Today in Germany: A roundup of the latest news on Tuesday
German train drivers union GDL reaches labour agreement, earthquake near Bremen causes minor damage and more news from around Germany country on Tuesday.
German rail operator and train drivers reach deal in wage dispute
Germany's Deutsche Bahn rail operator and the GDL train drivers' union have reached an agreement in a wage dispute that has caused months of crippling strikes in the country, the union said on Monday.
Details of the agreement will be announced in a press conference on Tuesday, GDL said in a statement.
A spokesman for Deutsche Bahn also confirmed to AFP that an agreement had been reached.
Train drivers have walked out six times since November, causing disruption for huge numbers of passengers.
GDL has been demanding more money for its members as well as a 35-hour week for the same salary as the current 38-hour week.
Deutsche Bahn had most recently offered up to 13 percent more pay, as well as the option of cutting the working week down to 37 hours starting in 2026.
READ ALSO: Easter travel: Are German train strikes set to end?
Germany calls for swift implementation of UN ceasefire vote
The UN Security Council on Monday evening called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza five months into the grinding war, despite Israel's ally the United States abstaining.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said she was "relieved by the adoption of the resolution". "Every day counts," she added.
"Implementation of this resolution is vital for the protection of all civilians," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote on X.
The resolution to halt fighting over the Muslim holy month of Ramadan with an aim for a "lasting" truce, which drew rare applause at the Security Council.
Lower Saxony earthquake causes minor damage
One of the strongest earthquakes in Lower Saxony in the last ten years caused minor damage to buildings on Monday. No people were injured, according to the Lower Saxony State Office for Mining, Energy and Geology (LBEG).
The epicentre was located near Syke. The town is located around 25 kilometres south of Bremen. The earthquake at 12.07 pm on Monday reached a magnitude of 3.6.
A connection with the local natural gas extraction is "probable", said an LBEG spokesperson on Tuesday. Lighter earthquakes occur repeatedly in the region.
READ ALSO: Could an earthquake disaster happen in Germany?
The construction site of the Uniper Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) terminal at the Jade Bight in Wilhelmshaven on the North Sea coast. Photo: FOCKE STRANGMANN/AFP
New Michelin star restaurants to be announced in Hamburg
For top chefs, the stars in the Michelin Guide are an extremely coveted honour. The eyes of the industry and fans of good food will therefore be focussed on Hamburg on Tuesday.
At 7pm, it will be announced which restaurants will be recommended with one or even several stars in the "Guide Michelin" and which may even have to relinquish some.
Last year, there were 334 restaurants in Germany with Michelin stars - 10 restaurants were in the three-star league, 50 had two stars and 274 restaurants had one star. The award ceremony for the Michelin Stars 2024 on Tuesday evening will be broadcast live on YouTube.
Three stars is the highest honour. Green stars are also awarded for sustainable cookery. Those who receive this award pay particular attention to seasonal and regional products, animal welfare and waste avoidance, among other things.
German consumer morale seen edging up in April
German consumer sentiment is set to edge up for a second straight month in April but the pace of the recovery remains sluggish, a key survey said Tuesday.
Pollster GfK said its forward-looking survey of some 2,000 people nudged up by 1.4 points to minus 27.4 points for April, after recording a modest increase a month earlier.
While respondents' income expectations rose and they felt slightly less pessimistic about the outlook for Europe's top economy than a month ago, the willingness to make large purchases remained stuck at a low level.
"The recovery of the consumer climate is progressing slowly and very sluggishly," said Rolf Buerkl, consumer expert at the Nuremberg Institute for Market Decisions (NIM) which publishes the survey together with the GfK.
Rising wages and a robust labour market were "very good pre-conditions" for boosting consumption, he said, but "a high level of uncertainty" about the struggling German economy.
With reporting by AFP.
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German rail operator and train drivers reach deal in wage dispute
Germany's Deutsche Bahn rail operator and the GDL train drivers' union have reached an agreement in a wage dispute that has caused months of crippling strikes in the country, the union said on Monday.
Details of the agreement will be announced in a press conference on Tuesday, GDL said in a statement.
A spokesman for Deutsche Bahn also confirmed to AFP that an agreement had been reached.
Train drivers have walked out six times since November, causing disruption for huge numbers of passengers.
GDL has been demanding more money for its members as well as a 35-hour week for the same salary as the current 38-hour week.
Deutsche Bahn had most recently offered up to 13 percent more pay, as well as the option of cutting the working week down to 37 hours starting in 2026.
READ ALSO: Easter travel: Are German train strikes set to end?
Germany calls for swift implementation of UN ceasefire vote
The UN Security Council on Monday evening called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza five months into the grinding war, despite Israel's ally the United States abstaining.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said she was "relieved by the adoption of the resolution". "Every day counts," she added.
"Implementation of this resolution is vital for the protection of all civilians," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote on X.
The resolution to halt fighting over the Muslim holy month of Ramadan with an aim for a "lasting" truce, which drew rare applause at the Security Council.
Lower Saxony earthquake causes minor damage
One of the strongest earthquakes in Lower Saxony in the last ten years caused minor damage to buildings on Monday. No people were injured, according to the Lower Saxony State Office for Mining, Energy and Geology (LBEG).
The epicentre was located near Syke. The town is located around 25 kilometres south of Bremen. The earthquake at 12.07 pm on Monday reached a magnitude of 3.6.
A connection with the local natural gas extraction is "probable", said an LBEG spokesperson on Tuesday. Lighter earthquakes occur repeatedly in the region.
READ ALSO: Could an earthquake disaster happen in Germany?
New Michelin star restaurants to be announced in Hamburg
For top chefs, the stars in the Michelin Guide are an extremely coveted honour. The eyes of the industry and fans of good food will therefore be focussed on Hamburg on Tuesday.
At 7pm, it will be announced which restaurants will be recommended with one or even several stars in the "Guide Michelin" and which may even have to relinquish some.
Last year, there were 334 restaurants in Germany with Michelin stars - 10 restaurants were in the three-star league, 50 had two stars and 274 restaurants had one star. The award ceremony for the Michelin Stars 2024 on Tuesday evening will be broadcast live on YouTube.
Three stars is the highest honour. Green stars are also awarded for sustainable cookery. Those who receive this award pay particular attention to seasonal and regional products, animal welfare and waste avoidance, among other things.
German consumer morale seen edging up in April
German consumer sentiment is set to edge up for a second straight month in April but the pace of the recovery remains sluggish, a key survey said Tuesday.
Pollster GfK said its forward-looking survey of some 2,000 people nudged up by 1.4 points to minus 27.4 points for April, after recording a modest increase a month earlier.
While respondents' income expectations rose and they felt slightly less pessimistic about the outlook for Europe's top economy than a month ago, the willingness to make large purchases remained stuck at a low level.
"The recovery of the consumer climate is progressing slowly and very sluggishly," said Rolf Buerkl, consumer expert at the Nuremberg Institute for Market Decisions (NIM) which publishes the survey together with the GfK.
Rising wages and a robust labour market were "very good pre-conditions" for boosting consumption, he said, but "a high level of uncertainty" about the struggling German economy.
With reporting by AFP.
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