Germany today (Sun 25 Oct): Schufa scores get more transparent on 20 Nov, Berlin may bring back free museum Sundays, fuel discount ends at New Year, Dortmund go top

Hello! Here is the news for Sunday, 25 October. The clocks went back last night, so today has an extra hour. Storm Manja keeps things windy, though — a good day to read the news with a coffee indoors.

1. [Politics] SPD leadership race opens — youth wing chief tells Klingbeil not to run again

A seat is free after Bärbel Bas steps down — On 12 Oct she announced she would leave as SPD co-leader and as minister. The party elects its whole leadership at a congress in January
Jusos leader Philipp Türmer goes on the attack — If Lars Klingbeil wants to stay finance minister and vice chancellor, Türmer says, he should not run for party leader again
Names in the frame — Former labour minister Hubertus Heil and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania premier Manuela Schwesig. Nobody has declared yet, and Klingbeil has not said whether he will run
What it means for you — The SPD is in the federal government, so its next leader will shape debates on pensions, the minimum wage and taxes

Source: t-online.de (dpa) · finanzen.at (dpa-AFX)

2. [Economy] The 16.7-cent fuel discount ends on 31 Dec — the January price cap still has no blueprint

Three months only, from early October to the end of the year — Energy tax on fuel fell by 14 cents a litre, about 16.7 cents including VAT. The roughly €2.5bn cost is shared half and half by the federal government and the states
Next: a fuel price cap (Spritpreisdeckel) — From 1 January 2027 at the latest, an authority would regularly set a maximum price for petrol and diesel based on costs plus a fair margin
How it will be calculated is still open — Berlin is talking to the oil industry. After their meeting on 22 Oct, the state premiers urged the government to decide now what happens after 1 January
Neighbours already do it — Luxembourg and Belgium have similar state price rules
What it means for you — If you drive a lot, keep an eye on pump prices around the end of December. We will explain the cap once the details are out

Source: t-online.de (dpa) · infranken.de (background)

3. [Society] Schufa credit scores get more transparent from 20 Nov — and the Federal Court has ruled

Amended data protection law (BDSG) applies from 20 Nov — On request, credit agencies must show all scores they calculated for you in the past 12 months and the data used, and name the criteria that weighed most
On 21 Oct the Federal Court of Justice (BGH) partly sided with Schufa — It overturned four Dresden appeal rulings that had ordered more detail on how scores are weighted, and sent the cases back (I ZR 227/25 and others)
The key: a real disadvantage — To get the reasoning behind an old-style score, you must show it hurt you, for example a contract refused. A refusal shortly after the score was passed on can be enough
A new score is already in use — Since 17 March 2026 Schufa has used a simpler score; the old one is to be fully replaced by the end of 2028
What it means for you — Landlords, phone companies and banks all look at Schufa. From 20 Nov you can ask why your score is what it is

Source: zdfheute.de · beck-aktuell.de

4. [Culture] Berlin may bring back free museum Sundays — 16 a year

It is in the Linke–Greens–SPD exploratory paper — The plan: 16 free museum Sundays a year and the return of a culture card (Kulturkarte) for young people
From 2021 it was once a month — Many Berlin museums waived entry one Sunday a month until budget cuts ended the scheme after December 2024
Other everyday promises in the same paper — One free bulky-waste (Sperrmüll) pickup a year per household, free school tickets and free school lunch up to year 6, and more
Still only a plan — Real coalition talks start only if a Linke party conference says yes on 31 Oct (see yesterday's politics item)
What it means for you — Families could visit places like Museum Island without paying. No start date until the talks are done

Source: monopol-magazin.de (dpa) · stuttgarter-zeitung.de (dpa)

5. [Arts] Frankfurt's Schirn opens Germany's first Leonor Fini retrospective

23 Oct to 21 Feb 2027 — "Magisch surreal" at the Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt
About 100 works — Paintings, drawings and photographs, plus costumes, masks and books
Who was she? — Born in Buenos Aires in 1907, raised in Trieste, died in 1996. She moved among the Surrealists but built her own world of myth, dreams and strong female figures
Worth a trip? — It is her first big retrospective in Germany — a good autumn or winter outing if you like Surrealism

Source: schirn.de · meer.com

6. [Entertainment] The voice of "Da Da Da", Stephan Remmler, turns 80 today

Born 25 October 1946 in Witten — Singer of Trio, one of the defining bands of the early-1980s Neue Deutsche Welle (German New Wave)
A worldwide hit in 1982 — He restarted his music career in 1979 with guitarist Kralle Krawinkel and drummer Peter Behrens; for a while the three lived together in the small Lower Saxony village of Großenkneten
Solo hits too — "Keine Sterne in Athen" and "Alles hat ein Ende, nur die Wurst hat zwei" (Everything has an end, only a sausage has two)
Out of the spotlight — He stepped back in the mid-1990s and lives in Switzerland and on Lanzarote
Give it a listen? — The lyrics of "Da Da Da" are so simple that beginners can sing along

Source: zdfheute.de · news.at

7. [Sports] An 80th-minute winner sends Dortmund top — Klassiker against Bayern next weekend

Saturday: Dortmund 1–0 Frankfurt — Substitute Maximilian Beier scored in the 80th minute, set up by Jobe Bellingham, ending a run of two league draws
Top with 17 points — At least until Sunday. Next weekend brings the Klassiker against Bayern
Bayern play at Freiburg today at 17:30 — With coach Vincent Kompany out for several weeks, assistant Aaron Danks is in charge. A win would put Bayern back on top
Ski season opener: Emma Aicher third — Her best giant slalom result, in Sölden on Saturday. Paula Moltzan (USA) won

Source: zdfheute.de · bundesliga.com · zdfheute.de (Bayern) · t-online.de (skiing)

Weather

Weather Mon–Wed

City	Mon 26	Tue 27	Wed 28
Berlin	☁️ 13° / 8° cloudy	🌤️ 17° / 9° mostly sunny	🌦️ 15° / 9° local showers
Hamburg	☁️ 12° / 9° overcast	☁️ 15° / 10° cloudy	🌤️ 13° / 10° mostly sunny
Munich	☁️ 12° / 7° cloudy	🌤️ 18° / 8° mostly sunny	🌧️ 12° / 6° rain
Cologne	☁️ 14° / 7° overcast	🌤️ 19° / 10° mostly sunny	🌤️ 14° / 9° mostly sunny
Frankfurt	☁️ 12° / 6° overcast	🌤️ 19° / 8° mostly sunny	🌦️ 14° / 7° light rain

Tip: Today (Sunday) storm Manja brings strong wind. It calms down on Monday, and Tuesday turns mild, up to 19° in the west and south. Take an umbrella in Munich on Wednesday. (Forecast: wetter.net)

German from today's news

Word	Meaning	Example from the news
der Parteivorsitz	party leadership	Die SPD wählt im Januar einen neuen Parteivorsitz.
der Tankrabatt	fuel discount	Der Tankrabatt endet am 31. Dezember.
die Auskunft	information, disclosure	Man kann bei der Schufa Auskunft verlangen.
der Eintritt	admission (fee)	Am Museumssonntag ist der Eintritt frei.
die Retrospektive	retrospective	Die Schirn zeigt eine Retrospektive von Leonor Fini.
die Tabellenspitze	top of the table	Dortmund steht an der Tabellenspitze.

Enjoy the extra hour and stay out of the wind. Schönen Sonntag! 🇩🇪