German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius urges Europe to act more confidently toward Washington Recent research figures show that about one in two Germans will develop cancer in their lifetime
Below are some of the top news headlines from Germany on Saturday, January 31:
New figures show about one in two Germans will get cancer in their lifetime
Almost every second man and more than 40% of women in Germany will develop cancer during their lifetime, according to new figures from the Robert Koch Institute, published for World Cancer Day.
About one in six women and one in seven men are affected before the age of 65.
Here are key numbers according to cancer registry data:
In 2023, about 517,800 new cancer cases were diagnosed in Germany More men (276,400) than women (241,400) were affected About half of all new cases involve just four types: breast, prostate, lung, and colon cancer
US needs Europe, German defense minister says
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius urged European governments to act more confidently toward the United States.
It would be a mistake “if we stared at the White House like a rabbit staring at a snake,” Pistorius told the RND media group.
He added: “Then we would lose focus on what we need to do: Become more sovereign and independent.”
US President Donald Trump relies on uncertainty and fear to achieve his goals, “but those who are afraid make the wrong decisions, so let’s not allow ourselves to be intimidated,” said the defense minister.
Pistorius was referring to European governments’ resistance to Trump’s renewed push to have the US take control of Greenland, a semiautonomous territory of Denmark.
Europe’s strategic importance to the US
He stressed that the US needs Europe just as much as the Europeans need the US, saying that Europe is of geostrategic and geoeconomic importance to Washington.
“Imagine if Europe were to become Russia’s sphere of influence if [Russian President] Vladimir Putin succeeded in driving the Americans out of here or causing them to withdraw,” Pistorius said.
Washington would be “sandwiched between Russia and China. That would certainly not be in the Americans’ interest,” he added.
Welcome to our coverage
Guten Tag from the DW newsroom here in Bonn.
You join us this morning as we bring you the latest headlines from German news, starting with Defense Minister Boris Pistorius stressing that the US needs Europe just as much as Europe needs the US.
Stay with us for this and more on what Germany is talking about today.