The German national team kicked off the 2026 World Cup with a resounding 7-1 victory over Curacao. The match attracted nearly 23.5 million viewers on public broadcaster ARD, achieving a 70.2% market share. This marks a significant increase from the 9 million viewers for Germany's opening game in the 2022 Qatar World Cup, though slightly below the 22 million for Euro 2024 opener.

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier arrived in Jakarta for an official visit to Indonesia. He was greeted by President Prabowo Subianto and several ministers, who reportedly sang traditional Indonesian songs. The German delegation responded by singing in German. Indonesia, with 280 million people, is the largest democracy in Southeast Asia and the world's biggest Muslim country. Steinmeier will also visit the Philippines and Uzbekistan.

Hubert Hüppe, head of the seniors' organization within Chancellor Friedrich Merz's CDU party, stated that pension reforms will determine the fate of the coalition government. He emphasized that reforms must include all segments of society, not just retirees. Merz's government is pushing for cost-saving changes to the pension system, drawing criticism from trade unions and workers' associations.

Source: www.dw.com