02/10/2026February 10, 2026Raids target far-right music and merchandise networkGerman prosecutors in Göttingen have launched coordinated searches in Germany and Switzerland after undercover investigations into the far-right scene uncovered suspected trafficking in inciting audio recordings and extremist merchandise.

Senior prosecutor Andreas Buick said a 43-year-old man from the Göttingen district was taken into custody as the main suspect, after officers searched 11 properties across five German states and in Switzerland.

Investigators said they seized around 1,000 far-right CDs and vinyl records, along with large quantities of scene items such as pins, lanyards, clothing and stickers, including merchandise bearing swastikas, Reich eagles, SS skull symbols and Hitler figures.

Authorities believe the suspect ordered large shipments from abroad, produced some items himself and offered them for sale, with five additional suspects allegedly involved in the trade.

A warehouse searched in the state of?Thuringia was also identified as a meeting point for the local far-right scene, while investigators are also examining suspected weapons law violations and possible trafficking in illegal doping substances and prescription drugs.

Among the items found were explosives requiring permits, so-called homemade laboratory substances, several knuckle-dusters and a blank-firing pistol.

Buick said the 43-year-old has since been released from pretrial detention under strict conditions, including being required to remain registered in the Goettingen district and surrendering his passport.

02/10/2026February 10, 2026German insolvencies ease but stay high, IWH saysCorporate insolvencies in Germany have fallen at the start of the year, with the Halle Institute for Economic Research (IWH) reporting an 8% monthly decline to 1,391 cases, a level that still remains above recent norms.

Researchers said the figure was 4% higher than a year earlier and 54% above an average January in 2016 to 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic. IWH insolvency researcher Steffen Mueller said February and March were still expected to bring high numbers, while some easing could be possible from April, with the trend pointing to a stabilization at a high level rather than a complete easing off.

Insolvencies in January were below their sector-specific peaks across all industries and in almost every sector under the 12-month average, the analysis found. The main exception was business-related services, where more than 5,000 jobs were affected — twice the 12-month average — after several larger staffing firms collapsed alongside a major car rental company and a building services provider.

The IWH said nearly 17,000 jobs were affected among the largest 10% of insolvent companies in January, up 10% from December 2025 and 18% from the same month a year earlier.

02/10/2026February 10, 2026Germany plans €536 million order for strike dronesThe German military plans to spend around €536 million (about $640 million) on an initial tranche of new combat drones.

The contracts are for loitering munitions — weapon systems that orbit a target area until an operator on the ground assigns them a target, which they then attack autonomously.

Such drones are initially intended to increase the combat power and protection of Bundeswehr troops stationed in Lithuania as a German contribution to deterrence on NATO's eastern flank.

The deal is part of a larger €4.3 billion arrangement to be concluded with the German companies Helsing and Stark, according to two documents seen by the Reuters news agency. It is expected to be rubber-stamped by the lower house of parliament’s budget committee.

Delivery of the first systems is scheduled to begin as early as 2026 and be completed by the beginning of 2027.

02/10/2026February 10, 2026Only 3% of sexual assaults against women are reportedA study into hidden violence in Germany shows that only a tiny fraction of sexual assaults against women are actually reported.

The so-called "dark field"?study answers some questions that are not covered by annually published crime statistics, as these only include offenses reported to the police.

It attempts to uncover the true extent of crime, since not all offenses are reported, for example, due to shame or mistrust.

The data from this study shows, for instance, that while women are significantly more often victims of sexual assault, they report these offenses less frequently than men.

The reporting rate for female victims of these offenses, which include rape and other non-consensual sexual acts, is just 3%.

According to the study, male victims report such assaults in 14.5% of cases. However, the researchers point out that the reporting rate for men is subject to measurement inaccuracies due to the low number of cases.

02/10/2026February 10, 2026READ — Germany nudges up in transparency rankingsGermany has improved its ranking in Transparency International's annual Corruption Perceptions Index, but this is primarily due to the decline of other countries.

The country ranks 10th out of 182 countries in the 2025 index, which ranks countries and territories on how they guard against public sector corruption.

This represents a climb of five places compared to the previous year. Denmark remains in first place with the lowest perceived corruption.

Read more about the index?here.

02/10/2026February 10, 2026Unions stage 'warning strikes' across most of GermanyShort-term "warning strikes"?are planned at university hospitals, colleges, daycare centers and schools in several German states on Tuesday.

Walkouts are planned across almost the entire country —?with the sole exception of the central state of Hesse.

In the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia, five tunnels will also have to be temporarily closed because employees in the control room of the state-owned operating company also intend to participate in the actions.

Rallies are planned, with the Verdi union and the German Civil Service Federation (DBB) demanding a 7% pay increase, or at least €300 (about $360) more per month.

Negotiations will take place on Wednesday — likely for the last time in this round of wage talks.

02/10/2026February 10, 2026Welcome to our coverageRichard Connor | Dmytro Hubenko EditorGuten Tag from DW's newsroom in Bonn.

You join us as the German government is set to present a study on the prevalence of violent incidents that do not appear in official crime statistics.

The study examines all forms of violence, with a focus on intimate partner violence, sexual violence, and digital violence.

It will also shed light on the differences in the experiences of violence faced by women and men.

Stay with us for this and other Germany-related headlines from Tuesday, February 10.