Skip next section Greenland: German vice chancellor says ‘international law applies’
01/09/2026January 9, 2026
Greenland: German vice chancellor says ‘international law applies’
German Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil has spoken out against US threats to annex Greenland.
“International law applies. The law that only the strongest survive cannot apply here. And that is why Denmark has our full solidarity and we will make this clear to the US at every point,” Klingbeil said on Friday at a meeting of lawmakers of his Social Democrats (SPD).
On Thursday, US Vice President JD Vance accused Denmark and the rest of Europe of failing to protect Greenland from Russia and China.
“I guess my advice to European leaders and anybody else would be to take the president of the United States seriously,” Vance told journalists at the White House when asked about Greenland.
Greenland is a semi-autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark, but Trump has been eyeing it since his first term in office.
Poll: Germans condemn US intervention in Venezuela
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https://p.dw.com/p/56ZwQ
Skip next section Snow warning for Brandenburg and Berlin lifted
01/09/2026January 9, 2026
Snow warning for Brandenburg and Berlin lifted
The German Weather Service (DWD) said that initial forecasts of heavy snowfall in large parts of Brandenburg and Berlin did not materialize.
“We do not see any danger to life and limb,” said a spokesperson for the DWD.
The severe weather warning for heavy snowfall was lifted for Berlin and Brandenburg because significantly less snow had fallen than earlier predicted.
Berlin is located further to the east from where the heaviest snowfall was recorded in the state of Lower Saxony on Friday morning.
A warning remained in the the district of Prignitz in the northwest.
However, temperatures in and around the German capital are set to be frigid. Strong wind gusts have been forecast in some parts and the wind chill could plummet to -20 degrees Celsius (-4 Fahrenheit).
https://p.dw.com/p/56ZtB
Skip next section Highways blocked by stuck trucks in central Germany
01/09/2026January 9, 2026
Highways blocked by stuck trucks in central Germany
Travel was also affected in nearby Saxony, where trucks here are seen waiting for a snow plowImage: André März/IMAGO
Winter weather conditions have caused delays on highways in eastern parts of Hesse state, located in central Germany, with local authorities reporting that three highways have been blocked in the region.
Police said that the A7, the A4 and the A5 had been blocked by trucks that have become stuck.
Cars brave wind and snow on a road in Saxony Image: André März/IMAGO
“The problem is heavy goods traffic,” German news agency DPA quoted a police spokesperson as saying. Truck drivers were being asked to leave the highways and make use of rest areas until conditions improved.
According to the spokesperson, the focus is currently on the A4 after four semi-trucks “buried themselves next to the lane.”
Traffic had initially been able to move slowly, but traffic jams then began to form.
Snowplows and the Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW) have been deployed.
It will be a long day for truckers in east and northern Germany Image: André März/IMAGO
https://p.dw.com/p/56Z1w
Skip next section Germany’s train operator halts service in northern Germany
01/09/2026January 9, 2026
Germany’s train operator halts service in northern Germany
Germany’s Deutsche Bahn said long-distance rail travel in northern Germany was no longer possibleImage: Moritz Frankenberg/dpa/picture alliance
German rail operator Deutsche Bahn (DB) said it was temporarily halting long-distance services in northern Germany as winter storms swept across Europe.
“Long-distance rail travel in northern Germany is no longer possible,” said Deutsche Bahn in a statement.
DB said that rail traffic in the greater Hannover area would be suspended until at least noon today, impacting one of the operator’s most important hubs in the north.
The rail operator said that connections between Berlin and North Rhine-Westphalia and also Berlin and Hamburg would be impacted.
DB said that it was in the interests of passenger and employee safety.
The German Weather Service (DWD) said that there could be about 10-15 centimetres of snowfall, in northern parts of the country while heavy rain was more likely in the southern parts.
DWD meteorologist David Menzel said on Friday that it was not such exceptional weather: “It’s a wintry storm and — if you look at the big picture — nothing particularly unusual.”
A village near Hannover blanketed in white on Friday morning Image: Julian Stratenschulte/dpa/picture alliance
The inclement weather has not had a major impact on operations at Germany’s biggest air traffic hub, Frankfurt Airport. There were no restrictions on take-offs and landings in the early morning.
https://p.dw.com/p/56YzO
Skip next section Welcome to our coverage01/09/2026January 9, 2026
Welcome to our coverage
Guten Tag from the newsroom in chilly Bonn!
Today, we are covering winter storm Elli that is disrupting travel across northern Germany.
Rail operator Deutsche Bahn has halted long distance services with various routes countrywide impacted.
The German Weather Service (DWD) has forecast snowfall in the north of up 10 15 centimeters (six inches), while temperatures could plummet to as low as -20C in some parts.
Stay with us as we bring you news and analysis from Germany with our updates throughout the day.
https://p.dw.com/p/56YzE
