Thursday's top story: Germany braces for more snow and freezing weather
Germany faces turbulent weather as low-pressure system "Elli" approaches. Northern and eastern regions are expected to turn bitterly wintry with up to 20 cm of fresh snow expected in some areas.
Strong winds could exacerbate road chaos, potentially stranding commuters and disrupting rail services. While milder Atlantic air is likely to spare the south and west from the worst of the weather, the risk of freezing rain remains.
Forecasters are urging caution, especially on Friday's peak, with authorities advising residents to check transport updates before travelling – or to stay at home where possible.
Berlin mayor criticised for tennis match during widespread power outage
Power was fully restored to tens of thousands of Berlin homes and businesses on Wednesday after a days-long blackout caused by an arson attack on Saturday morning.
But now Berlin's Governing Mayor Kai Wegner (CDU) is facing criticism for his actions during the start of what was the longest power outage in the city's post-war history.
Wegner admitted to having played tennis, along with his partner, Education Senator Katharina Günther-Wünsch (CDU), on Saturday a few hours after the blackout began.
According to media reports, the CDU parliamentary group had arranged a spontaneous crisis meeting to discuss the incident on Thursday morning. Wegner is said to have attended the meeting, and all members of the Berlin CDU parliamentary group were invited.
Wegner is also the CDU's top candidate for the parliamentary elections in September, and based on the party's reaction so far, it seems the incident could be a thorn in his side.
Fifty sheep storm discount supermarket in Franconia
Customers and store staff witnessed twenty minutes of fluffy chaos this week when 50 sheep ran into a Penny supermarket in Burgsinn and flooded the aisles.
A representative of Penny told German media outlets that customers in the store reacted calmly and were apparently amused. Images and videos of the incident spread online. A video clip is available on ZDF.
Shepherd Dieter Michler told the Main-Post that the sheep had escaped during his flock's march between a local industrial area and the Sinn River to eat acorns on the ground. The group of sheep had gotten lost from the herd, and then apparently wandered into town.
Michler suggested that one of the sheep could have followed a customer with a large shopping bag, possibly thinking that it might find food there. The shepherd was then able to round up his animals again in the Penny parking lot after they left the store.
According to media reports, Penny has contacted Michler to say that it would like to sponsor his flock for the year, covering the food cost for the animals.
READ ALSO: In pictures - Six hundred sheep are led through Nuremberg's city centre
Economy grows in some German states and slumps in others
Germany's economic downturn varies sharply across states, with the ifo Institute reporting Wednesday that output grew in half the country’s states in the third quarter of 2025 and shrank in the other half.
Hamburg led on the plus side with growth of 0.6 percent, followed by Bayern (0.5 percent), Baden-Württemberg (0.2 percent), Niedersachsen (0.2 percent), and Bremen (0.2 percent).
Hardest hit were Saarland (minus 0.6 percent), Rheinland-Pfalz and Schleswig-Holstein (0.4 percent each), and Berlin (0.2 percent).
Ifo expert Robert Lehmann blamed the lack of growth on industrial crisis and structural shifts, noting that service sector gains offset manufacturing woes in some regions. Southern states like Bayern and Baden-Württemberg faced added pressure from US tariffs despite quarterly upticks, and are expected to show a contraction across 2025 as a whole.
READ ALSO: Why prices in Germany are expected to keep rising in 2026
How to help birds in Germany during the cold snap
Germany's ongoing icy nights pose severe threats to small songbirds such as finches, sparrows, robins, wrens, blackbirds and thrushes, which can lose over ten percent of their body weight in one frosty night struggling to maintain warmth.
According to the experts, prolonged cold rapidly depletes fat reserves, risking starvation, hypothermia and disease from dirty feeders, while snow and black ice hinder foraging.
People can help by offering separate cat-proof feeding stations suspended 1.5 metres high and sheltered from weather and predators. Sunflower seeds, hemp, chopped hazelnuts, walnuts, beech nuts and millet are ideal for seed-eaters like greenfinches and siskins.
Similarly, suet (fat) balls without nets, oatmeal, fruit and dried mealworms are perfect for soft-food lovers like robins and blackbirds.
In addition, taking a few simple steps such as cleaning feeders and filling shallow water bowls for drinking and bathing can make all the difference for at least 15 species that frequent German cities.
France, Germany, Poland push for swift EU-India free trade deal
France, Germany, and Poland on Wednesday called for the rapid signing of a free trade deal between the EU and India, calling it a "decisive step" in relations, the French foreign minister said.
Germany's Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said it was "an important step towards greater diversification", adding a security and defence partnership was "also on the right track".
He stressed the need to "reduce dependencies so as not to make ourselves vulnerable to blackmail".
The two sides had hoped to finalise a deal by the end of 2025, at a time of global trade tensions between major powers.
The EU is already India's largest trading partner, accounting for 124 billion euros worth of trade in goods in 2023 -- more than 12 percent of total Indian trade, according to Brussels.
The bloc is pushing for a trade deal that lowers entry barriers for its cars, spirits and wines while New Delhi wants easier access for its textiles and pharmaceuticals.
The agreement would also cover security.
With reporting by AFP, DPA and Tom Pugh.
Comments