Germany today (Mon 2 Nov): The DTZ German test for immigrants gets stricter, IG Metall warning strikes begin, a bill to cut housing benefit goes to a hearing, Stuttgart win 4-2 in Leverkusen

Good morning! Here's your German news for Monday, 2 November. A new week begins. If you are about to take the integration course test, read item three first — the pass rules changed on 1 November.

1. [Politics] A bill to cut housing benefit (Wohngeld) — Bundestag hearing on Wednesday

• Expert hearing on Wed 4 Nov, 16:30 — the Bundestag housing committee hears experts on the Wohngeld bill. The government sent it to parliament on 30 Sep; the first reading was on 8 Oct
• No increase in January 2027 — Wohngeld is normally adjusted to prices and rents every two years; this regular increase will be skipped once
• Heating component cut in half — for a single person it falls from €96 to €48 a month. The formula also changes so that the benefit shrinks faster when income rises
• About 381,000 households could lose it by 2029 — the government expects public budgets to save about €1.16bn in 2027. The Bundesrat must also agree, and the states oppose the heating cut
• What it means for you — existing decisions keep their amount until they expire. If you get Wohngeld or plan to apply, note the planned start (1 January 2027) and the end date of your current decision

Source: bundestag.de · kommunal.de · gegen-hartz.de

2. [Economy] IG Metall warning strikes begin — pay talks for 3.7 million workers

• Strikes since midnight on Sunday 1 Nov — they started the minute the "peace obligation" in the metal and electrical industry ended, as we flagged on Friday. The first walkout was at an electronic components plant in Munich
• Union demand: 5% over 12 months — plus commitments to keep jobs and sites
• Employers' offer: a one-off payment in July 2027, then 1.3% from July 2028 — with a contract running to the end of 2028. IG Metall chair Christiane Benner called it a "minus offer" and promised strong warning strikes
• Spreading nationwide this week — car makers, machinery, electronics and metal plants stop work for a few hours. Plants in Andernach, Hamburg and Hildesheim were first on Sunday
• What it means for you — this is not a public transport strike. If you work in the industry, this round sets your pay for the next two years

Employers' offer applies from July 2028 (one-off payment before)

Source: ariva.de (dpa-AFX) · ad-hoc-news.de · igmetall.de

3. [Society] The DTZ German test for immigrants is stricter from 1 November

• New rules since 1 Nov — the Interior Ministry changed the regulation for integration course tests. It concerns the DTZ (Deutsch-Test für Zuwanderer) taken at the end of the course
• To get B1 — as before, you need B1 in speaking (Sprechen) and B1 in either listening/reading or writing. New: the remaining part must now reach at least A2. Before, there was no minimum
• The reason: cheating — more candidates entered answers bought online in listening/reading and left the writing part blank
• 318,550 candidates last year — 175,193 reached B1 (55%), 102,663 reached A2 and 40,694 stayed below A2
• What it means for you — if you need DTZ B1 for permanent residence or citizenship, you can no longer skip writing. See our DTZ guide for the test structure and the DTZ speaking tips

Source: migrando.de · trtdeutsch.com · ad-hoc-news.de (dpa)

4. [Culture] Kassel's Arnold Bode Prize goes to Ghanaian artist Ibrahim Mahama

• Awarded on Thu 29 Oct at the Kasseler Kunstverein — the City of Kassel gives the prize, worth €10,000
• The "jute sack" artist of documenta 2017 — Mahama, born in 1987, wrapped Kassel's old Torwache gate building in worn jute sacks for documenta 14
• Speech by the documenta 16 director — artistic director Naomi Beckwith gave the laudatio. On the same day documenta 16 named four new curators
• documenta 16 opens on 12 June 2027 — the world-famous contemporary art show takes place in Kassel every five years. Worth putting in your plans for next summer

Source: hessenschau.de · monopol-magazin.de · monopol-magazin.de (documenta 16)

5. [Arts] A big Hito Steyerl retrospective at Hamburg's Deichtorhallen

• Until 29 March 2027 — the show "Deine Mudda macht Show" by Berlin-based video artist Hito Steyerl fills the Halle für aktuelle Kunst at the Deichtorhallen
• One room, one work — about 15 room installations from 1999 to 2025 on algorithms, capitalism, climate collapse and war
• Recent works too — including "The Island" and "Mechanical Kurds" (both 2025)
• Public tours — Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays at 16:00 and Thursdays at 19:00 (in German). The first is on Wed 4 Nov
• Getting there — Deichtorstraße 1-2, a few minutes' walk from Hamburg Hauptbahnhof

Source: hamburg.de · hamburg-tourism.de · deichtorhallen.de

6. [Entertainment] Fatih Akin's new film "Geister" opens on Thursday

• In German cinemas from Thu 5 Nov — the new film by Hamburg director Fatih Akin
• Forty nights of dreams — two young people meet at a graduation party. She dies that night, but for 40 nights she can visit him in his dreams
• Starring — Mariam Dawoud as Farasha and Eren M. Güvercin as Faris
• Opened San Sebastián — it premiered as the opening film of the San Sebastián festival competition on 18 September
• What it means for you — it's set in Hamburg, so you get German city views too. German films usually play in German only; look for "OmU" screenings if you want subtitles

Source: filmstarts.de · kino.de · moin-filmfoerderung.de

7. [Sports] Stuttgart win 4-2 in Leverkusen — Champions League week ahead

• Sat 31 Oct: Leverkusen 2-4 Stuttgart — Stuttgart won away even without injured midfield leader Angelo Stiller. Leverkusen have lost two league games in a row
• Sunday's games — Eintracht Frankfurt beat Hamburger SV 3-1; Union Berlin and Köln drew 1-1
• Level on 18 points at the top — after matchday 8, Bayern and Dortmund have 18 points, Freiburg 16, Leipzig and Bremen 15
• Champions League this week — Tuesday: Galatasaray v Stuttgart (18:45), Atlético Madrid v Bayern (21:00); Wednesday: Dortmund v Real Betis and Leipzig v Manchester City (both 21:00)

Pos.	Team	Points
1	Bayern Munich	18
2	Borussia Dortmund	18
3	SC Freiburg	16
4	RB Leipzig	15
5	Werder Bremen	15

Source: hessenschau.de · zdfheute.de · heidelberg24.de

Weather

City	Tue 3 Nov	Wed 4 Nov	Thu 5 Nov
Berlin	⛅ 10° / 5° cloudy spells	🌤️ 10° / 4° partly sunny	☀️ 9° / 3° sunny
Hamburg	🌦️ 10° / 6° light rain in places	☁️ 9° / 4° cloudy	🌤️ 9° / 4° partly sunny
Munich	☁️ 6° / 3° overcast	🌬️ 6° / 3° cloudy, windy	☁️ 5° / 2° mostly cloudy
Cologne	🌧️ 10° / 5° light rain in the morning	🌤️ 11° / 4° partly sunny	☀️ 10° / 3° sunny
Frankfurt	🌬️ 9° / 2° partly sunny, windy	🌤️ 11° / 3° partly sunny	🌤️ 9° / 2° partly sunny

Tip: On Tuesday you only need an umbrella in Hamburg and Cologne. From Wednesday high pressure brings calm, mostly sunny days, but nights drop to 2–3 °C. Watch out for fog and frost on the morning commute, and take gloves and a scarf if you cycle. (Forecast: wetter.com; Berlin checked with wetter.de)

German from today's news

Word	Meaning	Example from the news
das Wohngeld	housing benefit	Das Wohngeld soll 2027 nicht steigen.
der Warnstreik	warning strike	Die IG Metall ruft zu Warnstreiks auf.
die Lohnerhöhung	pay rise	Die Gewerkschaft fordert fünf Prozent Lohnerhöhung.
die Prüfung	exam, test	Die Prüfung wird ab November strenger.
der Kinostart	cinema release	Der Kinostart ist am Donnerstag.
der Auswärtssieg	away win	Stuttgart feiert einen Auswärtssieg in Leverkusen.

Mind the morning fog and have a good week. Einen guten Start in die Woche! 🇩🇪