Today in Germany: A roundup of the latest news on Wednesday
First train strikes begin in the evening, Tesla's factory near Berlin halts production, and more news from around Germany on Wednesday.
First train strikes begin Wednesday evening
The next strike by the German Train Drivers' Union (GDL) at Deutsche Bahn begins Wednesday evening. From 6 pm, the GDL has announced that there will once again be far-reaching restrictions at the Group subsidiary DB Cargo.
A few hours later, at 2 am on Thursday morning, the fifth round of industrial action in the ongoing wage dispute will also begin in passenger transport. This time, the strike will last 35 hours.
While this is short compared to previous rounds of action, GDL boss Claus Weselsky has called for "waves of strikes" to follow.
Weselsky emphasised on Monday that announcing strikes around 48 hours in advance would then be a thing of the past. In future, railways and passengers will be warned with little advance notice.
"This means that the railway is no longer a reliable means of transport," he said.
An emergency timetable, which Deutsche Bahn has always been able to set up after strike announcements, would then "very probably" no longer be possible. Weselsky also did not rule out strikes over the four-day Easter weekend at the end of March.
READ ALSO: 'Rail is no longer reliable': How latest German train strikes will hit services
Tesla German plant halts production after sabotage claimed by far-left group
Tesla has halted production at its German factory after power lines supplying the electric carmaker's only European plant were set on fire on Tuesday in an act of sabotage claimed by a far-left group.
Tesla owner Elon Musk tweeted in German that the attack was "extremely dumb", while the company said it would cost it several hundred million euros and it was unclear when production might resume.
Emergency services were called in the early hours of Tuesday to reports of a burning electricity pylon southeast of Berlin, close to the Tesla plant.
The blaze was extinguished but damage to the lines knocked out power to the US carmaker's factory, as well as surrounding villages.
After police said they had launched an investigation into suspected arson the act was claimed by far-left activists from the so-called Vulkangruppe (Volcano Group).
READ ALSO: Far-left group claims 'sabotage' on Tesla's German factory
Tesla's factory near Berlin, as photographed in January 2024. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Christophe Gateau
German defence minister denounces 'cowards' comment
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said Tuesday evening that French President Emmanuel Macron's call for Ukraine's allies "not to be cowards" is not helping to solve Ukraine's woes.
"We don't need really, from my perspective at least, discussions about boots on the ground or having more courage or less courage," Pistorius told reporters during a press conference with his Swedish counterpart Pal Jonson.
"This is something which does not really help solve the issues we have when it comes to helping Ukraine," he added.
On Tuesday, the French President said Europe was approaching a moment "in which it will be necessary not to be cowards."
Most of Macron's European allies said they would not send troops to Ukraine after his comments on February 26th. French officials also insisted any such forces could be sent to back operations such as de-mining rather than fighting Russian forces.
During Pistorius visit to the Nordic country, Germany and Sweden signed a letter of intent to strengthen military cooperation.
German police confirm arrest after football fans make Nazi salutes in Munich
German police said on Tuesday they had made an arrest after a group of Lazio fans were filmed doing Nazi salutes at Munich's Hofbräuhaus beer hall before the Italian side's Champions League clash with Bayern.
Fans of the notoriously right-wing club from Rome were captured late on Monday making the gesture and chanting "Duce", a name for Italy's former fascist dictator Benito Mussolini.
The Nazi salute is banned in Germany along with other Nazi-related expressions, gestures and symbols.
On Tuesday, police confirmed that an 18-year-old Italian was "found and provisionally arrested" for performing the salute.
The police confirmed the fan was released after paying a four-digit security deposit.
A popular site for tourists, the Hofbräuhaus was also where Adolf Hitler gave a speech at the founding of the Nazi Party in 1920.
Chemicals giant Bayer rules out break-up 'for now' after huge loss
German chemicals giant Bayer has vowed to "urgently" address key challenges after plunging deep into the red in 2023, weighed down by woes related to its glyphosate-based weedkillers.
CEO Bill Anderson said Bayer faced "four challenges that urgently must be addressed." Among them, Bayer, maker of Aspirin, has to strengthen its pharmaceuticals pipeline, he said, referring to the need to launch new products to compensate for the expiration of patents on several blockbuster drugs in the coming years.
The group also needs to address massive litigation issues linked to the Roundup weedkiller, Anderson said, a problem Bayer inherited in the 2018 takeover of US firm Monsanto.
Bayer has faced a wave of lawsuits in the United States over claims Roundup, which contains the active ingredient glyphosate, causes cancer. Bayer denies the claim but has spent billions of euros on legal costs in recent years.
Bayer, which has already warned there would be "significant" job cuts to help turn around the group's fortunes, said it aimed to make savings of two billion euros a year from 2026.
With reporting by AFP.
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First train strikes begin Wednesday evening
The next strike by the German Train Drivers' Union (GDL) at Deutsche Bahn begins Wednesday evening. From 6 pm, the GDL has announced that there will once again be far-reaching restrictions at the Group subsidiary DB Cargo.
A few hours later, at 2 am on Thursday morning, the fifth round of industrial action in the ongoing wage dispute will also begin in passenger transport. This time, the strike will last 35 hours.
While this is short compared to previous rounds of action, GDL boss Claus Weselsky has called for "waves of strikes" to follow.
Weselsky emphasised on Monday that announcing strikes around 48 hours in advance would then be a thing of the past. In future, railways and passengers will be warned with little advance notice.
"This means that the railway is no longer a reliable means of transport," he said.
An emergency timetable, which Deutsche Bahn has always been able to set up after strike announcements, would then "very probably" no longer be possible. Weselsky also did not rule out strikes over the four-day Easter weekend at the end of March.
READ ALSO: 'Rail is no longer reliable': How latest German train strikes will hit services
Tesla German plant halts production after sabotage claimed by far-left group
Tesla has halted production at its German factory after power lines supplying the electric carmaker's only European plant were set on fire on Tuesday in an act of sabotage claimed by a far-left group.
Tesla owner Elon Musk tweeted in German that the attack was "extremely dumb", while the company said it would cost it several hundred million euros and it was unclear when production might resume.
Emergency services were called in the early hours of Tuesday to reports of a burning electricity pylon southeast of Berlin, close to the Tesla plant.
The blaze was extinguished but damage to the lines knocked out power to the US carmaker's factory, as well as surrounding villages.
After police said they had launched an investigation into suspected arson the act was claimed by far-left activists from the so-called Vulkangruppe (Volcano Group).
READ ALSO: Far-left group claims 'sabotage' on Tesla's German factory
German defence minister denounces 'cowards' comment
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said Tuesday evening that French President Emmanuel Macron's call for Ukraine's allies "not to be cowards" is not helping to solve Ukraine's woes.
"We don't need really, from my perspective at least, discussions about boots on the ground or having more courage or less courage," Pistorius told reporters during a press conference with his Swedish counterpart Pal Jonson.
"This is something which does not really help solve the issues we have when it comes to helping Ukraine," he added.
On Tuesday, the French President said Europe was approaching a moment "in which it will be necessary not to be cowards."
Most of Macron's European allies said they would not send troops to Ukraine after his comments on February 26th. French officials also insisted any such forces could be sent to back operations such as de-mining rather than fighting Russian forces.
During Pistorius visit to the Nordic country, Germany and Sweden signed a letter of intent to strengthen military cooperation.
German police confirm arrest after football fans make Nazi salutes in Munich
German police said on Tuesday they had made an arrest after a group of Lazio fans were filmed doing Nazi salutes at Munich's Hofbräuhaus beer hall before the Italian side's Champions League clash with Bayern.
Fans of the notoriously right-wing club from Rome were captured late on Monday making the gesture and chanting "Duce", a name for Italy's former fascist dictator Benito Mussolini.
The Nazi salute is banned in Germany along with other Nazi-related expressions, gestures and symbols.
On Tuesday, police confirmed that an 18-year-old Italian was "found and provisionally arrested" for performing the salute.
The police confirmed the fan was released after paying a four-digit security deposit.
A popular site for tourists, the Hofbräuhaus was also where Adolf Hitler gave a speech at the founding of the Nazi Party in 1920.
Chemicals giant Bayer rules out break-up 'for now' after huge loss
German chemicals giant Bayer has vowed to "urgently" address key challenges after plunging deep into the red in 2023, weighed down by woes related to its glyphosate-based weedkillers.
CEO Bill Anderson said Bayer faced "four challenges that urgently must be addressed." Among them, Bayer, maker of Aspirin, has to strengthen its pharmaceuticals pipeline, he said, referring to the need to launch new products to compensate for the expiration of patents on several blockbuster drugs in the coming years.
The group also needs to address massive litigation issues linked to the Roundup weedkiller, Anderson said, a problem Bayer inherited in the 2018 takeover of US firm Monsanto.
Bayer has faced a wave of lawsuits in the United States over claims Roundup, which contains the active ingredient glyphosate, causes cancer. Bayer denies the claim but has spent billions of euros on legal costs in recent years.
Bayer, which has already warned there would be "significant" job cuts to help turn around the group's fortunes, said it aimed to make savings of two billion euros a year from 2026.
With reporting by AFP.
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