Germany news: Police receive tips over Berlin grid sabotage

A sudden tire failure on a moving truck on the A9 in the Saale-Orla district of Thuringia has caused a major crash involving 28 vehicles, in an incident police said was remarkable for leaving no one injured.

A spokesperson for the autobahn police said it was "like a miracle" that nobody was hurt, adding that "the scale was not everyday."

The driver was traveling Friday when a tire was damaged without warning, sending debris across the roadway. Police said 27 other vehicles, including cars and trucks, collided with the tire parts.

The cause of the initial tire damage remains unclear. Police estimated losses at around 150,000 euros, and the highway was closed for several hours into the night.

Thousands of people are demonstrating in Berlin against Iran's authoritarian government and in solidarity with people in Iran.

Organizers said the "Freedom for Iran" rally has been backed by around 340 international organizations and political figures and was promoted through social media, flyers, and large newspaper ads.

Police said about 8,000 people gathered at the start, with more demonstrators still arriving. Organizers said they expected up to 100,000 participants, adding that some travelers were coming by bus after flights from Sweden and Denmark were canceled. Police reported a peaceful event and said around 380 officers were deployed.

Organizers said many demonstrators were relatives of people killed or detained during recent protests in Iran. Many waved Iranian flags, while others held up photos of Maryam Rajavi, president of the banned National Council of Resistance of Iran. Some wore yellow vests reading "Free Iran."

Protests erupted in Iran in late December amid a deep economic crisis and soaring inflation, later widening into political demonstrations against the ruling system. Security forces responded violently, and Iranian human rights groups have reported more than 3,400 deaths, though exact figures are difficult to verify under Iran's information restrictions.

Damaged cables at a rail crossing have been causing disruptions in regional train service between Thuringia’s state capital Erfurt and Sangerhausen in neighboring Saxony-Anhalt.

German rail operator Deutsche Bahn said trains were still being canceled Saturday morning, and a spokesperson could not say when the problem would be fixed.

Federal police said the disruption was almost certainly caused by severed signal cables found in opened cable shafts near the town of Artern, after Deutsche Bahn alerted authorities early Friday afternoon.

Police temporarily detained three suspects near the scene, and the men, aged 23 to 28, are now being investigated on suspicion of disrupting public services and causing property damage.

Germany is not planning to open a consulate in Greenland, unlike its neighbor France.

The Foreign Ministry in Berlin said the German government was already represented on the island through an honorary consul and that opening a consulate is not planned at this time.

France said it was opening a consulate general in Greenland on Friday, becoming the first EU country to do so, after President Emmanuel Macron announced the move in Nuuk last June. Canada also opened a consulate on the same day.

Tensions over Greenland have been escalating after US President Donald Trump repeatedly raised the idea of taking control of the Danish territory, though he later backed away from threats to use military force and from plans for punitive tariffs against Germany and other European countries.

Denmark and the United States are now holding talks aimed at resolving the dispute.

Investigators are securing evidence after customs officials uncovered an illegally operated cigarette factory in a warehouse in Kalbe, in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt.

A spokesperson for the Hanover Customs Investigation Office said the site was comparatively large and that forensic work and the removal of seized items were expected to take the entire weekend.

Officials said a complete production line was discovered, with more than 30 million untaxed cigarettes, several tons of tobacco, and materials such as filters and packaging confiscated.

Authorities said the Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW) was assisting with transporting the large volume of evidence, after customs officers found the cigarettes stacked on around 80 to 90 Euro pallets.

The raid followed a truck inspection on Friday on the A2 highway near Auetal in Lower Saxony, where about 12 million cigarettes were seized.

Customs officials said the suspected counterfeit cigarettes caused an estimated tax loss of more than €8 million (just under $9.5 million).

Four people were provisionally arrested, though officials initially gave no details on the suspects.

Germany's team outfit at the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics has caused a stir, with athletes reacting humorously over the unusual look featuring oversized ponchos and bucket hats.

"From now on, we're fishing for medals!" Team Germany wrote alongside a photo from the nations' parade at Milan's San Siro stadium.

At the second host venue in Cortina d'Ampezzo, German athletes continued the joke. Bobsledder Joshua Tasche threw himself in front of his teammates and wriggled like a fish on a hook.

The stunt was not clearly visible on television. "Unfortunately it didn't quite work out because we were standing in front," skeleton racer Axel Jungk told Eurosport. Online, however, the moment was celebrated from another camera angle.

Bobsleigh pilot Adam Ammour posted a video, writing: "The German fishing team is ready for the Olympics."

Outfitter Adidas designed the outfit, which had already sparked debate before the ceremony. Figure skating legend Katarina Witt joked on German broadcaster ARD: "We're still wondering about our jackets. Is it a poncho, a blanket, or an air mattress?"

Internationally, the German outfits drew plenty of attention. American newspaper USA Today placed Team Germany first in a photo feature of the most striking looks at the opening ceremony.

German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt says investigators have been receiving a large number of tips since authorities offered a reward over a suspected far-left arson attack on Berlin's power grid.

Dobrindt told Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland that the Federal Criminal Police Office, known as the BKA, is now following up on the information, adding that it is still too early to say whether any lead will prove decisive.

A reward of up to €1 million ($1.18 million) has been offered for information provided by February 24 that helps solve the attack, with Dobrindt stressing that payments will be made only for valid tips that lead directly to the arrest of the perpetrator or perpetrators.

He said officials believe there are differing views within the far-left extremist scene about the success of the attack, which left thousands of Berlin residents without electricity and heating for days during freezing temperatures, and suggested this could prompt insider information.

The minister said rewards are time-limited to ensure crimes are not left unresolved and that potential accomplices do not have months to decide whether to come forward.

"We believe that there are very different assessments within the left-wing extremist scene about the success of the attack, which left thousands of Berliners without electricity and heating for days in sub-zero temperatures," he added.

"That's why I can well imagine that clues about the perpetrators could come from this scene."

In a public appeal, the BKA and federal prosecutors have asked for information about the arson attack on January 3, which damaged several high-voltage cables and caused power outages for about 45,000 households in southwest Berlin.

Germany's economy minister is rejecting a proposal to tie EU public funding to strict "Made in Europe" requirements, warning that Europe's response to global competition cannot be isolation.

Economy Minister Katherina Reiche told the German news agency DPA that Europe needs simpler rules and to allow faster investment decisions. Reiche is a member of the conservative Christian Democratic Union party. 

Reiche said Europe's approach should be "Made with Europe," combining the bloc’s own strengths with reliable trade partners worldwide to boost competitiveness.

"Europe needs simple rules, faster investment processes and tangible cuts in bureaucracy," Reiche said. 

EU Industry Commissioner Stephane Sejourne had argued that whenever European public money is used, it must support production in Europe and high-quality jobs.

He wrote in a guest commentary published across several European outlets that companies seeking public contracts, direct state aid, or other financial support should carry out a substantial share of their production on European soil.

The EU is pushing to strengthen competitiveness, a key topic expected at a special summit on February 12.

Tens of thousands of demonstrators are expected in Munich ahead of the Munich Security Conference, with organizers registering a combined total of about 120,000 participants so far, according to the city administration.

Officials said 21 events protesting a spectrum of issues have been registered so far across the city between Wednesday and Sunday. That marks a sharp increase compared with previous years, when protests drew more modest crowds.

The largest rally is expected on Saturday at the Theresienwiese, where the group The Munich Circle has registered 100,000 participants for a demonstration against Iran's leadership, though authorities said it remains unclear how realistic that figure is and what conditions may be imposed.

Additional protests are planned in the city center, including a march between Marienplatz and Stachus against the security conference, expected to draw around 4,000 people, and separate rallies of about 3,000 each at Odeonsplatz and Max-Joseph-Platz focusing on opposition to war, calls for peace, and demands for "free vaccination choice."

Other demonstrations are set to address Yemen and far-right extremism in Germany, with officials noting that more events could still be registered and participant estimates may rise.

The Munich Security Conference, widely seen as the world's leading forum on security policy, runs from February 13 to 15, with organizers saying 65 heads of state and government have confirmed attendance, including US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, while Friedrich Merz is expected to attend for the first time as chancellor.

Germany's economic losses from years of overlapping crises have been mounting to nearly €1 trillion, according to estimates by the German Economic Institute (IW).

The employer-aligned research institute said the inflation-adjusted shortfall in gross domestic product since 2020 has totaled about €940 billion (about $1.1 trillion) over six years, reflecting the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the effects of Russia’s war against Ukraine, and confrontational US policy.

IW calculated that this equals a value-added loss of more than €20,000 per employed person.

Around one-quarter of the total was attributed to last year, which was shaped by tariff conflicts with US President Donald Trump's administration.

Official data showed Germany narrowly avoided a third consecutive year without economic growth in 2025, with real output rising by 0.2%.

IW researcher Michael Groemling said the current decade has been marked by "extraordinary shocks and massive economic adjustment burdens" that now exceed the strain of earlier crises.

By comparison, IW estimated the economic cost of the 2001–2004 stagnation period at roughly €360 billion, while the 2008–2009 financial crisis produced value-added losses of around €525 billion.

Guten Tag from the DW newsroom here in Bonn. Join us as we bring you the latest news making headlines about Germany.

Germany's economy has taken an inflation-adjusted hit of nearly €1 trillion since 2020, according to the German Economic Institute (IW).

The IW says the shortfall reflects overlapping shocks — from COVID to Russia’s war and US tariff tensions.

Stay with us for this and more news from Saturday, February 7.