Here is a roundup of top stories from and about Germany on the weekend of October 31 - November 1, 2026:
Natural gas supply is secure as Germany misses storage target, ministry says
Despite the country's natural gas storage facilities being at about 61.2% capacity, Germany's supply is secure, according to the Economy Ministry.
"Germany's gas supply is secure for the coming winter, even with the current storage levels," a spokeswoman for Economy Minister Katherina Reiche said.
Average storage levels were supposed to reach 70% by Sunday.
"Based on the current assessment, we expect Germany to get through the winter in good shape. Security of supply depends not only on storage levels, but also on actual gas withdrawals, ongoing gas imports and additional precautionary measures," the spokeswoman added.
Germany signs Canadian LNG deal to cut energy risks
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The Federal Network Agency also said the country's gas supply remained stable.
"Security of supply is guaranteed," it said. "Based on the information currently available, the Federal Network Agency continues to consider the risk of stressed gas supply to be low."
Sebastian Heinermann, managing director of the Initiative Energien Speichern (Energy Storage Initiative), told the German dpa news agency that failure to meet storage targets was a "serious warning."
"Germany is entering the heating season with smaller safety reserves. This increases the vulnerability of the gas supply, particularly in the event of exceptionally low temperatures or additional disruptions to gas imports," Heinermann said.
Can Germany refit gas pipelines to transport cleaner energy?
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Over 100 officers injured in Frankfurt, 54 people taken into custody
Police in Frankfurt said 54 people were taken into custody, including some children, and over 100 officers were injured during confrontationsImage: Kai Pfaffenbach/REUTERSMore than 100 officers were injured, one of them seriously, during violent confrontations in Frankfurt after largely peaceful demonstrations on Saturday, according to Roman Poseck, the interior minister in the state of Hesse, where Frankfurt is located.
He added that up to 1,300 officers were on duty in Frankfurt on Saturday night and into Sunday morning.
The minister said 17 stores were damaged and five were looted. Police took 54 people into custody, all between the ages of 13 and 29.
Of the more than 8,000 people who took part in the protests in Frankfurt, authorities estimated there were 1,000 to 1,500 violent troublemakers, "predominantly from a migrant background."
Poseck said, "An enormous potential for violence on the part of left-wing extremists and violence-prone young people, mostly from migrant backgrounds, has been unleashed."
"This group of offenders was predominantly made up of migrants. And we must address that too," he added. "There must be no false taboos here."
After blaming migrants for the violence, Poseck said German citizens made up the vast majority of those detained.
In Cologne, which also saw violent confrontations between rioters and police, state Interior Minister Herbert Reul said left-wing extremists hijacked the Gen Z protests.
"Anyone who throws rocks and firecrackers at police officers, sets off fireworks, and rampages through the streets has no political agenda," Reul said in a statement. "People who cover their faces don't want to discuss or persuade. They want trouble and violence. There’s no justification for that."
'Small extremist minority' turn Germany's youth protests violent
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Europe needs to close AI gap with US, China, German president says
Despite considerable attention given to regulating artificial intelligence, European countries need to do more to understand how AI is applied and to keep up with advances made in China and the United States, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier told public broadcaster ARD.
"We can only have a serious say in the regulatory framework — an international regulatory framework — if we actually understand the conditions under which it is applied," Steinmeier said, according to remarks released ahead of the broadcast of ARD's Sunday evening interview program. "In that respect, I believe Europe does not have the option of saying no to AI."
He said how countries decide to use and regulate AI could "be a matter of European security."
"But above all, it is also an ethical question of where the limits of our ability to control this technology actually lie," Steinmeier said.
Steinmeier, who is finishing his second and final term in office, wrapped up a multi-day tour of China on Saturday. Germany is currently debating who could succeed him.
German chancellor and president tour Asia
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German Gen Z group calls for more demonstrations
Gen Z regelt called on people to take to the streets again on November 14 for more demonstrationsImage: Uli Deck/dpa/picture allianceThe group that organized this weekend's protests, "Gen Z regelt" roughly "Gen Z takes charge," distanced itself from violent riots that occurred after the rallies and called for new demonstrations later this month.
The initiative's organizers issued a positive assessment of protests across Germany.
"Today, 100,000 people showed why they're taking to the streets," a spokesperson for the initiative said Saturday, adding that estimates of participation in six to eight cities would come later.
At a rally in Münster, protesters held signs calling for money for education and universitiesImage: David Ebener/dpa/picture allianceGen Z regelt planned protests in 34 cities, including Berlin, Frankfurt, Cologne and Munich, and has called for people to take to the streets again on November 14.
The group has called for more funding for schools, addiction treatment, and psychotherapy as well as measures to combat rising living costs. While it promotes social justice and greater climate protection, it opposes the introduction of mandatory military service, as well as an expansion of government surveillance.
"We are here today to fight for peace and freedom, rather than for war and coercion," Gen Z regelt spokesperson Lina Friedrich said Saturday in Berlin. "What matters most to us is better support for the health and education systems. We are against compulsory military service and we are in favor of a fairer distribution of the burden."
Demonstrators have called for more social justice between generationsImage: Christian Mang/REUTERSGen Z regelt distanced itself from the violent riots and looting that followed the protests in some cities.
"We did not have any influence on what happened after the demonstrations," the group's spokesperson said.
Police also confirmed the demonstrations themselves were largely peaceful and that looting and riots afterward were set off by extremists using the protests for cover.
"The Gen Z protests turned out to be very peaceful," Andreas Rosskopf, chairman of the police union representing the Federal Police, told the Rheinische Post. He added that the groups responsible for the violence consisted of "autonomous and, in some cases, masked individuals."
In Cologne, which also saw looting, a police spokeswoman said the incidents were more likely linked to Halloween celebrations than to the aftermath of the Gen Z protests.
The Gen Z regelt group called for peaceful protests and distanced itself from the looting and violence that followed some protestsImage: Andreas Arnold/dpa/picture alliancePeople in Germany buying more organic food
Shoppers in Germany were putting more organically produced foods into their carts over the summerImage: Jürgen Schott/CHORMORANGE/picture allianceConsumers in Germany bought more organic food products through the summer, with overall sales rising 2.8% to €4.42 billion ($4.95 billion) between July and September.
The German Federation of Organic Food Producers (BÖLW) reported that organic products' share of the German food market reached a record 8.1% in the third quarter.
"The growing organic market is a wake-up call," BÖLW head Tina Andres said, adding that many consumers see the organic sector as producing food locally and protecting water resources, insects and birds.
Supermarkets and discount retailers accounted for the largest share of third-quarter sales for organically produced food, at 31.3% and 27.8%, respectively. Drug store chains followed in third place with a market share of 12.7%. Specialty organic food retailers saw a 2.0% decline in sales, with a 17.3% market share.
Demand for organic products, which generally cost slightly more than traditionally produced products, has continued to grow steadily in Germany, except for a slowdown in 2022 caused by exceptionally high inflation at the time.
Interior minister blames left, migrant 'troublemakers' for post-protest violence
Police used a water cannon to extinguish a small fire on a street during a confrontation in HamburgImage: Jonas Walzberg/REUTERSGerman Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt condemned the riots that followed demonstrations in several major cities, including Berlin, Cologne and Frankfurt, blaming troublemakers for the violence and calling for severe criminal punishment of looters.
"Violent left-wing groups and troublemakers from migrant communities in the evening hijacked the peaceful demonstrations that took place," he told the mass-market Bild newspaper on Sunday without elaborating on the identities of those taken into custody.
"The rioters and looters will be identified and held accountable," he added. "Serious penalties must follow these breaches of the public peace."
Dobrindt said German police prevented widespread violence, such as that seen during protests in parts of some French cities.
"Excesses of violence like those seen in Paris were prevented thanks to the highly committed efforts of our police officers," said Dobrindt, a member of the conservative Christian Social Union. "The police operation strategy, involving a strong visible presence and the decentralized deployment of forces, proved successful."
Following peaceful demonstrations involving over 100,000 mainly young people, violent incidents and riots broke out after dark, particularly in Frankfurt and Cologne.
In France, protests continued largely peacefully for a third weekend after extensive riots and looting on October 17 left significant damage to shops, public buildings and businesses.
Police sent to protect vandalized shops in Frankfurt
Several shops were looted overnight in downtown FrankfurtImage: Michael Probst/AP Photo/picture alliancePolice were patrolling the streets of downtown Frankfurt on Sunday morning, following looting that saw shop windows smashed and what a police spokesperson said was "considerable" damage to property.
The unrest followed demonstrations by young people demanding better schools, relief from rising living costs and greater social justice. Though the protests were largely peaceful, there were incidents of violence and rioting in Frankfurt and some other big German cities.
In Frankfurt, rioters smashed shop windows, stole goods from shops and attacked police officers. More than 30 people were detained and officers cordoned off parts of the city center. It was not immediately clear how many people were injured in the protests.
The police spokesperson said shops that were looted during the unrest also needed protection.
Hesse's state Premier Boris Rhein said he was shocked "by the violent excesses in Frankfurt," which "will not remain without consequences."