The week begins with cool, rainy weather
Showers and thunderstorms are expected across Germany at the start of the week, and heavy rain warnings are in place around Hannover and east of Bremen.
The German Weather Service (DWD) expects local heavy rain and stormy gusts at temperatures between 14 and 24 degrees Celsius. Small-grained hail is also expected in places.
By Tuesday the weather will dry up in most places, and temperatures will rise a bit. Partly sunny conditions with high temperatures in the low- to mid 20s can be expected in the following days.
On Wednesday in Berlin and Brandenburg it is expected to be overcast with further showers.
Number of asylum applications in June were down 59 percent
The number of first asylum applications in Germany fell to its lowest level in more than a decade in June, according to the Ministry of the Interior.
In June, there were fewer than 7,000 applications – 59 percent lower than the figure seen in the same month last year and 70 percent below that recorded in June 2023.
Citing figures from the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF), Bild newspaper reported that the number of first asylum applications in Germany was 61,300 in the first half of 2025. The monthly figure for June was the lowest since March 2013.
"These are clear successes in the migration turnaround. We are consistently continuing on the path to turning migration on its head," Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt told Bild.
According to BAMF statistics, however, the decline began before the CDU-SPD government took office.
Meanwhile, Welt am Sonntag reported that a total of 65,495 asylum applications were filed in Germany in the first six months of this year, citing other statistics from the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA). This represents a 43 percent decrease compared to the same period last year.
For the first time in years, Germany was no longer the European leader in asylum applications in the first six months of a calendar year: it ranked third after Spain and France.
Poland restores border checks for Germany
Poland temporarily reintroduced border controls with Germany and Lithuania at midnight Sunday, saying they are needed to control "illegal immigration".
The issue was central to June's presidential election where nationalist Karol Nawrocki -- who ran on a slogan of "Poland first, Poles first" -- narrowly defeated the candidate backed by Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
The Tusk government is now seeking to outflank its rivals by taking a tough approach to immigration.
In total, 52 checkpoints have been set up on the border with Germany and 13 with Lithuania, the minister said.
The controls will last from July 7th to August 5th, but could be extended.
They will mostly consist of spot inspections, particularly of vehicles carrying several people, Polish officials said.
READ ALSO: How will Germany's extra border checks impact travel this summer?
Development minister supports planned EU climate target for 2040
Development minister Reem Alabali Radovan (SPD) has backed the EU Commission's plans for new European climate targets for 2040, which see a 90 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from 1990.
"The 90 percent target is ambitious, but correct," Alabali Radovan told the Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung on Saturday.
"Climate change isn't just causing record temperatures in Osnabrück or Schwerin. It is causing and exacerbating international crises such as displacement, poverty, hunger, and war," the minister said.
Regarding resistance to the planned new climate targets, including in Germany, the minister said: "This week's heat has probably made everyone realise that we have a gigantic task ahead of us in climate protection, one that is nowhere near complete."
READ ALSO: 'Denial of reality' - Is Germany's future government ignoring the threat of climate change?
Authorities search for father and son after pedal boat accident
The search for a lost father and his six-year-old son is to continue after a pedal boat accident on the Upper Bavarian Eibsee.
The boy had fallen from the pedal boat into the water on Saturday afternoon. His 33-year-old father immediately jumped into the water to save the child, but also drowned.
According to the police, the search measures with numerous emergency services and divers have so far been unsuccessful. Rain and thunderstorms had made the search difficult.
The 34-year-old mother of the child and wife of the man as well as a four-year-old daughter were also on the boat. They have received psychological care. According to the police, the family comes from Bavaria.
With additional reporting by AFP and DPA.
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