Ukraine had long pressed Germany in vain for military equipment. Now, shortly after Russia's invasion, the German government has agreed. Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) will this morning explain his course in the Bundestag.

On Saturday, the German government had decided to deliver 1000 anti-tank weapons as well as 500 surface-to-air missiles of the type "Stinger" from Bundeswehr stocks to Ukraine as soon as possible. Estonia and the Netherlands were given permission to deliver German-made weapons to the country.

Until the change of course, the German government had rejected all exports of lethal weapons to Ukraine on principle because it is a crisis area. "The Russian invasion of Ukraine marks a turning point. It threatens our entire post-war order," Scholz has now declared. "In this situation, it is our duty to support Ukraine to the best of our ability in its defence against Vladimir Putin's invading army. Germany stands closely by Ukraine's side."

Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck (both Greens) said: "After Russia's shameless attack, Ukraine must be able to defend itself. It has an inalienable right to self-defence. The German Government is therefore also supporting Ukraine in equipping it with urgently needed material."

At this Sunday's special session of the Bundestag, Scholz is expected to first deliver a 30-minute government statement, followed by a two-and-a-half-hour debate by the parliamentary groups.

Selenskyj: "Keep up the good work, Chancellor Olaf Scholz"

The Ukrainian ambassador in Berlin praised the change of course, saying it was a historic step. "We are glad that Germany has finally made this 180-degree turnaround," Ambassador Andrij Melnyk told the Deutsche Presse-Agentur.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj welcomed the German decision. "Keep it up, Chancellor Olaf Scholz," he wrote on Twitter.

Ukraine had been demanding arms deliveries for months. The German government turned them down, citing Germany's strict arms export guidelines and the coalition agreement that came into being more than 20 years ago under the Red-Green government stating that no weapons may be supplied to crisis areas.

However, there have been previous exceptions. For example, weapons were supplied to the Kurdish Peshmerga fighters in Iraq to prevent a genocide of the Yazidis by the terrorist organisation Islamic State (IS). Weapons are also supplied to Israel, a crisis area, out of historical responsibility for Israel's security because of the Holocaust.

The following weapons will be supplied to Ukraine:

- 500 "Fliegerfaust 2 Stinger" of the Bundeswehr: with the 1.5-metre-long weapon, targets can be shot from the shoulder in the air at a distance of up to six kilometres.

- 1000 Bundeswehr "Panzerfaust 3" weapons: With the 13-kilogram weapon, soldiers can hit targets at a distance of 300 to 400 metres. Depending on the ammunition, it can penetrate 70-centimetre-thick armoured steel or 24-centimetre-thick reinforced concrete, for example in bunkers.

- 400 bazookas from the Netherlands: The neighbouring country has been approved for the delivery of 400 more Type 3 anti-tank guns from German production.

- Nine howitzers from Estonia: The German government is allowing the small Baltic country to export nine artillery pieces from old GDR stocks. The howitzers had originally been sent to Finland by the Bundeswehr in the 1990s and later passed on to Estonia. The agreement between Finland and Estonia stipulates that Germany must agree to an export to Ukraine. The weapons in question are the D-30 model, which was developed in the Soviet Union in the mid-1950s. The howitzers, which weigh more than three tonnes and have a cannon barrel almost five metres long, can be used to fire on enemy troops or tanks at a range of up to some 15 kilometres.

- Vehicles and fuel: In addition, Ukraine is to receive 14 armoured vehicles from Germany for personal protection, and for evacuation purposes, if this should become necessary. In addition, up to 10,000 tonnes of fuel are to be delivered to Ukraine via Poland.

The government opposition also supported the arms deliveries. "Now that it is clear that we are at the end of diplomacy, we must also be willing to support those who are quite obviously massively threatened by this aggression, and whose lives are in danger," said CSU state group leader Alexander Dobrindt.

Original article: dpa, Translation: Jean Lennox

Lufthansa will no longer fly to or over Russia for the time being. Due to "the current and emerging regulatory situation", this will apply for seven days, the company announced. Flights to Russia will be suspended accordingly. "Flights that are in Russian airspace will leave it again shortly."

Travellers can expect considerable disruptions to flight operations and numerous flight cancellations at Cologne/Bonn Airport on Monday. The reason is a 24-hour strike (0:00 to 24:00 hours) of security staff at passenger checkpoints called for by the union Verdi. Considerable delays at the passenger checkpoints are to be expected, the airport announced on Saturday evening.

Passengers who have booked a flight from Cologne/Bonn for Monday are urgently requested to enquire about the status of their flight with their airlines or tour operators in good time and in particular before travelling to the airport. In order to speed up the control processes, travellers should limit their hand luggage to the bare minimum, the airport administration has advised.

A total of 126 passenger flights are scheduled for Monday in Cologne/Bonn - 64 departures and 62 arrivals. Some13,000 passengers are expected on this day.

Passenger controls at Cologne/Bonn Airport are a sovereign task of the Federal Police, which uses private security companies for the job. The airport is not involved in the negotiations but is merely the workplace where the industrial dispute is being fought, according to the airport's statement on Saturday evening.

Original article: Michael Wrobel, Translation: Jean Lennox

The nationwide seven-day incidence has dropped once again. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) reported the incidence of new infections per 100,000 inhabitants and week at 1240.3 on Sunday morning. For comparison: On the previous day it was 1253.3. A week ago, the nationwide incidence was 1346.3 (previous month: 1017.4). Health authorities in Germany reported 107,913 new Coronavirus infections to the RKI within 24 hours. Figures are from the RKI dashboard as of 5 am today. A week ago, there were 118,032 infections.

Carnival continues in Cologne on Sunday – but due to the Coronavirus pandemic and the war in Ukraine, it will be on a much smaller scale. Normally, the Schull- und Veedelszöch (parades by schools and groups in different quarters of the city) would parade through the streets on Carnival Sunday - but the pandemic has caused the spectacle to be cancelled. The originally planned reception of the Cologne children's triumvirate by Mayor Henriette Reker in the city hall was cancelled at short notice because of the war in Ukraine. Nevertheless, there will be several carnival concerts and other events in Cologne and many revellers will celebrate in the pubs.

The street carnival had begun on Weiberfastnacht (Women’s day). Because of the war in Ukraine, the festival committee cancelled the Rose Monday festival, which would have involved a parade through the stadium; instead, there will be a peace demonstration through the city centre.

Cologne has declared the entire city area a so-called “tradition zone” for the duration of carnival. This means that Jecken (revellers) are allowed to celebrate in the entire public space under 2G-plus conditions: Newly recovered persons or persons who have been vaccinated twice need to provide a negative test. In pubs, people with a booster jab must also show a current rapid test.

The state of North Rhine-Westphalia had allowed cities to designate safe “tradition zones” with a 2G-plus rule for carnival in the Corona Protection Ordinance.