Skip next section DAX slides further as Middle East war rattles markets
03/03/2026March 3, 2026
DAX slides further as Middle East war rattles markets
Germany’s benchmark DAX has tumbled more as fighting in the Middle East fuels fears of an energy shock.
By midday, the index was down 3.5% at 23,772 points, its lowest level in three months. Since the start of the week, losses have widened to roughly 1,500 points, or about 6%.
Germany’s medium size stock MDAX fell 1.8%, slipping below the 30,000 mark, while the eurozone’s EuroStoxx 50 dropped 3.4%.
Investors are increasingly worried about a broader energy crisis amid the US and Israeli war against Iran, with particular focus on the Strait of Hormuz, a critical oil and gas shipping route that Iran has now closed.
https://p.dw.com/p/59id1
Skip next section Part-time employment hits record high in Germany
03/03/2026March 3, 2026
Part-time employment hits record high in Germany
Part-time employment in Germany has reached a record level in 2025, even as average weekly working hours remained stable.
That’s according to new calculations by the Institute for Employment Research (IAB).
The number of part-time workers rose 1% compared with 2024 to 16.88 million, while full-time employment fell 0.6% to 25.43 million. The part-time rate increased by 0.4 percentage points to 39.9%, marking a new annual high, the IAB said.
The IAB attributed the shift partly to job growth in sectors with traditionally high part-time shares, such as health and social services, while employment declined in industries with a high proportion of full-time work, including manufacturing.
“Part-time work has not been a losing proposition so far. Nevertheless, there is still much to gain, especially in terms of stronger career development for women,” IAB expert Enzo Weber said.
According to the Federal Employment Agency, more than every second woman in Germany worked part-time last year, compared with roughly one in seven men.
The ruling conservatives of Chancellor Friedrich Merz have proposed restricting the right to part-time work to get more people into full-time employment. They claim the move would boost the economy, but the proposal has been opposed by their coalition partners and unions.
https://p.dw.com/p/59iXL
Skip next section Social media use in Germany climbs sharply, particularly amongst older adults
03/03/2026March 3, 2026
Social media use in Germany climbs sharply, particularly amongst older adults
Social media use in Germany has risen markedly over the past five years, with 59% of people aged 16 to 74 active on such platforms in 2025, up 12 percentage points from 2021.
The Federal Statistical Office said messenger services were not included in the data.
Usage increased across all age groups. Among 16- to 24-year-olds, the share rose from 78% to 85%. For those aged 55 to 64, it climbed from 29% to 42%, and among 65- to 74-year-olds from 15% to 25%.
In 2024, 81% of 25- to 34-year-olds used social media, as did 72% of those aged 35 to 44. No 2021 comparison was provided for those groups.
Despite the growth, Germany remains below the EU average. Across the bloc, 67% of people aged 16 to 74 used social media last year, 8 percentage points higher than in Germany.
Denmark recorded the highest share at 90%, followed by Cyprus at 87% and Malta at 82%. Italy was the only country with a lower rate than Germany, at 56%.
How dangerous are TikTok & Co. for democracy?
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https://p.dw.com/p/59iAz
Skip next section Merz lands in Washington with Iran likely to dominate Trump talks
03/03/2026March 3, 2026
Merz lands in Washington with Iran likely to dominate Trump talks
Chancellor Friedrich Merz has arrived in Washington for talks with President Donald Trump, with the widening war in the Middle East expected to dominate their meeting.
Three days after US and Israeli strikes on Iran, Merz is holding his second White House visit in 10 months. His first meeting with Trump was described as cordial, but the current talks come amid heightened tensions across the region.
Thirty minutes are scheduled in the Oval Office, followed by a working lunch, though such meetings often run longer. Since returning to office, Trump’s Oval Office appearances with foreign leaders have drawn attention, including tense exchanges with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy and South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa.
The conflict with Iran is set to be the central issue. Trump and Hegseth have criticized European allies for what they see as limited support.
Merz has expressed understanding for the strikes but stopped short of full endorsement, warning that escalation carries risks and questioning whether external military action can trigger internal political change. He referenced past US interventions in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya as cautionary examples.
Merz: ‘We don’t want a trade dispute with the US’
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https://p.dw.com/p/59i2K
Skip next section TUI expects to repatriate stranded guests within days
03/03/2026March 3, 2026
TUI expects to repatriate stranded guests within days
Travel group TUI expects to bring back customers stranded in the Middle East within several days, its chief executive has said.
CEO Sebastian Ebel told broadcaster n-tv that the company plans to repatriate holidaymakers using partner airlines including Emirates, Qatar Airways, and Etihad, with the first flights expected to depart later today, initially bound for Munich.
TUI-Fly aircraft are also on standby and will operate “as soon as we receive permission,” Ebel said.
He added that the company is in contact with nearly all affected customers, saying it has reached almost 100% of guests through its app.
The timeline for the return flights depends on the security situation, which Ebel said cannot be reliably predicted at this stage, though he expects the process to take several days.
Up to 30,000 customers travelling with German tour operators are believed to have been affected by flight cancellations as attacks on Iran and counterstrikes continue. The German shipowners’ association on Monday said 25 ships belonging to seven different companies were affected, leaving some 7,000 passengers unable to pass through the Strait of Hormuz for security reasons.
Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most critical oil chokepoint
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https://p.dw.com/p/59hzG
Skip next section Police warn of fake flight rebooking hotlines
03/03/2026March 3, 2026
Police warn of fake flight rebooking hotlines
Police have warned of fraudulent flight rebooking hotlines after a woman in Lower Bavaria was scammed out of €2,500 (about $2,900).
Investigators said criminals are placing paid ads on search engines that direct travelers to fake service numbers posing as airlines or booking portals.
The Bavarian State Criminal Police Office advised consumers to obtain hotline numbers only from the official website of the airline or booking platform and not from online advertisements.
Travelers are urged not to respond to callback numbers or unfamiliar support links included in cancellation notices unless they have verified them. Booking changes should be made exclusively through a personal customer account.
If a supposed service employee requests remote access to a smartphone or computer, police say to end the call immediately, disconnect from the internet, and contact the bank.
https://p.dw.com/p/59hmh
Skip next section Left says response creates uncertainty
03/03/2026March 3, 2026
Left says response creates uncertainty
Criticism has also come from the socialist Left Party, with foreign policy spokesperson Cansu Özdemir calling the government’s crisis communication on Gulf evacuations inadequate.
“With the current statement by Foreign Minister Wadephul that initially only older people, children, the sick and pregnant women are to be evacuated, the federal government is creating further uncertainty,” Özdemir she told the Funke media group.
In this situation, it was crucial to act calmly and prudently. “The government is failing to do so,” Özdemir added.
She called for plans to be presented as quickly as possible, outlining how an evacuation of all approximately 30,000 people can be carried out.
Dubai International Airport was closed after being hit in Iran’s response to a US-Israeli attackImage: Altaf Qadri/AP Photo/dpa/picture alliance
On Monday, Wadephul announced that the federal government intended to send charter flights to Saudi Arabia and Oman in order to airlift stranded German travelers from there. In addition to the charter flights, the Foreign Office plans to dispatch crisis support teams to Muscat, Doha and Dubai.
https://p.dw.com/p/59hme
Skip next section Greens criticize Gulf evacuation plan
03/03/2026March 3, 2026
Greens criticize Gulf evacuation plan
After Germany said it would begin evacuating the first German travelers from the Gulf war zone, opposition parties are criticizing the approach taken by Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul.
The Foreign Ministry is currently preparing the repatriation of “particularly vulnerable groups” — the sick, children and pregnant women — from the conflict region, in measures announced on Monday.
For the Greens, the response is insufficient and comes too late.
“What we are currently witnessing in the Middle East is an escalation that had been emerging as a possible scenario for weeks,” Green foreign affairs expert Luise Amtsberg told the Funke Media Group.
“The fact that the federal government nevertheless appears unprepared and overwhelmed in this now acute threat situation is alarming.”
“Announcing only on the third day after the outbreak of war that it intends to evacuate individual vulnerable groups from the region is not sufficient,” Amtsberg added.
Iran launches retaliatory strikes across Gulf region
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https://p.dw.com/p/59hmZ
Skip next section Welcome to our coverage
03/03/2026March 3, 2026
Welcome to our coverage
Guten Tag from the DW newsroom here in Bonn as we bring you the latest about Germany.
You join us amid criticism that the German government’s plans to evacuate stranded German tourists in the Gulf region is too little, too late.
Meanwhile, police are warning travelers not to fall victim to scams when rebooking their trips.
Stay with us for this and other Germany-related headlines from Tuesday, March 3.
https://p.dw.com/p/59hbW
