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What you need to know
- The Berlin orchestra will perform in a less strict dress code amid the heat
- The defendant in the Magdeburg Christmas market attack has been sentenced to life
- Thuringia’s interior minister has called for proceedings to ban the AfD
- Carmakers are stepping up efforts to boost combustion engine vehicles’ sales
Below, you can follow the latest headlines coming out of Germany on Friday, June, 26:
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Skip next section Berlin orchestra relaxes dress code for end-of-season concert amid heatwave06/26/2026June 26, 2026
Berlin orchestra relaxes dress code for end-of-season concert amid heatwave
Berlin’s Philharmonic Orchestra will perform its famous end-of-season concert on Saturday evening in a relaxed dress code due to the scorching heat, a spokeswoman for the orchestra has announced.
“The men will perform without a jacket, but will wear a black shirt as their top,” said the spokeswoman, adding that they may also roll up their sleeves.
For the women, their tops do not have to be long-sleeved as long as they reach the elbow.
Despite the ongoing heat wave, with temperatures forecast to rise as high as 41 degrees Celsius (105.8 Fahrenheit) in the German capital on Saturday, the spokeswoman emphasized that the stage in the Waldbühne will be in the shade in the evening.
“We’re used to playing outdoors,” she said.
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https://p.dw.com/p/5G6BdSkip next section Magdeburg Christmas market attacker sentenced to life06/26/2026June 26, 2026
Magdeburg Christmas market attacker sentenced to life
The Magdeburg Regional Court on Friday sentenced a Saudi man to life for carrying out an attack on the Magdeburg Christmas market in 2024, leaving six people dead.
The 51-year-old psychiatrist Taleb A. drove a hire car at high speed through the market, hitting several people, including a nine-year-old boy and five women between the ages of 45 and 75 who all died.
Many others were injured.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office has said the defendant acted out of personal motives.
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Taleb A. arrived in Germany in 2006. He had previously accused German authorities of failing to adequately protect Saudis fleeing their country for religious or political reasons.
During the trial, he admitted to having planned the attack and driven the car, yet denied he deliberately ran people over, a claim the prosecution has found implausible.
https://p.dw.com/p/5G69CSkip next section Welcome to our coverage06/26/2026June 26, 2026
Welcome to our coverage
Rana Taha | Darko Janjevic Editor
Good morning from yet another scorching hot and potentially record-breaking day from our DW newsroom in Bonn.
If you catch the Berlin orchestra playing this weekend, don’t be surprised if they’re not in their usual dapper attire — they have been allowed to relax their outfits while performing.
Also, the country’s rail service Deutsche Bahn offered people a full refund should they cancel their weekend train trips.
Meanwhile, a German court found a psychiatrist guilty of killing six people in an attack on the Magdeburg Christmas market in 2024.
We will bring you all of this and more here on our blog on all things Germany! Stay tuned!
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