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German parental-benefit plans retain 14 months of payments

The evening bulletin also examines Volkswagen's vehicle-dismantling operation in Zwickau and Germany's push for closer ties with Japan.

Channel: tagesschau ·

GermanyStory of October 29, 2026Trari Newsroom

Why this story? One of tagesschau's most watched videos since yesterday, with 180,669 views.

tagesschau: The main news programme of ARD, Germany's public broadcasters, on air since 1952. 2.3M subscribers and 2.4B views.

tagesschau 20:00 Uhr, 28.10.2026

Things we can learn from the video

Press to jump

0:18The bulletin reports a deadly train collision near Urda, followed by a rescue update from Spain.
3:12Israel's election leaves no clear majority, despite both Netanyahu and Eisenkot asserting a mandate.
6:29Merz and Takaichi emphasize shared challenges and links between European and Indo-Pacific security.
8:58Putin criticizes former colonial powers during the Russia-Africa summit in Moscow.
10:53Planned parental-benefit reforms retain a payment period of up to 14 months.
13:12Volkswagen's Zwickau operation dismantles old vehicles to recover parts and materials while preserving jobs.

Germany's planned parental-benefit reform would preserve payments for up to 14 months, keeping a central feature of the support available to families after a birth.

Family Minister Karin Prien says the aim was to simplify the benefit and make it more conducive to parents sharing responsibilities. The proposal features in Germany's ARD public broadcaster's tagesschau bulletin, "tagesschau 20:00 Uhr, 28.10.2026", meaning the evening news at 8 p.m. on October 28.

The broadcast also visits Volkswagen's Zwickau plant, where a vehicle-disassembly operation is intended to preserve jobs while recovering reusable parts and raw materials from old cars. It presents a different kind of automotive work for the Saxon manufacturing site: taking vehicles apart rather than assembling them.

Abroad, Chancellor Friedrich Merz meets Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in Tokyo. Merz emphasizes the similar challenges facing the two countries, while Takaichi argues that security in the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific regions cannot be separated. The accompanying coverage describes Merz's call for an alliance supporting rules-based global trade and a coordinated response to unlawful tariffs.

The bulletin opens with Spain's high-speed train collision near Urda, reporting at least 68 deaths. Passenger Tangui Binier describes people trapped in the wreckage with severe injuries, and correspondent Sebastian Kisters reports on rescue operations. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez describes the impact of experiencing two high-speed rail disasters in the same year.

In Israel, the report finds no clear parliamentary majority. Benjamin Netanyahu calls for a strong right-wing national government, while challenger Gadi Eisenkot argues that voters have rejected Netanyahu's continued premiership. Correspondent Björn Dake examines the coalition options rather than presenting either leader's declaration as a settled outcome.

The international coverage also includes the Russia-Africa summit in Moscow. Vladimir Putin accuses former colonial powers of enriching themselves at others' expense, as Russia seeks stronger influence and commercial ties with African countries.