KERSTIN SOPKE

A view taken from a Cub artillery observation plane on July 10, 1945, shows vast areas of destruction in Berlin, after repeated Anglo-American air raids on the German capital. Seen on the left, center, is the heavily damaged building of the German Reichstag with its distinct cupola, in the background center are the remains of Lehrter Bahnhof, one of the city's train stations. (AP Photo, File)
Berlin still bears scars 80 years after pivotal battle that sealed the defeat of Nazi Germany
 
A heavy-duty module loaded with weights drives over the closed Elbe bridge as part of a three-day load test intended to show that the Elbe crossing can be reopened to traffic, in Bad Schandau, Germany, Tuesday April 1, 2025. (Sebastian Kahnert/dpa via AP)
Crumbling bridges slow traffic and the economy in Germany. Can more money fix the problem?
Germany’s reputation for efficiency is taking a hit from crumbling concrete. Cracks and collapses are also a risk to its economy, Europe’s biggest.
 
A farmer displays eggs from his chickens in Wehrheim near Frankfurt, Germany, Wednesday, March 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
The US is on an egg hunt in Europe to ease prices at home
The U.S. government is on a global egg hunt. It’s seeking exports from countries in Europe and elsewhere to ease a severe shortage that has caused egg prices at grocery stores to hit record highs.
 
Logeen Faour Shahna, 24 years old, coming to Germany in 2015 from Syria, pose for a photo during an interview with the Associated Press, in Berlin, Germany, Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Pietro De Cristofaro)
These 5 newly naturalized Germans will head to the polls. Here’s what they say about the election
More than half a million newly naturalized citizens will be able to vote in Germany’s national election for the first time this weekend. Almost a third of the new Germans are originally from Syria.
 
Syrian doctor Ayham Darouich, 40, examines a patient in his doctor's office in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Thousands of Syrian doctors work in Germany. It hopes they will stay after Assad’s fall
Thousands of Syrian doctors work in Germany and the fall of Bashar Assad is raising concern over the potential consequences for the health sector if many of them were to return home.
 
Seamstresses work th the VEB clothing factory "Fortschritt",1987 in Berlin. (Zentralbild/DPA via AP)
The Berlin Wall: A divide that once shaped German women’s lives still echoes today
As Germany celebrates the fall of the Berlin Wall 35 years ago on Nov. 9 1989, women look back at how different their lives were under communism in East and capitalism in West Germany.
 
FILE - U.S. President Joe Biden, center, with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, front second left, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, front left, Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer, front second right, Poland's President Andrzej Duda, right, and other world leaders pose at the launch of the Joint Declaration of Support for Ukrainian Recovery and Reconstruction, on Sept. 25, 2024, in New York. (Leon Neal/Pool Photo via AP, File)
America’s European allies face challenging times, whoever wins the presidential election
The United States’ European allies are bracing for an America that’s less interested in them no matter who wins the presidential election — and for old traumas and new problems if Donald Trump returns to the White House.
 
German far-right politician of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) Bjoern Hoecke, centre, attends his trial in the state court in Halle, Germany, Thursday, April 18, 2024. Bjoern Hoecke, goes on trial at the state court in Halle on charges related to his alleged use in a 2021 speech of a slogan used by the Nazis' SA stormtroopers. (Fabrizio Bensch/Pool via AP)
Prominent figure in German far-right party stands trial over alleged use of Nazi slogan
One of the most prominent figures in the far-right Alternative for Germany party has gone on trial on charges of using a Nazi slogan. The trial on Thursday came months ahead of an election in which he plans to run to become his state’s governor.
 
FILE - Rain boots are placed on the ground by police officers as they inspect a boat where 15 Malians were found dead adrift in the Atlantic on Thursday, Aug. 20, 2020, in Gran Canaria island, Spain. The UN migration agency marks a decade since the launch of the Missing Migrants Project, documenting more than 63,000 deaths around the world. More than two-thirds of victims remain unidentified highlighting the size of the crisis and the suffering of families who rarely receive definitive answers. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti, File)
A decade of documenting more than 63,000 migrant deaths shows that fleeing is more lethal than ever
A decade has passed since the launch of the Missing Migrants Project, which has documented more than 63,000 deaths around the world among people fleeing conflict, persecution or poverty at home.
 
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivers a speech at the Munich Security Conference at the Bayerischer Hof Hotel in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024. The 60th Munich Security Conference (MSC) is taking place from Feb. 16 to Feb. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Ukraine’s Zelenskyy warns of an ‘artificial deficit’ of weapons after withdrawal from Avdiivka
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned allies that an “artificial deficit” of weapons for his country risks giving Russia breathing space. after his military chief said he was withdrawing troops from the eastern city of Avdiivka.
 
Roam close to home: Europe’s tourists play safe in pandemic
With weeks to go before the start of Europe’s summer vacation season, many countries are hoping travel restrictions will be lifted in time to give their economies a much-needed boost.
 
Germany: Ugly anti-Semitic remnant at center of court battle
A court in eastern Germany will consider next week a Jewish man’s bid to force the removal of an ugly remnant of centuries of anti-Semitism from a church where Martin Luther once preached.
 
New German govt to allow more dual citizens
“My roots are in Turkey, that’s clear,” said 18-year-old Okan Ertas, the son of Turkish immigrants and aspiring airline pilot. “But I was born here and you’re at home where you were born. This is my home.”