Categories
Germany news: Inland shipping under strain as rivers run low
Germany news: Inland shipping under strain as rivers run low
Felix Tamsut | Richard Connor with AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters, KNA, epd, SIDPublished 07/16/2026Published July 16, 2026last updated 07/16/2026last updated July 16, 2026Drastically low water levels in Germany's rivers has disrupted shipping on several major rivers. Meanwhile, police have recorded a striking rise in e-scooter crashes causing injury or death.
https://p.dw.com/p/5HBmBWhat you need to know
- Low water is affecting river traffic along the Rhine, Elbe and Danube
- Cargo ships are having to carry lighter loads, meaning higher transport costs
- A hotel ship ran aground in the western city of Bonn because of the low water level
- German neo-Nazi Marla Svenja Liebich is moved to a men's prison after being extradited from the Czech Republic
- E-scooter crashes causing injury or death rose sharply in Germany, with around 16,500 crashes in 2025
This was a roundup of the latest headlines from Germany on Thursday, July 16. The blog is now closed.
Tired of missing our real-time updates? Click here to add us as a Preferred Source on Google. Then tap the "Star" or "Preferred" to keep DW News at the top of your feed.
Skip next section Germany, Algeria to promote construction of hydrogen pipeline07/16/2026July 16, 2026Germany, Algeria to promote construction of hydrogen pipeline
Germany and Algeria would like to support plans for a pipeline to transport hydrogen between the two countries, in cooperation with Italy.
During a press conference with Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune in Berlin, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the project is "very interesting for both countries."
On his part, Tebboune called the project a "flagship project."
The project aims to facilitate the future import of hydrogen via pipeline from Algeria and Tunisia to Italy, Austria, and Germany.
Could green hydrogen offer a way to cleaner transportation?
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
https://p.dw.com/p/5HGNhSkip next section Lithuanian PM, German Chancellor hold call over Bundeswehr deployment07/16/2026July 16, 2026Lithuanian PM, German Chancellor hold call over Bundeswehr deployment
Lithuanian Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevicius held a phone call with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, in which he reiterated his commitment to the plans to instate a German army brigade in his country.
"I can assure you both the government and I personally attach the highest priority to this issue," Sinkevicius told Merz, the state chancellery in Vilnius said in a statement.
The country's new prime minister also said he is looking forward to strengthening relations between the two countries.
The German army brigade's planned deployment in Lithuania came as a response to to Russia's growing aggression against NATO's eastern flank.
Germany rehearses mass evacuations for a NATO war
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
https://p.dw.com/p/5HGL9Skip next section Germany unveils plan to combat tax fraud07/16/2026July 16, 2026Germany unveils plan to combat tax fraud
The German government presented a plan for a stronger stance in the fight against tax fraud, which includes tougher penalties, tighter rules and the creation of a new center to battle financial crime.
Finance MinisterLars Klingbeil and Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig, both of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), are behind the plan.
The action plan states that voluntary self-disclosures will no longer automatically exempt offenders from criminal prosecution.
According to Hubig, tax crimes harm society as a whole. Residents of Germany should know that "the rules apply equally to everyone," she stressed.
Recovery or ruin: Can Germany escape the crisis?
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
https://p.dw.com/p/5HGE4Skip next section Man sets fire inside youth welfare office07/16/2026July 16, 2026Man sets fire inside youth welfare office
A man was arrested for attacking employees of a local youth welfare office in the eastern state of Brandenburg and setting the office on fire, which injured several people.
The incident took place in the town of Finsterwalde. The 35-year-old suspect allegedly entered the office, threatened employees, and shouted profanities before starting a fire. The motive is still unclear, according to police.
Several people were injured by smoke inhalation.
https://p.dw.com/p/5HGBZSkip next section Hamsters to make a return to eastern German region07/16/2026July 16, 2026Hamsters to make a return to eastern German region
The Börde region near the city of Magdeburg in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt will experience a comeback for the ages.
The region's hamsters, whose existence was threatened due to the planned construction of factories belonging to technology giant Intel, will return to the region.
This comes after local zoos in Berlin and Leipzig took matters into their own hands to ensure the species continues to breed. Public broadcaster MDR reported that some 60 hamsters were released into the wild to increase their numbers in the area.
According to the local environmental authorities, hamsters in the Börde region have been at risk of extinction since 2009, and the zoos have been helping to breed the species to secure its survival.
https://p.dw.com/p/5HG2WSkip next section Leading lawmaker Spahn and husband announce birth of son, stoking controversy07/16/2026July 16, 2026Leading lawmaker Spahn and husband announce birth of son, stoking controversy
Dmytro Hubenko EditorJens Spahn, the parliamentary leader of Germany's conservatives, and his husband, Daniel Funke, have announced that they have become parents to a baby boy.
"We Are Family," Funke wrote on Instagram alongside a photograph showing the couple with a stroller in a green outdoor setting.
Their son Georg was born in the United States through a surrogate, according to the Bild newspaper, which cited Spahn and Funke.
"My husband has become a father, and so have I with him. Georg is our greatest happiness. This feeling can hardly be put into words," Spahn told the newspaper.
The couple are currently in the US, according to the report. The baby was named after Spahn's late father, Georg. Funke is the child's biological father.
The couple said the surrogate would continue to play a role in their son's life.
Surrogacy procedures are effectively banned in Germany, and Spahn has faced a call to resign from within his own conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU).
"Surrogacy is prohibited in Germany for good ethical reasons," Marion Rosin, the head of the Women's Union in the eastern state of Thuringia, told Funke newspapers.
"Anyone who circumvents this ban through an arrangement abroad is acting against the spirit of German law," she said.
https://p.dw.com/p/5HFvgSkip next section Hotel ship runs aground as Rhine water levels fallPublished 07/16/2026Published July 16, 2026last updated 07/16/2026last updated July 16, 2026Hotel ship runs aground as Rhine water levels fall
Low water levels on the Rhine River have disrupted passenger shipping after a hotel ship ran aground in Bonn and became lodged across part of the river.
The vessel became stuck during a docking maneuver at around 7 a.m. near the Bonn Opera House, the fire service said.
Its front left side is resting on a sandbank. All 75 passengers and 40 crew members on board are unhurt.
Authorities plan to tow the ship free this afternoon, with a tug expected to arrive at around 4 p.m.
Other vessels can still pass the stranded ship slowly in both directions.
Low water has also forced the suspension of a Rhine ferry service in Leverkusen.
Freight shipping has already been affected, with large cargo vessels carrying lighter loads because of the reduced water depth.
"The result is lower transport volumes per ship and therefore rising transport costs along the supply chain," Andreas Bartel of the Duisburg port operator Duisport told the DPA news agency.
He added that reduced capacity means more vessels are needed to transport the same quantity of goods.
https://p.dw.com/p/5HDGbSkip next section Low water disrupts shipping on major German rivers07/16/2026July 16, 2026Low water disrupts shipping on major German rivers
Severely low water levels are affecting shipping on several of Germany's major rivers, including the Rhine, Elbe and Danube.
"Inland vessels can currently carry less cargo than they can at higher water levels," Fabian Spiess, deputy managing director of the German Inland Shipping Association, told the DPA news agency.
Spiess said freight transport was continuing despite the conditions and that the Federal Waterways and Shipping Administration had not imposed any official closures.
"Shipping continues for as long as it can do so safely," Spiess said.
The waterways authority has confirmed low water at numerous measuring stations along the Rhine. The Federal Institute of Hydrology said the Danube had recorded its lowest water level to date in recent days.
The Elbe stood at 59 centimeters at the Dresden measuring station on Wednesday, almost 90 centimeters below its average level.
The reduced water depth means vessels can carry less cargo.
"The result is lower transport volumes per ship and therefore rising transport costs along the supply chain," Andreas Bartel of the Duisburg port operator Duisport said.
More vessels are also needed to move the same volume of goods when ships are carrying lighter loads.
"For that reason, low water often results in more vessels being seen on the Rhine than under normal conditions," Bartel said.
Supply chains at risk as Rhine dries up
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
https://p.dw.com/p/5HDNCSkip next section Germany launches agenda to strengthen local communities07/16/2026July 16, 2026Germany launches agenda to strengthen local communities
The German government has unveiled a new agenda aimed at identifying everyday problems in communities and strengthening people's sense of belonging in rural areas and cities.
"Our homeland belongs to those who care for social cohesion, not those who organize division," Agriculture Minister Alois Rainer said as he presented the plan in Chorin, in the eastern state of Brandenburg.
Rainer's ministry is responsible for policies to strengthen local communities and belonging in Germany's centrist government.
A central part of the agenda, entitled "Together, it feels like home," will be a series of community dialogues organized by the ministry in cooperation with Germany's states, municipalities, associations and other partners.
The government also plans to publish a representative survey of people in urban and rural areas later this year. The resulting "homeland report" is intended to identify public views and areas where action is needed.
"We want to create more room for maneuver locally, dismantle unnecessary bureaucracy and enable decisions to be made where they have an impact," Rainer said.
How this small German village got dirt-cheap energy prices
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
https://p.dw.com/p/5HD3GSkip next section German welfare group calls for more heat protection funding07/16/2026July 16, 2026German welfare group calls for more heat protection funding
Germany's Diakonie welfare organization has urged authorities to provide more funding to protect social facilities from extreme heat.
Federal, state and local governments must make heat protection a mandatory part of climate adaptation planning, Diakonie President Rüdiger Schuch said.
He called on the federal government to make money from its special infrastructure and climate neutrality fund available to protect social facilities.
"Failing to provide heat protection costs lives," Schuch said.
Measures in nursing homes, daycare centers and facilities for people with disabilities were "not a luxury, but vital for survival," he added.
Diakonie said the effects of the climate crisis were also a matter of social justice because people on low incomes were particularly exposed to extreme heat.
Homes in disadvantaged neighborhoods often become excessively hot during the summer, while green spaces and cool places offering relief are frequently lacking.
Europe's heat wave: The worst is yet to come
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
https://p.dw.com/p/5HCivSkip next section More than half of German baby boomers retire early07/16/2026July 16, 2026More than half of German baby boomers retire early
More than half of Germany's baby boomers who have reached the statutory retirement age have left working life early, according to a new analysis.
The employer-linked German Economic Institute (IW) said 1.1 million people from the country's baby-boom generation began drawing their pensions before reaching the standard retirement age in 2024, with the number continuing to rise.
The institute attributed the increase to growing numbers of baby boomers reaching retirement age.
Around 51.2% of people born in 1957 retired early, while the proportion among those born in 1958 is expected to be slightly higher at 51.7%.
Germany has been gradually raising its standard retirement age from 65 to 67 since 2012.
People with 45 years of pension contributions can retire up to two years early without any reduction in their payments.
Germany's commission on retirement provision has recommended abolishing early retirement without deductions and limiting retirement with reduced payments to no more than three years before the statutory age.
German pension plans draw praise, criticism
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
https://p.dw.com/p/5HCZ4Skip next section E-scooter accidents rise sharply in Germany07/16/2026July 16, 2026E-scooter accidents rise sharply in Germany
The number of e-scooter crashes that caused injury or death has risen sharply in Germany, with police recording about 16,500 cases in 2025.
The Federal Statistical Office said this represented an increase of about 38% compared with the previous year.
A total of 38 people died in e-scooter crashes last year, up from 27 in 2024. Around 1,900 people were seriously injured and roughly 16,200 suffered minor injuries.
Some 82.4% of those injured or killed had been riding an e-scooter themselves, including 33 of the 38 fatalities. Passengers accounted for 5.5% of the casualties and one of the 33 riders who died.
German traffic regulations allow only one person to use an e-scooter, meaning carrying a passenger is prohibited.
Young people were particularly likely to be involved. Some 53.6% of those injured or killed were under 25, while 83.7% were younger than 45. Just 3.1% were aged 65 or above.
Riders were considered mainly at fault in 38.1% of collisions with cars, 74.3% of crashes involving cyclists and 88.7% of those involving pedestrians. Incorrect use of roads or pavements was cited in 21.6% of cases, while alcohol was involved in 10.9%.
Most of the collisions recorded happened in large cities.
The figures do not include accidents caused by carelessly parked e-scooters.
Europe cracks down on the e-scooter menace
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
https://p.dw.com/p/5HBmpSkip next section German neo-Nazi moved from women's prison to men's07/16/2026July 16, 2026German neo-Nazi moved from women's prison to men's
German neo-Nazi Marla Svenja Liebich has been transferred to a men's prison, despite being legally registered as a woman.
The management of a women's prison in the eastern city of Chemnitz made the decision after Liebich was extradited from the Czech Republic on Wednesday.
Liebich was initially taken to the Chemnitz facility but was moved later that day to Zeithain prison in the Meissen district, the state of Saxony's Justice Ministry told the DPA news agency.
"It is good that the prison quickly provided clarity and did not get drawn into any staging," Saxony Justice Minister Constanze Geiert said.
Officials said the decision followed a conversation with Liebich and a medical examination. The assessment also considered the safety of women held at the Chemnitz prison.
Read more about Liebich and his transfer to a men's prison.
https://p.dw.com/p/5HBmSSkip next section Welcome to our coverage07/16/2026July 16, 2026Welcome to our coverage
Richard Connor | Karl Sexton EditorYou join us as news arrives that extradited German neo-Nazi Marla Svenja Liebich has been transferred to a men's prison, despite being legally registered as a woman.
Liebich was first taken to a women’s prison in Chemnitz after being extradited from the Czech Republic. But officials moved Liebich later the same day to Zeithain prison in Saxony.
Meanwhile, e-scooter crashes causing injury or death have risen sharply in Germany.
Officials said incorrect use of roads or pavements was cited in more than one in five cases, while alcohol was involved in roughly one in ten.
Stay with us for these stories and more of the latest things that Germany is talking about today.
https://p.dw.com/p/5HBrsShow more posts