Germany set to see hottest day of year
Workers in Germany may want to take a 'Hitze Frei', or heat-related day off, on Tuesday, as the German Weather Service (DWD) forecasts sweltering temperatures of up to 37C.
Amid sunny skies and occasionally thunderstorms, the soaring temperatures could mark the day as the hottest of the year so far - beating temperatures 35.4C recorded in Baden-Württemberg at the end of July.
According to DWD meteorologist Sebastian Schappert, "high humidity during the day will lead to temperatures of up to 40 degrees and thus to a high, sometimes extreme heat load". This could lead to a series of tropical nights where temperatures barely drop after sundown.
In urban centres in particular, temperatures will not fall below 20 degrees in the coming nights, and in some cases will even be around 24 degrees.
The mercury is expected to stay as high as 29C to 34C on Wednesday, but there is also a risk of heavy rain and thunderstorms.
READ ALSO: 8 of the coolest places in Germany to visit on hot summer days
Sizzling temperatures, such as those expected this week in Germany, are a sign of the growing number of heatwaves in Europe, a direct consequence of global warming.
Emissions of greenhouse gases increase the intensity and duration of heatwaves particularly in Europe, which according to the World Meteorological Organization is the region of the world which is heating up most quickly.
FDP slams plans for tighter weapons controls
As Interior Ministry Nancy Faeser (SPD) investigates reforms to knife and gun laws in Germany, she is already meeting with opposition from her liberal coalition partners.
"The proposals from the Federal Ministry of the Interior are not convincing," the deputy leader of the FDP parliamentary group, Konstantin Kuhle, told DPA. In order to curb growing knife crime, existing bans should be monitored more closely and offences should be sanctioned, he added, dismissing Faeser's plans as "purely symbolic".
In view of the increase in knife attacks, Faeser has been looking at ways to tighten Germany's weapons restrictions, for example by banning the carrying of big knives in public. According to Faeser's suggestion, knives permissable in public would be limited to a blade length of up to six centimetres (instead of the existing twelve centimetres).
READ ALSO: What you need to know about gun laws in Germany
"Six centimetres is okay," the Interior Minister told Bild am Sonntag. "That's a small fruit knife if you're travelling somewhere and want to have a picnic."
However, the opposition of the FDP make it unclear if Faeser would have the support she needs to pass her proposed reforms.
Scholz calls for de-escalation in talk with Iranian president
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Monday expressed "great concern" about the "spiral of violence" in the Middle East in a phone call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, his spokesman Wolfgang Büchner said in a statement.
Scholz "appealed to President Pezeshkian to do everything possible to prevent a further military escalation", expressed "great concern about the danger of a regional conflagration in the Middle East" and said "the spiral of violence in the Middle East must be broken now".
Scholz is one of many international leaders seeking to head off mounting tensions between Iran and Israel.
On Sunday, the German Chancellor had spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to urge an end to the fighting in Gaza.
According to Büchner, Scholz "emphasised that now was the time to finalise the agreement on the release of the hostages and a ceasefire" and stressed that "an end to the war in Gaza would be a decisive step towards a regional de-escalation".
Germany's Olympic athletes are welcomes home by a guard of honour
With the closing ceremony on Sunday, the Summer Games in Paris have come to an end and the German team returned home with 33 medals in tow.
Cheered on by euphoric fans and welcomed by political celebrities, a number of the German Olympic athletes were welcomed home in Cologne on Monday.
They were welcomed by Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser (SPD), North Rhine-Westphalia's Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst (CDU) and Cologne's Mayor Henriette Reker (independent), among others.
"They are the heroes we love," said Reker. She invited the athletes to sign the guest book. The President of the German Olympic Sports Confederation Thomas Weikert encouraged the team to "Recover well, and celebrate with everyone you like."
Equestrian events and the canoe sprint turned out to be Germany's strongest sports this year, having won four and two Gold medals in these events respectively. German athletes also took home the Gold for events in Rhythmic Gymnastics, Rowing, Swimming and Triathlon, among others.
With reporting by AFP
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