cases of drug trafficking, knife crime and violence on the streets are frequently reported in the German media. But is crime on the rise? And how does Germany compare internationally?

“The new Germany” is “a shame, a travesty,” says Kurt Caz.

In a video, the South African-German travel blogger presents Frankfurt’s notorious Bahnhofsviertel neighborhood near the city’s main train station as the new normal, which has been “completely taken over by crime, illegal migrants and drugs.”