Skip next section What you need to know
What you need to know
- Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig says laws on rented accommodation could be changed to allow tenants to improve their protection against heat
- Hubig also spoke out in favor of enshrining climate adaptation measures in the constitution as proposed by her Social Democratic Party
- Reports say the CEO of an arms startup supplying attack drones to Ukraine has been in hiding for months after being warned of a Russian assassination plot
This is a roundup of the top headlines from and about Germany on August 19, 2026:
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Skip next section Tenants should be able to install heat protection more easily — justice minister08/19/2026August 19, 2026
Tenants should be able to install heat protection more easily — justice minister
Laws on rented accommodation could potentially be changed to allow tenants more freedom in adapting their apartments to cope with heat ways, Federal Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig has said.
“Conventional legal policy can also make a contribution to heat protection,” she told the daily Rheinische Post in an interview published on Wednesday morning.
“I am thinking about tenancy laws in particular,” she said. “I can imagine, for example, that we make it easier for tenants to equip their apartments with air conditioning or sun shades.”
At present, tenants have no legal right to install built-in air conditioning devices or external shades but need permission from their rental owner.
Hubig also spoke out in favor of the proposal made by her Social Democratic Party to enshrine climate protection in the German constitution, or Basic Law, as a joint obligation of both the federal government and state administrations. Currently, the primary responsibility for heat protections lies with the states and municipalities.
“This would make it easier for the government to give states and municipalities sustained support in heat-protection measures,” she said.
Germany, like much of Europe, has experienced successive heat waves this summer with temperatures repeatedly approaching 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit). This has reignited public debate over the use of air conditioners, which remain rare in the country.
https://p.dw.com/p/5J3SjSkip next section Runaway sheep goes through bus wash08/19/2026August 19, 2026
Runaway sheep goes through bus wash
A German sheep has probably had the experience of its life after it boarded an empty bus that was then driven through a bus wash.
The sheep had escaped from its home in the western town of Lüdinghausen and gone aboard the bus at the local bus depot, police said on Tuesday.
According to the transport company RVM, the sheep entered the bus as it was about to be cleaned in the depot’s wash hall, causing officers to be called to the scene.
The police then escorted the vehicle as it went through the wash to prevent the sheep escaping, as the bus was already in such a position that it could not back out of the facility.
The owner then collected the animal after what must have been a confusing ride for it.
RVM said the sheep was one of several that had run across the depot grounds during the incident a few days ago.
https://p.dw.com/p/5J46ASkip next section Defense startup CEO living under ground due to Russian plots — reports08/19/2026August 19, 2026
Defense startup CEO living under ground due to Russian plots — reports
The head of a German defense startup that is supplying attack drones to Ukraine as it defends itself against invading Russian troops has been in hiding for months after warnings that he was at risk of his life from Russian agents, reports said on Tuesday.
Donaustahl CEO Stefan Thumann told private broadcaster RTL and magazine Stern in a joint interview that he had received warnings from German officials in late 2025 that Russian intelligence was plotting against his life.
“I’m fighting a duel with the Russian military intelligence service for my life,” he said.
“Constantly changing locations, 24-hour personal security, my private life has ceased to exist,” he added.
Thumann said he now slept next to his computer and started working as soon as he woke up to distract himself from his personal situation.
In March, prosecutors said they had arrested two so-called disposable agents who were alleged to have spied on Thumann to prepare an assassination attempt.
Disposable agents is the name given to people with little training who are hired by military intelligence services for small pay to carry out missions.
But RTL cited a German lawmaker who said there were still plans targeting him that were well advanced and involved using a nerve agent.
In 2024, the United States thwarted a Russian plot to assassinate the chief executive of German defense giant Rheinmetall, Armin Papperger, according to a CNN report.
https://p.dw.com/p/5J3kpSkip next section Welcome to our coverage08/19/2026August 19, 2026
Welcome to our coverage
Timothy Jones | Zac Crellin Editor
DW’s newsroom in Bonn wishes all its readers guten Tag!
Today, we will be looking at proposals by the Social Democrat justice minister to change the law to make it easier for tenants to install heat protective measures as heat waves increase in frequency and severity.
And as Russia continues with its strategy of hybrid warfare against the West, reports say that the CEO of a German defense startup is living in constant fear of his life amid warnings of a Russian plot against him.
On a lighter note, we also have the story of a runaway sheep that boarded an empty bus and got to experience the thrill of the vehicle going through the wash facility.
Read on for details on these stories and more.
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