Monday's top story: Right to work part-time in Germany threatened
The economic wing of the conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) sparked fierce debate at the weekend after proposing to scrap Germans' legal right to work part-time, limiting it to cases like childcare or further training.
In a paper entitled “No legal right to lifestyle part-time work,” the wing proposed that in future the legal right to work part-time should “only apply if there is a special reason.”
Currently, the law allows staff at firms with over 15 employees to cut their hours after six months, barring business needs. In 2025, the proportion of employed people working part-time in Germany hit 40 percent for the first time.
The plan has drawn sharp internal and external criticism. CDU politician Dennis Radtke warned against state-dictated family or care criteria, urging better childcare instead to boost full-time uptake.
READ ALSO: Why part-time workers are less happy than full-timers in Germany
Criticism also came from coalition partner the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD). Deputy parliamentary leader Dagmar Schmidt accused the wing of damaging “cohesion in our country.”
She said it was “extremely contradictory” to accuse the country's workers of laziness and force them to work longer hours on the one hand, while “deporting people who are integrated and in training and work” on the other.
Winter weather causes travel disruptions and school closures
Heavy snowfall and freezing rain caused significant travel disruption across parts of Germany overnight, with the German Weather Service warning of icy conditions on Monday in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Brandenburg and Berlin.
Southeastern Bavaria and Eastern Saxony also remain at risk from refreezing moisture. In Baden-Württemberg’s Heilbronn district, around 20 vehicles became stranded during the night on a motorway ramp due to snow.
In addition, Berlin’s tram services were suspended after overhead lines froze, while rail passengers nationwide face delays and cancellations.
In several districts of Lower Saxony, including Celle, Gifhorn, Hameln-Pyrmont and Helmstedt, schools were closed on Monday because of treacherous road conditions. Vocational schools in Celle and Helmstedt switched to remote learning.
Authorities have advised motorists to exercise caution and allow extra time for journeys as winter weather continues to grip much of the country.
READ ALSO: What drivers in Germany need to know about staying safe in snowy conditions
Nazi memorials report a rise in politically motivated incidents
German Nazi memorial sites are reporting a sharp rise in politically motivated incidents, with police reports now required almost weekly at some locations.
The Buchenwald and Mittelbau-Dora foundation noted a shift from one incident every four weeks before 2020 to frequent cases including death threats, Hitler salutes, illegal motorbike rides through memorials and far-right graffiti at Nordhausen cemetery.
READ ALSO: Germany sees rising number of antisemitism reports
Flossenbürg has seen more extreme guestbook entries blending antisemitism with anti-Israel rhetoric, such as equating Gaza with concentration camps, while Ravensbrück reported "atmospheric changes" among youth groups viewing visits as an imposition and voicing far-right slogans.
Despite this, visitor numbers remain strong – Dachau exceeded one million in 2025 – though the Topography of Terror museum in Berlin saw a three percent dip to 1.5 million.
These concerns are being raised ahead of Holocaust Remembrance Day on Tuesday, January 27th.
Strikes at universities and colleges planned for Wednesday
Germany's Education and Science Union (GEW) has called a nationwide warning strike at universities and colleges for Wednesday, January 28th, amid an escalating public sector salary dispute.
Walkouts and rallies are planned at over 60 sites, including Leipzig, Dresden, Chemnitz, Jena and Potsdam, targeting staff at universities, student services, research institutes and libraries.
The union is demanding seven per cent pay rises (or at least €300 monthly), €200 more for trainees, overtime premiums and a dedicated wage agreement for some 300,000 student workers to end underpayment via short-term part-time contracts.
READ ALSO: Will Germany see public sector strikes this winter?
GEW deputy David Jugel highlighted how low-paid and part-time academic staff have been hit hardest by recent inflation.
Employers, via the Tariff Association of German States (TdL), have rejected the "astronomical" claims as unaffordable, with talks set to resume in February.
New world record at Beach Chair World Championships
A new world record has been set at the 18th Strandkorb (Beachchair) World Championship on the Baltic island of Usedom, where competitors sprint with 60-kilo wicker beach chairs across frozen sand.
READ ALSO: Four places in Germany experts say you should visit in 2026
Defending champions Phillip Schmidt and Finley Liemen of team “Quad Safari Usedom” won Saturday evening’s final in Ahlbeck in 4.56 seconds, beating the previous best of 4.91 seconds after organisers had already seen record times in qualifying.
The frozen, compact surface allowed faster runs over the 20-metre course, organisers said.
The winter spectacle, created to liven up Usedom’s quiet season and fill local hotels, drew spectators to a specially built grandstand for up to 1,000 people, with floodlights, fire effects and a laser finish line.
Alongside the main races, there were children’s runs with mini beach chairs, a colourful costumed ice bath, a large beach bonfire and a winter beach party.
Dozens of police officers injured at German second-tier football match
At least 64 police officers were injured in violent clashes during a German second division football match between Magdeburg and Dynamo Dresden on Saturday, German media reported.
The interior ministry of the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt said in a statement on Sunday that violence broke out outside Magdeburg’s MDCC Arena during the half-time break, when home fans targeted police with rocks and firecrackers.
READ ALSO: What to know about talking to the police in Germany
At least 64 officers were injured in the clashes, with some requiring hospital treatment, the statement added.
"I strongly condemn yesterday's riots by alleged [Magdeburg] football fans and the violent attacks on our police colleagues. Hitting police officers with manhole covers and paving stones is nothing less than brutal violence," Saxony-Anhalt Interior Minister Tamara Zieschang said.
The German Police Union also strongly condemned the incidents, saying that "anyone who attacks police officers has forfeited any right to call themselves a fan.”
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