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:
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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.
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Guten Tag from DW's newsroom on the increasingly depleted Rhine!
The lack of water in the Rhine and other rivers is hampering cargo shipping and has prompted the government to propose easing rules restricting the use of motorways by trucks on Sunday and public holidays.
Though welcomed by industrial associations, environmentalists and truck driver representatives are not so sure about the idea.
Meanwhile, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD)is to hold an event in Stralsund to kick off its election campaign in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania ahead of a vote scheduled for September 20.
Read on here for more on these and other stories from Europe's biggest economy.