Germany
EU leaders met in Antwerp to pursue a "Made in Europe" industrial strategy to boost competitiveness and strategic autonomy amid US and Chinese pressure, while the ECB urged eurobonds.
Germany's women's ice hockey team advanced to the Olympic quarterfinals in Milan, having entered the tournament without pre-competition friendlies and still awaiting its opponent.
Germany sharply criticized Israel's measures extending control over the West Bank, calling them a "de facto annexation," after Israel moved to tighten oversight of West Bank archaeological sites.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni aligned and opposed French President Emmanuel Macron’s calls for joint EU borrowing and “preference européenne” ahead of an EU summit.
BMW recalled hundreds of thousands of vehicles worldwide for a defective starter relay that could cause fires, affecting models produced between July 2020 and July 2022, the company said.
Tesla called police and had an IG Metall representative removed from a works-council meeting at Grünheide, alleging he secretly recorded it; IG Metall called the move a “dirty campaign.”
Lufthansa called announced strikes in Germany a "completely unnecessary escalation" ahead of Thursday, saying its Swiss, Austrian, ITA, Brussels, Eurowings and Discover units likely would not be affected.
Germany recorded nearly 500 million overnight stays in 2025, a new record driven mainly by domestic travelers despite a decline in foreign guests.
Lufthansa pilots and flight attendants struck Thursday, grounding Lufthansa, Lufthansa CityLine and Cargo flights and disrupting services to Zurich, Basel and Geneva, citing disputes over pensions and working conditions.
Der Grünen-Spitzenkandidat Cem Özdemir hat angekündigt, seine Partnerin Flavia Zaka noch vor der Landtagswahl in Baden-Württemberg zu heiraten; Tübingens Oberbürgermeister solle das Paar trauen.
Commerzbank raised its 2026 profit target to fend off UniCredit’s takeover bid after reporting near‑record 2025 results, CEO Bettina Orlopp said.
AfD federal leadership intervened in Saxony-Anhalt after allegations that local party politicians filled taxpayer-funded positions with relatives, a scandal members warned could imperil the party’s autumn election chances.
Political parties scrambled to secure control of major municipalities and metropolitan authorities across France, Germany and Switzerland ahead of 2026 local elections, with Aix‑Marseille‑Provence a key prize.
Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder presented a federal reform package to cut German driver’s license costs by expanding online instruction and permitting parents or friends to assist with practical training.
Das Bundeskabinett brachte eine Reform des Behindertengleichstellungsgesetzes auf den Weg, die Barrierefreiheit in Dienstleistungen, Verkehr und Unternehmen stärken soll; Wirtschaftsvertreter warnten vor Bürokratie und Haftungsrisiken.
Legal and financial experts in Germany warned that widespread inheritance myths — including belief a spouse automatically inherits everything — and absent wills often cost heirs, urging clearer testamentary planning.
Surveys showed German support for the Energiewende fell sharply, with only one-third favoring replacement of fossil fuels by renewables and rising concerns about security and economic risks.
At the Milan‑Cortina Winter Olympics on Feb. 11, athletes competed in biathlon, luge and alpine combined, and Germany’s Franziska Preuß vied for individual gold.