News compact: Raid and arrest on suspicion of terrorism

To prevent a suspected Islamist-motivated terrorist attack, special police units searched several properties in various cities in North Rhine-Westphalia . The raids took place simultaneously in the cities of Essen, Dortmund, Düsseldorf, and Soest, the Düsseldorf Public Prosecutor's Office and the Essen police announced early this morning. A 27-year-old man with Bosnian-Herzegovinian nationality has been provisionally arrested.

The reason for the searches was reportedly an "extensive investigation into suspected joint commercial fraud." Investigators further stated that evidence had emerged during this investigation that the assets obtained through the fraudulent acts were intended to be used to finance a terrorist attack.

International Criminal Court issues arrest warrants against Taliban

The International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague has issued arrest warrants for crimes against humanity against leaders of the radical Islamic Taliban in Afghanistan . Taliban leader Haibatullah Akhundzada and Afghanistan's Chief Justice Abdul Hakim Hakkani are accused of gender-based persecution for the oppression of women, the court announced.

While the Taliban had imposed certain rules and prohibitions on the entire population, "they deliberately discriminated against girls and women based on their gender, thereby depriving them of their basic rights and freedoms." Taliban authorities dismissed the arrest warrants as "nonsense."

Bundestag meets for general debate

As the climax of the budget deliberations, the German Bundestag will debate the Chancellery's budget. Traditionally, the government and opposition engage in heated debates. The three-and-a-half-hour general debate is expected to focus on an assessment of the new federal government 's first nine weeks in office. Following this, Chancellor Friedrich Merz will answer questions from members of parliament.

The government, comprised of the conservativeCDU/CSU and the social democratic SPD , introduced its first draft budget to parliament on Tuesday. It envisages massive investments in infrastructure and defense, which will also be financed through record levels of debt.

US Supreme Court clears way for mass layoffs

The US government under President Donald Trump can proceed with its plans for mass layoffs of federal employees following a Supreme Court ruling. The Supreme Court stayed a lower court order that had initially halted the government's plans. In May, a California court ruled against Trump's layoff plans.

Months earlier, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) – then under tech billionaire Elon Musk – had pushed ahead with the restructuring of the government apparatus, including mass layoffs. According to earlier reports, tens of thousands of people could be affected. Trump aims to drastically reduce government spending through these staff cuts.

Already significantly more deaths due to climate change

During the extreme heat wave from late June to early July, climate change roughly tripled the number of deaths in major European cities, according to a study. This is the report of an international research team after analyzing developments in twelve major cities. Between June 23 and July 2, temperatures in many cities climbed to extreme values, sometimes well over 40 degrees Celsius.

The research team from Great Britain , Denmark , the Netherlands , and Switzerland estimates the total number of heat-related deaths for the ten-day period at 2,300. About two-thirds of these, or around 1,500, are attributable to climate change. The vast majority of deaths occurred among seniors aged 65 and over. According to a recent report by the EU's Copernicus climate service, Western Europe experienced its warmest June since records began in 2025.

"Peace March" for Srebrenica victims in Bosnia

With a three-day "peace march" through Bosnia and Herzegovina, thousands of people commemorate the victims of the Srebrenica massacre 30 years ago. The approximately 100-kilometer-long march leads from the Bosnian city of Tuzla through forests, mountains, and villages.

The destination is the memorial in the town of Potocari, where the more than 8,000 Muslim victims will be remembered on Friday's International Srebrenica Remembrance Day. The massacre in July 1995 continues to hamper coexistence in the multi-ethnic state. Mass graves that continue to be discovered in Bosnia-Herzegovina bear witness to this.

EU Parliament approves new Schengen entry system

The path to the introduction of a new electronic entry system for the European Schengen Area is clear. The European Parliament approved the gradual implementation of the so-called "Entry-Exit System" (EES). The aim is to improve security and speed up border controls, the parliament declared in Strasbourg.

The EES is intended to more accurately record the entry and exit of third-country nationals and to document exceedances of the permitted length of stay and entry bans. The Schengen Area includes most European Union countries, as well as Iceland , Norway , Switzerland, and Liechtenstein .

wa/pgr/ch (dpa, afp, epd, ap)

This news overview was created at 9:00 a.m. (CEST) and will not be updated further.