Angela Merkel (70) led the country for 16 years. What is her assessment of her former rival, Friedrich Merz (69), today, barely two months after he took office as Chancellor? How does she assess the global war situation and Germany's handling of the ongoing refugee crisis? We'll discuss this with the former Chancellor in an RND talk show in Schwerin. You can watch the 75-minute talk live here starting at 6 p.m.
Before you start your Tuesday, you'll be well informed with these five topics from Germany and the world.
This is why it's important: Extreme heat not only weakens concentration but can also be hazardous to health. This affects both students and teachers. Due to climate change, temperatures are getting hotter and hotter – including and especially in classrooms, where many people are in close quarters.
Here's what's on: Today it will be as hot as 37 degrees Celsius. The heat wave will reach its peak tomorrow – with temperatures up to 39 degrees Celsius. Some students will most likely be given a day off due to the heat.
This is what it's about: The hashtag "#Skinnytok," which was used to circulate dangerous content about extreme weight loss on TikTok, has been blocked. However, many of these posts can still be found under modified spellings.
This is why it's important: The content glorifies unhealthy eating behaviors and can be particularly dangerous for young people. It normalizes anorexia, offers tips on how to hide symptoms, and reinforces the pressure to conform to an unhealthy body image. Even a few minutes of exposure to such content can cause long-term damage to self-esteem.
Here's what's next: To better protect young people, experts are calling for digital safeguards such as age verification, clear content moderation, and more transparent algorithms. In the long term, platforms that monetize such content need greater accountability.
This is what happened: According to the governor installed by Moscow, the Russian military has captured the entire Ukrainian region of Luhansk.
This is why it's important: Luhansk would be the first region of Ukraine that Russia has completely occupied in more than three years of war. This is likely to further strengthen Moscow's position in potential negotiations.
This is how it continues: A quick end to the war is not in sight – Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin (72) recently reaffirmed Russia's claim to the entire Ukraine and once again drastically intensified the attacks on the neighboring country.
What it's about: Nearly one in five people in Germany has felt mistreated by a public authority. Nearly one in ten even feels they have been discriminated against. This is the result of a representative survey commissioned by the Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency, which was exclusively obtained by RND.
Background: People with a migration background, disabilities and low socioeconomic status in particular report discrimination.
Here's what's next: Ferda Ataman (45), the Independent Federal Commissioner for Anti-Discrimination, is calling for the anti-discrimination law to be extended to state action at the federal level. "The problem is that those affected have little power to defend themselves against discrimination emanating from state authorities," she says.
This is what happened: More than a third of Deutsche Bahn's long-distance trains were late in the first half of the year – meaning the state-owned company is falling short of its own annual target.
Background: Deutsche Bahn considers trains that arrive at their destination with a maximum delay of five minutes and 59 seconds to be on time. Only a delay of six minutes or more is a train considered late in the statistics. Deutsche Bahn CEO Richard Lutz (61) cites infrastructure problems as the main reason for the large number of delays. He says the infrastructure is "too old, too prone to breakdowns, and completely overloaded on many routes and hubs."
Here's what's next: Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder (57, CDU) has announced that he will review the suitability of the state-owned company's board of directors. The next major challenge is already looming: the general restructuring of the Berlin-Hamburg rail network.
Stay safe and healthy during this hot day. See you tomorrow,
Capital Radar: Personal impressions and background information from the government district. Every Thursday.
Life and Us: The guide to health, well-being and the whole family – every other Thursday.
US radar: What's moving the United States: RND's US experts provide context and background information. Every Tuesday.
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