News from Germany on politics, society, regions and everyday issues relevant to readers in Germany and across Europe.
Extreme heat is causing major disruptions in regional rail services in Germany. Operator Metronom has urged passengers not to travel and to avoid stations, citing heat-related infrastructure faults and overloaded air conditioning systems.
Following a nationwide train shutdown on Wednesday night, Deutsche Bahn has announced new rules for maintenance work. From now on, maintenance will only take place between midnight and 4 AM, the company said.
A 68-year-old Swiss man died on Friday afternoon after a swimming accident in Chiemsee. According to police, he was on an electric boat.
Northern Germany is experiencing extreme heat. The German Weather Service (DWD) warns of temperatures up to 40 degrees Celsius on Saturday and Sunday.
The Bavarian state government has sharply criticized the Federal Network Agency's allocation practice for wind power projects. Markus Söder and Economics Minister Hubert Aiwanger see a disadvantage for Bavaria.
Due to persistent drought and high fire risk, Munich's municipal cemeteries have immediately banned grave candles, the city announced.
The years-long dispute over the tender for large parts of the Berlin S-Bahn network has ended. Train manufacturer Alstom is dropping further legal action, clearing the way for the billion-euro contract to be awarded.
In Thuringia, two suspected supporters of the right-wing extremist group 'Last Defense Wave' have been arrested. They are accused of attempting to set fire to an asylum seeker accommodation, the Federal Prosecutor's Office announced.
A court in Magdeburg has sentenced the man who drove a car into a Christmas market crowd in 2024 to life imprisonment. The 51-year-old killed six people and injured more than 300.
Starting in July, trading driver's license points in Flensburg will become illegal. Anyone who deceives authorities about the actual driver or brokers such services faces fines of up to €30,000.
The fire department had declared the fire on a former shooting range near Neustrelitz (Mecklenburg Lake District) extinguished in the morning, but during patrols they discovered new hotspots.
The Hochtaunus Transport Association (VHT) will expand bus services in the district starting in December. According to the FAZ, new buses will be purchased and timetables adjusted to better connect rural areas.
Deutsche Bahn (DB) is preparing for operational disruptions caused by the ongoing heatwave and is offering passengers free ticket cancellations for the first time, as reported by FAZ.
Early on Wednesday morning, Hamburg police surrounded and searched a large refugee shelter in the Winterhude district. Officers were providing administrative assistance to the Federal Employment Agency, a police operations center employee said.
A disruption of the GSM-R radio system has largely paralyzed German rail traffic. Meanwhile, the digital euro is set to have upper limits, and Norway bans AI in schools.
Germany's Federal Medical Association and the German Alliance on Climate Change and Health have warned of health risks due to persistently high temperatures, calling on the public to help each other.
The next heatwave has reached the north. According to the German Weather Service (DWD), temperatures of up to 38 degrees are expected.
At the Heinz-Brandt School in Berlin-Weißensee, two students are accused of creating and distributing AI-generated nude images of female classmates. School authorities have been notified, and police are investigating.
Investigators have searched a former subsidiary of the Russian energy giant Gazprom. Germany's Federal Public Prosecutor General's Office announced that there is a suspicion of sabotage – the gas supply in Germany could be at risk.
Bavaria's state government plans to lift the ban on artificial intelligence (AI) in higher education, allowing students to use AI tools in exams and coursework.
A radio malfunction brought train traffic across Germany to a halt on Tuesday evening. According to Deutsche Bahn, the disruption was resolved after about two hours, and services resumed on Wednesday morning.
Munich will not host a large fan festival during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. According to the Süddeutsche Zeitung, the few suitable locations in the city are unavailable during the tournament period.
After a nationwide failure of the train radio system, Brandenburg's Transport Minister Robert Crumbach (SPD) has demanded a thorough investigation from Deutsche Bahn. He sees trust in the railway at risk.
A power outage in downtown Kiel brought parts of the Kiel Week festivities to a halt on Tuesday evening.
A Jewish student is insulted and threatened for weeks without teachers intervening. Experts say such incidents have become quite normal.
The new underground station in Stuttgart will not open until December 2031, five years later than previously planned. Deutsche Bahn representatives informed the German parliament's transport committee.
The entire German rail network collapsed late Tuesday evening. At the center of the disruption is a failure of the digital mobile radio system GSM-R.
After a massive disruption of the digital railway radio system, train services in Germany have resumed. However, passengers must expect delays and cancellations until the morning.
The planned Munich Arena near the airport has taken a major step forward: the city of Freising approved the development plan.
Two construction workers were killed on Tuesday when a truck crashed into a safety vehicle on the A31 motorway in Emsland, police said.
A 57-year-old woman filmed a man in a regional train from Augsburg to Munich as he secretly recorded under a 28-year-old woman's skirt. The victim later filed a complaint with the federal police.
Germany's Federal Prosecutor's Office has searched the homes of five suspected Islamic State supporters in Baden-Württemberg, Brandenburg and Hesse. No arrests were made.
The German government's Eastern Commissioner, Elisabeth Kaiser (SPD), has warned of old-age poverty in eastern Germany if the pension level is lowered from 2031. According to Zeit, Kaiser called for maintaining the statutory pension as a central basis of livelihood for many eastern Germans.
The city of Frankfurt has approved a record budget for social housing this year.
Health Minister Nina Warken's (CDU) planned health reform threatens to worsen care for the mentally ill. According to Spiegel, spending on psychotherapy is to be capped in the future.
After a life-threatening attack on a 23-year-old in Göttingen, hundreds of people protested against right-wing violence again on Monday. Police said around 700 participants attended the rally.
A truck carrying organic peroxide broke down on the A8 near Wiesensteig. Police said around 100 people were evacuated and the motorway towards Munich is closed.
Over the weekend, men sexually harassed children in swimming pools in several German cities. Police reported incidents in Munich, Frankfurt and Neu-Ulm.
A 51-year-old gardener with addiction issues has been sentenced to five years and two months in prison by the Munich I Regional Court for knocking down and seriously injuring a man in the Nussbaumpark.
A heavy thunderstorm caused damage and brought Berlin's S-Bahn to a standstill. Numerous festivals were interrupted, and the Tennis Open had to be evacuated.