German News Roundup: Weekend of August 8-9, 2026

Several states will let trucks use motorways on Sundays and holidays as freight shipping is hampered by low water levels. The body of a German sailor missing for days has been found in the southern Aegean. DW has more.

What you need to know

Germany's main industrial association welcomes the easing of restrictions on truck traffic as river water levels become too low for cargo vessels

A German sailor missing for days in the southern Aegean has been found dead, according to Greek media

The far-right AfD is kicking off its election campaign in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania

Here is a roundup of the stories from and about Germany that are hitting the headlines on the weekend of August 8-9, 2026:

European team ends 100-day 'Mars' sojourn in Cologne

Six men and women from six different countries on Friday ended their 100-day stay in cramped, artificially lit isolation as part of a study to prepare future space missions to the moon, Mars and beyond.

The participants, from Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland and Portugal, are now able to return to their daily lives — following a recovery phase — after leaving the simulation facility at the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) in the western city of Cologne.

The goal of the SOLIS100 study was conducted on behalf of the European Space Agency (ESA) and aimed to investigate the effects of long-duration space missions on health and performance.

The participants had to live from non-perishable foodstuffs and were not allowed personal contact with family or friends.

Every day, they carried out scientific work, medical data collection, a strict exercise program and station maintenance.

Culture Minister Weimer calls for Infantino's resignation

Wolfram Weimer, the commissioner for culture and media, has become the first member of the federal government to call for FIFA President Gianni Infantino to step down.

"Infantino has seriously damaged world football with his planned sell-off of the World Cup," he told the German DPA news agency on Saturday.

"He has lost the trust of the European football community and should not stand for re-election next year," he said.

Weimer called on the German Football Federation (DFB) to show "active resistance" against Infantino.

"With its 24,000 clubs and eight million members, the DFB is the largest sports federation in the world (by individual registered members). Its voice carries weight," he said.

Infantino has faced a storm of criticism since he unveiled plans last week to sell World Cup rights to private investors for billions.

He withdrew the proposal after major protests, including a threat by UEFA to boycott the World Cup.

Two drones spotted above military base after Leipzig Airport incident

Two drones were sighted flying late on Thursday above a military base in Mechernich in western Germany, near the Belgian border, authorities said on Saturday.

A German armed forces spokesperson said the drones were sighted at around 10 p.m. (2000 GMT) over the Bundeswehr base, which media say hosts personnel responsible for the maintenance of US Patriot air defense systems.

Among other things, US Patriot systems play a key role in defending Ukraine against Russian aerial attacks.

The sighting in Mechernich comes just two days after a drone carrying explosives was found near a runway at Leipzig/Halle Airport, with media saying it was discovered near several Ukrainian cargo planes.

A number of sightings of drones at sensitive sites in Germany in recent times has raised concerns about the penetration of NATO airspace by the unmanned aircraft and the possibility of hostile foreign involvement.

German government officials have not blamed any foreign countries publicly for the Leipzig incident, but some lawmakers have accused Russia of being behind it.

The Russian Embassy in Berlin on Friday dismissed the Leipzig event as a "fabricated provocation" and said Russia was once more being accused of hostile actions without evidence.

Far-right AfD set to kick off election campaign in eastern state

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is to hold an event in the afternoon as it starts its election campaign in the eastern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

The event will be led by the party's candidate to become state premier, Leif-Erik Holm, its top candidate Enrico Schult and its general secretary, Dario Seifert.

The AfD chairman from the state of Saxony, Jörg Urban, will be a guest at the event in the city of Stralsund.

The anti-immigration party is currently polling at around 36% in pre-election surveys in the state, making it the strongest force.

Several other state chapters of the party have been designated as "confirmed right-wing extremist" by Germany's domestic intelligence agency, but they do not include the one in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

Missing German sailor found in southern Aegean

A German man who had gone missing for days while sailing in the south Aegean has been found dead in waters west of the island of Symi, Greek media have reported, citing the coastguard.

He was among a group of eight people from Germany whose boat was swept away by the current off the island while they were swimming near the vessel on Sunday evening, according to the Greek news agency ANA-MPA.

Two of the eight managed to swim ashore and five were rescued, but the man whose body has now been found remained unaccounted for until now.

Industrial association calls for quick easing of motorway restrictions for trucks

Germany's main industry association, the Federation of German Industries (BDI), has welcomed plans to allow trucks to transport goods on motorways throughout the week as cargo ships are hampered by low river water levels.

"The federal government is demonstrating its ability to act in this extreme situation," Holger Lösch, BDI deputy managing director told the Rheinische Post newspaper on Saturday. "The agreed measures must now be implemented quickly."

Lösch said moving goods to road and rail could ease the disruption and stabilize supply chains but conceded that it would not fully offset lost shipping capacity.

In Germany, most trucks are banned from using the motorways, or Autobahnen, on Sundays and public holidays, with exceptions made for vehicles transporting, for example, perishable foodstuffs.

Several German states have temporarily relaxed the restrictions to allow more freight to be shifted from waterways to roads.

Environmental groups have criticized the easing off of restrictions, saying the low river levels have been partly driven by global warming and that the underlying problem would not be solved by higher truck traffic.

The Federal Association for Road Haulage and Logistics (BGL) has warned that driving and rest time regulations would still have to be adhered to despite the additional days.

Spokesman Dirk Engelhardt told the Rheinische Post on Thursday that there would thus be no increase in available driving time.