Germany updates: Domestic violence at all-time high — report

Nearly 257,000 people were registered as victims of domestic violence last year, a new record, a report by the weekly Welt am Sonntag has said. 

This means that a person suffered mistreatment at the hands of a partner, ex-partner or family member every two minutes or so on average, according to figures from the Federal Criminal Police Office cited by the paper. 

Meanwhile, the section of railroad between the western cities of Düsseldorf and Duisburg has reopened after repairs to damage caused by suspected sabotage on Thursday.

 Below, you can read about some of the stories making the headlines in Germany on August 2, 2025:

08/02/2025August 2, 2025

Train services resume on key route after arson attacks

Train services resumed early on Saturday on the railway line between Düsseldorf and Duisburg in western Germany after successful repairs to cable damage caused by arson attacks.

A railway spokesman said test runs had been conducted before the resumption of services to ensure that all was functioning correctly.

The suspected arson attacks caused damage to cables vital for operating switches and signals.

Police believe left-wing extremists were behind the disturbance and are treating the incident as sabotage. 

A leftist group has claimed responsibility for the attacks in a letter that is being examined by police.

Herbert Reul, the interior minister of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, where the attacks occurred, told a press conference that the extremist group had "carried out several acts of sabotage in the Dusseldorf area in recent years."

The route between Düsseldorf and Duisburg is one of Germany's busiest railway connections, with more than 620 passenger trains using the line every day.
 

08/02/2025August 2, 2025

Consumer group sues budget airlines over hand luggage fees

A German consumer group has launched legal action against several budget airlines, saying that their charges for hand luggage violate existing law.

Ramona Pop, the chairwoman of the vzbv consumer umbrella body, told the daily Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung that many carriers were "charging inadmissible fees and thus misleading consumers about flight prices."

She said that while current rules obliged airlines to carry reasonably sized hand luggage free of charge, many budget airlines allowed only a small personal item in the base fare, demanding a paid upgrade for larger items.

She said the vzbv had issued formal warnings to several carriers, with lawsuits filed against Ryanair, EasyJet, Wizzair and Vueling Airlines.

The vzbv's legal action is part of a broader Europe-wide campaign, she said.

The group is basing its legal actions on a ruling by the European Court of Justice in 2014 that hand luggage is a fundamental necessity of air travel rather than an optional extra provided by an airline.

08/02/2025August 2, 2025

Domestic violence cases reach new record — report

Cases of violence within private households have reached a record level, according to a report by the weekly Welt am Sonntag that cites statistics from the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA).

Altogether 256,942 people were registered as victims of domestic violence in 2024, a 3.7% increase over the previous year, the paper said.

Women suffer the most from domestic violence, making up 73% of registered cases, according to the report.

Violence from partners or ex-partners accounted for 171,069 victims, a 1.9% increase over 2024.

There was also a 7.3% increase in violence between family members, with 94,873 cases, according to the BKA. 

Over the past five years, domestic violence has surged by almost 14%, the BKA says
 

08/02/2025August 2, 2025

Welcome to our coverage

Guten Tag from the team in DW's newroom on the banks of the Rhine in Bonn!

Today, we will be looking at the latest statistics showing another worrying rise in the number of cases of domestic violence in the country.

Germany's railroad system is also in focus following what seems to have been a case of major sabotage on a key section.

If you are interested in the major talking points in Europe's largest economy, we hope we have the right stories for you here in our blog on Saturday, August 2!