Daily Briefing 09.01.2026, 11:31 (CET)

Much more rubbish is floating in the Rhine than previously thought

A study released on Thursday indicated that between 3,000 and 4,700 tonnes of rubbish float past the German city of Cologne every year.

Freezing weather halts long-distance train network in north Germany

All long-distance train services in northern Germany were halted on Friday as the country braces for more unusually cold weather and significant snowfall from Storm Elli.

German top diplomat slams Iran over crackdown on protesters

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul on Thursday condemned the crackdown by Iranian security forces on the protests that have swept the country for days.

Schools close as Germany set to be hit by major winter storm

Germany is bracing for a major snowfall this weekend and the anticipation has forced the cancellation of the ruling party's first meeting of the year, school closures and flight delays as r...

Winter weather could endanger Bundesliga restart matches

St Pauli have said that their home game on Saturday against RB Leipzig could be endangered by forecast winter weather.

Family dead after gas explosion reduces home to rubble in Germany

A family of three was killed when a residential building collapsed in south-western Germany following a gas explosion, police said on Thursday.

Germany's renewable energy capacity up 11% in 2025

Germany increased the construction of solar panels and wind turbines last year, with installed renewable energy capacity rising by 11% to around 210 gigawatts, the country's energy regulato...

German corporate insolvencies hit 20-year high, analysis shows

Corporate insolvencies in Germany rose last year to their highest level in two decades, according to data published on Thursday by a leading economic research institute.

'Finally nothing to complain about': German factory orders jump 5.6%

German factory orders were up by 5.6% month-on-month in November, official figures showed on Thursday, in what observers hailed as a rare sign of hope for the ailing German economy.

Germany imports over 10% of gas via LNG terminals in 2025

Germany imported more than 10% of its gas through liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals on the North and Baltic Seas last year, official data show.