Germany news: German kidnapped in Niger released — Algeria
Algeria says a German citizen has been released after a "criminal armed group" kidnapped him in Niger for two weeks. Meanwhile, Germany is moving to counter the threats posed by drones. Follow DW.
Germany's Die Linke party leader Luigi Pantisano has pledged his support for Chancellor Friedrich Merz's conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in the upcoming Saxony-Anhalt state elections on September 6. The AfD party, currently polling at over 40%, is poised to win an absolute majority, which would make it the first far-right state government in Germany since World War II.
Pantisano stated he would consider backing the CDU, despite previously accusing them of implementing fascist politics. Meanwhile, Germany's new transport minister Steffen Bilger of the CDU plans to increase pressure on Deutsche Bahn, the notoriously delayed railway operator, by tying bonus payments for managers to punctuality targets.
If government-set punctuality targets are not met, rail managers' bonuses will be affected. The Social Democrats (SPD), junior coalition partners in Merz's government, have welcomed Bilger's plan to link bonus payments to punctuality, emphasizing the need for a more reliable railway system. In Berlin, the city's first World Naked Bike Ride took place in hot weather, with hundreds participating either naked or partially naked.
The event aimed to promote tolerance, self-acceptance, and environmental consciousness. In Niger, a German national kidnapped by an armed group two weeks ago has been released by Algerian military forces. The German citizen was taken to Algerian military base Boufarik and is reported to be in good health.
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