Snow, black ice cancels dozens of flights in Germany
Snow and black ice forced the cancellation Sunday of dozens of flights at Frankfurt airport, Germany's largest airport.
In all, 120 of some 1,990 flights at the airport in the country's west were cancelled, with a spokesperson telling AFP take-off and landing runways needed clearing while "de-icing the planes is also more complex and more demanding."
Poor visibility was another factor behind the annulations.
In Munich, 35 flights were cancelled as a precaution late Saturday evening out of a total of 750 departures and landings scheduled at Germany's second largest airport, a spokesperson said.
Disruptions had begun on Friday evening at Berlin-Brandenburg airport, with 30 flights disrupted amid icy conditions in the capital.
The meteorological office warned of freezing rain on Sunday after snowfall overnight and recommended passengers avoid unnecessary travel.
French top diplomat 'would have preferred' if Syrian leader shook German counterpart's hand
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot on Sunday said he would have preferred if Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa had shaken the hand of his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock on their visit to Syria last week, but insisted that this was not the point of their trip.
Barrot and Baerbock on Friday became the most senior Western figures to visit the Syrian capital since Islamist-led forces toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad last month.
But their meeting with al-Sharaa was overshadowed by the devoutly Muslim leader shaking Barrot's hand on arrival but pointedly not doing the same to Baerbock, a woman.
"Would I have preferred Ahmed al-Sharaa to shake hands with my German colleague? The answer is yes. Was that the purpose of this trip? The answer is no," Barrot told RTL.
He pointed to issues including the fate of tens of thousands of Islamic State (IS) fighters held in the country and the risks of proliferation of Assad's chemical weapons arsenal.
Meanwhile Germany's Interior Minister, Nancy Faeser, said the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees "will review and revoke protection grants if [Syrians in Germany] no longer need this protection..."
But she also said that the office will primarily focus on security issues, adding "Anyone who is well integrated, works, has learned German and has found a new home here should be allowed to stay".
Scholz slams 'erratic' Musk comments, support for AfD
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz condemned Elon Musk's "erratic" comments and his open support for the extreme-right AfD party in an interview published Saturday.
The world's wealthiest man -- who owns social media platform X -- has in a string of posts attacked several European leaders and ruffled feathers on the continent.
Asked about interference by Musk - who last month called Scholz an "incompetent fool" before calling the German president an "anti-democratic tyrant" - the chancellor told Stern magazine it was important "to keep calm" ahead of Germany's snap elections on February 23rd.
"In Germany, everything is proceeding according to the wishes of our citizens and not the erratic comments of an American billionaire," he told the magazine in an interview.
"The German president is not an anti-democratic tyrant and Germany is a strong and stable democracy -- never mind what Mr Musk says."
READ ALSO: Scholz tells Germans (and Musk) 'social media won't decide election'
Scholz said public support from the ever-more-powerful Musk for the far-right AfD was "much more problematic than these insults".
The Alternative for Germany (AfD), which is polling in second place behind the conservatives, "advocates closer links with Putin's Russia and wants to weaken trans-Atlantic ties", Scholz said.
Insolvencies in Germany reach level of financial crisis
According to insolvency researcher Steffen Müller, the number of company bankruptcies in Germany is roughly at the same level now as it was in 2009, during the financial crisis in 2009.
"At the time of the financial crisis in 2009, we had around 1400 insolvent partnerships and corporations per month. Now we have reached that level again," Müller told DPA.
On difference, however, is that during the previous crisis there was also a high number of insolvent micro-enterprises. Whereas currently its primarily larger companies being affected.
According to a report by the credit agency Creditreform in December, the number of corporate insolvencies in Germany reached its highest level since 2015.
A total of around 121,300 insolvency proceedings were registered in 2024, including consumer and other insolvencies. This corresponds to an increase of 10.6 percent compared to the previous year.
With reporting by AFP and DPA.
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