Tuesday's top story: Germany braces for more heat and thunderstorms
A brief reprieve from hot weather over the weekend has come to an end, as most of Germany was set for extreme temperatures -- and thunderstorms in places -- again on Tuesday.
The German Weather Service (DWD) expected showers and thunderstorms locally, along with high temperatures of up to 38C in central and southern parts of the country.
In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Brandenburg and Berlin, heavy rain, squalls and hail are also possible. Showers and strong to severe thunderstorms were also expected to move in from the southwest.
Conditions are expected to remain hot on Wednesday, again with scattered thunderstorms in some places.
The worst of the heat and the severe weather is expected to have subsided by Thursday, with highs predicted to be close to 30C, and 28C by Friday -- but don't expect the summer weather to cool down much further than that over the weekend.
As is usually the case, the coolest place in Germany during the next few days will be along the northern coast. Seaside towns along the beaches on the North or Baltic Seas will see daily high temperatures in the low- to mid 20s through most of the week.
Legal professionals renew calls for AfD ban proceedings
More than 1,000 legal professionals in Germany have signed an open letter urging the federal government and Bundestag to initiate proceedings to ban the Alternative for Germany (AfD) before the Federal Constitutional Court.
According to the Republican Lawyers’ Association (RAV), 1,051 signatories include lawyers, judges, prosecutors, public and private sector legal experts, and trainee lawyers.
The appeal builds on a legal opinion by the Society for Civil Liberties (GFF), which concluded that key AfD positions contravene the constitutional principles of human dignity and democracy. The signatories argue that the federal government and parliament should act immediately to seek a ruling declaring the party unconstitutional.
RAV chair Angela Furmaniak said the Basic Law provides a mechanism to address such risks and urged politicians to make use of it without delay.
The proposal has drawn criticism from BSW founder Sahra Wagenknecht, who described the debate over a ban as damaging and evidence of a growing authoritarian tendency. Under Germany’s Basic Law, only the federal government, Bundestag or Bundesrat can initiate nationwide party ban proceedings.
Deutsche Bahn's best 'super saver' prices almost never available, says consumer advocates
Deutsche Bahn (DB) passengers have little chance of getting a ticket at a 'super saver price' (Super sparpreis) for daytime trips, according to a study by the Federation of German Consumer Organisations.
The best price offer, which the railway advertises on its website, was not available for second-class journeys between 7 am and 7 pm on around three-quarters of the days examined. Instead, super saver prices on most days were between 15 and 157 percent above the advertised price.
The consumer advocacy group had tracked DB ticket prices for 23 months until the end of April.
Association head Ramona Pop told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung that Deutsche Bahn should make its pricing system simpler and more transparent: "Anyone who advertises particularly low prices should ensure that they are available more often at normal travel times."
For its part, DB suggested that the association's survey was flawed. A DB spokesperson pointed out that the time window crucially left out trips between 6 and 7 am, which are an important commuter hour, as well as direct connections outside of major cities.
Opposition to ending ‘retirement at 63’ gathers momentum
Opposition to plans that would abolish Germany’s “retirement at 63” scheme is growing.
Several senior SPD figures, including Saarland Minister-President Anke Rehlinger and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Minister-President Manuela Schwesig, have rejected the Pension Commission’s recommendation to end the provision which allows workers with 45 years of contributions to retire on a full pension.
Within the CDU, the state premiers of Saxony-Anhalt, Saxony and Thuringia also support retaining the full pension after 45 years of contributions. Saxony-Anhalt premier Sven Schulze insisted that calls for amendments were not intended to undermine the reform as a whole, but rather to ensure that the distinct employment histories and living conditions of eastern Germans were properly considered.
But new CDU/CSU parliamentary group leader Thorsten Frei firmly rejected the demands on Monday, arguing that any change could jeopardise the government’s wider pension reforms.
Frei said the reform is based on the recommendations of the Pension Security Commission and stressed that policymakers should respect the commission’s work rather than seek to revise its core principles.
Pension Commission vice-chair Pascal Reddig also warned against removing individual elements from the reform package, arguing that the current early retirement scheme imposes significant costs and no longer fulfils its original purpose.
According to Reddig, the commission’s proposals are financially sustainable only as part of a balanced and integrated reform package.
Hedgehog mistaken for burglar triggers supermarket alarm
Police responding to a burglar alarm at a supermarket in Mühlheim am Main, Hesse, discovered an unexpected culprit: a hedgehog. The alarm was triggered in the early hours of Tuesday morning, prompting officers to attend the scene.
According to police, the small animal had apparently entered the supermarket unnoticed the previous day and was accidentally locked inside when the store closed. While exploring the premises overnight, it set off the alarm system, leading to the police response.
Officers found the hedgehog in the supermarket’s entrance area and quickly established that there was no criminal activity involved. In a light-hearted statement, police described the suspected “burglar” as a four-legged intruder acting without any criminal intent.
The hedgehog was briefly examined following its discovery and found to be unharmed and in good health. It was subsequently released back into the wild.
The incident provided an unusual start to the day for local officers and highlighted how even a small animal can trigger a full security response when modern alarm systems are involved.
With reporting by AFP, DPA and Paul Krantz.
