Nature and EnvironmentGermany
Germany updates: 1,000 firefighters tackle wildfires in east
Alex Berry with dpa, AFP, Reuters, APPublished 07/04/2025Published July 4, 2025last updated 07/04/2025last updated July 4, 2025
https://p.dw.com/p/4wwC4Firefighters have been tackling the blaze since Tuesday, but have been unable to bring it under controlImage: Robert Michael/dpa/picture allianceSkip next section What you need to know
What you need to know
Following a heat wave that brought temperatures up to 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) across parts of Germany, firefighters have been deployed to tackle raging fires.
A total of 1,000 emergency personnel have been deployed to Gohrischheide in Saxony and the Saalfelder Höhe in Thuringia, both in eastern Germany.
Firefighters on the scene estimated the extent of the affected area to reach 1,000 hectares (2,470 acres).
Find out what else Germany is talking about on Friday, July 4, in our daily updates with a mix of news, analysis and background.
Skip next section Germany sees surge in shoplifting cases07/04/2025July 4, 2025
Germany sees surge in shoplifting cases
Ben KnightShoplifting is on the rise, say retailersImage: Carsten Milbret/imageBROKER/picture alliance
A new survey of major German retailers has found a rise in theft, committed by organized gangs or by individuals who find it ever more difficult to make ends meet.
But some criminologists doubt the figures.
Read the full story on the reports of increasing shoplifting cases in Germany here.
https://p.dw.com/p/4wxGdSkip next section UN criticizes Germany over plans to deport people to Afghanistan07/04/2025July 4, 2025
UN criticizes Germany over plans to deport people to Afghanistan
Following reports that Germany is planning to open a direct line with the Taliban to enable the deportation of Afghans living in Germany, the UN said such a move was “not appropriate.”
Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said on Thursday he was open to “making agreements directly with Afghanistan to enable deportations.”
In response, Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) said it was “not appropriate to return people to Afghanistan,” while speaking to reporters in Geneva.
“We have been documenting continuing human rights violations in Afghanistan,” she said.
Arafat Jamal, who works for the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) in Kabul, said a “non-return advisory” was still in place for Afghanistan.
“In other words… the conditions on the ground are not yet ready for returns,” he said.
“We urge countries not to forcibly return to Afghanistan.”
Germany stopped deportations to Afghanistan in 2021 when the Taliban retook control of the country. However, amid a rise of the far-right and anti-immigrant rhetoric, the government led by the conservative bloc of Chancellor Friedrich Merz has put deportations high on the agenda.
Afghan refugee family faces migration reality in Germany
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https://p.dw.com/p/4wx9pSkip next section 32,300 registered as sex workers in Germany07/04/2025July 4, 2025
32,300 registered as sex workers in Germany
The number of people doing registered sex work in Germany increased to 32,300 in 2024, 5.4% more than in 2023, according to a press release from the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) on Thursday.
Despite the slight increase, the number of registered sex workers in 2024 was still lower than pre-pandemic levels of 40,400 in 2019.
However, the number of registered sex workers does not represent the total number of sex workers, only 10% of whom are estimated to be registered. There are several reasons for people to not register their work in line with the 2002 Prostitution Act, including not having an address and not having a legal residency status in Germany.
Registered sex workers get protections, including health check-ups and insurance.
According to the Destatis report, around a third of registered sex workers were Romanian with 17% (5,600) having German citizenship.
The vast majority of legally registered sex workers work in brothels (93% according to Destatis), suggesting also that most of those who are unregistered work from home or on the streets.
Should buying sex be illegal in Germany?
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https://p.dw.com/p/4wx24Skip next section 4.2 million solar panels connected to German energy network07/04/2025July 4, 2025
4.2 million solar panels connected to German energy network
The number of solar panels in Germany has continued to grow, reaching 4.2 million connected to the German energy network in March 2025, with an estimated nominal capacity of 98,300 megawatts, according to a press release from the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis).
This represents an increase of 23.7% in the number of solar panels and a 21.9% increase in the power capacity over March 2024.
The news comes after Germany marked a record high in the amount of electricity feed-in to the energy network from solar panels in 2024.
Last year, 13.8% — equivalent to 59.5 million megawatt hours — of Germany’s electricity came from solar power, up from 12% in 2023.
Despite the increase in electricity coming from solar panels, import and production data from Destatis indicated that the trend may not continue.
The importing of solar panels fell by 21.5% from January to April this year, down to €402 million (just over base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mNkYAAAAAYAAjCB0C8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=” data-id=”72847536″ data-posterurl=”https://static.dw.com/image/73107299_605.webp” data-duration=”11:20″>
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https://p.dw.com/p/4wwtvSkip next section Factory orders fall unexpectedly in May07/04/2025July 4, 2025
Factory orders fall unexpectedly in May
German industry saw a larger-than-expected decrease in factory orders in May following an increase in April.
Orders had been expected to fall by 0.2%, but according to the German Federal Statistics Office (Destatis), the decline hit 1.4%. April saw a rise of 1.6%.
The main cause was a sharp fall in domestic and eurozone orders. Orders from outside the eurozone surged by 9%, but this was not enough to make up for the 7.8% fall in domestic orders and the 6.5% fall in eurozone orders.
Despite the poor performance in comparison to April, the year-on-year change showed an increase in factory orders of 5.3% in May.
Steep energy costs harm German industry
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https://p.dw.com/p/4wwfDSkip next section Germans drinking more beer out of cans07/04/2025July 4, 2025
Germans drinking more beer out of cans
More and more Germans are now drinking beer out of cans, rather than glass or plastic bottles, according to new data from the market research company NielsenIQ.
More than 10% of beer in Germany is now sold in cans.
Drinking from cans used to be more prevalent in Germany, but almost disappeared from shelves around 20 years ago. But it has since been making a comeback.
More people now drink beer from cans, even as the amount of beer being drunk in Germany continues to fall.
In the first five months of 2025, 2.2 million hectoliters (around 58 million gallons) of beer were sold in cans in German shops.
This brought the market share of cans up to 11.1% of the beer market.
NielsenIQ’s Marcus Strobl suggested one reason may be that young people have gotten used to drinking energy drinks from cans, and don’t attach the same stigma that older generations might.
Another explanation may be that crates for cans of beer are small than those for bottles, making the distribution easier.
Why Germany’s small breweries are struggling
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https://p.dw.com/p/4wwaxSkip next section Flixbus accident on highway in northeast Germany injures 2007/04/2025July 4, 2025
Flixbus accident on highway in northeast Germany injures 20
A police spokesperson said 20 people were injured when a bus overturned on the A19 motorway in the northeastern German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
One passenger was critically injured after being trapped for two hours before being freed.
The cause of the accident is still unclear.
The low-cost bus had 53 passengers and two drivers on board, and was travelling from Copenhagen to Vienna.
Police said the accident took place at around 2:40 a.m. local time (0040 GMT) near the Röbel junction heading toward Berlin. The part of the motorway where it happened remains closed.
The bus was owned by the Flixbus company which was involved in a deadly crash in Germany in January.
How Flixbus became a global coach travel giant
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https://p.dw.com/p/4wwPeSkip next section 1,000 firefighters deployed against blazes in Saxony, Thuringia07/04/2025July 4, 2025
1,000 firefighters deployed against blazes in Saxony, Thuringia
The forest fire in Thuringia is considered to be one of the worst in decadesImage: Jacob Schröter/dpa/picture alliance
The major wildfires raging in eastern Germany continued to blaze out of control on Friday.
Authorities deployed a total of 1,000 firefighters between the two sites —Gohrischheide in Saxony and Saalfelder Höhe in Thuringia.
The full extent of the fires was not yet clear, in part due to the changing winds. According to German public broadcaster Tagesschau, local authorities estimated on Thursday evening that the Gohrischheide fire had impacted some 200 hectares (a little under 500 acres) whereas firefighters on the ground spoke of 1,000 hectares.
Several communities, including the city of Gröditz, had been put under a disaster alert. Some 100 residents had to evacuate their houses in the area of Heidehäuser in Saxony.
People living near the wildfires were told to be ready to leave and to keep windows and doors closed.
The fire in Saxony broke out on Tuesday close to a military training ground. It wasn’t clear what started the fire. The situation is particularly dangerous because the fire keeps detonating munitions that are in the ground.
Police helicopters have been used to douse the flames, but military helicopters have also been requested.
A local forestry expert in Thuringia said that the Saalfelder Höhe forest fire is the biggest in the state since 1993, according to Tagesschau.
The German Weather Service (DWD) warned that there was a risk of further forest fires over the weekend in the south and east of Germany, with the situation only easing on Monday with the arrival of rain.
https://p.dw.com/p/4wwO1Skip next section Welcome to our coverage07/04/2025July 4, 2025
Welcome to our coverage
Alex Berry with dpa, AFP, Reuters, AP | Kieran Burke Editor
Guten Morgen from sunny Bonn!
Germany continues to suffer from the recent heat wave with two major wildfires blazing in the east.
We will bring you the latest from that and much more, along with explainers and analysis from our colleagues across DW. Stay with us for the latest from Deutschland!
https://p.dw.com/p/4wwCHAlex Berry Writer and Editor in DW’s online newsroom.Send us your feedback
Sursa: DW