Germany news: Ice warnings force closure of schools

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul met World Bank President Ajay Banga in Washington on Monday ahead of talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. 

Sources from Wadephul's delegation speaking with the dpa news agency said the foreign minister assured Banga of the German government's continued support of the World Bank. 

"Germany particularly welcomes the World Bank's support for Ukraine's reform agenda and encourages it to continue to play an active role in this regard," Wadephul said, according to his delegation. 

The World Bank is a key institution involved in financing reconstruction. Germany is the fourth-largest shareholder of the World Bank behind the US, China, and Japan. 

Talks with Rubio later Monday are expected to include the Trump administration's ongoing threats to seize Greenland.

Also on the agenda is like the status of consultations on security guarantees for Ukraine.

Wadephul's next stop is expected to be in New York for talks with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, coming as the US announced that it will withdraw from 66 international organizations.

Lars Klingbeil, Germany's finance minister and vice chancellor, said Monday that he is deeply worried about the fragile state of relations between Germany, Europe and the US, noting that he has "major concerns" with Washington under the leadership of President Donald Trump.

Klingbeil, in the US for meetings with fellow finance ministers, said he was keen to use the opportunity to discuss his concerns with colleagues. Still, Klingbeil admitted these "discussions are becoming more difficult, the differences are getting bigger" adding, "it is bad for the world if Europe and the US are driven apart."

Trump and his administration's unrelenting attacks on traditional US allies have triggered panic among transatlantic partners, especially as the president targetsNATO nations and has gone so far as to repeatedly threaten to take Greenland from NATO-partner Denmark by force if necessary — something observers warn would be the death of the military alliance as well as the rules-based world order that the US worked so hard to establish after the end of the Second World War.  

"Germany's solidarity is completely clear: We need state sovereignty, territorial integrity. And that is a common signal that we Europeans make clear to the US administration time and again."

German Interior MinisterAlexander Dobrindt on Monday announced plans to deploy more domestic intelligence officers in the fight against left-wing extremism.

Dobrindt's remarks came during an annual conference of the civil servants' association in Cologne.
 
"The domestic intelligence service will be reinforced," said the Bavarian conservative, adding, "I simply do not want to give left-wing extremism any space in our country."
 
Dobrindt promised that the shift in focus would not mean pulling resources away from battling right-wing extremism.

The interior minister says left-wing terrorism and left-wing extremism are gaining steam in Germany and operating "at a higher pace."

Recently, a left-wing extremist group claimed responsibility for an attack on a Berlin power station that left some 100,000 people without heat or electricity for several days in sub-freezing temperatures.
 
In announcing the new posture, Dobrindt said, "I simply do not find it acceptable that the state is still blind in some areas to extremists."

Two children in the southwestern German state of Rhineland-Palatinate made a gruesome discovery while rummaging around in the bushes between a playground and a nearby set of train tracks in the city of Worms on Sunday afternoon.

It was there that the children stumbled upon a human skull.

Police were notified and arrived at the scene shortly thereafter.

Upon combing the area, officers located more human skeletal remains.

Authorities say it is unclear whether the remains found Sunday are tied to foul play or can be traced back to a missing individual, saying that they hope to come to a definitive determination within the coming weeks.

Germany's Federal Statistics Office on Monday announced that the nation had seen a 15.2% annual increase in bankruptcies in December 2025. The metric stood at 5.7% in November.

The number was compiled from court filings and may not represent a final tally as some cases remain pending.

Although government statisticians did not offer overall annual numbers, researchers at the Leibniz Institute for Economic Research in Halle (IWH), Germany, recently estimated that the number of corporate bankruptcies in 2025 was 17,604, the highest number in 20 years. 

IWH economists said data suggests businesses failed due to lingering COVID-era issues as well as interest rate policy.

Veterinarians in Germany are calling for an immediate end to the practice of tethering cattle in stalls according to a letter seen by the French news agency AFP. 

In the open letter, some 350 animal specialists demand Agriculture Minister Alois Rainer "end the suffering" of cows that can do no more than lie or stand but are otherwise unable to move due to the practice. 

Roughly 1 million cattle are held this way in Germany, mainly in southern Germany according to the letter, which criticizes the fact that they can be confined this way their entire lives.

Veterinarians say the technique harms animals physically and psychologically. Their letter criticizes the fact that the current government has blocked efforts to pass a federal tethering ban.

Those veterinarians who signed the letter say it is their professional and ethical duty to stop the "unnecessary suffering" of animals.

An international team of researchers is using a remote-controlled, lighter-than-air dirigible to collect, measure and map air-quality above the German Alps with an eye to reducing deadly aerosol pollution worldwide. WATCH: 

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Monday condemned violence employed by Iranian leadership against its own citizens as "brutal" and "disproportionate."

Merz praised the bravery of Iranians from all walks of life who have "peacefully" stood up to call for "freedom and a better life," saying it was "their right" to demand improvement.

"I call on the Iranian leadership to protect its population instead of threatening it," Merz said. Adding, "We condemn the violence that the leadership in Tehran is directing against its own people in the strongest terms."

Moreover, in demanding "this violence must end," the German leader said the brutal repression meted out by Tehran's hardline theocratic leaders was "a sign of weakness, not a sign of strength."

Mass protests across the Islamic Republic over the past two weeks have been met with ruthless police force. 

Tens of thousands of people are thought to have been arrested over the past several days and hundreds have been rumored killed. 

Verification of these claims is currently impossible as Iran's religious leaders have imposed a nationwide internet and telecommunications blackout.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul will meet US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on Monday, where the two will discuss ongoing support for the defense of Ukraine, security in the Arctic, and continued US threats to take possession of Greenland.

Residents and politicians in Greenland — a semi-autonomous territory in the North Atlantic belonging to the kingdom of Denmark — and Denmark have become incensed at the open manner with which US President Donald Trump has publicly contemplated taking over the frozen territory.

Germany, like almost all of the United States' NATO partners, has been shocked that Washington would seek to publicly coerce a partner into ceding control of its destiny to the Trump administration.

Before departing for the US, Wadephul spoke of US obligations to uphold the rights of freedom and self-determination among partner nations. He also addressed Germany's desire to increase its contributions to military security in the Arctic, pointing out that Berlin already provides forces engaged in maritime surveillance.

Wadephul will travel to New York after his meeting with Rubio. There he will speak with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, where the two will discuss, among other things, the recent US withdrawal from some 66 international organizations.

The US claims the international bodies — many having to do with democracy, equality and the environment — do not comply with US national interests.

Dozens of flights have been cancelled at Germany's biggest air hub, Frankfurt airport, after snowfall and icy conditions, according to airport operator Fraport 

Of the 1,052 flights scheduled for the day, 98 had been cancelled by early morning, a Fraport spokeswoman told German news agency dpa.

The airport said the day began under "strained winter operations" and warned of significant disruptions.

Passengers have been urged to check flight status before travelling to the airport and to allow extra time for their journey given the weather conditions.

The German Weather Service (DWD) issued severe weather warnings for icy conditions across parts of the state of Hesse, in which Frankfurt airport is situated.

The German Weather Service (DWD) has issued warnings of "a widespread severe black ice situation," with meteorologist Oliver Reuter saying conditions would be hazardous across large areas.

The ADAC (German Automobile Club) urged drivers to avoid unnecessary trips, warning that in cases of flash ice it is better to leave cars parked. The weather service has issued severe weather warnings for black ice in several states.

Schools have been closed in multiple regions. In North Rhine-Westphalia, the country's most populous state, schools have switched to remote learning on Monday, with only emergency care offered, the state government said.

In the states of Bremen and Lower Saxony, in-person classes have also been canceled. All districts and independent cities in Lower Saxony suspended regular lessons, citing the inability to guarantee safe transport for students, with exceptions only on the East Frisian islands.

Federal Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder urged continued caution. "The dangerous situation is not over yet," he told the mass-circulation Bild newspaper, while adding that overall conditions had not turned out as severe as feared.

Gunda arrived after storm Elli brought heavy snow, ice, and strong winds that disrupted travel nationwide.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz arrived in India for a two-day inaugural visit. He landed in Ahmedabad. the largest city in the state of Gujarat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home region, shortly before 2:00 a.m. local time on Monday.

"The two leaders will take stock of the progress made in diverse aspects of the India-Germany Strategic Partnership, which completed 25 years last year," the Indian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on the visit.

Merz and Modi will discuss deepening cooperation in sectors including trade, investment, technology, education and defence.

The German chancellor is also due to visit the Gandhi Ashram, once the residence of Mahatma Gandhi and a main center for India's struggle for freedom from British colonial rule. 

On Tuesday, Merz is visiting Bengaluru (also known as Bangalore), the center of India's high-tech industry.

Follow developments from Merz's trip in our coverage here.

Guten Morgen from a very cold Bonn newsroom!

Much of Germany is in the grip of a cold weather system that has forced school authorities to close their doors in many parts and impacted travel for much of the weekend.

People have been advised to avoid making unnecessary journeys with the German Weather Service warning of black ice in Germany's most populous state.

And while Germany shivers, Chancellor Friedrich Merz has begun his first state visit to India.

We'll bring you all the latest news headlines and analysis from Germany right here.