Germany updates: Thousands join Cologne's CSD parade

History was made at the Deutsches Derby (German Derby) on Sunday when Germany's most prestigious horse race was won by a female jockey for the first time ever.

Amateur rider Nina Baltromei, riding her horse Hochkönig just one day before her 27th birthday, crossed the finish line first in a photo-finish in the 156th edition of the Derby in the northern German city of Hamburg.

"I'm completely drained! I didn't even realize I'd won! It's just crazy to experience something like this," said Baltromei, whose father Werner Baltromei was a successful racehorse trainer until his death in 2012.

"Hochkönig is such a great horse," she continued, once the chants of "Nina! Nina!" had died down. "Riding him is like driving a car. It's an indescribable feeling."

It was only the 11th time in the 156-year history of the German Derby that the field featured a female jockey – on a horse trained by Yasmin Almenräder, making Hochkönig's triumph a double female success.

"I'm totally overwhelmed, both by the horse and by Nina," said Almenräder, fighting back tears. "It takes something special to win a race like that. But Hochkönig was so cool. He has everything a racehorse needs."

Unfortunately, the historic victory was overshadowed somewhat by an injury to a French horse, The Sheriff, which suffered a serious injury 600 meters from the finish line and had to be transported to a nearby clinic.

German tennis player Laura Siegemund has reached the quarter-finals of the women's singles at Wimbledon after beating Argentina's Solana Sierra 6-3, 6-2 on Sunday.

It's only the second time that the 37-year-old from Filderstadt, near the southern city of Stuttgart, has reached the final eight of a Grand Slam tournament after the French Open in 2020.

"That was the hardest match so far," said Siegemund after play was twice interrupted due to rain. "I'm just so happy I managed it."

Siegemund, who sensationally beat Australian Open winner Madison Keys (USA) in the first round, will now face world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the quarterfinal. The Belarusian is playing under a neutral flag due to her country's support of Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

Currently ranked 104 in the world, Siegemund's performance at Wimbledon will see her jump around 50 places in the world rankings, and she has already pocketed around £400,000 ($546,000, €460,000) in prize money.

Siegemund is the only German player left at the tournament in south London in either the women's or men's competition. On the men's side, German number one Alexander Zverev was shocked by France's Arthur Rinderknech in the first round (6-7, 7-6, 3-6, 7-6, 4-6).

Every year, dozens of monasteries and convents in Germany, both large and small, are being closed down.

The number of convents in Germany fell from 1,627 to 964 in the 10 years between 2012 and 2022. The number of monasteries fell from 461 to 385 in the same period.

Why have the numbers plunged? And what happens to the buildings, traditions, and the communities they once housed? Read more about Germany's monasteries and convents here.

Temperatures in Cologne and Hamburg hit 37 degrees Celsius (98.6 degrees Fahrenheit) this week. 

Surely this is the ideal moment for the Greens to step forward in the public debate on climate protection in Germany? The fight against climate change is their core issue, after all. 

But the party is dealing with internal challenges. The Greens lost the German election and are no longer part of the government.

How should the Greens proceed, now that they're in opposition? Combating global warming is not a popular topic with the electorate right now. 

Find out how the party wants to be closer to the people.

During a visit to NATO-member state Lithuania on Sunday, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier assured the country of German support for its security.

"With the stationing of a German brigade in Lithuania, we're giving a lasting promise: Your security is our security."

Steinmeier was visiting Vilnius during its national day. The Baltic country, along with Estonia and Latvia, forms part of the NATO border with Russia.

"Whoever defends Lithuania, is defending Europe and is defending European values," Steinmeier said.

A German tank division is being stationed in Lithuania in 2027, including 5,000 soldiers.

The number of people in monastic orders in Germany is sinking, with many convents and monasteries facing dissolution.

But what happens to the buildings, traditions, and the communities they once housed?

Read the full story on Germany's disappearing monasteries and convents.

A report by the research services of the German parliament has expressed "substantial doubt" that strikes by Israel and the US on Iran can be legally justified.

The report was produced at the request of Left Party lawmaker Ulrich Thoden.

The research services said an "overwhelming number of experts in international law" consider the necessary criteria for Israel's claim of self-defense in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter as unfulfilled.

The 54-page report said that Israel would have had to prove that Iran was directly about to build a nuclear weapon, not just that it had a sufficient amount of nuclear material. It also said Israel would need to prove Iran was planning to use a nuclear weapon against it.

It did not exclude the option that Israel's secret service had further information. "Nevertheless, Israel is now obliged to legally justify its military actions against Iran," the report said.

The German government did not immediately respond to the report, but Chancellor Friedrich Merz gave his outspoken support to the strikes, saying that Israel was doing the "dirty work for all of us" in Iran.

Following the decision of the German government to turn back migrants at the border, several individuals have launched lawsuits after their asylum applications were immediately rejected.

Germany's Stern magazine reported on Sunday that the government was facing three more lawsuits after a court in June ruled in favor of three Somali nationals who were turned back at a checkpoint on the German-Polish border.

"There are currently three further court cases pending in connection with the rejection of asylum seekers," Stern quoted a spokesman for the Interior Ministry as saying.

A Berlin Administrative Court made its ruling, which was a blow to Chancellor Friedrich Merz, against the government argument that since they were coming from a safe third country — Poland — officials did not have to consider their application. 

The court found the immediate transfer of the Somali nationals back to Poland without an adequate review of their applications was unlawful.

The government had feared that the ruling would result in a wave of lawsuits, however, this has not appeared to be the case.

Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said that Berlin would take the case to the European Court, saying he was "convinced that our actions are in line with European law."

Polish officials are set to begin carrying out checks on the border with Germany at midnight on Sunday, following German plans to increase spot checks on its side of the border.

Germany had already been conducting spot checks on the border with Poland, but the new Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt announced in May, shortly after taking office, that the checks would be increased as a measure to tackle irregular migration.

Poland said that for its side, no physical barriers would be set up, but signs would tell drivers to slow down and spot checks would be carried out with a focus on buses and cars with multiple passengers.

Polish authorities will also introduce checks on the border with Lithuania.

Both Poland and Germany are part of the Schengen Zone that allows cross-border travel without checks, however, countries are allowed to introduce temporary measures as "last resort" and "in exceptional situations."

Germany introduced limited checks on the Polish border in October 2023, but has repeatedly renewed the temporary measures. Germany last extended its border checks until September 15, 2025 in March, citing "Serious threats to public security and order posed by continued high levels of irregular migration and migrant smuggling, and the strain on the asylum reception system."

More than 1.4 million German pensioners are still working after having retired, according to a response from the Bundestag to a question from the Left Party and reported by the RND network.

Almost 375,000 of those working pensioners were holding down jobs that counted as more than a small side job. 

The numbers provided by the Bundestag were dated to December 31, 2023.

Dietmar Bartsch, from the Left Party, remarked that Germany is the biggest economy in Europe, but its pension level — the relation between the average income of workers and the average income of pensioners — is ten points lower than the EU average.

"Austria, the Netherlands or Denmark are at more than 80%, we're below 50%, no wonder then that more and more old people continue working — many not because they want to, but because they must."

Bartsch also called for a "major pension reform" in line with the Austrian system.

Welcome back to our coverage of the latest news, explainers and analysis from Germany on Sunday, July 6.

Cologne is preparing for hundreds of thousands of people to show up for the Christopher Street Day (CSD) demonstration on Sunday at 11:30 a.m. (0930 GMT).

Organizers and police are expecting around 60,000 participants. Some 90 floats are also expected to join the march.

CSD traces its origins back to the Stonewall riot in New York on June 28, 1969, when people at the Stonewall LGBTQ+ bar fought back against a police raid. The incident is an important historical date for the LGBTQ+ community.

The Stonewall bar was on Christopher Street, hence the name for the Cologne event.

The motto for this year's CSD is "For queer rights. Many. Together. Strong."

Cologne's CSD is one of the biggest Pride events in Europe and attracts people from around the world.

Several hundred people on Saturday celebrated the Christopher Street Day (CSD) parade to promote diversity and tolerance for the LGBTQ+ community in Falkensee, a town in the eastern German state of Brandenburg.

On the same day, several dozen participants protested against Pride events.

Police say both the march and the counter demonstration remained peaceful.

Paris Saint-Germain have booked a spot in the Club World Cup semifinals after a tense 2-0 win over Bayern Munich — but the match was overshadowed by a gruesome injury to young German star Jamal Musiala.

Desire Doue opened the scoring in the 78th minute after Joao Neves robbed Harry Kane near midfield and sparked a quick counter that ended with Doue's left-footed shot beating Manuel Neuer at the near post.

PSG finished with nine men after late red cards for Willian Pacho and Lucas Hernandez, but clung on as Bayern threw everything forward. Ousmane Dembele sealed the win deep into stoppage time with a breakaway goal.

Bayern had two goals ruled out for offside, including a Harry Kane header, and saw a late penalty overturned by VAR.

Musiala's injury stunned both teams. In first-half stoppage time, PSG keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma collided with Musiala's left ankle while diving for a loose ball, leaving the 22-year-old's foot hanging at an unnatural angle. Donnarumma was visibly shaken as Musiala was stretchered off.

PSG will face either Real Madrid or Borussia Dortmund in Wednesday's semifinal at East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Saturday's quarterfinal drew 66,937 fans to Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta — the city’s biggest crowd yet ahead of next year’s World Cup.

A father and his child have gone missing after a boating accident on the Eibsee, an Alpine lake in southern Germany, police said on Saturday.

The family of four was out on a pedal boat when the six-year-old fell into the water and the father jumped in to rescue them — but neither resurfaced.

Emergency responders are caring for the mother and the couple's other child, aged four.

Police said the family is from Bavaria. A major rescue operation is underway with helicopters and divers searching the lake.