New transport minister experiences Deutsche Bahn disruption first-hand, swimmer begins 200 kilometre swim from Frankfurt to Cologne, Germany to boost anti-drone police force and more news on Tuesday, August 11th.
Tuesday's top story: New German transport minister gets first-hand taste of rail chaos
Germany’s new Transport Minister, Steffen Bilger, received an early reminder of the challenges facing the country’s rail network when he was forced to change carriages during a train journey after an air-conditioning failure.
Bilger was appointed last month in a cabinet reshuffle after Chancellor Friedrich Merz dismissed his predecessor over a lack of progress in modernising Germany’s ageing infrastructure.
A central part of his new role is overseeing efforts to improve the performance of state-owned rail operator Deutsche Bahn, which has faced growing criticism in recent years over delays, service disruptions and poor reliability.
The incident occurred on Monday at the start of a two-day fact-finding trip to northern Germany, where Bilger is gathering information on issues including rail safety and station cleanliness. While travelling from Berlin to Hamburg, the air conditioning in his carriage stopped working, according to a transport ministry spokesman.
Steffen Bilger (CDU), Federal Minister of Transportation, sits in a train compartment on Monday. According to reports, his journey was interrupted when the air conditioning stopped working. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Marcus Brandt
With Germany experiencing high summer temperatures, the affected carriage was closed and passengers were required to move to other parts of the train.
READ ALSO: Why the extreme heat is wreaking havoc on Europe's trains
The episode came shortly after reports that Bilger intends to link bonus payments for Deutsche Bahn managers to government performance targets, including improvements in train punctuality.
German woman begins extreme swimming journey from Frankfurt to Cologne
Extreme swimmer Nathalie Pohl, aged 31, has started her 200-kilometer swimming challenge from Frankfurt to Cologne.
Early Tuesday morning, the Marburg native went into the water on the Main to thunderous applause from her supporters and sponsors.
Within four days, she wants to swim across the Main and Rhine and reach the German Sport & Olympic Museum in Cologne on Friday.
Pohl is accompanied by swimmers who take turns with her. With the challenge, Pohl wants to draw attention to the importance of safe swimming for children. Through donations and campaigns along the route, money is to be collected for swimming projects and swimming training.
The current low water level of the Rhine could pose a challenge, but the swimmer was relaxed before the start: "There is enough water [for swimming], and that shouldn't be a problem" she told the German Press Agency.
Germany boosts police anti-drone unit after airport incident
Germany will beef up its anti-drone police unit, the government said Monday, days after an explosives-laden unmanned aerial vehicle was flown into a strategically important airport.
Berlin was shocked by the incident last week when the UAV was defused after it was found near a Ukrainian cargo plane at Leipzig-Halle airport, a key military equipment transport hub.
Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt, who labelled the incident a "hybrid attack scenario" potentially involving a "foreign power", now plans to double personnel in the federal police anti-drone unit to 300.
The number of operational bases for the unit will rise from four to eight, a ministry spokeswoman added at a press conference.
She also said that Dobrindt would next week formally open a new drone technology research centre, attached to the German Aerospace Center.
Germany and other European countries have repeatedly observed UAVs flying over sensitive sites such as airports, military bases and industrial plants.
Authorities in Germany, one of Ukraine's biggest military supporters, have said they suspect Russia of orchestrating many of the incidents as part of a campaign of sabotage, espionage and disinformation.
Over the weekend Germany also announced plans to expand research into drone security following the incident at Leipzig.
Lufthansa goes to arbitration with pilots' union, adds Starlink wifi
A breathe of relief for passengers: The pilots' union "Vereinigung Cockpit" (VC) has agreed with the company on arbitration. This means that pilot strikes are off the table for the time being.
The VC union announced to its members on Monday that it had agreed with the company on a comprehensive arbitration procedure.
The VC had called on its members to strike on seven days this year, during which hundreds of flights were cancelled each day. The company has put the cost of the industrial action at around 150 million euros.
READ ALSO: Lufthansa labour conflict 'more entrenched than ever', unions say
Protesters in yellow vests hold placards reading (L) 'Is your bonus costing me my health?' as they stage a demonstration in front of the hangar one at Frankfurt Airport. Photo by Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP.
Lufthansa also recently announced that it has begun rolling out high-speed satellite internet provided by Elon Musk’s Starlink service, with the first aircraft equipped with the new technology scheduled to enter service this month.
The airline's newest Airbus A320neo will be the first Lufthansa aircraft to offer the enhanced Wi-Fi connection, which will allow passengers to access the internet on their personal devices throughout the flight.
The carrier said the service would be available free of charge to passengers in all travel classes, provided they have a Lufthansa Travel ID.
Lufthansa plans to install the technology across its entire group fleet, including aircraft operated by Swiss, Austrian Airlines and Brussels Airlines.
The work will be carried out during routine maintenance, with all approximately 850 aircraft expected to be equipped by 2029.
Prosecutors link Hesse murder case to alleged satanic ritual
German prosecutors have alleged that a murder in Hesse earlier this year was committed as part of a “satanic ritual”, following a months-long investigation into the death of a man whose dismembered remains were found in rubbish bins.
The Darmstadt Public Prosecutor’s Office has applied for a pretrial detention procedure against a 40-year-old woman accused of killing the victim in February in Heusenstamm, near Offenbach. According to investigators, the suspect, who worked as a prostitute, is alleged to have selected the victim at random.
Prosecutors have sought detention proceedings on the grounds that the woman may have been suffering from a mental illness that substantially reduced her criminal responsibility at the time of the alleged offence.
Parts of the victim’s body were discovered on February 25th in an industrial area of Heusenstamm. The suspect was arrested two days later while attempting to cross the German-Polish border on foot.
Prosecutors now contend that the killing occurred as part of a satanic ritual and said there is no indication that the victim was aware of, or consented to, any such activity. The Darmstadt Regional Court will decide whether proceedings should begin.
With reporting by AFP, DPA and Tom Pugh.
