Harris announces her running mate, the SBB participates in the electrification of a German railway line – and our recommendations: The most important things of the day in review.
The most important thing in the evening: Harris announces her running mate and the SBB participates in the electrification of a German railway line
And you only read this in the NZZ: Fabian Bauwens-Adenauer is the great-grandson of the first German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer. Today, the descendant co-runs the Bauwens company, which has close ties to the Adenauer family. Bauwens-Adenauer has been a member of the CDU himself for a few years. However, he does not want to become politically active. Background
The most important thing in the evening
Kamala Harris nominates Tim Walz as running mate
That happened: The Democratic presidential candidate, Kamala Harris, has nominated Tim Walz as her candidate for vice president. Harris announced this via social media. Harris justified her choice by saying that Walz is particularly committed to the needs of middle-class families. Walz does not come from a swing state, but was considered the secret favorite beforehand. Harris is expected to announce her candidacy on Tuesday evening (local time) together with Walz at an event in Philadelphia. Read the report
This is Tim Walz: Walz, 60, was previously a high school teacher and football coach. As governor, he is considered progressive and has long been a supporter of women’s pregnancy rights. In addition to Walz, Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, Governor Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, Governor J. B. Pritzker of Illinois, Governor Andy Beshear of Kentucky and Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg were also considered for the vice presidential post.
The SBB operates the new Hochrhein-Bodensee-Express
That happened: The SBB will operate the new Hochrhein-Bodensee-Express (HEX) from the end of 2027. It will run from Basel via Schaffhausen to Konstanz and then on to St. Gallen / Herisau. The Hochrhein route on the German side from Basel Badischer Bahnhof to Erzingen is not yet electrified. From next year to the end of 2027, the line is to be electrified and expanded. To the report
That’s why it’s important: The Federal Railways were awarded the contract for the connection without a tender, as is usual for regional transport in the EU. The reason is that Baden-Württemberg, the cantons and districts involved and the Swiss Confederation are jointly co-financing the operation of the HEX. Baden-Württemberg could not provide the financing on its own.
What else happened
- Volkswagen is reducing its production by 25 percent: This was announced by CEO Oliver Blume in an interview with the magazine “Auto Motor Sport”. The car manufacturer plans to reduce night shifts in various plants. The sites in Ingolstadt, Emden and Zwickau are particularly affected. Volkswagen had recently recorded high sales but only low profits. Read the report
- Federal Justice Minister Marco Buschmann warns against travel to Russia: No one has been safe there for a long time, he told the magazine “Stern”. It cannot be ruled out that Russian President Vladimir Putin will take “more political prisoners”. Last week, Russia and Belarus released 16 people in a prisoner exchange. To the reports from Germany
- US court declares Google an illegal monopolist: The competition case in Washington was about Google’s cooperations, through which the search engine is stored as a standard in browsers and as an app on smartphones. The consequences of the court decision in Washington are still unclear. They are to be clarified in further proceedings. Google intends to appeal against the decision. Read the report
- Taxi driver allegedly deliberately hit people in Cologne: A total of five women and one man were injured, two of them seriously. This was reported by the police. According to witnesses, the 44-year-old from Velbert deliberately drove his car towards women at high speed late on Monday evening. Read the report
- Riots in Great Britain continue: The riots were triggered by false information spread on social networks, according to which a migrant was blamed for the murder of three girls. Around 400 people have since been arrested. Prime Minister Keir Starmer had announced that police protection for mosques would be increased due to the right-wing riots. Read the report
- German basketball players are in the semifinals of the Olympics: The team led by captain Dennis Schröder won its quarter-final against Greece in the Bercy Arena in Paris with 76:63 (36:36). This means that the German basketball players have reached the semi-finals at the Olympic Games for the first time. The team will play against the winner of the duel between host France and Canada on Thursday. To the news briefs
Our recommendation for «NZZ PRO Global» subscribers
Hope for peace: There has been war in Sudan for 15 months. According to the UN, more than 25 million people no longer have enough to eat. By the end of September, 2.5 million Sudanese could starve to death. Talks with the conflicting parties are planned for August 14 in Switzerland. But the prospects of a peace agreement are slim. Background
With the premium newsletter “NZZ PRO Global” you can look ahead to the global economy and geopolitics. Try it free for 30 days. For registration
This is what we recommend today
Stock market spook: After the stock market fluctuations of the past few days, the market has recovered somewhat. The triggers include the key interest rate adjustment in Japan and the American announcement of an interest rate cut in September, which affected tech stocks of the so-called “Magnificent 7”. But the hype surrounding AI also played a role. Background
Allergenic substances: Fermented foods and beverages such as wine, beer, cheese or sauerkraut can contain a lot of biogenic amines. The biogenic amines histamine and tyramine have a particularly strong effect. In the human body, amines are produced by the cells themselves, but only in small quantities. Large doses can lead to poisoning. Background
Before you go any further
🎧 Hear: There are many war images with children circulating on social networks. Children have enormous symbolic power: they represent the future of a society. In the new episode of NZZ Audio, hear how children were abused for war propaganda even in the times of Hitler and Stalin. Listen now with Apple Podcast | To the audio episode (for subscribers only)
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✏️ Puzzle: How well do you know our articles? Test your knowledge in the NZZ crossword puzzle. You can find the answers to all questions in our reports. To the crossword puzzle
I wish you a nice evening.
Mirjam Moll
The briefing is published weekdays at 6 a.m. and 5 p.m. There is a weekend edition at 7 a.m. on Saturdays.
