Friday's top story: Russia calls German spy charges 'ridiculous', vows response
Russia's embassy in Berlin on Thursday vowed retaliation after Germany expelled a diplomat accused of being an intelligence officer who worked as the handler of a woman arrested on spy charges.
In a statement to AFP, the embassy called the allegations "a ridiculous, hastily concocted provocation" and added: "We made it clear that Berlin's unfriendly actions would not go unanswered."
The German foreign ministry earlier announced it had summoned the Russian ambassador, Sergei Nechayev, to inform him of the expulsion of a diplomat "who spied for Russia".
READ ALSO: Germany expels alleged Russian spy handler
The Russian embassy, however, dismissed the allegations as a "clearly fabricated pretext" to "further aggravate Russian-German relations".
The embassy also reacted to the separate arrests Wednesday of two men suspected of providing cash and support to pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine's Donbas region.
Russian diplomats on Thursday made clear to the German government that "we see Berlin's approach as criminalising any contact with the residents and organisations of Donbas, including humanitarian ones," the embassy told AFP.
One of the two suspects is a Russian citizen, and the embassy said it had demanded consular access to "clarify the situation" and "protect his rights and interests".
Climate activists caught trying to paint Merz's plane pink
German police arrested three climate activists on Thursday on suspicion of breaking into an airfield to splash pink paint on the private plane of Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
Police and a protest group calling itself the Resistance Collective confirmed the early-morning incident at the airfield where Merz, a hobby pilot, parks his plane.
"The plan was to paint the aircraft pink to effectively take it out of service," the protest group said in a statement sent to AFP.
The activists carried a banner that read "Mobility for all, not just the super-rich!" and had also planned to leave behind a bicycle as a more climate-friendly means of transport for Merz, the group said.
Police said they foiled the plan after pulling over one of the activists near the Arnsberg-Menden Airport in Merz's native Sauerland region, about 40 kilometres (25 miles) east of the city of Dortmund.
Three other activists were then arrested for trespassing inside the airport's restricted area after police launched a subsequent search.
Police confirmed that Merz's personal aircraft was parked at the airport.
"We are acting in self-defence," one of the activists, Anja Windl, said in the group's statement. "The climate catastrophe is escalating -- hunger, heat and natural disasters are claiming lives -- and yet Friedrich Merz is flying around in his own plane."
Meanwhile the German chancellor was speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, where he said that the "old world order is unravelling at a breath-taking pace."
A world of great powers is the new reality. Europe and Germany got the message. We must and will live up to this challenge. My government will pursue an ambitious reform agenda revolving around security, competitiveness and European unity. pic.twitter.com/PGQCGQUkKJ
— Bundeskanzler Friedrich Merz (@bundeskanzler) January 22, 2026
"We have entered an era of great power politics," Merz said in a speech. "The new world of the great powers is founded upon power, strength and when necessary, force. It is not a cosy place."
Warning strikes at theatres in Bavaria
Germany’s public-sector union Verdi has called for a nationwide theatre strike set to begin on Friday, with state theatres across Bavaria among the first to walk out.
According to Verdi, the work stoppage will affect the Bavarian State Opera, the Bavarian State Theatre including Munich’s Residenztheater, the Gärtnerplatztheater and the Prinzregententheater, as well as the state theatres in Augsburg and Nuremberg.
The union is demanding a seven per cent pay rise, or at least €300 more per month, along with higher bonuses for Sunday and shift work.
The strike is described as a warning action ahead of further negotiations, and forms part of a broader campaign to improve working conditions in Germany’s public service and cultural institutions.
Verdi also announced further action next Tuesday at Bavaria’s university hospitals, where emergency service agreements will ensure patient care continues. However, the union warned that non-urgent operations could be postponed if negotiations fail to progress.
Berlin-Neukölln cracks down on short-term rentals
The district office of Berlin-Neukölln has banned a landlord from renting out furnished rooms, potentially setting a legal precedent that could head to court after the owner lodged an objection.
The case centres on a building in a protected neighbourhood (Milieuschutzgebiet), where flats have been subdivided into tiny units of just 11 square metres each, fetching average warm rents of €700 monthly under one-year contracts that dodge the rent cap.
READ ALSO: How Berlin's Neukölln district plans to crack down on temporary flat rentals
Local Green Party councillor Jochen Biedermann told rbb24 that the model drives out long-term residents.
“This intervention sends a clear signal against exploitative subletting that undermines affordable housing,” Biedermann said, highlighting Neukölln’s push to preserve a social mix amid Berlin’s rental crisis.
If upheld, the ban could spur similar actions across the city, where short-term platforms like Airbnb face mounting regulatory pressure.
Shortlist announced for Germany’s prestigious Grimme Prize
The nominations for Germany’s most prestigious media prize were announced on Thursday with nods for ZDF's 'KRANK Berlin', Netflix's Haftbefehl documentary 'Babo', Disney+'s 'Call My Agent Berlin', and ProSieben's 'Joko & Klaas' quiz show.
READ ALSO: Why is everyone in Germany talking about a documentary called ‘Babo’?
In total, 71 TV productions and performances were selected as candidates for the Grimme Prize from over 750 submissions across four categories: Information & Culture, Fiction, Entertainment and Children & Youth.
The shortlist reflects societal themes including right-wing extremism, racism, DDR history, police violence, antisemitism and class conflict.
The winners in each category will be announced in March.
With reporting by DPA, AFP and Tom Pugh.
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