German Bundesrat Approves Billions in Spending; German General Removed from NATO Over Document Handling

The German Bundesrat, the upper house of parliament representing the federal states, has approved a spending package worth hundreds of billions of euros. The funds are allocated for defense, infrastructure, and climate protection. The approval follows a decision in the Bundestag to amend the German constitution to relax debt restrictions, enabling unprecedented levels of new borrowing. The reform required a two-thirds majority in the Bundesrat to become law. A German general was removed from his NATO post in Brussels in December over alleged mishandling of confidential documents. The German Federal Military Counterintelligence Service (BAMAD) is investigating the case. The general is suspected of carelessly handling classified documents, some marked "VS-secret," found improperly stored in his office. He has reportedly been transferred to a Bundeswehr facility in Germany and is expected to retire early.