Skip next section Climbers attempt rescue of German Olympic gold medallist in Pakistan mountains

07/30/2025July 30, 2025Climbers attempt rescue of German Olympic gold medallist in Pakistan mountains

German double biathlon champion Laura DahlmeierDahlmeier is a certified mountain and ski guide and an active member of the mountain rescueImage: Sven Simon/IMAGO

A rescue mission is underway in northern Pakistan for German Olympic biathlon champion Laura Dahlmeier, who was seriously injured in a rockfall on Laila Peak in the Karakoram mountain range.

The 30-year-old was climbing at around 5,700 metres when falling rocks swept her away. Her climbing partner raised the alarm after being rescued.

Officials say helicopter access is impossible.

“The conditions at the altitude where she was injured are extremely challenging, and a team of foreign climbers will launch a ground rescue mission today,” Areeb Ahmed Mukhtar, a senior local official in Ghanche district, said. 

Dahlmeier, a seasoned mountaineer, made history at the 2018 Winter Olympics, winning both the sprint and pursuit events.

https://p.dw.com/p/4yELL

Skip next section Welt TV launches weekly AI-produced news show

07/30/2025July 30, 2025Welt TV launches weekly AI-produced news show

German news channel Welt TV is launching a weekly program entirely produced and hosted by artificial intelligence

Titled KI-Welt, the show covers topics like AI, robotics, and future tech, with all editorial processes, from research to presentation, handled by AI with human supervision. 

Jan Philipp Burgard, Welt TV’s editor-in-chief, said the experimental show is to show what is already possible with AI. 

“We won’t be able to stop the AI revolution, so we should embrace it and help shape it,” he said. 

A computer-generated avatar anchors the show. The first episode will air on Thursday.

A screenshot of the anchor generated by computer that will host a new show on Welt TVThe AI-generated host of the new show, KI-Welt, on Welt TV Image: Welt TV/dpa

https://p.dw.com/p/4yEIR

Skip next section Mercedes-Benz profit drops 55.8%

07/30/2025July 30, 2025Mercedes-Benz profit drops 55.8%

Profits at German carmaker Mercedes-Benz have fallen by 55.8% in the first half of the year, the company says.

The Stuttgart-based carmaker said post-tax earnings plummeted from €6.1 billion to around €2.7 billion in the first half of the year.

The business cited tariffs, lower sales volumes, and costs linked to efficiency measures as reasons for the decline. 

Looking ahead, Mercedes now expects full-year group revenue to fall significantly below last year’s level. 

https://p.dw.com/p/4yEEx

Skip next section Germany’s 2026 budget expected to include heavy spending

07/30/2025July 30, 2025Germany’s 2026 budget expected to include heavy spending

The German government is expected to approve the 2026 draft budget on Wednesday, which outlines spending of €520.5 billion ($600.3 billion) and new borrowing totaling about €174 billion.

Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil‘s budget includes €126.7 billion in investments earmarked for modernizing the country.

The government, in office since May, has pledged to increase spending to upgrade infrastructure and strengthen the military.

Officials also hope the budget will help improve the economic climate, which is projected to recover noticeably in 2025 and 2026 after two years of stagnation.

Klingbeil, however, warned this week that significant austerity measures will likely be needed starting in 2027, when a funding gap of approximately €172 billion is expected.

https://p.dw.com/p/4yEHt

Skip next section Welcome to our coverage07/30/2025July 30, 2025Welcome to our coverage

Guten Morgen from the Bonn newsroom, still staffed by humans.

That’s no longer the case over at Welt TV, where a new weekly program will soon be produced and presented entirely by artificial intelligence.

Meanwhile, the German government is tackling the 2026 draft budget the old-fashioned way, without AI assistance, at least as far as we know. In a notable shift from its long-standing tradition of fiscal restraint, Germany is now spending big: aiming to jumpstart the economy, modernize its aging infrastructure, and boost military investment.

We’ll be keeping an eye on those stories, and more, right here in this blog.

https://p.dw.com/p/4yEDe