Over the weekend and through Monday night, temperatures around Germany dropped to the negative double digits, and as low as -18C in some parts of Bavaria and Saxony. In the course of Tuesday, according to the German Weather Service (DWD), light permafrost is to be expected in the middle and south of the country. In the North Sea in particular, there is a risk of black ice due to freezing rain. During the night to Tuesday, DWD expects light frost in north Germany though this will be moderate to severe in the middle of Germany and throughout Bavaria. It is still uncertain how far the temperatures will drop. "According to today's forecast, however, the winter period could last several weeks and also cover large parts of Europe," predicted a DWD meteorologist. The cold could be particularly severe where there is already snow. According to forecasts, these regions are likely to reach between -10 to -20 degrees at night. Elsewhere it could be very frosty, especially at night: … [Read more...] about IN PHOTOS: Frosty temperatures as low as -18C hit Germany
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France and Germany renew postwar vows of friendship
France and Germany are to renew their vows of postwar friendship, aiming to show that the motor that has traditionally powered the EU project remains strong as nationalist and populist parties advance across the continent. President Emmanuel Macron and Chancellor Angela Merkel will sign the update to the 1963 Elysée treaty on Tuesday in the German border city of Aachen, residence of Charlemagne, the “father of Europe” who managed to unite much of western Europe in the ninth century. “Both states will deepen their cooperation in foreign affairs, defence, external and internal security and development and at the same time work on strengthening the ability of Europe to act independently,” the treaty text states. As the EU comes under unprecedented pressure from Brexit, Donald Trump and increasingly strident nationalist governments in Italy, Poland and Hungary, both Merkel and Macron are eager to limit the gains eurosceptic parties are expected to make in … [Read more...] about France and Germany renew postwar vows of friendship
Germany revokes Iran’s Mahan Air operational license over security concerns
Germany’s Federal Aviation Office has revoked the license of Iranian airline Mahan Air over security concerns and the company’s continued involvement in allegedly transporting members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Lebanese Shiite terrorist group Hezbollah both to and from the civil war in Syria. The German regulatory office involved in the final decision said the government opted to ban Mahan after having consulted with Berlin’s other European allies and the United States. “It cannot be ruled out that this airline carries out transports to Germany that affect our security concerns,” German government spokesman Steffen Seibert said on January 21 during a news conference in Berlin, adding, “This is especially true against the backdrop of terrorist activities, intelligence on terrorist activities from the Iranian side and Iranian entities in Europe in the past.” Iran’s second-largest airline, Mahan … [Read more...] about Germany revokes Iran’s Mahan Air operational license over security concerns
France and Germany seek closer bond with treaty ahead of Brexit
President Emmanuel Macron and Chancellor Angela Merkel will sign the deal, which pledges deeper economic and defence ties as well as commitment to the EU, in the German city of Aachen in North Rhine-Westphalia. The French presidency said it was an "important moment" for showing the relationship was "a bedrock which can relaunch itself ... in the service of reinforcing the European project". Aachen, which sits on the Dutch and Belgian borders, is rich in European symbolism as the seat of power of Charlemagne, the 1st-century emperor who ruled over swathes of western Europe. "We're seeing an existential crisis in terms of European integration, with Brexit and the expected strengthening of nationalists at the next European elections," said Claire Demesmay, a political scientist at German research "In this context, confirming this belief in Franco-German cooperation has symbolic value," she told German public radio. SEE ALSO: Merkel and Macron to sign new Franco-German treaty Merkel … [Read more...] about France and Germany seek closer bond with treaty ahead of Brexit
Germany and France to sign friendship pact ahead of Brexit
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron are to sign a new friendship pact in the western German city of Aachen on Tuesday on the 56th anniversary of the Elysee Treaty signed in Paris. The Treaty of Aachen commits the two neighbors to boost cooperation on European Union policies and to work toward a joint foreign and security policy. Economic integration is also to be enhanced. The treaty will require approval from both countries' parliaments ahead of implementation. In press interviews ahead of the meeting, veteran German Christian Democrat (CDU) politician Wolfgang Schaeuble, currently president of the German Bundestag, called for greater ambition in EU policy. "We once again need concrete and meaningful integration projects that make clear to people that Europe achieves things in a completely different dimension and quality than each country on its own," Schaeuble said. In an editorial in the Passauer Neue Presse newspaper on Tuesday, Foreign Minister … [Read more...] about Germany and France to sign friendship pact ahead of Brexit