Germany news: Berlin blackout to end as terror probe opened

Altogether 2.9 million people in Germany were without work at the end of last year, figures from the Federal Employment Agency (BA) showed on Wednesday.

The agency said the ‍number of unemployed grew ​by ​3,000 in December in seasonally adjusted terms, a smaller number than expected.

"The labor market ​continues to lack economic momentum," said BA head​ Andrea Nahles. "The weak trend is ‌therefore continuing ‌at the end of the year."

The labor market has shown a negative trend throughout 2025, with 2.948 million unemployed people registered on average, 161,000 more than the year before.

The average unemployment rate rose by 0.3 percentage points to 6.3%.

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Daniel Halemba, a member of Bavaria's state parliament who belongs to the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, is due to go on trial on Wednesday, where he will face charges including incitement to hatred and money laundering.

The trial in Würzburg has been scheduled to run for eight days.

Among other things, Halemba, 24, is alleged to have overseen the playing of a song by the neo-Nazi rock band Landser — which has been classified as a criminal organization  — at his birthday party in July 22.

Prosecutors say the lyrics of the song that was played incite hatred against people of Turkish background living in Germany.

Halemba has denied the charge, saying he was not even present at the party at the time in question.

He is also facing money laundering charges connected with money he transferred from his private account to an account in the Baltic states that is believed to come from fraud committed by third parties.

Halemba is alleged to have received a commission for the transfer.

The lawmaker has denied all the charges and said he expects to be acquitted.

The blue-chip DAX stock index has climbed about 25,000 points for the first time in its history, rising by 0.6% on Wednesday to a record high of 25,029.64.

The record comes as investor sentiment is being bolstered by hopes pinned on the artificial intelligence boom.

There has also been a run on stocks from armaments companies such as Rheinmetall, particularly following the US military operation in Venezuela over the weekend.

Berlin authorities have told the dpa news agency that energy supplier Berlin Stromnetz will be gradually restoring power in areas affected by a major blackout in the course of Wednesday.

"We will be working on restoration of supply today over the day," a Berlin Stromnetz spokesman said.

The mass-circulation daily Bild earlier reported that power would be returned from 11 a.m. local time (10:00 a.m. UTC ).

The prosecutors are investigating the incident as involving unconstitutional sabotage, membership in a terrorist group, arson and the disruption of public facilities.

The arson attack is believed to have been carried out by left-wing extremists, with a letter sent to authorities by a group calling itself the "Vulkangruppe, "or Volcano Group, deemed as "credible" by police.

Some 20,000 households remained without power on Wednesday, with energy supplier Berlin Stromnetz saying it will take until Thursday for electricity to be fully restored to affected areas.

The Vulkangruppe was reported by the mass-circulation Bild newspaper on Wednesday to have issued another statement regarding its alleged actions.

In the statement, the group said its attack was not directed "at people" but at infrastructure that is destroying the environment.

At the same time, it said that it was not "by chance" that vulnerable groups such as the aged, children and the ills were affected.

The statement is said to have also dismissed speculation that Russia could be behind the attack, saying this was an "attempt to conceal" authorities' own helplessness by "constructing an external enemy."

Germany's domestic intelligence agency, the BfV, says the Vulkangruppe has been behind a number of arson attacks on important public infrastructure since 2011, mostly in Berlin and the surrounding state of Brandenburg.

Berlin's governing Mayor Kai Wegner said Tuesday the sabotage of power lines was an act of "left wing extremist terror."

"Suspected left-wing extremists knowingly put lives at risk, especially those of patients in hospitals, as well as the elderly, children and families," Wegner said.

The DW newsroom in Bonn wishes a warm Guten Tag on a very cold day to our readers across the world as it brings you another look at the top stories in Germany.

We will be reporting on the continuing power outage in parts of Berlin following a fire on a cable bridge believed to have been lit by a left-wing extremist group.

With some 20,000 households still without electricity amid freezing temperatures, federal prosecutors have taken over investigations, an indication of how seriously the disaster is being seen by Germany's authorities.

Other news on Wednesday includes the high-profile trial of controversial Bavarian AfD parliamentarian Daniel Halemba on charges of inciting hatred and money laundering, and another trial of the parents and grandparents of a young girl segregated from the outside world since her infancy.

Keep reading for more news on what is happening in Germany on Wednesday, January 7.