Today in Germany: A roundup of the latest news on Monday

Lightning strikes and severe rain lash parts of Germany

Violent thunderstorms with heavy rain flooded cellars and streets on Sunday night and Monday morning.

The German Weather Service lifted all severe weather warnings during the night. But new thunderstorms are expected Monday in the southeast, east and northeast.

A lightning strike in a park in Delmenhorst, Lower Saxony, injured eight members of a family that had been sitting under a tree. A 5-year-old boy and a 14-year-old girl were resuscitated on Sunday and taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries, according to police.

READ ALSO: Germany battered by storms in wettest year on record

Also in Quickborn in Schleswig-Holstein, Bremen and parts of Hesse there were emergency operations as cellars flooded, trees fell and accidents were reported on highways.

SPD parliamentary group leader Mützenich wants to make wealth tax an election issue

SPD parliamentary group leader Rolf Mützenich wants to make the reintroduction of wealth tax an issue in next year's election campaign.

"Wealthy people should contribute more," Mützenich told the newspapers of the Funke Media Group (Sunday editions). "Unfortunately, the political situation is such that there is not currently a parliamentary majority for fair taxation. This makes it all the more important to bring this issue into the upcoming election campaign."

The SPD politician added that he sees "a gap in Germany between those who cannot build up enough wealth despite having a decent job and those who use gifted wealth to shape their future, sometimes even without work." This is not conducive to the internal cohesion within a society.

READ ALSO: How deep does the German fear of debt go?

According to a Forsa survey published in July on behalf of German magazine Stern, 62 percent of Germany citizens think it makes sense to impove a wealth tax on assets over one million euros.  

Scholz says Biden decision 'deserves respect'

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Sunday praised US President Joe Biden after he announced his decision to drop out of the 2024 US presidential election.

"My friend @POTUS Joe Biden has achieved a lot: for his country, for Europe, for the world," Scholz wrote on X, formerly Twitter. "His decision not to run again deserves respect."

Speaking later in the day, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock echoed Scholz's sentiments, saying Biden's decision had earned him "huge respect" and that he had "put the interests of his country above his own". 

Since Biden's shock announcement that he was withdrawing from the race on Sunday, Democrats have been looking to Vice President Kamala Harris as his likely successor. 

According to a government spokeswoman, Scholz considers Harris to be an "experienced, competent politician". However, the Chancellor told the media he did not want to interfere in the US election campaign by naming a preferred candidate.

Germany is preparing for all "conceivable possibilities" in the US presidential election, the spokeswoman added. 

Green Party leader Lang says Covid-19 pandemic played part in loss of youth vote 

Green Party leader Ricarda Lang said disappointments after the Civid19 pandemic also played a part in her party's recent losses and the AfD's gains among young voters.

"We were too caught up in crisis mode," she said on Sunday in broadcaster ZDF's 'Summer Interview'. After the pandemic, the focus quickly shifted to the consequences of the Ukraine war for Germany, meaning the interests of young people were neglected, she explained.

READ ALSO: 'Failed climate policies are fuelling far-right politics in Germany'

"Many young people had the feeling 'And what about us? Can you actually see what we have achieved, what we have missed out on and is there anything else coming from politics?'" Lang continued. "Covid was even more drastic for many young people than for many adults."

In the election in the second year of the pandemic in 2021, many young people had placed their hopes in the Greens and the FDP, which at the time performed best among first-time voters. "We did not keep our promise," Lang said, criticising her party's policies, adding that the needs of young people needed to be brought back into focus. 

In the European elections in June, the Greens suffered heavy losses, which were also due to a drop in votes from young voters. The AfD, on the other hand, performed above average in this voting group.

Germany advises against travel to Bangladesh

The German foreign ministry on Sunday urged citizens not to travel to Bangladesh amid a wave of deadly civil unrest in the country.

"Travelling to Bangladesh is currently not advised," the ministry said on its website, warning of a curfew and restrictions on the internet and mobile data.

"Further restrictions and deterioration of the situation are to be expected," the ministry said.

Student protests against civil service hiring rules in Bangladesh have spiralled into the country's worst unrest in years, with 155 people killed and widespread destruction in the capital Dhaka.

Soldiers were patrolling cities across Bangladesh after riot police were not able to restore order, while a nationwide internet blackout since Thursday has drastically restricted the flow of information to the outside world.

With reporting by DPA.