Protesters block Rheinmetall arms plant

Police have removed pro-Palestinian protesters who glued themselves to the entrance of a Berlin arms factory.

Meanwhile, inflation is tracking back up as the Iran war stymied hopes that it was under control.

DW has more.

Here's a roundup of the latest from Germany on Friday, April 10, 2026:
Court rejects Cum-Ex figure Berger's final appeal
A German court has rejected the final bid by the convicted architect of the Cum-Ex tax fraud scheme, Hanno Berger, for a retrial.

The Higher Regional Court of Cologne dismissed his complaint, ruling that the evidence presented gave no reason to expect a lighter sentence or acquittal.

Berger had sought to reopen proceedings, arguing that a key witness had made false statements.

He also withdrew a central part of his earlier confession.

A lower court had already deemed the request inadmissible.

He was sentenced in 2022 by the Regional Court of Bonn to eight years in prison for serious tax evasion, with a further sentence of eight years and three months later imposed by the Regional Court of Wiesbaden.

Both rulings were upheld by the Federal Court of Justice.

The court said the request to reopen the case is now "finally rejected," meaning Berger will remain in prison following his extradition from Switzerland in 2022.

Activists block Rheinmetall site in Berlin protest
A protest at a Rheinmetall facility in Berlin has led to a police operation after activists blocked an entrance.

Police said seven protesters had glued themselves to the roadway, preventing access, and were later removed by officers.

Authorities said some activists suffered minor hand injuries during the removal and were treated at the scene.

Investigations have been opened on suspicion of trespassing, coercion, and resisting law enforcement.

The Berliner Morgenpost newspaper reported the activists chanting in German "Rheinmetall out of Berlin" and "German guns, German funds, murdering people all over the world."
The incident follows a similar protest roughly two weeks earlier, when demonstrators climbed onto the factory roof, displayed banners linked to the Middle East conflict, and poured paint on the building facade.

Police used specialized rescue units to bring them down.

Coalition split deepens over fuel price relief
Germany's ruling coalition is seeing splits emerge over how to ease the burden of high fuel prices on consumers .

Economy Minister Katherina Reiche from the conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) criticized proposals from the center-left Social Democrats (SPD) as costly, ineffective, and constitutionally questionable in an interview with Welt TV.

Reiche said relief measures should be targeted, economically sound, and budget-friendly, stressing that price signals must be preserved.

She rejected the idea of an excess profit tax , arguing it raises legal concerns.

Talks are set to continue, with leaders from the conservative CDU/CSU bloc and SPD scheduled to meet Sunday in a coalition committee to address the dispute.

Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil has argued that further relief is necessary to counter inflation.

He has proposed a mobility bonus or a temporary reduction in energy taxes, funded by an excess profit tax on energy firms at the European level.

Klingbeil has also backed a flexible price cap on gasoline, diesel, and heating oil, and held talks Friday with business groups and trade unions.

Reiche pointed to ongoing legal challenges linked to earlier excess profit taxes introduced after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and warned that such measures could weaken refinery operations.

Porsche sales fall sharply in first quarter
Carmaker Porsche has reported a significant drop in vehicle deliveries in the first quarter, with sales in the US and China taking a hit.

The company said it delivered just under 61,000 cars, down 15% year over year, in line with expectations, according to sales chief Matthias Becker.

The decline has been driven by a reduced model lineup, including the end of production for the combustion-engine 718.

The comparison is also skewed by the strong launch of the electric Macan last year.

Demand in the US has also been affected by the removal of tax incentives for electric vehicles, with sales there falling 11%.

In China, deliveries dropped sharply by about 20% to roughly 7,500 units, as market conditions remained challenging.

Sales in Europe also fell by 18%, while Germany saw a modest increase of 4%.

The Volkswagen Group subsidiary is facing a broader downturn, having barely remained profitable operationally in 2025.

New CEO Michael Leiters is aiming to turn the business around with cost cuts and a revamped model strategy.

Porsche founder: Adolf Rosenberger's hidden legacy
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Germany plans energy summit despite Hormuz easing
Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil has called an energy price crisis summit with business leaders and unions despite easing tensions in the Strait of Hormuz .

Officials said the talks Friday would focus on the economic impact of the Iran war, particularly high energy costs, and explore targeted relief measures.

Klingbeil has proposed easing the burden on households through measures such as a mobility bonus, potentially funded by a windfall tax on energy companies, and has also backed a flexible fuel price cap.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Thursday no immediate relief should be expected, though the government remains in close dialogue and would act if prices rise sharply and persistently.

Munich: Police suspect antisemitic motive in Israeli restaurant attack
Unknown assailants attacked an Israeli restaurant in Munich overnight, smashing several windows and throwing pyrotechnic devices inside, police said on Friday.

Nobody was hurt in the incident, but the attackers caused damage worth several thousand euros.

Police and the restaurant's management believe the attack was motivated by antisemitism.

The Police State Security Service (or Polizeilicher Staatsschutz ), which deals with politically motivated crimes, has taken over the investigation.

Emergency services received a call at around 12:45 a.m.

on Friday, reporting three loud bangs in the Maxvorstadt district.

"According to the current state of investigations, the display windows were forcibly damaged and pyrotechnic devices were thrown into the restaurant," police said.

The 70-seat restaurant operators told the dpa news agency that "there were no direct threats" in the run-up to the case.

They also said they planned to open for business on Friday as usual.

"We won't be intimidated.

We're reopening," said Grigori Dratva, the owner's brother-in-law and an employee at the eatery.

Germany has logged an uptick in crimes thought to be motivated by antisemitism in the aftermath of the October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel and amid the various conflicts in the Middle East that have followed, according to the BfV domestic intelligence service.

Antisemitic attacks in Germany rise sharply amid Gaza war
German space startup aborts rocket launch after leak
The Bavarian startup firm Isar Aerospace has aborted another rocket launch after a technical issue.

The company said Thursday that a leak in a pressure vessel had been detected, forcing the launch of its "Spectrum" rocket to be called off.

CEO Daniel Metzler said reaching orbit and proving reliable access to space remains the goal, adding that launch aborts are common in the industry and provide valuable data.

The rocket had been due to lift off from the Andoya Spaceport in Norway.

A previous attempt in late March was also halted due to technical problems.

Earlier test efforts have faced setbacks, including a first test flight about a year ago that ended shortly after liftoff.

Far-right AfD lawmakers to set policy priorities
The parliamentary group of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is preparing to define its priorities for the coming months at a closed-door conference in the eastern city of Cottbus.

Lawmakers said the agenda includes two key policy papers focusing on the economy and energy, as well as pensions and social policy.

The group will also discuss Germany's 2027 federal budget and investments in research, science, and universities.

The meeting's outcomes are set to be presented on Sunday by co-leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla.

As the second-largest faction in the Bundestag since the last federal election, the anti-immigrant AfD has sought close ties with US President Donald Trump's Republican Party .

However, it has faced difficult questions since Trump’s return to power, with Washington’s shifts on foreign policy and tariffs clashing with German interests.

Why Germany's anti-AfD firewall is crumbling
Lufthansa cabin crew strike, hundreds of flights affected
Cabin crew at Germany's national carrier Lufthansa are on strike in an action that affects hundreds of flights.

Some 20,000 flight attendants staged the walkout as wage negotiations continue to stall.

Germany inflation jumps to 2.7% on energy spike
Germany's inflation rate has risen to 2.7% in March, the highest level in about two years, driven by surging energy prices.

The Federal Statistical Office of Germany confirmed its preliminary estimate, up from 1.9% in February and close to the 2.9% seen in January 2024.

Energy prices climbed 7.2% year-on-year, marking the first increase since late 2023.

Fuel costs jumped around 20%, while heating oil surged 44.4%.

Electricity prices fell 4.5% and natural gas dropped 2.9%, easing overall household energy costs slightly.

Food prices rose a modest 0.9%, with chocolate and other candy about 6% more expensive.

It wasn’t all bad news, though, with butter and olive oil nearly 18% cheaper than a year earlier.

Net rents rose 1.9%, while services increased 3.2%, driven by higher costs in social services and transport, including price changes to the Deutschland Ticket , the monthly subscription that allows unrestricted travel on local and regional public transport across Germany.

"The inflation increase observed so far is just the beginning," explained Sebastian Dullien, scientific director of the Institute for Macroeconomics and Business Cycle Research (IMK) at the Hans Böckler Foundation.

"Even if the ceasefire in the Middle East holds, inflation is likely to rise further in April."
He said higher fuel prices in early April and delayed pass-through from wholesale gas and electricity costs would continue to push prices up, alongside indirect increases such as more expensive deliveries.

Dullien added that the inflation outlook depends heavily on stability in the Middle East.

A sustained ceasefire and normal shipping through the Strait of Hormuz could ease pressure, while renewed escalation could push inflation toward 4%.

Businesses and consumers suffer from high diesel prices
Guten Tag from the DW newsroom here in Germany’s cherry blossom capital, Bonn.

You join us as news arrives that shows inflation starting to tick back up again in Germany after hopes that it was finally under control.

Also on Friday, travelers face misery as cabin crew at German airline Lufthansa took strike action, with hundreds of flights canceled.

Meanwhile, members of the far-right Alternative for Germany are meeting in the eastern city of Cottbus to thrash out policy priorities.