Germany news: Bounty offered over Berlin power grid attack

Some teenagers in Germany would be in favor of restricting access to social media platforms like YouTube, Telegram and TikTok to those over the age of 14, a new non-representative study has found.

According to the study, conducted by the social democratic Arbeiterwohlfahrt (AWO) welfare association, many of the young respondents highlighted fake news and depictions of violence among the dangers of unmoderated platforms. But many also saw the social networks as indispensable means of communication and information.

"Most are in favor of a minimum age of 14, since young people of this age are more mature, criminally responsible and have already acquired basic media skills in school," the study found.

Almost all female participants in the study reported experiences with online grooming on social media, including attempts by adults to contact them and ask them for photos. For the young women, dealing with such unwanted advances by blocking people or creating a new profile is "almost routine."

"These young people are very aware of the dangers and possess impressive technical skills in some areas," said the study's lead author, Marius Hilkert.

Commenting on the recent killings of protesters in the US, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he expected the US authorities to conduct a thorough investigation.

"I have to say I find this level of violence in the US concerning," he told reporters in Hamburg.

 "I assume that the American authorities will now thoroughly investigate whether it was necessary to shoot in this case, whether there really was a threat to the officers involved," he said.

Merz's remarks, made at the energy summit in Hamburg, mark a departure from the German government's usual stance of not commenting on the internal matters of Berlin's allies.

German authorities have issued a €1 million ($1.1 million) reward for information leading to the arrest of those responsible for an attack on electricity infrastructure in Berlin.

The arson attack on January 3 targeted high-voltage cables. It left some 45,000 households in south-western Berlin without electricity and heating during sub-zero temperatures earlier this month. It took more than four days to reconnect all residents back to the grid, making it the longest power outage in the city since the Second World War.

"We are talking about terrorism here," said Iris Spranger (SPD), the Senator for Interior Affairs for the German capital, which is a federal state in its own right.

Authorities suspect left-wing militants were behind the attack, but have made no arrests.

The attack has also sparked a debate about the security of key infrastructure in Berlin, as well as the city's crisis response plans.

Germany has joined other states on the North Sea in pledging to make big investments in expanding offshore wind power capacity.

The agreement signed by energy ministers at the third North Sea summit in Hamburg foresees that wind farms in the North Sea will feed power to multiple countries.

Berlin said that up to 100 gigawatts of production capacity are to be made available across the region under the new deal.

 "Our goal is to develop the world's largest energy hub," German Economy Minister Katherina Reiche said.

"With the consistent expansion and intelligent networking of offshore energy, we are creating affordable, clean and secure energy, reducing strategic dependencies and increasing Europe's overall resilience," Reiche said.

The deal also envisages investment of €9.5 billion ($11.2 billion) in new production capacity in Europe by 2030, creating 91,000 additional jobs, as well as further offshore wind energy projects.

Ten European states are represented at the latest summit, including Germany, Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands, Norway, France and the United Kingdom. Ireland and Iceland are also involved, as is land-locked Luxembourg

The deal comes as Europe seeks to establish itself as a stable alternative for clean-energy investment amid the current opposition to green energy evinced by the US under President Donald Trump.  

Heavy snowfall and freezing rain impacted traffic links across much of Germany, with accidents reported in states including Saxony, Brandenburg and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

There have also been disruptions to rail transport with Deutsche Bahn warning travelers to expect delays and cancellations on long-distance services.

Parts of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Brandenburg are still under severe warnings from the German Weather Service (DWD) due to black ice.

Some parts of southwestern Germany have also been impacted by snowfall of up to 25 centimetres (about 10 inches).

Conditions are expected to improve according to the country's meteorological service DWD.

A German government spokesman declined to comment on the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by US law enforcement in Minneapolis, except to say that Berlin expected an investigation into the death. 

Deputy government spokesman Sebastian Hille told reporters in Berlin that the government presumes that "the case will be investigated and clarified swiftly in accordance with the rule of law." 

Pretti, 37, was killed by multiple gunshots during raids by border and immigration officers in Minneapolis on Saturday. The death came just two weeks after the high-profile shooting of a woman in the same city that prompted demonstrations across the country. 

Sentiment across major German businesses held steady at 87.6 points, according to the January edition of the monthly Ifo index. 

Some analysts had predicted a slight rebound in the Munich-based foundation's survey of around 9,000 business leaders but the overall figure was ultimately unchanged.

Read more in this DW news article.

Germany's Economy Minister Katherina Reiche highlighted the need to protect critical infrastructure at the start of the North Sea Summit in Hamburg.

"It is not only since Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine that we have seen increasing attacks on our critical infrastructure," Reiche said as the summit got underway.

Reiche said that power grids, pipelines and important data cables — crucial to the continent's digital sovereignty — are under attack, "which is why NATO is represented at a high level here for the first time," she said.

The minister pointed out that large offshore wind operations were being built in the North Sea, as Europe seeks to make energy supply more resilient.

 "We are expanding our infrastructure and securing it at the same time," Reiche said.

 "When the world rattles at Europe's gates, the continent stands together."

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has called for Trump to apologize for his comments on the deployment of NATO allies in Afghanistan.

“That would be a sign of decency and respect, and also of insight,” Pistorius told the "Caren Misoga" program broadcast by ARD television.

He was responding to a question as to whether Trump should apologize for his inflammatory remarks he made last week about allied contributions following the September 11 attacks.

“We’ve never needed them. We have never really asked anything of them. You know, they’ll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan, or this or that. And they did — they stayed a little back, a little off the front lines,” Trump said in comments that have been roundly condemned.

Thousands of German troops took part in NATO's Operation Enduring Freedom and Resolute Support missions in Afghanistan and 59 were killed.

Pistorius' comments come after British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called Trump's remarks "frankly appalling."

British troops losses amounted to 457 in Afghanistan.

Many highly skilled Bulgarians are moving back to their home country, swayed by the major income boost for remote work.

DW takes a look at some of those who have opted to head back to Bulgaria where those returning are seeing higher net income, thanks to the country's lower taxes and social security deductions.

You can read more about that here.

 

Bad weather has forced German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul to delay a visit to Latvia and Sweden at short notice.

"Due to extreme weather conditions, the departure point was moved from Berlin to Leipzig in order to organize the trip," the Foreign Office said.

Wadephul traveled from Berlin to Leipzig by train, a trip that normally takes a little more than one hour. It was not immediately clear that any of the appointments in Riga and Stockholm would be rescheduled.

Wadephul had been set to discuss the Baltic region's security situation, including hybrid attacks by Russia and Moscow's so-called shadow fleet, used to circumvent sanctions on oil sales.

A new AI project aims to reveal how wildlife in Germany's national parks is reacting to climate change, with data from cameras, microphones and climate logs. 

A shortage of blood donations in Germany could have dramatic consequences. According to the German Red Cross (DRK), up to 15,000 donations are needed every day in Germany.

In order to be able to help whenever and wherever emergencies arise, supplies should cover at least four days. But time and again, there are shortages.

The situation was critical in mid-January.

DW's Marcel Fürstenau answered a call to donate blood and reported on his experience.

European leaders and industry representatives will meet to discuss North Sea energy and security cooperation in Hamburg.

The stated aim of the meeting will be to advance greater international cooperation on expanding wind energy and hydrogen infrastructure.

The Reuters news agency has reported that delegates will sign a clean energy pact, pledging to deliver 100 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind power through large-scale joint projects, citing the British government.

Germany Chancellor Friedrich Merz says he wants the North Sea to become the "largest reservoir of clean energy worldwide."

It’s the third such summit and takes place in the Northern German city of Hamburg for the first time, the previous two having taken place in Belgium's Ostend and Denmark, Esbjerg.

It was created as a result of the Russia's invasion Ukraine in order to help Europe reduce its dependence on fossil fuel imports, particularly from Russia.

Heads of state and energy ministers from Belgium, Denmark, France, Great Britain, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway and Iceland.

Representatives from the European Commission and NATO will also be there, along with more than 100 company representatives.

"Given the make-up of the meeting, I am certain that security in the High North will also be of interest to the participants," said Steffen Meyer, spokesman for Merz.

The Arctic island of Greenland has been a major talking point over the past few weeks because of US President Donald Trump's continued push to acquire the Danish territory.

Trump said a "framework" agreement with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte had been reached; however, no details have been disclosed as to what this might entail.