Situation remains tense in flood areas with more rain on way
With further heavy rain expected until Thursday there is no relief in sight in particular for the worst-hit flood areas of Germany, such as Lower Saxony.
The German Weather Service (DWD) is warning of heavy continuous rain that could last from Monday night until Thursday. Level two amber weather warnings are in place for a large part of the country, with some places on level three red alert as of Tuesday morning.
"The flood situation will increase significantly again due to the forecast rainfall," DWD said.
According to data from the office for water management, coastal and nature conservation (NLWKN), water levels across much of Lower Saxony remained little changed on Monday.
A major flood warning was in place for the Leine, the Allert, and the Upper and Middle Weser among others, on Monday.
Interior Minister Nancy Faeser visited the flood districts in Lower Saxony on Monday, the day after Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited the affected areas.
READ ALSO: Scholz visits flood-hit parts of Germany
In Saxony-Anhalt, meanwhile, the flood situation is stable, but it remains tense on the border with Thuringia on the Helme.Â
Narrow majority of FDP members want party to stay in coalition
A narrow majority of FDP party members said they want the liberal party to remain in Germany's traffic light coalition, the FDP announced on Monday.
A member survey carried out showed that 52.24 percent of those who voted were in favour of the Free Democrats remaining in the coalition while 47.76 percent wanted to end the alliance, news agency DPA reported.
However, only 26,058 of around 72,100 members took part in the survey.
According to the FDP, 65,899 people were eligible to vote, so this gave a turnout of just 39.54 percent, the party said.
The vote has no consequences, but gives a picture of the current mood in the party.
Party chairman and Finance Minister Christian Lindner said on X, formerly Twitter, that the result was a "clear mandate to continue to show a liberal profile in government matters", adding that he saw the outcome of the vote as "an expression of responsibility for Germany".
Das Ergebnis unserer #Mitgliederbefragung sehe ich als Ausdruck der Verantwortung fĂĽr Deutschland, aber auch als klaren Auftrag, im Regierungshandeln weiter liberales Profil zu zeigen. CL
— Christian Lindner (@c_lindner) January 1, 2024
The member vote came about following an open letter from 26 FDP state and local politicians who said the FDP should reconsider its coalition partners following poor election results in Hesse and Bavaria.
Disputes within the coalition have overshadowed government policy in recent times.
Consumer groups call for commitment to the €49 ticketÂ
Consumer centres in Germany are calling for clarity over the future of the Deutschlandticket and have warned against any price hikes.
The head of the Federation of German Consumer Organisations, Ramona Pop, described the travel pass, which allows people to travel on local public transport nationwide for €49 per month, as a real success.
"Travelling by bus and train is finally easy nationwide," she said. "Many people are still convinced by the offer in principle."
But she warned that the constant wrangling over funding is unsettling passengers, while local authorities and districts are also suffering from the uncertainty.
Pop called for the federal and state governments to fulfil their responsibilities and provide sufficient funding instead of passing on the costs to consumers.
"If the price were to rise, the Deutschlandticket would become neither more attractive nor more reliable," she said.
The ticket has been available since May 1st 2023 as a digital subscription that can be cancelled monthly.
READ ALSO:Â
- Will Germany's €49 ticket be continued?
- Public transport use in Germany goes up 'thanks to €49 ticket'
Germany extends detention of two in suspected Cologne cathedral plot
German authorities on Monday extended the detention of two suspects over an alleged New Year's plot to attack the cathedral in Cologne, which prompted heightened security at the site.
One suspect is a 25-year-old from Tajikistan who was arrested before Christmas, and the other a suspected accomplice detained on Sunday.
They can now be held for up to 14 more days for questioning, Cologne police said.
Three other suspects arrested on Sunday have been released.
According to media reports, the suspects allegedly wanted to carry out attacks for Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K), an IS offshoot in Afghanistan, in Germany but also in Vienna or Madrid.
Austria had also arrested three people before Christmas as part of the plot inquiry.
Germany has been on high alert in recent weeks over possible Islamist attacks, with the country's domestic intelligence chief warning in late November that the risk of such assaults is "real and higher than it has been for a long time" because of the Israel-Hamas war.
The deadliest attack by Islamist extremists in Germany was carried out by an IS supporter who rammed a truck into a Berlin Christmas market in December 2016, killing 12 people.
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