Today in Germany: A roundup of the latest news on Monday

Two dead in coach crash in eastern Germany

Two people were killed Saturday and four seriously injured in an accident involving a Flixbus coach travelling between Germany and Poland, the firm said in a statement.

The low-cost bus company said the accident took place at around 3pm on the A11 motorway in Germany close to the Polish border and concerned a "long distance bus travelling from Berlin to Szczecin".

"According to current information, 13 passengers and one driver were on board this bus, two people were killed in the accident," the statement said, adding that the survivors had been taken to local hospitals.

"The exact circumstances of the accident are not yet known," the company said.

The police force in the state of Brandenburg said in a statement that the bus had "veered off the road due to adverse weather conditions and then overturned".

It was reported that a 29-year-old woman and a 48-year-old man died in the crash. 

BSW's Sahra Wagenknecht hits out at parties at conference 

After a lifetime in opposition, Germany's hard-left standard-bearer Sahra Wagenknecht has shaken up the political scene with a blend of pro-poor, Russia-friendly and anti-immigration policies.

The 55-year-old received a standing ovation on Sunday as she launched the campaign of her one-year-old BSW party in the hope it will enter parliament after a snap general election slated for February 23rd.

In a fiery speech, Wagenknecht accused Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the parties in his collapsed centre-left coalition of leading Germany into "misery".

"Our country is threatened with deindustrialisation, combined with a dramatic loss of prosperity for the people, combined with a significant loss of social security," she said.

"That is why we finally need a different signal here and not a continuation of the same, because our country can no longer stand this."

Wagenknecht also took aim at the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), criticising the party which is now calling for more spending on weapons for Ukraine. "Rename it ‘Arming for Donald (Trump)’," Wagenknecht said.

She also slammed the conservatives, saying they lack credibility to save the economy, and said CDU leader Friedrich Merz believes "everyone who is poor must be lazy".

The BSW currently polls at around five percent nationwide, the minimum for entry into parliament, but Wagenknecht is determined to anchor her party in German politics.

SPD formally nominates Scholz for chancellor ahead of election 

Over the weekend, Germany's ruling Social Democrats (SPD) formally nominated Chancellor Olaf Scholz as candidate for the upcoming election in February.

At the party congress in Berlin on Saturday, a huge majority of SPD members voted to retain Scholz's leadership of the party heading into polling day.

Speaking at the event, Scholz declared that Germany was facing a "crossroads" and made pledges on pensions and housing for "ordinary people" while characterising the the CDU/CSU alliance, likely the next government, as politics "for the top 10 percent."

Scholz's SPD is third in the polls behind the CDU/CSU and far-right AFD, according to the latest polls..

READ ALSO: German far-right outlines radical programme as protesters rally

Bitterly cold temperatures

Sub-zero temperatures were felt in parts of Germany early on Monday morning - but it will get a bit milder this week. 

Temperatures fell to -7C in the Berlin and Brandenburg area, and even to -12C in Dresden and -10C in Hamburg, according to the German Weather Service (DWD).

Forecasters warned of slippy roads and pavements, urging people to take care. 

It will remain fairly cold with the possibility of snow in some places on Tuesday. But from Wednesday it will get slightly milder with temperatures up to 6C. 

With reporting by AFP