A decade after Angela Merkel’s open-door refugee policy, Germany is shifting toward stricter immigration measures, including faster deportations, marking a sharp reversal from the “Wir schaffen das” era.

Berlin

Germany experienced a significant influx of Syrian refugees beginning in 2015, when then-Chancellor Angela Merkel opened the country's borders and promoted a message of resilience and integration. Nearly 900,000 Syrians have claimed asylum in Germany since then, with about a fifth becoming citizens, while many continue to face language and integration challenges.

Recent years have seen a political shift, with the far-right AfD party gaining prominence and isolated violent incidents prompting the government to impose stricter migration and deportation policies. The new government has signaled a departure from Merkel's approach, returning to pre-2015 policies and raising questions about the long-term success of Germany's integration efforts.

Germany's migration u-turn: from 'we can do it’ to deportations

It was a mass movement of people Germany had not known for decades, refugees from the Syrian civil war who'd found their way to Europe and discovered many countries would not accept them. But Angela Merkel decided her country would, and opened the borders to them with this message. Germany is a strong country and our approach must be, we've accomplished so much, we can do it, and where something stands in our way, it must be overcome. Those who came here were offered housing, welfare and help to learn German, exactly what Agyad Malik needed. Since leaving Damascus in 2015, he's learned the language and become a German citizen. The people that I had contact to, the people that were open to know me, and they started like in English, to have conversations with me. And then at some point they were like, OK, let's try it in German, like simple sentences. And then it just clicked, like it just started. I'm using the language on a daily basis. His experience is just one of many Syrians in Germany. Nearly 900,000 of them have claimed asylum here since 2015. Close to half of them have been here since either 2015 or 2016. Around a fifth of them have gone on to become German citizens. But most have not, and continue to struggle with the German language. There wasn't enough effort to help people learn German and insist they learnt it. If now, ten years later, there's still people who've been here for seven, eight, nine, ten years and still can't speak German properly, we have a social problem. AfD! AfD! And then there is the effect integration has had on Germany at the social and political level. The once fringe, far-right, anti-immigrant AfD party is now the second largest in parliament. And although only a tiny proportion of Syrians in Germany have carried out violent attacks here, when a failed asylum seeker stabbed three people to death in Solingen last year, it led the government drastically to toughen the rules for migrants and refugees. When a new government was formed in the spring, one leading conservative said the approach of the Merkel era was over. It's a return to the times before 2015. All these years of uncertainty are over. So could Germany do it like Angela Merkel said? Many people aren't sure. Dominic Cain, Al Jazeera, Berlin.

Iran-backed Houthis raided offices of the United Nations’ food, health and children's agencies in Yemen’s capital, detaining several UN employees, officials said. The rebels tightened security across Sanaa following the Israeli killing of their prime minister and several Cabinet members.

Sana'a

Middle East Conflict

Houthis raid UN offices in Yemen, detain 11 employees

A large buildup of U.S. naval forces in and around the Southern Caribbean has officials in Caracas and experts in the United States asking: is the move aimed at combating drug cartels, as the Trump administration has suggested, or is it for something else entirely?

Caracas

U.S. builds up forces in Caribbean as officials, experts concerned

More than 600 people were killed and 2,500 injured after a magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan late on Sunday, the Taliban has said. Afghanistan is prone to deadly earthquakes, with the worst one in recent memory hitting the country on 7 October, 2023.

Kabul

Over 600 killed after 6.0 magnitude quake rocks Afghanistan

Officials from the Trump administration spent the weekend pushing back against a U.S. appeals court ruling that most tariffs against Canada were illegal. Economic adviser Peter Navarro called the decision politically motivated.

Washington

Global Tariffs

Trump officials push back after court rules tariffs illegal

Israel's security cabinet is considering a plan to seize Gaza City with attacks ramping up over the weekend. The Israeli military has now ended a temporary pause of military action around aid delivery locations ahead of an expected 'full-scale assault'.

Tel Aviv-Yafo

Israel intensifying attacks ahead of planned seizure of Gaza City

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker says he's making every effort to stop President Trump from using the military to "invade states." But the White House claims the National Guard is needed to stop violent crime in Chicago.

Chicago

Trump threatens to send military to Chicago over crime

A young boy who had wandered away from his parents ended up on a closed monorail at Hersheypark in Pennsylvania this weekend. A bystander helped rescue the boy as a gathering crowd cheered. It's not clear how he made his way onto the monorail.

Hershey

Boy rescued from monorail track at Pennsylvania amusement park

A flotilla of boats carrying humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza, has set sail from Barcelona. On board are organisers from 44 countries, who say they're trying to break Israel's siege on the Strip.

Barcelona

Greta Thunberg onboard second aid flotilla heading for Gaza Strip

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said New Delhi was committed to improving ties with China in a key meeting with President Xi Jinping, as the two leaders discussed the need to expand trade and investment ties against the backdrop of U.S. tariffs.

Beijing

Modi meets with Xi, vows to improve China ties

Pakistan's eastern Punjab province is facing one of the worst flood emergencies in recent history. Authorities say raging waters have affected the lives of more than 2 million people.

Punjab

Pakistan's Punjab province battered by historic flood

China’s Xi Jinping has welcomed Russia’s Vladimir Putin, India’s Narendra Modi and leaders from around 20 countries to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit, a high-security gathering aimed at boosting Beijing’s influence and promoting "a multipolar world order."

Tianjin

Xi aims to show global south unity with Modi and Putin

Russia's Vladimir Putin is among a dozen leaders attending the regional security summit, which comes at a crunch moment in talks over his war on Ukraine, and for a summit that's demonstrating a strong show of unity among Global South leaders.

Putin arrives in China for key regional security summit

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson detailed his plan Saturday to resist President Trump's threatened immigration crackdown in his city. CBS News has learned the Trump administration plans to intensify immigration enforcement in the city as early as next week.

Chicago mayor pushes back on Trump's immigration crackdown

Russian strikes shook the Zaporizhzhia region in southern Ukraine overnight Friday, hitting a five-story apartment building, killing at least one person and injuring dozens more.

Zaporizhzhia

Russia continues assault on Ukrainian cities

For the first time since this week's deadly mass shooting at a Minneapolis church, which killed two young students and wounded more than a dozen people, a devastated community gathered Saturday at the site to attend Mass.

Minneapolis

Mass held at site of Minneapolis church shooting

The United States says it will not allow Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to travel to New York next month for a United Nations gathering of world leaders, where several U.S. allies are set to recognise Palestine as a state.

New York

U.S bars Palestinian leadership from attending UN

The Department of Homeland Security is preparing for an immigration crackdown in Chicago as early as next week, sources told CBS News. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker blasted the Trump administration's plans.

Chicago immigration crackdown could happen next week, sources say

The Israeli military on Friday declared Gaza City a “dangerous combat zone” before a new offensive in the Palestinian enclave's largest city. Israel is moving forward with plans to seize Gaza City despite growing international pressure to end the nearly two-year conflict.

Israel declares Gaza City a 'dangerous combat zone'

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has been blocked from attending the UN General Assembly in New York next month. That's as U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has cancelled visas for the Palestinian delegation.

U.S. blocks Palestinian officials from attending UN general assembly

The death toll of a devastating Russian air assault in Kyiv earlier this week has been revised upward to 25. Now European allies suggest Russian President Vladimir Putin is playing U.S. President Donald Trump if he runs out the clock on Washington's peace efforts.

Paris

Ukraine Invasion

Macron says Putin 'played Trump' if Zelenskyy meeting isn’t set soon

The Trump administration is planning expanded immigration operations in Chicago next week, two Department of Homeland Security sources tell CBS News. Camilo Montoya-Galvez reports.

Trump planning immigration crackdown in Chicago next week: sources

Iran-backed Houthi Prime Minister Ahmed al-Rahawi was killed in Israeli airstrikes on Sanaa, according to Yemeni and Israeli reports. The strikes also targeted top military officials, including the group's defence minister.

Iran-backed Houthi PM killed in Israeli airstrikes on Yemen's capital

Thailand's Constitutional Court dismissed 39-year-old Paetongtarn Shinawatra from office on Friday (August 29) on an ethics violation, abruptly ending the term of Thailand's youngest prime minister after just over a year in office.

Bangkok

Thai court ousts PM Paetongtarn for ethics violation

Chinese President Xi Jinping will be flanked by leaders of some of the world's most heavily sanctioned nations at a World War Two military parade in Beijing next week, in a show of solidarity against the West.

China to stage massive military parade as Xi hosts sanctioned leaders

The multinational peacekeeping force known as UNIFIL has played a significant role in monitoring the security situation in southern Lebanon for decades, including during the Israel-Hezbollah conflict last year.

Beirut

UN votes to end peacekeeping force in Lebanon after five decades

Russia, set to assume the UN Security Council presidency in October, has proposed extending the resolution that governs the snapback mechanism, potentially intensifying a diplomatic standoff with European powers.

Moscow

Russia slams European push to reimpose UN sanctions on Iran

It's been 13 days since President Trump said he could strike a peace deal in Ukraine, following his meeting with Russia's leader, Vladimir Putin. But Russia shows no signs of backing down, launching an aerial assault on Kyiv.

Kyiv

Russian attack on Kyiv kills more than a dozen people

The shooter in Minneapolis fired more than 100 rounds from a rifle at the church where students at Annunciation Catholic School attended Mass. City and state officials highlighted this fact as they called for stricter gun control.

Minneapolis officials call for stronger gun laws after school shooting

The shooter who killed 2 kids and injured 17 at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis had ties to the church where he targeted children celebrating a new school year during mass.

Annunciation school shooter had knowledge of church he targeted

The White House is responding to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Susan Monarez's refusal to step down from her role. CBS News' Olivia Rinaldi reports.

Breakdown