Saudi Arabia is executing more and more death sentences - News compact: the most important facts in brief

According to the human rights organization Amnesty International, the number of executions in Saudi Arabia is rising sharply. Among those executed in recent years are many foreign nationals convicted of drug offenses, according to a report published by the organization on Monday. These include primarily people from Pakistan ,Syria , Jordan , Yemen , Egypt and Somalia . Between 2014 and the middle of this year, around 1,800 people were executed in Saudi Arabia. Almost one in three of these were convicted of drug offenses, Amnesty International stated. Within this group, three-quarters of those convicted are nationals of other countries. In June of this year alone, 46 people were executed - 37 of them for drug offenses.

More and more children die in US flash floods

Two days after the flash floods began in the southern United States, the horrific extent of the damage has become clearer: More and more children have not survived the floods, which came as a surprise to many. The total number of confirmed deaths in Texas has risen to around 80. In addition, around 40 people are still missing. Among those being searched for are the guests of a Christian summer camp that was completely devastated by the floods. The water level of the Guadalupe River rose by eight meters within 45 minutes on Friday. The floods on the US Independence Day were triggered by heavy rainfall of up to 300 liters per square meter.

Poland tightens border controls

Poland's border guards have begun temporary checks at their shared border with Germany. Since midnight, travelers have been checked at 52 border crossings, the Interior Ministry announced on X. Border guards are paying particular attention to minibuses, cars with large passenger loads, and vehicles with tinted windows. The center-left government in Warsaw ordered the checks in response to German border controls . The controls are initially scheduled to last until August 5. Travelers wishing to cross the border must have an identity card or passport. Checks are also being conducted at 13 border crossings with Lithuania .

EU Parliament debates EU Commission's Corona policy

This Monday, the European Parliament will debate a motion of no confidence against EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and her team. One MEP from each political group will speak. The Commission President will have the opportunity to respond to the speeches in plenary. The motion of no confidence was initiated by a right-wing Romanian MEP. The motion accuses von der Leyen and her team of, among other things, a lack of transparency and mismanagement with regard to their coronavirus policy. The vote will take place on Thursday. A sufficient majority for the motion of no confidence is considered extremely unlikely.

Trump and Netanyahu speak at the White House

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is visiting US President Donald Trump in Washington this Monday. The meeting at the White House will focus on the recently intensified efforts to achieve a ceasefire in the Gaza war between Israel and the radical Islamic Palestinian organization Hamas. Over the weekend, an Israeli negotiating team traveled to Qatar for indirect talks with Hamas . A proposal from international mediators for a 60-day ceasefire is on the table. Trump expressed "very optimistic" on Friday that an agreement would be reached.

Trump is again considering higher tariffs

According to President Donald Trump, the US will notify a number of trading partners by letter starting this Monday about the imposition of punitive tariffs . There will probably be twelve letters, Trump stated. It is still unclear which countries the letters will be addressed to. At the beginning of April, Trump imposed high tariff surcharges on numerous countries and then shortly thereafter reduced them to ten percent for most countries for 90 days. The affected countries are trying to reach agreements with the US to avert higher tariffs. US officials have indicated that several trade agreements could be announced soon.

fab/pgr/ch/sh (dpa, afp, rtr, ape)

This article was created at 9:15 a.m. (CEST) and will not be updated further.