Skip next section What you need to know
What you need to know
Here is a roundup of the top stories hitting the headlines in Germany on August 13, 2026:
- An offer by the AfD’s Björn Höcke to support the BSW’s Sahra Wagenknecht threatens to undermine a current “firewall” against cooperation with the far right
- Public health authorities say heat-related deaths in Germany have hit a new high this year
- Events are to be held to mark the 65th anniversary of the construction of the Berlin Wall
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Skip next section Suspicious object halts trains at Bavaria station08/13/2026August 13, 2026
Suspicious object halts trains at Bavaria station
Rail traffic through the southern German town of Treuchtlingen has been suspended after police found a suspicious object on the tracks that may contain explosives.
Police in Bavaria’s Middle Franconia region said specialist Federal Police units were examining the object, which was discovered in the track bed at Treuchtlingen station.
Police described the item as posing a possible explosive hazard and said specialist officers were carrying out further checks.
The object was being X-rayed late Thursday morning as authorities worked to determine exactly what it was.
Police have also urged people to avoid the area.
Treuchtlingen, a town of around 13,000 people about 150 kilometers (95 miles) north of Munich, is an important railway junction in Bavaria. Regional and long-distance services running through the station connect destinations including Munich and Nuremberg.
https://p.dw.com/p/5IkaGSkip next section Heat-related deaths on the rise — Robert Koch Insitute08/13/2026August 13, 2026
Heat-related deaths on the rise — Robert Koch Insitute
Several spates of hot weather across Germany this year have caused an estimated 12,500 premature deaths so far, public health authorities have said.
The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) said its figure, released on Thursday, is a conservative estimate.
The worst-affected states were the western states of Saarland and Rhineland-Palatinate, which had more than double the national average of heat-related deaths.
The most deaths were recorded in the age group 85 years or older, at around 6,300. More than 3,100 of those who died were aged between 75 and 84, and nearly 1,900 between 65 and 74.
The severe heat wave at the end of June was especially deadly, with the RKI expecting that around 9,600 people died as a result of heat in the week from June 22 to 28 alone.
Climate scientists say that heat waves will increase in severity and frequency as the Earth continues to warm, largely owing to the human use of fossil fuels.
https://p.dw.com/p/5IkWcSkip next section AfD firebrand Höcke offers to back Wagenknecht as Thuringia state premier08/13/2026August 13, 2026
AfD firebrand Höcke offers to back Wagenknecht as Thuringia state premier
The leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) in the eastern state of Thuringia, Björn Höcke, has offered to back left-wing populist Sahra Wagenknecht as state premier.
“I am extending my hand to you,” Höcke said on Wednesday in a video posted on X.
He urged Wagenknecht to become state premier before a regional election in neighboring Saxony-Anhalt on September 6.
Höcke’s offer comes as Thuringia’s Premier Mario Voigt of the Christian Democrats (CDU) continues to face pressure after his doctorate was withdrawn over plagiarism claims.
The AfD has said it plans to launch another constructive vote of no confidence against Voigt.
Under Thuringia’s constitution, a premier can only be removed if parliament simultaneously elects a successor by a majority. The AfD and BSW together hold the necessary majority, with 47 of the state parliament’s 88 seats.
Wagenknecht, has indicated that her party, the anti-migrant, left-wing populist Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW), could abstain in a decisive vote for state premier in Saxony-Anhalt, potentially helping an AfD candidate take office.
The BSW is currently part of Thuringia’s governing coalition along with the conservative CDU and the center-left Social Democrats (SPD).
Höcke’s AfD is the largest group in the Thuringian state parliament but does not form part of the government.
The move proposed by Höcke would call into question the current consensus among mainstream parties that there should be no cooperation with the far right, known as the “firewall.”
https://p.dw.com/p/5IkEjSkip next section Welcome to our coverage08/13/2026August 13, 2026
Welcome to our coverage
The DW newsroom in Bonn wishes all its readers herzlich willkommen!
You join our coverage of all things Germany as far-right leader Björn Höcke makes what seems at first glance to be an unlikely offer to support a left-wing figure.
Meanwhile, another bout of hot weather is engulfing the country as public health authorities give a frightening toll of heat-related deaths this year.
And Germany is still trying to come up with ways to combat the challenges caused by the much-reduced shipping of cargo on rivers as their waters fall to historically low levels.
Read on here for more on these and other stories.
https://p.dw.com/p/5Ik3aShow more posts
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