Skip next section What you need to know
What you need to know
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A government-appointed commission is expected to recommend a hike in the retirement age
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Germany beat Ivory Coast 2-1 in World Cup group stage match
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The western German state of Rheinland-Palatinate suffered major flooding as a result of heavy overnight rains
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Nine people were injured, six seriously, when lightning struck a sports festival in southwestern Rastatt
Follow below for the latest developments regarding Germany for the weekend of Saturday, June 20 and Sunday, June 21:
Skip next section German panel proposes sweeping pension overhaul06/21/2026June 21, 2026
German panel proposes sweeping pension overhaul
A government-appointed commission has proposed a major overhaul of Germany’s pension system, including raising the retirement age and introducing a funded pillar.
According to German news reports over the weekend, the reforms would gradually lift the retirement age to 70 by around the 2090s and abolish the full pension option at 63.
At the core of the plan is a new capital-funded pension within the statutory system, complementing the current pay-as-you-go model. The scheme would be financed by an additional 2% contribution from gross wages, split between employers and employees, and invested through a state-managed fund.
The retirement age, currently set to reach 67 in the early 2030s, would be linked to life expectancy, rising incrementally over time.
The proposals also include scrapping most pension contribution-free mini-jobs, bringing new self-employed workers and lawmakers into the statutory pension system, and reintroducing a sustainability factor to slow annual pension increases.
The commission is expected to present its recommendations to Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s govenrment on Tuesday.
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https://p.dw.com/p/5FmLKSkip next section We are pausing our coverage06/21/2026June 21, 2026
We are pausing our coverage
Amid the celebrations of a last-minute Germany victory at the World Cup seems like the perfect reason to pause our blog.
Join us again tomorrow as we continue covering what’s happening here.
https://p.dw.com/p/5FlVnSkip next section Germany beat Ivory Coast 2-1 to advance to World Cup knockout rounds06/21/2026June 21, 2026
Germany beat Ivory Coast 2-1 to advance to World Cup knockout rounds
In the Toronto sunshine, Deniz Undav’s injury-time winner helped Germany to a comeback win against the Ivory Coast in their second game at the 2026 World Cup. The result also secures their spot in the knockout rounds for the first time since 2014.
The team ranked 30th in the world provided a much tougher test than Curacao, and took the lead thanks to Franck Kessie. Yan Diomande, who plays for RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga, was a problem. Germany captain Joshua Kimmich struggled against the winger, and it was his pass that set up Kessie for the Ivory Coast’s opener after half an hour.
https://p.dw.com/p/5Fm5GSkip next section Ines Schwerdtner and Luigi Pantisano elected new leaders of Left Party06/20/2026June 20, 2026
Ines Schwerdtner and Luigi Pantisano elected new leaders of Left Party
Ines Schwerdtner won 86% support from party delegates and Luigi Pantisano won around 53% on Saturday to become the new leaders of the Left Party in a party conference vote.
Schwerdtner spoke out in favor of Pantisano, currently deputy leader of the Left’s parliamentary group.
Speaking as a team, the two released a joint statement, declaring: “We the Left Party, have decided to become a class organizing party. We want to continue along that path and take it to another level.”
The statement also made public the duo’s aim of “having 200,000 members by 2029.”
Pantisano, an architect and urban planner, said the next few weeks will be spent “organizing workers’ resistance against a government that is trampling on what they are due.”
“If we can attract a lot of them [workers] to our party we’ll be in a position to achieve real change.”
https://p.dw.com/p/5FlEdSkip next section Germany to play talented Ivory Coast on Saturday06/20/2026June 20, 2026
Germany to play talented Ivory Coast on Saturday
Thousands of German fans are gathering in Toronto, Canada, for Saturday’s FIFA World Cup match between Germany and Ivory Coast.
Germany opened their World Cup campaign in style last Sunday, scoring seven goals in their first match against Curaçao. The Ivorians also began their tournament strongly this week, securing a dramatic 1–0 victory over Ecuador.
That means both teams won their opening matches and earned three points each. However, Germany holds a significant advantage in goal difference, with +6 compared to Ivory Coast’s +1.
German coach Julian Nagelsmann told a press conference in Toronto on Friday: “They [Ivory Coast] have great defense. They have a lot of speed across all three forward positions.
“In the last game, with (Ivory Coast forward Nicolas) Pépé, he was really difficult to track. He was everywhere.”
Nagelsmann said the West Africans’ strength in midfield is also a major threat, but added that he and his players have been working to find solutions.
“We have taken some measures and prepared accordingly so we can limit their strengths as much as possible,” he said. “We will not always be successful because they are just too good, but we will play our own game.”
https://p.dw.com/p/5FlDBSkip next section Bundeswehr conducts NATO medical training exercises in Estonia06/20/2026June 20, 2026
Bundeswehr conducts NATO medical training exercises in Estonia
Germany’s Bundeswehr is conducting military exercises with NATO partners in Estonia.
NATO’s Vigorous Warrior exercises focus on front-line emergency medical operations in the face of Russian aggression.
Estonia, along with Baltic NATO partners Latvia and Lithuania, borders Russia.
The Bundeswehr transported an entire mobile field hospital to Estonia for the mission, the first time such a unit has been taken abroad.
Speaking with dpa news agency, the Bundeswehr’s Hendrik Ploß said, “you have to practice moving, installing and operating these large medical units to be ready for a real emergency.”
The unit, a puzzle of containers and tents, will be set up in a warehouse outside the Estonian capital Tallinn.
Roughly 400 Bundeswehr soldiers will train alongside partners from Estonia and Sweden in exercises that will concentrate on treating and transporting large numbers of seriously wounded soldiers targeted by Russian invaders.
Vigorous Warrior training missions take place every two years and are NATO’s most important medical exercises. This year 2,000 medical personnel from 32 allies and partners will participate.
Beyond hands-on medical exercises, the issue of hiding mobile facilities from drones — and thus attack — was also discussed.
This, for instance, is why the unit in Tallinn was set up in an existing structure. Camouflage and other aspects of self-defense in the field are also being addressed.
https://p.dw.com/p/5FkitSkip next section Extreme heat triggers freeway closures06/20/2026June 20, 2026
Extreme heat triggers freeway closures
Extreme heat has deformed road surfaces in the eastern German state of Brandenburg, leading to freeway closures.
Speeds on the A13 Autobahn near Dresden have been limited to 30 km/h (18.6 mph) say police, causing major traffic backups.
Germany’s ADAC automobile association also reported that asphalt swelling had forced lane closures.
Further west, near Lübeck, the A1 was also affected by heat-related road damage and closures.
The Federal Transportation Ministry’s Autobahn GmbH, which manages Germany’s freeways, said extreme temperatures put great stress on infrastructure materials, including concrete and asphalt road surfaces.
https://p.dw.com/p/5Fl1bSkip next section Heavy overnight rains trigger flash floods as rivers swell06/20/2026June 20, 2026
Heavy overnight rains trigger flash floods as rivers swell
Heavy overnight rains caused water level surges in large parts of Germany.
In the southwestern state of Rheinland-Palatinate, water levels rose from 27 centimeters to nearly two meters (10.5 inches to 6.5 feet) in less than four hours.
A spokeswoman for the Rhein-Lahn district municipality said such levels are “twice a century” occurrences.
Authorities say much damage was averted as flood warnings were issued early and emergency services were put on standby.
Local authorities say they have so far responded to more than 60 emerngency calls, most having to do with flooded roads and downed trees.
https://p.dw.com/p/5Fkm6Skip next section Police: 1 seriously injured in Munich freight train derailment06/20/2026June 20, 2026
Police: 1 seriously injured in Munich freight train derailment
On Saturday, police in the Bavarian capital, Munich, said one person had been hospitalized with serious injuries when a freight train derailed, leaving two cars hanging off the side of a bridge.
Rail operator Deutsche Bahn (DB) said the incident occurred on a freight-only track and no disruptions to regional or long-distance travel were expected.
In the derailment, two rail cars carrying as yet unknown non-hazardous-materials plunged off the side of a five-meter-tall (16-foot-tall) bridge. The cars came to rest wedged between the bridge and the roadway below.
It is unclear how long crews will need to remove the cars and their contents, but authorities say the area could be affected until sometime on Sunday.
https://p.dw.com/p/5FkapSkip next section Storms wreak havoc across Germany06/20/2026June 20, 2026
Storms wreak havoc across Germany
Storms carrying torrential rains caused flooding and injured several people across Germany overnight when high winds and lightning battered the country.
In southwestern Baden-Württemberg, nine people were injured when lighting struck an outdoor camping area during a handball festival. Authorities say several people were hospitalized but none had sustained serious injuries.
In Viöl, near Flensburg in northern Schleswig-Holstein, heavy storms injured 13 people and triggered the temporary evacuation of some 5,000 partiers attending an outdoor music festival there.
The German Weather Service (DWD) has forecast thunderstorms in southern and western parts of the country this Saturday, issuing severe weather warnings as summer temperatures climb.
https://p.dw.com/p/5FkZKSkip next section Welcome to our coverage06/20/2026June 20, 2026
Welcome to our coverage
Wesley Dockery Editor
Guten Morgen from DW news in Bonn, where skies are clear and the thermometer is climbing.
Overnight storms have wreaked havoc across Germany, with a number of weather incidents occurring in the south, west and north.
Heavy flooding inundated the western state of Rheinland-Palatinate as a result of heavy overnight rains in the region.
A number of injuries were reported as a result of such events. Nine people were injured, for instance, when lightning struck a sports festival in southwestern Rastatt. In northern Flensburg, 13 were injured and a further 5,000 evacuated from a music festival in the village of Viöl.
Elsewhere, Bundeswehr troops are conducting training operations in Estonia — a Baltic Sea NATO partner feeling pressure from its restive neighbor Russia.
A freight train also derailed in Munich overnight, leaving one person seriously injured.
Stay tuned throughout the weekend for the latest Germany-related stories in this blog.
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