German Chancellor Friedrich Merz criticized the United States over its handling of the war with Iran on Monday, describing stalled negotiations as a humiliation for Washington. Speaking to students in Marsberg, Merz said he saw little chance of a quick end to the fighting, arguing that Iran had proven far stronger than the US had anticipated.
He also accused Washington of entering the war without a clear exit strategy, drawing comparisons with the long and ultimately failed US interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq. The chancellor said he had already conveyed his doubts directly to President Donald Trump on two occasions. The war, he added, was not only strategically flawed but was also harming Germany’s economic performance through higher energy costs and global uncertainty.
Berlin has reiterated its willingness to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz by deploying minesweepers, but Merz stressed this could only happen once hostilities have ended. The Chancellor’s visit to the Carolus-Magnus-Gymnasium in Marsberg was part of EU Project Day, during which schools across Germany organise activities related to the European Union.
Court Rules German–Luxembourg Border Checks Unlawful
A German court has ruled that border checks introduced at the Luxembourg–German border violate European law, dealing a blow to the federal government’s migration policy. The Administrative Court in Koblenz upheld a lawsuit brought by a law professor who was subjected to checks while travelling by bus from Luxembourg to Saarbrücken in June 2025.
The judges found that the controls breached the Schengen Borders Code, which guarantees passport‑free travel within much of Europe and allows internal border checks only in narrowly defined exceptional circumstances. While temporary controls can be justified if public security is seriously threatened, the court said the German government had failed to provide a sound factual basis for claiming such a threat at the time.
In particular, the ruling criticised Berlin for not sufficiently demonstrating a concrete risk of increased migration that would overwhelm state authorities. Without this analysis, the court said it could not accept the justification for the controls.
Important: The decision formally applies only to the Luxembourg border and the specific case before the court. Interior Ministry officials stressed that border checks elsewhere would continue and confirmed plans to appeal.
Legal experts have welcomed the ruling as an important affirmation of the rule of law within the Schengen area. But further clarity is expected only once Germany’s Higher Administrative Court – or ultimately the European Court of Justice – rules on the broader legality of internal border checks.
Large Scale Police Raid Against Hell's Angels in NRW
According to the Interior Ministry in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), the raid is one of the largest operations to combat "rocker crime" in the history of the country. NRW's interior minister said that more than 50 locations had been searched since the early hours of Tuesday morning. Around 1,200 police officers had been deployed across 28 cities.
The investigation is about the suspicion of formation and membership of a criminal organisation. Some Hell's Angels chapters had been banned in recent years, including the associations "Hells Angels Motorcycle Club Leverkusen" and "Hells Angels MC Concrete City".
According to reporting by the Neue Westfälische, the Hell's Angels most recently had 29 chapters in NRW with 469 members. This made the Hell's Angels the largest "rocker group" in NRW – ahead of the "Freeway Riders" with 403 members across 37 chapters.
Obama Praises German Climate Activist Luisa Neubauer
Thirty-year-old Luisa Neubauer is well known in Germany for her work as a climate activist and organiser. Now, as a member of former US President Barack Obama's foundation, she has been highlighted as one of the people who give him hope.
"The young people in the leadership program of our Obama Foundation give me hope," Obama had written on X and Instagram on "Earth Day", which takes place worldwide on April 22nd. In a short video, he introduced Neubauer as a woman who didn't wait for someone else to make change, but instead took action to lead change herself.
This recognition underscores the growing influence of German climate activists on the global stage, particularly as Europe continues to grapple with energy transition and environmental policies.