Teachers group urges action on student violence

The strike by pilots and cabin crew at Lufthansa continues for the fourth day with mass cancellations of flights.

Frankfurt Airport operator Fraport reported 656 cancellations out of 1,313 planned flights at the hub, mostly attributed to Lufthansa.

An attempt at mediation between Lufthansa and pilots’ union Cockpit failed a day earlier as the two sides failed to agree on negotiating terms. The ongoing walkout has also overshadowed events to mark the airline’s 100th anniversary.

Both pilots and cabin crew are walking out on Thursday due to separate disputes with the company.

The strike is expected to continue on Friday for main Lufthansa operations, including Lufthansa Cargo and CityLine. At low-cost airline Eurowings, industrial action is limited to Thursday. Despite this, the carrier is still expected to operate more than 70% of scheduled flights.

Bayern Munich are already looking ahead after their dramatic Champions League win over Real Madrid, with a crucial few days left in their pursuit of a treble.

Sporting director Max Eberl has said it would be “a great way” to clinch the Bundesliga title this weekend after Wednesday’s 4-3 win at Madrid gave Madrid a 6-4 aggregate victory.

Eberle highlighted that the team was able to come back from falling behind three times in the match. “It reflects the character of this team well,” Eberle said. “We can play football, but most of all, we can fight and persevere. It feels fantastic.”

Bayern can win their 35th league title if results go their way against VfB Stuttgart on Sunday, before heading to the German Cup semi-finals at Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday.

The focus quickly turns back to Europe, with the Champions League semi-finals starting against Paris Saint-Germain in Paris on 28 April.

Bayern have not won the German Cup since their 2020 treble, when they beat the Parisians in the Champions League final. This time, the French champions again stood in their way – widely seen as one of the toughest tests left in Europe.

One of those behind the latest effort is Walter Gunz, founder of electrical equipment giant MediaMarket. “If you make some efforts, at least you have a chance to save it,” Gunz told the dpa news agency.

Coverage of the humpback’s struggle to survive and efforts to save it have impressed the German public. There have been regular demonstrations in support of the endangered marine mammal, demanding renewed rescue efforts. Some online posts contained death threats against officers.

Also echoing Gunz in the bid is entrepreneur Karin Walter-Mommert, who is well-known in the equestrian world. “We don’t have a chance, but we’re taking it,” he told dpa. “Better a fearful end than endless fear.”

Walter-Mommert said, “This situation is now intolerable for all of Germany, for people with empathy and compassion.”

German authorities have approved an eleventh-hour rescue effort to save a humpback whale stranded for several weeks on the Baltic Sea coast.

The effort, proposed by two entrepreneurs, involves lifting the whale using inflatable cushions and using a pontoon to move it.

Till Backhaus, environment minister for the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, said there was a “chance” for the whale, but that it remained “seriously ill”.

“We have decided that the whale can be rescued while it is still alive. We are, for the first time, opening the possibility of returning the animal to its natural habitat,” Backhaus said.

Local authorities said two weeks ago that it would no longer be possible to save the animal, dubbed “Timmy” by German media, which had already been seen writhing for more than a week.

The humpback was originally spotted stranded on a sandbank near the city of Lübeck on March 23, but freed itself. It later swam into an inlet of the small island of Poel, near Wismar, and ran aground again.

Germany’s Green Party has proposed nationwide speed limits on all highways to cut fuel use and emissions.

Green MPs said the 130 kilometers per hour (about 80 mph) limit would reduce fuel consumption, reduce costs for drivers and improve road safety.

A draft law is being debated in the Bundestag, Germany’s lower house, on Thursday.

Germany is famously one of the few countries whose parts of the “Autobahn” network still do not have mandatory speed limits, a long-standing feature often defended on cultural and economic grounds.

The proposal comes as fuel prices have soared in the wake of the Iran war. The current coalition agreement between Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s conservative CDU/CSU bloc and the center-left Social Democrats does not include speed limits.

Green co-leader Catharina Droge called it “a matter of common sense”, saying the measure would be a fast and effective way to reduce fuel demand.

Proponents argue that higher speeds significantly increase fuel consumption due to increased air resistance, making the limit an immediate tool that will curb demand and prices.

Supporters include environmental and civic groups as well as police unions and transportation advocacy groups.

Violence against teachers is on the rise in Germany, leading the German Teachers Association (DL) to demand immediate action.

Police data showed that around 1,300 cases of physical harm were reported in schools in 2024, up from around 700 to 1,000 cases per year in previous years.

DL President Stephen Dull said incidents ranged from verbal abuse to physical attacks. In an interview with German broadcaster ZDF he called the trend worrying.

Dall said name-calling and insults have increased significantly in school corridors, while violence among students is also on the rise. While special education schools are particularly affected, such problems occur throughout the school system, she said.

They cited factors including violence in the home, the influence of social media and negative public role models such as US President Donald Trump. Dall also pointed to broader social trends, citing similar aggression in areas such as sports and attacks on emergency workers and politicians.

Dull called for stronger responses from schools, including more social workers and a greater focus on building relationships with students to combat abusive behaviour.

good day From the DW newsroom in rainy Bonn.

Join us as we await news of a new effort to rescue a whale stranded in the port of Wismar, Germany in the Baltic Sea.

In other news, Germany’s main teachers union is urging action to counter a wave of student violence against school staff.

Meanwhile, in the Bundestag, the Green Party is launching a renewed effort to impose full speed limits on Germany’s major highways.

Stay tuned here for these and other stories.