Germany's reputation for good trains that run on time has been suffering for some time now, to the extent it even endures. The government has announced a major, near-term upgrade to the rail network.

German police say 26 officers were among those injured after violence on the sidelines of an Eritrean event in Stuttgart. Tensions run deep within the diaspora over the eastern African nation's polarized politics.

Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said during Cold War defense spending was three to four percent and said it must happen again.

Small and medium-sized companies in Germany's more rural areas face huge challenges as labor shortages are increasingly being felt in the countryside.

Germany has wanted reform of the UN Security Council for years. But its bids to join the exclusive circle of permanent members have always failed.

Israel complained about the presence of German Ambassador Steffen Seibert at a meeting in Israel's Supreme Court. Reform of that institution, sought by the government, is a contetious domestic issue in Israel.

What makes mainstream German society tick? The Friedrich Ebert Foundation regularly takes a closer look at this question with its long-term study. Its latest findings have raised alarm.

The German government has signed the United Nations' High Seas Treaty, drawn up to protect life in the world's remote oceans from environmental damage.

Germany and France decided to jointly develop key weapons systems, but several have been abandoned. And now, the MGCS battle tank prestige project is meeting a lot of resistance.

The EU has approved changes to its asylum policy but a late amendment is now on the table. The German foreign minister warned Berlin won't back plans to allow more flexibility during periods of large-scale migration.

The German government has agreed on a package of measures to support a struggling construction and housing industry, according to reports.

The White House is warning of severe economic consequences if Congress fails to pass a funding bill by an October 1 deadline. Far-right House Republicans are demanding deep spending cuts that are almost certain to be rejected by the Democratic-controlled Senate. Also in this edition: France asks its energy firms to sell fuel at cost, and Germany looks to semiconductor production to revive its flagging industrial sector.