1. The dam burst

The horror of war is permanent, but the attention of the world public is not. But there are days when almost everyone looks back at Ukraine. The headlines, the news broadcasts, the crisis teams, kitchen tables and bar counters know almost only one topic on these days.

Zoom Image

Current satellite image of the dam

Photograph:

Planet Labs PBC / AP

Today is such a day: the Kakhovka dam in the south of the country has broken. In pictures, it looks like a large explosion could have torn a hole in the dam several meters long. Presumably, Russian troops blew it up to complicate the Ukrainians' counteroffensive. "According to Kyiv's intelligence service, the Russians had attached explosive material to locks and pillars and placed two military trucks filled with explosives on the dam," my colleague Ann-Dort Boy and my colleague Oliver Imhof report. But they also say: "There was no evidence of this." Both Russians and Ukrainians blame the other side. Even wear and tear and decay cannot be completely ruled out as the cause.

One thing is certain: the Dnieper, the third longest river in Europe, has burst its banks; the water floods entire regions. Thousands of people have to flee, in buses, cars, trains. "Militarily, the destruction of the dam gives Russia in particular an advantage," report Ann-Dorit and Oliver.

Zoom Image

Kherson: "The floods reached the area around noon"

Photo: Alexander Sarovic / DER SPIEGEL

My colleague Alex Sarovic arrived today in the downstream city of Kherson, where the so-called island district in particular is under water. "The floods reached the area around noon, residents tell us," he says. "We saw tree trunks and even rooftops drifting across the Dnieper." In some streets, you have to wade through knee-deep broth. "At least I was able to escape from the shelling into the shelter," said a man whose house was full and with whom Alex was talking. "But I can't do anything about that." Some residents still want to stay.

  • Read the full story here: Now Russia's military has one less problem

And here are more news and background information on the war in Ukraine:

  • The counteroffensive of the Ukrainians has begun: Kiev's plans for attack are apparently entering the hot phase. With Western tanks, new units are advancing on a broad front. However, the rupture of the Kakhovka dam could make it difficult to cross the Dnieper River.

  • Kiev's dangerous diversionary tactics: Ukraine is allowing right-wing extremist fighters to advance into the Russian border area – probably also with vehicles and weapons from NATO countries. Does the West tolerate this? Answers to the four most pressing questions.

  • Here you will find all the latest developments on the war in Ukraine: The news update

2. These are the »Dirty Thirty«

Zoom Image

Germany's largest Thyssenkrupp steel mill on the Rhine in Duisburg

Photo: Jonas Güttler / dpa

Blocking coal-fired power plants, flying less, giving up meat, replacing the heating system – the climate debate seems to revolve around the same issues over and over again. But in addition to power plants and consumption, there are companies that are "regularly among the largest single emitters," as my colleague Benedikt Müller-Arnold reports. The WWF and the Öko-Institut have now published a list of the "Dirty Thirty", the 30 most climate-damaging industrial plants in Germany. It is based on data from the German Emissions Trading Authority at the Federal Environment Agency.

According to the report, these 30 factories alone recently caused eight percent of all German greenhouse gas emissions. If you look at where the plants are located and who operates them, you end up with only three culprits: steel mills, lime and cement factories, chemical plants. (The detailed list can be found here.)

"That may sound like a ranking of shame," says Benedict. But he assesses the study differently: "Because the authors combine the indictment with good news: The technologies to produce steel or basic chemicals in a climate-friendly way, for example, have long been there." The question now is whether Germany's large industrial plants will be rebuilt quickly enough. "That would be the chance to avoid CO₂ emissions – and to save at least some of the jobs in the future."

  • Here is more background: These are the 30 most climate-damaging industrial plants in Germany

3. A »Till Girl« speaks

Now another woman has commented on the allegations against Rammstein frontman Till Lindemann: Influencer Kayla Shyx, whose YouTube channel has over three-quarters of a million users subscribed to, has published a video – it supports previous descriptions and research. According to Shyx, she was also one of "Tills Girls" at a Rammstein concert, which was in 2022. She shot a video immediately after the concert because she felt it was very wrong what she had experienced there – but the video never went online. Her management at the time advised her to delete it and not talk about it.

The key sentences from the new video:

  • "Right now, a lot of things are coming out that I was very afraid of when I was in the situation. Other girls have fared much worse than me. But I want to use my reach to report on it.«

  • "We thought we were going to the after party... all of a sudden, she leads us into such a back room. and she said you're waiting for Till. We were just brought in there so that Rammstein could choose some.«

  • "All of a sudden, I check: I'm here as a sex object. Panic, panic."

  • "Everybody talked it down. I was just scared. I'm afraid to shoot the video now, too."

So far, the band has denied the allegations and asked not to be prejudged. A lawyer emphasized that there was a lack of "evidentiary facts." Now it has become known that Rammstein is parting ways with the "casting director" who is said to have recruited young women for Lindemann.

  • Read the full story here: Influencer Kayla Shyx describes her experiences at Rammstein afterparty

What else is important today

  • 24 members of the Bundestag from the SPD and the Greens reject EU asylum reform: The EU Commission wants to introduce fast-track asylum procedures at the EU's external borders for numerous migrants. The traffic light government supports the plan – and is now receiving fierce criticism from within its own ranks.

  • At least 105,000 children have been recruited as soldiers since 2005, according to Unicef: The UN Children's Fund has examined data from more than 30 conflict zones. The sad result: hundreds of thousands of children worldwide have been victims of wars and violence. The aid organization is now calling for consequences.

  • Drone to extinguish major fire in Brandenburg: The forest fire on a former military training area in Brandenburg has been blazing for days. Because of old ammunition in the ground, extinguishing the fire is difficult. A firefighter's drone is intended to remedy the situation.

What we recommend today at SPIEGEL+

  • Trump gets the race he wanted: The field of Republican candidates is getting bigger and bigger. Now Mike Pence and Chris Christie also want to win the presidential candidacy. This benefits one person in particular: Donald Trump.

  • The Pill Money Machines: Tablets, powders, ampoules: With all sorts of tricks, the dietary supplement industry is trying to keep the controversial business going. Pharmacists are often their henchmen.

  • That's why the relegation must remain:This year, too, the abolition of the Bundesliga relegation was demanded. Yet it is a fundamentally honest instrument. It shows everyone what the balance of power is in football.

  • Samuel Yeboah case – investigators arrest former neo-Nazi leader: Samuel Yeboah died in a racist arson attack in Saarlouis in 1991. According to SPIEGEL information, there is now another accused.

What is less important today

Enlarge imagePhoto: Christopher Smith / dpa

Feels pre-mothered: US actress Drew Barrymore, 48, has spoken about the difficult relationship with her mother. "I don't care about her. I will never be indifferent to her," she told the industry magazine "Vulture". Nevertheless, she had to free herself from it. "I can't wait. I don't want to live in a state where I wish someone would leave earlier than they should so that I can grow."

Mini concave mirror

Here you will find the whole concave mirror.

Cartoon of the Day

And tonight?

Of course, you could just sit on the terrace, your own or that of your favorite restaurant, and enjoy the fact that the sun sets so late. (In Hamburg today only at 21.44 p.m.) However, if you have already soaked up enough sun during the day in your home office, it would also be conceivable to follow a recommendation from my colleague Anke Dürr and retreat to the darkened living room to watch Billy Wilder's classic "Ariane - Love in the Afternoon" in the Arte media library. Starring: Audrey Hepburn and the city of Paris. Anke says: "Yes, there were already discussions at the time as to whether Gary Cooper wasn't too old for Hepburn to play the love of her life, but you can also see the film simply as what it wanted to be: a romantic comedy for a beautiful summer evening."

Have a nice evening. Yours sincerely
, Oliver Trenkamp, newspaper editor in the editor-in-chief