Germany is in for another scorching week, though no records are likely to be broken this time, forecasters say. Meanwhile, police have ended a hostage drama at a Berlin supermarket. DW has more
What you need to know
Temperatures in some parts of Germany are forecast to soar to 38 degrees Celsius (100.4 F) in the course of the week
German business leaders and politicians want climate targets pushed back from 2045 to 2050 in line with the EU
The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is to present a 100-day plan outlining its intended actions if it wins power in the state of Saxony-Anhalt in September
Police in the capital, Berlin, have ended a hostage-taking at a supermarket without the use of firearms
DW brings you the top stories from and about Germany on Saturday, July 11, 2026:
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Merkel portrait draws visitor hordes to Berlin museum
A new portrait of former German Chancellor Angela Merkel has attracted a flood of visitors to Berlin's Bode Museum since it went on display on July 1.
Visitor numbers have shot up dramatically since the picture has been shown at the museum, a spokesman said.
"The daily visitor count is, on average, 85% higher than in June," the spokesman said, adding that there are currently around 900 visits a day.
The portrait was painted by the 28-year-old Franco-German artist Jeremie Queyras, who grew up in the southern German city of Freiburg. He was given the commission after submitting a handwritten application to Merkel in 2022.
Merkel was chancellor of Germany for 16 years, from 2005 to 2016, and enjoyed wide popularity during that time.
Her portrait can be admired at the museum until October 4, when it will be loaned to the chancellery.
The Bode Museum, situated on Berlin's Museum Island, is named for the famous art historian Wilhelm von Bode (1845-1929), who greatly influenced the art museum landscape in the capital and beyond.
It houses notable collections of sculptures, sculpture, Byzantine art and coins and medals.
IN DEPTH: Adapting German housing to the new heat reality
Houses in Germany have long been built rather to keep heat in rather than out.
But as the Earth warms and heat waves become more frequent and severe , a rethink is needed.
In this article, DW looks at some of the possible ways apartments could be adapted to keep residents cooler: Heat-resistant housing: How we need to adapt our homes
Far-right AfD to unveil 100-day action plan for Saxony-Anhalt
The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is set to present a plan outlining the initial actions it proposes to take if elected to power in Saxony-Anhalt in September.
The party, which is being monitored by Germany's domestic intelligence agency for right-wing-extremist tendencies, is leading polls in the eastern state, well ahead of Chancellor Friedrich Merz 's conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) .
Among other things, the AfD has already vowed to force asylum seekers to work and to expand immigration detention.
It has also announced plans to replace some 200 public service officials in the state with its own favored appointees.
Experts say, however, that many of the AfD's plans could face considerable legal and logistical challenges.
The party congress in the state capital, Magdeburg, is due to begin at 10 a.m. (0800 GMT).
A congress of the AfD chapter in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia is also due to start on Saturday and run through Sunday.
AfD control of German armed forces would be a 'catastrophe' — Manfred Weber
It would be a "catastrophe" if the German armed forces were to be controlled by the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, according to a top conservative member of the European Parliament .
"I see many people in Europe who are scared of having a highly upgraded German army that is under the control of the AfD," Manfred Weber, the head of the parliamentary group of the European People's Party (EPP), told the Welt am Sonntag newspaper.
He said that, if the AfD were to be in charge of the Bundeswehr, "it would be a catastrophe."
Weber cited the election manifesto of the AfD as stating that the Bundeswehr had to live up to "the best tradition of German military history."
"That is not Stauffenberg; that is pure nationalism," Weber said, referring to Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg, who masterminded a failed assassination attempt against Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler.
Berlin hostage situation ends without fatalities
Police have succeeded in safely freeing a hostage who was held for hours overnight into Saturday morning by a man in a Berlin supermarket, police said.
"The perpetrator has been captured and the hostage has been freed," police spokesman Florian Nath told the German news agency dpa.
You can read how the situation unfolded in our article " Berlin hostage crisis: Woman freed after hourslong standoff ."
Unions, businesses call for delay in Germany's climate target — report
Several representatives from business, trade unions and politics say Germany should push back its goal of reaching climate neutrality by five years, media reported on Saturday.
The Sunday edition of the Welt newspaper cited the CEO of energy giant RWE, Markus Krebber, as saying that postponing the 2045 goal to align with the EU's target date of 2050 could decrease the pressure on German industry.
Krebbers told the paper that Germany's current aim of becoming climate-neutral five years earlier than the bloc made it more expensive to do business in, without any benefit to the climate.
Michael Vassiliadis, head of the Mining, Chemical and Energy Industrial Union (IGBCE), told the Welt that the target should be pushed back to give industry more time to reduce its CO2 emissions and thus retain its competitiveness.
Gitta Connemann, who heads the small and mid-sized business group (SME) of Chancellor Friedrich Merz 's Christian Democrats (CDU) , also spoke out in favor of a "more realistic" timetable.
"We want less CO2, not less industry, so emissions trading must fit reality," she said.
Their remarks echo those made earlier this year by Merz, who said climate-protection measures must not put undue pressure on the economy.
Germany braces for new heat wave
Temperatures in Germany are set to rise steadily over the weekend to reach a possible high of 38 degrees Celsius (100.4 F) early next week in the southwest of the country, according to the German Weather Service (DWD).
On Saturday, the mercury is already forecast to climb to 35 C in the country's south and west, while northern and eastern regions will remain slightly cooler, at around 30 C.
The weather is forecast to cool down again toward the end of next week.
The heat wave, the third of the summer, is not expected to bring the record temperatures of more than 41 C measured in some regions at the end of June, and less humidity this time round will make the heat more bearable.
According to the public health agency, the Robert Koch Institute, at least 5,100 people died of causes related to the hot weather last month.
Despite the lower temperatures, the Federal Institute of Public Health (BIÖG) has still issued warnings, saying that rooms should be kept as cool as possible and that physical activities should be confined to morning and evening hours.
Early-summer heat wave leads to Europe's record-hottest June
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Welcome to our coverage
Guten Tag from the DW newsroom in Bonn, where the air conditioners will be going full blast as another heat dome settles over Germany.
Although temperatures are not forecast to rise to the record levels seen at the end of last month , experts say the hot weather will significantly increase the risk of wildfires and pose a grave danger to people's health.
But despite the unprecedented heat events in Europe, driven partly by human-induced climate change, business leaders and politicians are calling for Germany to delay its goal of becoming carbon neutral to maintain industrial competitiveness.
In political news, the far-right Alternative for Germany party is to outline its initial planned actions if it succeeds in taking power in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt in September elections.
The party is being monitored by Germany's domestic intelligence agency for alleged right-wing extremist tendencies, with many fearing that it could pose a danger to democracy in the country.
And police in Berlin have been dealing with a dramatic hostage-taking at a supermarket.
Read on to find out more about the latest events in and concerning Germany.