Wednesday's top story:Â 2025 one of the ten warmest years on record in Germany
Germany's 2025 weather was one of the ten warmest years on record and markedly too dry, according to the German Weather Service (DWD).
In its preliminary balance released Tuesday from Offenbach, the DWD reported an average temperature of 10.1C – 1.9C above the 1961-1990 reference – placing it among the hottest since records began in 1881.
Precipitation averaged just 655 litres per square metre nationwide, 17 percent below normal, driven by a historic spring drought in eastern Germany.
The year was also exceptionally sunny, with over 1,945 hours of sunshine – 26 percent above the 1951-1990 benchmark and among the top five sunniest since 1951.
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A dry spell from February to May caused the deficit, though July brought widespread heavy rain and September saw intense downpours in the west and south.
December was mild at 3.1C (2.3C above average) but unusually arid with only 22 litres per square metre – 31 percent below reference.
Thieves steal €30 million in cash and valuables from Sparkasse branch
A gang pulled off one of Germany's boldest heists, drilling into a Sparkasse vault in Gelsenkirchen over Christmas to plunder €30 million ($35 million) in cash, gold and jewels from over 3,000 safe deposit boxes and devastating thousands of customers.
Thieves exploited the holiday shutdown, tunnelling from an underground car park and methodically smashing boxes through the long weekend. The theft was discovered Monday morning when a fire alarm exposed the breach.
Witnesses had spotted masked men hauling bags Saturday night, while CCTV cameras captured images of a black Audi RS6 with stolen number plates speeding away at dawn.
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By Tuesday, hundreds of enraged victims had gathered at the locked branch to demand answers before police restored order.
The police urged people to return home, referring them to the Sparkasse online portal and saying a hotline would be activated there.
New draft law proposes tougher penalties for attacks on police
Germany's Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig of the Social Democrats (SPD) has unveiled a draft law ahead of New Year's Eve to toughen penalties for assaults on police, firefighters and rescue workers amid rising violence.
Minimum prison terms for such attacks will rise from three to six months, with severe cases like ambushes facing at least one year instead of six months. Hindering rescuers will no longer warrant mere fines but jail time.
The reforms extend protections to doctors, healthcare staff and volunteers in clubs or youth work.
"Attacking those who risk their lives for the public is particularly reprehensible," said Hubig
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The bill also hikes sentences for inciting hatred to up to five years (from three), with courts able to strip voting rights for up to five years from offenders jailed for six months or more.
The draft law will now be sent to the states and expert groups, with feedback expected by the end of January.
Petition to ban fireworks attracts nearly three million signatures
A petition demanding a nationwide fireworks ban on New Year's Eve has amassed nearly three million signatures. The petition was started by Germany's GdP police union, citing officer safety amid rising Silvester violence.
In the wake of the petition’s success, Berlin GdP leader Stephan Weh called for urgent talks with Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU), who opposes a ban.
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"We won't wait for one of our colleagues to die in this senseless fireworks madness," Weh warned ahead of tonight's celebrations. The union is calling for a ban on sales to private individuals, in favour of organised public displays.
The explosive success of the petition appears to signal a shift in the public mood ahead of tonight’s celebrations, with Weh insisting that, “Germany is ready for a rethink”.
German Association of Judges warns of threats to the rule of law
Germany's Association of Judges (DRB) has warned of mounting threats to the rule of law from "antiliberal forces" ahead of key 2026 state elections, urging judicial reforms to shield courts from political interference.
In an AFP interview, DRB executive director Sven Rebehn highlighted risks to judicial independence, noting that in 12 of 16 states a two-thirds parliamentary majority is needed to elect constitutional court judges.
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He cautioned that a blocking minority could stall replacements and proposed a fallback mechanism: if parliament deadlocks, nomination rights should shift to the court itself or an independent panel of jurists and scholars, followed by an absolute majority vote.
Rebehn called for similar protections across lower courts – via stronger judicial committees in nine states or curbing justice ministries' sway elsewhere – and immediate abolition of ministers' directives over prosecutors in criminal cases to prevent partisan weaponisation.
State elections in Germany kick off on March 8th in Baden-WĂĽrttemberg, followed by Rhineland-Palatinate (March 22nd), Saxony-Anhalt (September 6th), and Berlin and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (both September 20th).
With reporting by AFP.
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