German Economy Minister Robert Habeck has called on Volkswagen to refrain from factory closures. "The locations should be preserved," he said during a visit to the VW plant in the north-western city of Emden.

Germany's government is considering ways to support Volkswagen , German economy minister and vice chancellor Robert Habeck said on Thursday, when asked about the threat of job cuts at the country's largest carmaker.

A source close to the ministry cited a senior government official as saying it had stopped work on approving export licences for arms to Israel pending a resolution of legal cases arguing that such exports from Germany breached humanitarian law. The ministry did not respond to requests for comment.

Germany plans to take a harder look at whether the weapons it supplies to Israel are not being used in violation of international law, the economy minister, Robert Habeck, said.

Germany has suspended arms exports to Israel due to legal challenges related to violations of humanitarian law, according to Reuters. The German Ministry of Economy reported that in 2023, Germany approved arms exports to Israel amounting to €326.