Bild: German soldiers in Ukraine | Deutsche Soldaten in die Ukraine
FAZ: Opposition brings down France’s minority government | Opposition stürzt Frankreichs Minderheitsregierung
Funke: Compulsory savings: Culture achieves partial success | Sparzwang: Kultur erzielt Teilerfolg
Handelsblatt: Lufthansa is rebuilding | Lufthansa baut um
RND: French parliament brings down government: Now Macron is also shaking | Französisches Parlament stürzt Regierung: Jetzt wackelt auch Macron
SZ: France’s Prime Minister Barnier overthrown | Frankreichs Premier Barnier gestürzt
Tagesspiegel: Incident in the Baltic Sea: Russian ship’s crew fired on Bundeswehr helicopter | Zwischenfall in der Ostsee: Russische Schiffsbesatzung schoss auf Bundeswehr-Hubschrauber
taz: High Yoon | High Yoon
Welt: Scholz criticizes debate over Bundeswehr mission in Ukraine | Scholz kritisiert Debatte über Bundeswehrmission in Ukraine
Israeli Defense Minister Katz sees chance for Gaza agreement with Hamas: The reason for this is that the pressure on Hamas has increased, among other things, because of the weakening of Hezbollah in Lebanon, Katz said during a visit to an air force base. He said the most important thing was to bring those kidnapped from Israel home. Israel is working with all means to achieve this ultimate goal.
- According to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the ceasefire agreed by Israel and the Lebanese Hezbollah is stable; both sides are fundamentally interested in adhering to the agreement.
- The UN General Assembly has called on Israel to implement a two-state solution. In addition, an international meeting to be chaired by France and Saudi Arabia in June 2025 should advance diplomatic efforts to this end.
Syrian army launches counteroffensive against rebel jihadists near Hama: The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports that the army has pushed back the insurgents near the city of Hama by around ten kilometers. Russia is supporting the government troops of ruler Bashar al-Assad with fighter jets. According to a radio report, Iran has sent military advisors to Syria.
NATO accuses Russia of supporting North Korean nuclear program: Secretary General Mark Rutte said after the NATO foreign ministers‘ meeting in Brussels that Russia was supplying missile and nuclear technology in exchange for troops and weapons from North Korea. This could destabilize the Korean peninsula and even threaten the United States. Russia is using thousands of North Korean soldiers in the war against Ukraine. Rutte also advocated more investment in armaments. The two-percent target is not enough if the West wants to maintain deterrence at its current level. sueddeutsche.de, n-tv.de
- Future head of the Munich Security Conference Jens Stoltenberg: „Putin is paying a high price for his aggression“. handelsblatt.com
Criticism of Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock’s considerations for a possible German troop presence in Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire: Baerbock had said that in the event of a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia, in addition to security guarantees such as NATO membership, an international presence to secure the ceasefire in the area was also on the table. Germany would support anything that served the cause of peace in the future. n-tv.de
Chancellor Olaf Scholz is once again calling for the adoption of legislative proposals: The time of the election campaign should not be a time of standstill, Scholz said at the government question time on Wednesday. He again called on the opposition to agree to the legislative proposals of his red-green minority government. Parliament could still pass several measures to ease the burden on citizens, including an increase in child benefit and child supplement, as well as an extension of the „Deutschlandticket“ rail ticket. Scholz added that it would also be possible to continue the rent brake beyond next year and to halt the increase in network fees. handelsblatt.com, shz.de
Cabinet approves new national security and defense industry strategy: The government wants to strengthen the German arms industry and adapt to the new challenges since the beginning of the war in Ukraine. The new strategy replaces a paper from 2020 and also takes into account the effects of the war in Ukraine. According to the new strategy, Germany must become „defensible as quickly as possible“. spiegel.de, n-tv.de
Union Chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz does not generally rule out reforming the debt brake: He has gotten into the habit of saying „never never“ in politics, Merz said at Maischberger. From today’s perspective, he is firmly convinced that the problems can be solved without changing the debt brake. But you never know what challenges you will face tomorrow and the day after. At the same time, he reiterated his party’s proposals that at least a relaxation for the federal states was a conceivable option. rnd.de
Bundesbank chief Joachim Nagel advocates reform of debt brake: It is a very clever approach to loosen the rules to allow more spending on defense and infrastructure modernization, Nagel told the Financial Times. At the same time, he pointed out that 2025 is likely to be another year of weak growth for the German economy. merkur.de
Coalition agreement presented in Saxony: Representatives of the CDU and SPD presented the paper in Dresden on Wednesday afternoon. Among other things, it includes plans to deport people who are required to leave the country more quickly. There could now be departure centers for this purpose. A Saxon border police force is also to be set up. The contract still has to be discussed in the party committees. zdf.de
Raids against Iraqi-Kurdish smuggling network in North Rhine-Westphalia and Baden-Württemberg: More than 500 federal police officers were deployed, reports the Bild newspaper; as were investigators from the French and British security authorities. A total of more than ten European arrest warrants were to be executed. The suspects are alleged to have smuggled migrants from the Middle East and East Africa from France to the UK in „inferior inflatable boats“. tagesschau.de
Former Wirecard board member Jan Marsalek is said to have financed an agent ring: internal documents and e-mails show that Marsalek transferred money to the accounts of companies associated with spies. The agents were registered as directors, for example. A group of them are currently on trial in the UK, accused of spying for Russia. Two Bulgarians admitted their activities as agents shortly before the trial began. spiegel.de, handelsblatt.com
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov enters first EU state since Ukraine offensive for OSCE meeting: He will lead the Russian delegation on Thursday and Friday, said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on Wednesday. Lavrov is subject to EU sanctions. Brussels imposed sanctions on him the day after Russia launched its offensive in Ukraine in February 2022. Zakharova will not be traveling with him, as Malta has annulled her visa due to an entry ban imposed on her at the request of the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. 57 OSCE member states are discussing security and stability on the continent. n-tv.de
More Regional:
- Berlin: CDU and SPD withdraw plan to cut collective bargaining provisions. rbb24.de
- Saarland: MPs want electronic tags for domestic violence offenders. saarbruecker-zeitung.de
- Saxony: AfD politician Jörg Dornau is said to have broken EU sanctions in questionable dealings in Belarus. mdr.de
- Lower Saxony: Cybercriminals target the Achim city council. weser-kurier.de
- NRW: School may ban full veils, according to the Düsseldorf Administrative Court. waz.de
- Schleswig-Holstein: Large cocaine find on several beaches on the islands of Sylt, Amrum and Föhr. shz.de
- Bavaria: Trade fair wants to keep IAA with an exhibition in downtown Munich. n-tv.de
French parliament ousts Michel Barnier government: The motion of censure was tabled by the left-wing parties, while the far-right National Rally supported the motion, thereby providing the necessary majority. The political trigger was a dispute over the state budget. Prime Minister Barnier will have to submit his resignation and that of his center-right government to President Emmanuel Macron after about three months. He and his cabinet can remain in office until Macron appoints a new prime minister. According to the French constitution, a new parliamentary election is not possible until the summer of next year. zdf.de, spiegel.de, tagesschau.de, sueddeutsche.de
Georgian opposition leader Nika Gvaramia beaten and arrested: The opposition party „Coalition for Change“ stated that its leader had been physically attacked and dragged into a car by police officers. Since the parliamentary elections at the end of October, Georgia has been facing a crucial test between pro-Russian and pro-European forces. The government suspended EU accession talks until 2028, triggering mass protests, which the police are also violently suppressing. Police have also searched numerous offices of the opposition and of NGOs. faz.net, taz.de, zeit.de
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol is threatened with impeachment after the decision on martial law: The opposition announced that the vote on this could take place as early as Friday in parliament. Yoon is under massive pressure after declaring martial law on Tuesday and then lifting it a few hours later after the intervention of the National Assembly. The opposition accuses him of a serious breach of the constitution. Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun offered his resignation. faz.net, spiegel.de, handelsblatt.com
USA reports large-scale hacker attack: The White House accuses China of being behind the attack on telecommunications companies. Actors in Beijing are said to have gained access to private text messages and telephone conversations of an as yet unknown number of US citizens. High-ranking US government officials and well-known politicians were also targeted. President Joe Biden has been informed of the findings. zdf.de, n-tv.de
More News:
- Belgium: Former EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders questioned on suspicion of money laundering. spiegel.de
- Poland: Border protection strengthened with anti-tank obstacles and mines. nzz.ch
- Italy: Arrests in raids against neo-Nazis. br.de
- Sweden: Country fights against teenage killers and gang crime. spiegel.de
- Sweden: More and more prisoners due to stricter laws; lack of space means that prisons are to be rented in Estonia. rnd.de
- Austria: Coalition negotiations still in the early stages ten weeks after the election. sueddeutsche.de
- Latvia: Excess profit tax for banks decided. zentralplus.ch
- Norway: Mass murderer Anders Breivik fails with application for early release. spiegel.de
- Austria: NGOs see need for action on UN women’s rights convention. derstandard.at
- Norway: Sovereign wealth fund excludes Israeli company on ethical grounds. spiegel.de
- Great Britain: Ban on advertising unhealthy food. tagesschau.de
- Niger: France loses control of uranium production after coup. faz.net
- Congo: 67 dead from mysterious disease with flu-like symptoms. zdf.de
- Iran: Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi is temporarily released from prison to receive medical care. t-online.de
- USA: Donald Trump wants election fraud proceedings in Georgia to be dropped. handelsblatt.com
- USA: Donald Trump wants to make billionaire and all-out traveler Jared Isaacman head of Nasa. spiegel.de
- USA: Trump wants financial entrepreneur Paul Atkins as head of the Securities and Exchange Commission; market observers expect more openness to cryptocurrencies. handelsblatt.com
- Cuba: Island without electricity again after failure of the largest power plant. tagesschau.de
OECD predicts Germany will bring up the rear in economic growth in 2025: The organization expects gross domestic product to grow by 0.7 percent in the coming year. Reasons for this include low production and weak export demand, particularly from China. A global increase of 3.3 percent is expected in the coming year. zdf.de
Employees protest at VW works meeting: Company boss Oliver Blume defended the austerity measures to the workforce, saying that urgent action was needed to secure VW’s future. At the meeting, Labor Minister Hubertus Heil called for joint efforts to secure VW’s locations in Germany. In addition, there should be no layoffs. tagesspiegel.de, n-tv.de
More from Business, Tech and Science:
- Car sales stagnated in November: Experts expect a turnaround in demand for electric cars. n-tv.de
- Baywa Group wants to cut 1,300 jobs as part of its restructuring. sueddeutsche.de
- Significantly above the EU average: Germans spend a good quarter of their income on housing. tagesspiegel.de
- Survey by the Ifo Institute: Bureaucracy costs companies six percent of sales. n-tv.de
- 60 years of Stiftung Warentest: the nation’s testers celebrate their birthday. tagesschau.de
- Economic forecast: Germany will become a burden for Europe. welt.de
- Which family businesses are the most popular? Chocolate maker Alfred Ritter is ahead of Cologne-based freight forwarder Emons. wiwo.de
- Digital bank with a hunger for data: Consumer advocates criticize Klarna’s account snooping. spiegel.de
- Creditreform: Recession is causing German companies to pay less. wiwo.de
- CEO of insurance company: Brian Thompson, head of United Healthcare, shot dead in front of Manhattan hotel. manager-magazin.de
- Why the economy does not want a nuclear power plant revival. wiwo.de
- Why more and more tech companies are turning to nuclear power – Foxconn wants to bring the division of labor known from the iPhone to the automotive sector. faz.net
- OpenAI opens office in Switzerland – along with new employees. heise.de
- Anas Alkharboutli is dead: dpa photographer killed in air raid in Syria. n-tv.de
- Press Freedom Act: Reporters Without Borders honor journalists from Gaza and Ukraine. horizont.net
- Streaming service DAZN secures broadcast rights for Club World Cup. welt.de
- Criticism of Oscar ceremony: Sean Penn accuses Academy of „extraordinary cowardice“. n-tv.de
- Streaming balance for 2024: „Spotify Wrapped“ – these are the most-streamed songs of the year – most-streamed act Taylor Swift. spiegel.de
- Diddy: Son Christian King Combs charged with abuse. musikexpress.de
- „Champagne dispute“: AfD politician Krah is facing a lawsuit from Böhmermann – the TV man claims that Krah ordered 200 bottles of champagne for the entire marquee at the Oktoberfest in Munich. ksta.de
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- Only the International Association of Athletics Federations pays – IOC remains firm: No prize money at the Olympics. sportbuzzer.de
- BVB plans with high net proceeds – Ricken on the Club World Cup: „These won’t be friendly games“. kicker.de
- Five sobering years: FC Bayern’s miserable cup record. welt.de
- Manchester United renounces rainbow jackets after player protest – players not named. faz.net
- Title duel in Singapore: Another draw in the World Chess Championship. sportschau.de
Pre-orders despite higher price – Dubai stollen from Paderborn: New delicacy for Christmas https://www.t-online.de/nachrichten/panorama/gesellschaft/id_100545138/paderborn-dubai-stollen-wird-kassenschlager-beim-baecker.html