Monday's top story: Berlin sceptical as Putin floats peace talks with ex-German chancellor
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday said the war in Ukraine was winding down.
"I think it (the conflict) is heading to an end but it's still a serious matter," he said, adding that he was ready to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a third country only once all conditions for a potential peace agreement were settled.
Putin has proposed longtime ally and friend, former German chancellor Gerhard Schröder, as mediator in talks with Ukraine -- an idea that has been met with scepticism in Berlin.
Schröder, 82, has remained close to the Kremlin leader long after leaving office, standing apart from most Western leaders since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
German officials reacted cautiously, saying they had "taken note" of Putin's comments but viewed them as part of "a series of bogus offers" from Russia, government sources told AFP Sunday.
One source said a real test of Moscow's intentions would be to extend the current three-day truce.
Schröder's stance has made him a controversial figure at home. He has never publicly condemned the invasion of Ukraine, costing him several privileges normally granted to former chancellors.
He previously held key roles in Russian energy projects, including work on the Nord Stream gas pipelines and a seat on the board of Russian oil firm Rosneft, which he gave up in 2022.
Some German politicians from Schröder's own SPD party -- a junior partner in Germany’s coalition government -- say this makes him unsuitable for any mediator role.
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Surf's up again on Munich's river wave
Munich's surfers celebrated Friday as the German city officially gave them the green light to again ride a river wave after a stormy year for the attraction.
The Eisbach wave on a side branch of the Isar River has been drawing surfers since the 1980s, and is a landmark in the Bavarian city.
But, after the death of an experienced surfer riding the wave at night in April last year, it was closed for two months. Then, the wave vanished in October after an annual clean-up on the riverbed.
It reappeared naturally several weeks ago and some surfers had already dared to ride it illegally -- as authorities had still not formally given permission. On Friday however Dominik Krause, Munich's new Greens party mayor elected in March, said the wave was being re-opened, although with several conditions.
The attraction "is part of Munich's way of life," he said in a statement.
READ ALSO: Who is Munich's new Green mayor and what does his victory mean?
When the wave disappeared, angry surfers staged demonstrations and tried to recreate the attraction by placing a beam in the water -- which was removed by authorities.
Munich authorities have tightened rules in a bid to ensure surfing on the river is safe.
These include no surfing after 10 pm, and mandatory use of a system that allows the cord connecting the surfer to the board to be detached in case of emergencies.
Eurovision kicks off in Vienna
Eurovision kicked off in Vienna on Sunday, with thousands of fans flocking to the city for events and music ahead of the song contest's grand final next weekend.
The Austrian capital is pulling out all the stops to host the 70th edition of the world's most-watched song contest, with many side events scheduled in the run-up to the final on May 16th.
On Sunday afternoon, it rolled out the carpet -- which at Eurovision is not red but turquoise -- to welcome a parade of the 35 delegations from participating countries, as part of a colourful opening ceremony.
The contest reaches more than 170 million people on television and online around the world, and its content generates billions of views across digital platforms. Finland is the heavy favourite this year.
Spain, Ireland, Iceland, the Netherlands and Slovenia have decided to snub this year's edition in protest at Israel's participation.
More than 1,000 artists or groups have also called for a boycott, including Peter Gabriel and Massive Attack.
German Culture Minister Wolfram Weimer, who has said he will attend Eurovision, told the Augsburger Allgemeine news outlet that the boycott call against Israel made him "suffer". He said he had defended Israel taking part "at the highest political levels".
Four passengers from cruise hit by hantavirus outbreak brought to Germany
The four German passengers of the cruise ship affected by a hantavirus outbreak who flew out to the Netherlands were brought from Eindhoven to Germany late in the evening on Sunday.
They were then transported to the University Hospital Frankfurt, more than 300 kilometres away, by the early morning.
There, the passengers will first be further examined and observed and then taken to the respective federal states for quarantine. There the state health authorities decide on the measures.
In addition to Dutch and Germans, there were also Belgians and Greeks on board. All were reportedly without symptoms.
One of the German passengers is to be taken to Berlin's Charité hospital. According to the responsible Berlin Senate Department for Health, the person has not shown any symptoms so far and comes "from the Berlin-Brandenburg region".
The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health in Stuttgart announced in the evening that a symptom-free German contact person is to go into domestic quarantine in Baden-WĂĽrttemberg.Â
The head of the German Robert Koch Institute sees no danger to the population. Speaking on ZDF's Heute Journal, he noted that the virus is not one which spreads easily.
Fuel crisis relief bonus looks dead in the water
The federal government's proposal to allow employers to offer a €1,000 tax-free relief bonus appears to have failed.
The proposal was recently vetoed in the Bundesrat, making the chances that the relief bonus moves forward slim.
CSU leader Markus Söder and Prime Minister of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Manuela Schwesig (SPD), have both advised the black-red federal government to take it off the table.
Instead they suggest the government tackle a more comprehensive income tax reform.
With reporting by AFP and DPA.
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