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Bavaria's leader Markus Söder is urging the procurement of 2,000 Patriot rockets for the German version of "Iron Dome," while another senior conservative is calling for a German-European nuclear umbrella. DW has more. CSU leader Markus Söder calls for German version of "Iron Dome" Left-leaning SPD decries CDU's Jens Spahn after he called for German-European nuclear umbrella German interior minister voices support for Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear program Warnings in place in Germany as heat wave approaches Magdeburg hosts first German dachshund racing competition Below is a roundup of stories out of Germany from Sunday, June 29, and Monday, June 30: Many in Germany willing to work post-retirement age amid pension fears Nearly three-quarters of people living in Germany believe their pensions will be insufficient to allow them to keep their current standard of living, with just over half of them prepared to keep working beyond the official retirement age for that reason, a survey released on Monday has shown. In all, 54.3% of 1,163 respondents in the YouGov poll said they would be willing to keep on working beyond the legal retirement age, most of them part-time and up to the age of 70. Of this group, one in five (19.8%) said they would keep working only if they received higher pay. Altogether some 33% said they would not be willing to work beyond the retirement age. The German government is planning to change rules so that older people can stay in the workforce if they so desire. The standard retirement age in Germany is being gradually raised from 65 to 67 by 2029. Interior Minister Dobrindt urges caution over AfD ban German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt on Sunday threw cold water on a motion by the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) calling for the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party to be banned. Dobrindt is a member of the conservative Christian Social Union (CSU), the Bavarian sister party of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), which leads a coalition government with the SPD. At the close of its three-day congress in Berlin, the SPD passed a motion calling for preparations to ban the far-right AfD, after the party was classified as a "right-wing extremist" group by Germany's domestic intelligence agency. That designation has been suspended pending a legal challenge by the AfD. In a statement to the news agency dpa, the Green Party said it agrees with the SPD's position. Speaking to the "Table.Today" podcast on Sunday, Dobrindt said "decisions made at the SPD party conference are not yet a mandate for the interior minister." Dobrindt instead called for a cautious approach and to allow for the legal process to play out. He said a federal-state interior ministers working group will address the AfD issue if the "right-wing extremist" designation is upheld in court. The working group is awaiting a ruling from the Cologne Administrative Court on whether it agrees with the "extremist" designation. Dobrindt, as well as Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU), have previously said they are skeptical of banning the AfD, which is known for its nationalist, anti-immigration, anti-Muslim and Eurosceptic policies. The AfD has grown in popularity over the past decade to become Germany's largest opposition party. Deadly discovery on German trail days after attempted robbery A woman and a young girl were found dead on a forest path in North Rhine-Westphalia, western Germany, on Sunday only days after a reported robbery on the same trail in Dorsten-Holsterhausen. Police said the woman, believed to be between 25 and 30-years-old, had a head wound and may have been a victim a violent crime. The child, estimated to be between 2 and 3-years-old, was found nearby. Neither has been identified. On Thursday a 40-year-old woman and her 1-year-old child were attacked on the same path by a man and a woman who tried to steal her handbag, before fleeing in a black BMW X6. Leading CDU politician calls for German-European nuclear umbrella Jens Spahn, leader of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, has called for Germany to immediately gain access to nuclear weapons. "Russian aggression is a completely new threat," Spahn told Welt am Sonntag. He added that US nuclear bombs stationed in Germany are no longer sufficient to deter nuclear weapons. "Europe must become capable of deterrence," the conserative politician said. "We must talk about German or European participation in the nuclear arsenal of France and Great Britain, possibly also about our own participation with other European states." He added, "Anyone who cannot deter nuclear weapons becomes a pawn in global politics." Spahn's proposal was met with strong criticism from the Left Party and the SPD, a coalition partner. SPD foreign policy expert Rolf Mützenich accused Spahn of playing with fire "when he calls for European, possibly even German, nuclear weapons." Mützenich explained that the SPD is clearly committed to the goal of nuclear non-proliferation. The German Bundeswehr does not possess its own nuclear weapons. However, some nuclear weapons are stored in Germany under US control. In an emergency, the Bundeswehr could be called upon to deploy these weapons. SPD party congress rejects commissioning of Nord Stream At its party congress in Berlin, the Social Democratic Party (SPD) , which is part of the ruling coalition, voted against resuming any natural gas deliveries from Russia through the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines. The Nord Stream pipeline system consists of two double pipelines running across the Baltic Sea to Germany. Nord Stream 1 became operational in 2011, allowing Russia to deliver directly to its German clients without paying transit fees to eastern European countries. While traditional land pipelines continued to operate after 2011, the Nord Stream project and its expansion plans enraged multiple governments in the region, including Kyiv, that saw its leverage as a gas transit country diminish in any future disputes with Russia. It also drew condemnation from US and EU officials, who warned that Germany was becoming too dependent on Russian gas. However, Berlin proceeded to work with Russia to build Nord Stream 2, which would run mostly parallel to the original one. German officials insisted the gas transit route was purely an economic project. Nord Stream 2 was completed in 2021. However, it never became operational due to deteriorating relations between Russia and the West, and was eventually hit by unexplained explosions in September 2022. Additional explosions destroyed both pipelines of Nord Stream 1. Despite reports indicating Ukrainian operatives were involved in the blasts, the responsability was never officialy established. Recently, speculation has mounted about a potential US takeover of the insolvent Nord Stream pipeline operator, which could facilitate commissioning. On Sunday, however, the delegates at the SPD party conference said they opposed such proposal that may come from their partners in the ruling coalition and "the US Republican Party." Germany seeks to deepen coopertion with Israel on cyberdefense During his visit to Israel, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt announced that Germany is aiming to establish a joint cyberresearch center and strengthen collaboration between the countries' intelligence and security agencies. "Military defense alone is not sufficient for this turning point in security. A significant upgrade in civil defense is also essential to strengthen our overall defensive capabilities," Dobrindt said, according to Germany's Bild newspaper. According to a report, Dobrindt also outlined a five-point plan to establish a "Cyber Dome" for Germany as part of its cyberdefense strategy. Germany is one of Israel's closest allies in Europe. As it boosts its military capabilities and contributions to NATO in the face of perceived growing threats from Russia and China, Berlin has increasingly looked to draw upon Israel's defense expertise. Warnings in place in Germany as heat wave approaches As a continentwide heat wave is set to worsen in the coming days, the German Weather Service issued warnings for southern and western regions, with peaks of 39 degrees Celsius (102.2 F) expected on Wednesday. Alerts were in place from 11 a.m. (9 a.m. UTC) Sunday in the states of Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland. "Avoid the heat if possible, drink enough water and keep indoor spaces cool," the weather service said. On Monday, Germany's southern regions could see temperatures reach 35 degrees, with summer storms likely in Alpine areas and the Black Forest. The heatwave is then likely to subside, bringing cooler, stormy weather to many regions. Southern Europe is currently experiencing a serious heatwave, with temperatures in Spain reaching over 40 degrees. Social Democrats call for ban on far-right AfD party At the close of its three-day congress in Berlin, Germany's Social Democratic Party (SPD) passed a motion calling for preparations to ban the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. "The moment at which domestic intelligence says this is a confirmed right-wing extremist party, there is no more room for tactics," party co-leader Lars Klingbeil said. He also serves as finance minister and vice chancellor in Friedrich Merz's government. The motion, put forward by the SPD, calls on the relevant constitutional bodies to lay the groundwork for filing a case to declare the anti-immigrant AfD unconstitutional. "Now is the time for the constitutional bodies entitled to do so to create the conditions for immediately filing a motion to determine the unconstitutionality of the AfD," the text reads. Calls to ban the AFD intensified after Germany's domestic intelligence agency, the Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), reclassified the party in May as a "confirmed right-wing extremist" group, enabling expanded surveillance. However, this designation has been suspended pending a legal challenge by the AfD, meaning the agency will now treat the party as a "suspected" case until the Cologne Administrative Court reaches a decision. Magdeburg hosts first German dachshund racing competition The finals of the first German dachshund racing contest took place in the eastern city of Magdeburg, the capital of the state of Saxony-Anhalt. The short-legged dogs were encouraged to run the 40-meter (132-foot) course with the help of whistles, toys and treats. A total of 220 dogs were entered in the competition, which began on Saturday. Each dog was managed by teams of two people: one held the dog at the start, while the other shouted encouragement at the finish line. Eight dogs competed in each heat. The different classes racing included miniature and other classes, along with the standard breed. The dachshund breed is believed to date back to the early 18th century. They may have been bred to hunt badgers, though this is disputed. Dobrindt supports Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear program During an unexpected visit to Tel Aviv on Sunday, German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt offered unqualified support for Israel's attack on Iran's nuclear weapons program. "Iran has been destabilizing this region for years, for decades, one has to say, with its support for terrorist groups to the north, to the south, to the east of Israel," he said. Dobrindt said Iran's nuclear program was "a real threat to Israel's right to exist and a threat to Europe as well." The German minster said Tehran had received a clear message that Israel, the United States and allies such as Germany could not tolerate research on or construction of nuclear weapons. Tehran insists that its nuclear program is for purely civilian purposes. Dobrindt made these comments while visiting the site of a deadly Iranian missile attack in Bat Yam with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar. He described the attack as an assault on the civilian population and expressed his belief that Iran would use any nuclear bomb it developed against Israel. Dobrindt said that Germany would continue to do all it could to secure Israel's existence. CSU leader Markus Söder voices support for German "Iron Dome" Markus Söder, Bavaria’s state premier and head of the Christian Social Union (CSU), called for the acquisition of thousands of drones, new missile systems and a German version of the "Iron Dome" consisting of 2,000 Patriot missiles in case of attacks. "Germany needs a protective shield with precision weapons," Söder told Bild am Sonntag newspaper, adding that this would include a modern drone army of 100,000 drones and a defense shield similar to Israel's "Iron Dome." "We should cooperate with Ukraine and Israel and use their experience," Söder said. In addition to drones, Söder called for 300 new battle tanks, 500 infantry fighting vehicles, 35 additional Eurofighter warplanes, and 1,000 more Taurus cruise missiles. He also called for the Bundeswehr to have its own satellites. Welcome to our coverage Guten Tag, and welcome to DW's coverage of developments in Germany on Sunday, June 29. The center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) concludes its party congress in Berlin. On Friday, Lars Klingbeil was reelected as co-leader of the party, receiving 65% support, a significant decrease from the 85.6% he garnered in 2023. For all of the latest news from Germany, stay tuned here.