Germany

Journalist for German media detained in Turkey for 'misinformation,' 'insulting president'

DW Director General Barbara Massing called the accusations baseless and said the arrest was "a deliberate act of intimidation and shows how severely the government is suppressing press freedom."

|ByREUTERS
The logo of German international broadcaster Deutsche Welle is pictured in Berlin
Helsing company presents the new air combat system CA-1 Europa in Tussenhausen

Five European military powers plan drone defense program amid concerns of US commitment to NATO

They are meeting as European leaders work to boost defense capabilities amid increased European doubts about Washington's commitment to protect the continent through the NATO alliance.

|ByREUTERS
Unveiling of the new F-35 during a rollout ceremony of F-35 fighter jets ordered by Finland at the Lockheed Martin Aeronautics facility in Fort Worth, Texas, US December 16, 2025.

Currently no plans to buy additional F-35 jets, Berlin says

"There are no plans, and there is no decision," the government spokesperson said.

|ByREUTERS
Cast member Julia Jones attends the premiere of 'The Weight' at the 76th Berlinale International Film Festival in Berlin, Germany, February 17, 2026.

Over 80 Berlin Film Festival alumni sign open letter urging organizers to take stance on Gaza

The Berlin Film Festival is considered the most political of its peers, Venice and Cannes, and prides itself on showing cinema from underrepresented communities and young talent.

|ByREUTERS

Rubio says US does not dispute Navalny poisoning assessment by Europeans

The Russian government, has repeatedly denied any responsibility for Navalny's death while he was held in an Arctic penal colony and dismissed the latest allegations as "a Western propaganda hoax."

FEBRUARY 15, 2026ByREUTERS
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio testifies before a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing titled "US Policy Towards Venezuela", on Capitol Hill in Washington, January 28, 2026.

German archaeologists discover medieval tunnel system inside Neolithic burial site

Thousands of similar tunnel systems have been discovered across Europe and despite this, their purpose has been subject to decades of theory and debate. 

FEBRUARY 14, 2026ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM
Erdstall discovered in late 2025 by the Saxony-Anhalt State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology (LDA) during excavations near Reinstedt in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, February 14, 2026.

Amid Tehran's deadly crackdown, some 250,000 rally in Munich against Iranian regime

An estimated 250,000 people rallied in Munich against Iran’s Islamist regime as part of a global day of action called by Reza Pahlavi during the Munich Security Conference.

FEBRUARY 14, 2026BySHOSHANA BAKER
People protesting for human rights in Iran demonstrate at Theresienwiese during the 62nd Munich Security Conference on February 14, 2026 in Munich, Germany.

Olympics committee defends sale of T-shirt commemorating 1936 Nazi-era Games

Jewish organizations condemned the IOC after a 1936 Berlin Olympics T-shirt sold out online, saying the Games were used to legitimize Hitler’s regime.

FEBRUARY 14, 2026ByJACKIE HAJDENBERG/JTA
Screenshot of T-shirt commemorating 1936 Nazi-era Games via WebArchive, Shop.Olympics.com.

European governments say Alexei Navalny died after dart frog toxin poisoning in Russian prison

Five European governments say tests confirmed Alexei Navalny was poisoned with a lethal dart frog toxin while held in a Russian Arctic prison, accusing Moscow of breaching chemical weapons bans.

FEBRUARY 14, 2026ByREUTERS
People gather outside the Russian embassy, following the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, reported by prison authorities in Russia's Yamalo-Nenets region where he had been serving his sentence, in Warsaw, Poland, February 16, 2024.

'US freed captives from barbarians in Gaza': Rubio calls out UN's inability to solve conflicts

Speaking at the 2026 edition of the Munich Security Conference, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the UN has "tremendous potential," but needs reforms to be of real use.

FEBRUARY 14, 2026ByTOBIAS HOLCMAN, REUTERS
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio testifies before a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing titled "U.S. Policy Towards Venezuela", on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, US, January 28, 2026.

This month in Jewish history: The first permanent government of Israel

A highly abridged monthly version of Dust & Stars – Today in Jewish History.

FEBRUARY 14, 2026BySTEVEN DRUCKER
DIZENGOFF SQUARE, named for the Tel Aviv founding father.

German drone startups Helsing, Stark, win suicide drone contracts worth 4.3 billion euro

Helsing will supply its HX-2 suicide drone while Stark will supply its Virtus drone. The companies beat out German defense giant Rheinmetall

FEBRUARY 11, 2026ByANNA AHRONHEIM
Germany-based defense startup Stark's Virtus VTOL suicide drone

Greece detains Samidoun Europe leader Mohammed Khatib, set to deport him from Crete

The Greek government arrested and detained Khatib at Heraklion Airport while he was en route to a speaking engagement in Crete.

FEBRUARY 8, 2026ByMATHILDA HELLER
This screenshot shows the still active Facebook page of Samidoun Deutschland, the German chapter of the international Palestinian-rights activists group Samidoun, on November 03, 2023 in Berlin, Germany. The day before the German government announced it is banning Samidoun

'World Enemy No. 1': Hitler, Stalin, and the crime of being Jewish - review

Hundreds of Jewish Communists who had escaped to the USSR were handed over by the Soviets to the Nazis at the border crossing of Brest-Litovsk.

FEBRUARY 8, 2026ByCOLIN SHINDLER
IN THE Stalin era’s early days, the Kremlin established a new administrative territory in the Soviet Far East – the Jewish Autonomous Region. The region’s capital was the city of Birobidzhan. This 274-photograph album includes images from the city’s early years, from the late 1920s.