Overview
- About 50,000 households and 2,000 businesses in southwest Berlin lost electricity after a cable‑bridge fire near the Lichterfelde plant, with restoration progressing in stages and the cause under investigation by police and fire crews.
- Snow and glatteis triggered hundreds of accidents across Germany, including 106 crashes in Westpfalz and dozens more around Mainz and Koblenz, while Hamburg deployed 728 staff and roughly 360 vehicles for full winter service with additional waste‑collection crews called in.
- Berlin and Brandenburg saw disrupted traffic and a prolonged A9 closure after a gas‑powered truck crash as forecasters warned of further snow and deep frost that could worsen road conditions through the weekend.
- Police continue New Year’s Eve investigations: Berlin reported 420 short‑term arrests and 35 injured officers, Frankfurt is probing 11 major assaults on responders including an attack on an ambulance crew, and Munich police seek witnesses after a rocket was fired into a crowd near the main station.
- The Justice Ministry’s plan to raise minimum prison terms for attacks on public helpers drew pushback from rescue professionals pressing for faster trials and more staff, while SPD figures rebuked a CSU draft calling for a 2026 deportation drive including returns to Syria and Afghanistan; separately, SPD foreign‑policy spokesman Adis Ahmetović said any Bundeswehr role in a European Ukraine initiative remains undecided.