Tuesday's top story: Chancellor Friedrich Merz continues diplomatic tour in India
Chancellor Friedrich Merz received a grand welcoming to India by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday.
The two leaders signed a total of 27 agreements, and expressed a willingness to work together on a number of issues, including deepening "cooperation between defence industries".
It would appear that Merz is having a grand time touring India with Modi. The two were seen flying kites, among other activities, in Ahmedabad.
Der Himmel über Ahmedabad ist während des Internationalen Drachenfestivals voller Farben und Lebendigkeit.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 12, 2026
Ich freue mich, dass ich Bundeskanzler Friedrich Merz diesen ganz besonderen Anlass zeigen konnte. Es hat mich auch sehr gefreut, dass er sich im Drachensteigen versucht… pic.twitter.com/HbKjH4oCQH
On Tuesday, Merz was due to visit the southern Indian city of Bengaluru, which is sometimes referred to as India's Silicon Valley. There Merz is to visit the premises of German engineering company Bosch and the Centre for Nano Science and Engineering at the Indian Institute of Science.
The big agreement, yet to be signed, that Merz is chasing in India is an €8 billion submarine deal that would see Germany's Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems build six submarines for the Indian Navy, in partnership with Indian state-run Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders.
Berlin sees the agreement as being strategic in that it would help ease India off its dependence on Russian military equipment.
Germany plays down threat of US invading Greenland
Germany's top diplomat on Monday played down the risk of a US attack on Greenland, despite President Donald Trump's repeated threats to seize the Danish autonomous territory.
Trump has been talking up the idea of buying or annexing the Arctic territory for years, and further stoked tensions this week by saying that the United States would take the territory "one way or the other."
When asked about a unilateral military move by Trump, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said he had "no indication that this is being seriously considered."
"I believe there is a common interest in addressing the security issues that arise in the Arctic region, and that we should and will do so," Wadephul told reporters after a meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
READ ALSO: Denmark backed by European NATO countries as Greenland threat rises
NATO is in the process of developing "more concrete plans on this" that will be discussed with US partners, Wadephul added.
In related news, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas was in Berlin on Tuesday for talks on strengthening European defence readiness.
Her meeting with Defence Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) was set to focus on further support for Ukraine, the ministry announced. But it was expected that the common position of the EU states in the dispute over Greenland could also be a point of discussion.
Emergency rooms 'extremely burdened' by ice-related accidents
Hospital emergency rooms are under strain across Germany due to accidents caused by black ice.
"Ice and snow have put an extreme strain on us in the past few days, even in the emergency rooms," Gerald Gass, chairman of the German Hospital Association (DKG), told the Rheinische Post.
He added that hospitals are seeing a large number of pedestrian accidents involving minor injuries and fractures, as well as serious traffic accidents caused by slippery roads.
Icy conditions are still seen in large parts of the country as of Tuesday morning, especially on the eastern side of the country.
READ ALSO: Schools closed and traffic disrupted in Germany due to icy conditions
Mercedes-Benz sales drop by ten percent in 2025
Mercedes-Benz, the Stuttgart-based carmaker, sold significantly fewer vehicles worldwide last year than in 2024. The group delivered 2.16 million cars and small vans – a ten percent decline – according to figures released on Monday.
Sales slumped particularly sharply in China and the United States.
In Europe, including the UK, Switzerland and Norway, Mercedes sold 634,600 vehicles, a modest one percent dip year-on-year. German sales held steady at 213,200 units.
China remained the top single car market with 551,900 sales, but volumes plunged 19 percent from 2024. Deliveries in the US fell 12 percent to 284,600 vehicles.
While sales in other regions, notably South America, rose 17 percent to just under 100,000 units, the gains failed to offset the broader losses.
Vets in Germany urge ban on tethered cattle farming
Hundreds of veterinarians have called on German Agriculture Minister Alois Rainer to swiftly ban the tethering of cattle, according to reports by ARD on Monday.
In an open letter ahead of Berlin’s Green Week, 350 veterinarians argued that tethering – where cows are kept chained in stalls with minimal movement – violates animal welfare standards and the core principles of veterinary medicine. The vets describe the practice as inhumane and harmful to both the physical and psychological well-being of animals.
Currently around one million cattle in Germany, mainly in the south, are kept in tethered conditions, sometimes for their entire lives.
Animal welfare group Foodwatch and over 55,000 petitioners have joined the call for reform, insisting that cows should no longer spend their lives in chains.
While a previous government proposal sought to phase out year-round tethering over ten years, critics argue that such measures are insufficient.
With reporting by AFP, DPA and Tom Pugh.
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