Thursday's top story: Zelensky meets with Europeans to draft new peace plan
In an effort to end the Russian war of aggression, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has planned to meet again with representatives of European supporting states on Thursday.
The crucial questions are how Russia can be persuaded to stop the killing and how it can be prevented from invading again.
This week could bring news for everyone and for an end to the bloodshed, Zelensky wrote on social media.
The supporting states, called the coalition of the willing, include EU states such as Germany and France as well as non-EU countries like Great Britain and Norway. More than 30 states of this coalition are working with Ukraine for security on land, in the air and at sea, Zelensky said in his evening video message.
Trump, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU), French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke on the phone on Wednesday, and the European leaders are said to have invited Trump to come to a meeting over the weekend.
About the call, Trump spoke of "small differences of opinion" and suggested that a decision would be made "depending on what [the Europeans] present..."
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Meanwhile Ukraine faces ongoing attacks in its eastern regions, but is also launching counter attacks. Four airports in Moscow faced restrictions after a massive drone attack, which is reported to have affected 130 flights.
Gender pension gap hits 61 percent in western Germany
Women in western Germany receive an average of €13,500 less in annual retirement income than men, creating a stark 61 percent pension gap across company, statutory, and private pensions. In eastern states, the disparity shrinks to just 17 percent.
These findings by sociologist Carla Rowold earned her the Research Network on Old-Age Security (FNA) award, highlighting systemic biases in Germany's welfare structures.
Rooted in traditional gender roles, western women face a 48 percent part-time employment rate – 14 points higher than in the east – per Hans-Böckler-Stiftung data, as they shoulder most unpaid care work like childcare.
This fuels the gender pay gap (16 percent in 2025), which persists into retirement, exposing women to higher old-age poverty risks.
Rowold argues the system paradoxically penalises women for fulfilling expected roles. Solutions include equitable care distribution, paternity-focused parental leave reforms, and scrapping spouse income splitting for greater fairness.
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RB Leipzig appoint first woman CEO in German football
RB Leipzig on Wednesday named Tatjana Haenni as the club's new chief executive, making her the first woman club boss in German football history.
The 59-year-old Swiss will take over on January 1st and will head Leipzig's management board.
A former footballer, Haenni made 23 appearances for the Swiss national team. Since retiring, she has taken up sports administration roles at UEFA, FIFA and the Swiss Football Association (SFV).
"I can't wait to get started in January and to get to know the club on a deeper level," Haenni said in a statement released Wednesday.
Former CEO and current Red Bull executive Oliver Mintzlaff praised Haenni's "specialist knowledge, leadership and strategic thinking", adding she would "successfully shape the club’s next stages of development".
Founded in 2009 by taking over a club in Germany's fifth tier, RB Leipzig rose through the ranks and was first promoted to the top flight in 2016.
Since then, the club have won two German Cups and made it to the semi-finals of the Champions League in 2020.
Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp took over as Red Bull global head of football in January 2025, overseeing a multi-club network which includes clubs in Leipzig, New York and Bragantino.
Damaged pipeline causes 'large oil spill' in Brandenburg
An oil pipeline of the major PCK refinery was damaged in the German state of Brandenburg on Wednesday, resulting in a "large oil spill", a spokesman for the state's environment ministry said.
The PCK refinery near the border with Poland is majority-owned by Rosneft Deutschland, a local subsidiary of the Russian oil giant, and managed through a trusteeship by the German government.
READ ALSO: German ex-chancellor says no regrets over Russian gas pipelines
While no one was seriously injured as a result of the spill, an environment ministry spokesperson said the crude may have entered local rivers.
State environment minister Hanka Mittelstaedt is to visit the site on Thursday morning to assess the damage.
Local newspaper Maerkische Oderzeitung reported that oil was gushing "in a fountain about 10 to 12 metres high" (33 to 39 feet) near the municipality of Gramzow.
German aristocrat accused in coup plot says just a 'moderator'
A self-styled German prince admitted in court on Wednesday that he played a role in an extremist network accused of seeking to stage a coup -- but only as a "moderator" at meetings.
Prince Heinrich XIII Reuss is accused of leading a team of "Reichsbuerger" (Citizens of the Reich), a movement that rejects the legitimacy of the modern German state.
The 74-year-old defendant is one of nine in the dock at a court in the western city of Frankfurt, accused of planning to storm the German parliament in Berlin and take MPs hostage.
Prosecutors accuse Reuss of being a ringleader and say he was considered by the plotters to be in line to become the "provisional head of state" after the German government was overthrown, claims he has denied.
But on Wednesday he admitted to having "made rooms available" to the network allegedly behind the plan. He denied any knowledge of plans to storm the parliament, saying he would have considered such an action as "idiotic".
Germany's domestic security service says many Reichsbuerger hold historically revisionist, antisemitic and racist views and often display an "affinity for weapons".
News of the coup plot stunned the country when authorities revealed the details in 2022 as they rounded up the suspects in nationwide raids.
More than 20 people accused of belonging to the group are being tried in three separate trials  -- in Frankfurt, Stuttgart and Munich. They include a former politician, ex-army officers and a former lawmaker from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
Police find toddler steering car on the autobahnÂ
Police in Rhineland-Palatinate saw a very small child steering the car from his mom's lap while she typed on her mobile phone, DW reported on Wednesday.
The toddler, who was less that two years old had both hands on the steering wheel, the police said.
Officers pulled the vehicle over near the town of Ramstein.
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According to the the police the woman showed little understanding of the risk, explaining that she was driving to a fast food restaurant because her child had not been feeling well.
A formal investigation has been opened into the incident, with authorities concerned about possible child endangerment.
With reporting by DPA, AFP and Tom Pugh.
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