Missing inspirational World Cup-winning captain Philipp Lahm, Germany begin Euro 2016 against Ukraine on Sunday with major doubts over whether they can reach the heights of Brazil two years ago.

Germany are hoping centre-back Mats Hummels could be fit to face Ukraine when the world champions open their Euro 2016 campaign on Sunday.

Germany call up defender Jonathan Tah to replace the injured Antonio Ruediger in their Euro 2016 squad, coach Joachim Loew confirmed on Wednesday.

The German side setting their sights on Euro 2016, 20 years after their last continental trophy, may be completely different from the one that won the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

The rain-swollen River Seine in Paris receded after reaching its highest level in three decades as attention turned to other areas of France where alert warnings have been issued.

At least 51 people were injured by lightning strikes at the "Rock am Ring" music festival in western Germany on Friday evening, according to German police, with forecasts of thunderstorms and possibly hail to come.

The rain-swollen River Seine in Paris reached its highest level in three decades, spilling its banks and prompting the Louvre museum to shut its doors and evacuate artworks in its basement.

23-member Euro 2016 squads of Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Poland, Spain, Ukraine, England, Wales, Turkey and Belgium have been announced.

An inexperienced Germany team suffers a self-confidence sapping 3-1 defeat to Slovakia in Sunday's storm-affected friendly as the world champions fielded four new caps ahead of Euro 2016.

World champions Germany are set to blood a crop of rising stars in Sunday's friendly at home to Slovakia as head coach Joachim Loew fine-tunes his Euro 2016 squad.

Bastian Schweinsteiger says he would recover from a knee injury in time to captain Germany at the European Championship, even though it remained unclear when he would return to the pitch.

Hoffenheim's Germany international Kevin Volland has signed a five-year deal with Bayer Leverkusen, the two clubs announced on Friday.

Bayern Munich's Mario Goetze could benefit from a potential move, with the talented attacking midfielder in need of a coach who trusts him, Germany coach Joachim Loew said on Friday.

A pensioner who died in 2014 could have been behind a spate of sadistic killings in the 1970s and 1990s, German investigators say.

Uncapped midfielders Joshua Kimmich and Julian Brandt are included in Germany's provisional 27-man squad for next month's European championships in France.

Germany will play Italy in a friendly in their final game of 2016, the World Cup holders announced on Friday.

Germany is to legalise cannabis for medicinal purposes early next year, the health minister said on Tuesday.

A 20th-minute goal from Gonzalo Castro and two late goals from Marco Reus and Henrikh Mkhitaryan propelled Dortmund into their third successive Cup final.

The founder of Germany's anti-Islamist Pegida movement goes to trial in Dresden on hate speech charges.

Thousands of files have surfaced with personal data on members of the Islamic State group — documents that might help authorities track down and prosecute foreign fighters who returned home after joining the extremists, or identify those who recruited them in the first place.