Bild: The mega salaries of the Tatort stars | Die Mega-Gagen der Tatort-Stars
FAZ: Scholz loses vote of confidence | Scholz verliert Vertrauensabstimmung
Funke: Bundestag clears the way for new elections | Bundestag macht Weg frei für Neuwahl
Handelsblatt: Way clear for new elections | Weg frei für Neuwahlen
RND: Reckoning in parliament – How Scholz loses confidence vote and declares himself the winner | Abrechnung im Bundestag – Wie Scholz das Vertrauen verliert und sich als Sieger erklärt
SZ: Bundestag clears the way for new election | Bundestag macht Weg für Neuwahl frei
Tagesspiegel: Bundestag clears the way for new election | Bundestag macht Weg für Neuwahl frei
taz: Now he only has self-confidence – but plenty of that | Jetzt hat er nur noch Selbstvertrauen. Aber davon reichlich
Welt: Debate over vote of confidence becomes election campaign stage | Debatte um Vertrauensfrage wird zur Wahlkampfbühne
Path clear for new election: After losing the vote of confidence in parliament, Chancellor Olaf Scholz has proposed to Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier that parliament be dissolved. 207 MPs voted in favour of the Chancellor, including the entire SPD faction, three MPs from the AfD and three independent MPs. 394 MPs voted against Scholz, with 116 abstentions. The debate on the vote of confidence was used as an opportunity to exchange blows over the policy of the coalition government. tagesschau.de, faz.net
Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier wants to talk to faction and group leaders before dissolving the Bundestag: SPD faction leader Rolf Mützenich and opposition leader Friedrich Merz will make a start on Tuesday. The faction leaders of the Greens and FDP have been invited for Wednesday, followed a day later by representatives of the AfD, the Left Party and BSW. The Federal President has three weeks to make his decision. sueddeutsche.de
Chancellor Olaf Scholz describes lost vote of confidence as an opportunity for a political fresh start: In the ARD Brennpunkt, Scholz called for a reform of the debt brake in order to gain financial leeway for higher defence costs and to secure the welfare state. Scholz admitted that the work of the coalition had often been marred by disputes. He ruled out any cooperation with the BSW after the election. tagesschau.de, tagesspiegel.de (BSW)
EU foreign ministers discuss situation in Syria: The meeting was the first to be chaired by the new foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas. The EU wants to establish initial contacts with the Islamist HTS militia, which has overthrown ruler Bashar al-Assad. German diplomat Michael Ohnmacht left for Damascus on Monday, Kallas announced. From her point of view, it is important that the new government also takes into account the rights of minorities and women. The EU is pushing for Russia to have no influence in Syria in the future, Kallas said; the Russian military bases in the country should also be closed. zdf.de, tagesschau.de, spiegel.de, sueddeutsche.de
approach to an agreement: a delegation from Israel has arrived in Qatar. The talks are also expected to include an exchange of Hamas hostages for imprisoned Palestinians. The delegation is said to include representatives of the Israeli army and intelligence services. Israeli and American officials have expressed optimism that an agreement could be ready to be signed soon; an agreement could be conceivable before the start of the Jewish festival of lights, Hanukkah, on 25 December. According to Hamas circles, they are closer to an agreement than ever before. Accordingly, the organisation is agreeing to a phased end to the war – based on a mutually agreed timetable, with guarantees from international mediators. echo-online.de
Support for Ukraine in negotiations: Poland’s Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski urges that Russia be forced to enter peace negotiations, not Ukraine. Both the US and the EU should help Ukraine achieve a better negotiating position for possible future negotiations, which should be promoted and enforced by the aggressor and not the victim. Earlier, US President-elect Donald Trump had stated that Ukraine must be ready to make a deal to end the war. He had been shown pictures of battlefields reminiscent of the US Civil War. Trump avoided the question of whether Ukraine would have to be willing to cede territory to Russia as part of a negotiated settlement. n-tv.de
Ministry of Finance does not expect budget 2025 until July: Due to the new election, the ministries will only have a budget of 45 percent of the originally planned budget until then. Payments for social benefits such as citizen’s income, pensions and child benefit are guaranteed, according to a circular from the BMF to the supreme federal authorities. This also applies to construction projects that have already been planned, such as for the railways. New projects cannot be initiated without approval. However, Finance Minister Jörg Kukies can adjust the fixed budgets for the ministries at any time. faz.net, tagesspiegel.de
CDU/CSU faction will vote in favour of the tax relief bill, but not the capping of network charges: Mathias Middelberg, deputy leader of the CDU/CSU faction, told the RND that they had always called for the reduction of the cold progression and would vote in favour of a corresponding bill. The same applies to the increase in child allowances and child benefit. It is to be passed by the Bundestag before the new election. However, the Bundesrat would also have to approve it for it to come into force. CDU faction leader Friedrich Merz made it clear that the CDU would not agree to the red-green plan to cap network fees. tagesschau.de
Migrants are becoming increasingly important for the global economy, according to the ILO: in 2022, 170 million workers had a migration background; 30 million more than in 2013. The proportion is particularly high in high-income countries with ageing populations, according to the International Labour Organization. In northern, southern and western Europe, for example, one in four workers is now a migrant. The study took into account both people with a work visa and undocumented migrants working in the host country. tagesschau.de
More Regional:
- Saxony: The way is clear for a minority government made up of the CDU and SPD. faz.net
- Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: Prime Minister Manuela Schwesig appoints insolvency administrator as new board of the climate foundation. ostsee-zeitung.de
- Hamburg: First Mayor Peter Tschentscher defends red-green budget policy. n-tv.de
- Bremen: Former Green Party member of parliament Claas Schott has joined the CDU faction in Bremerhaven. butenunbinnen.de
- Schleswig-Holstein: Police union calls for cutbacks for every civil servant. shz.de
- Bremen: Controversial training levy permissible. zdf.de
- Hamburg: Ban on selling nitrous oxide to minors. faz.net
- North Rhine-Westphalia: State security investigating ‘sand suitcases’ at Christmas markets in Cologne; ‘targeted spitefulness’. ksta.de
- Saxony-Anhalt: First bodycams for state police. n-tv.de
- North Rhine-Westphalia: FDP calls for ban on headscarves for children in class. ksta.de
- Bavaria: Beaver decree goes back to court. sueddeutsche.de
- Bremen: Arcelor-Mittal still in the running for green steel. weser-kurier.de
- Mecklenburg-Vorpommern: BSW state secretary Friedrich Straetmanns rejects multi-billion contract for Wismar shipyard. ostsee-zeitung.de
- Berlin: Police mistake RBB employee for RAF terrorist. dwdl.de
- North Rhine-Westphalia: Special school near Cologne closed as a precaution due to infections with the mpox variant. n-tv.de
- Hessen: Quantum computer ‘Baby Diamond’ at the University of Frankfurt. n-tv.de
Thousands of opponents of the Georgian government gather again in Tbilisi: It was the 19th consecutive day since the government suspended accession talks with the EU. The protests against the pro-Russian course of the ruling party ‘Georgian Dream’ were peaceful; for the second time, the demonstrators prevented the ceremonial inauguration of the lighting of the large Christmas tree in front of parliament. zeit.de
Canada’s Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland resigns: She cited differences of opinion with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on budget policy as the reason. He offered her another cabinet post, Freeland said in her resignation letter. However, she said she considered it the honest thing to do to leave the government. Freeland argued against tax breaks and in favour of a more frugal approach to responding to US President-elect Donald Trump’s announced tariffs on Canadian goods. The 56-year-old was considered a close confidante of Trudeau and was already being touted as a potential successor. tagesschau.de
Judge in hush money trial rejects request to overturn Donald Trump’s conviction: A previous Supreme Court decision granting presidents broad immunity for their official acts is not applicable in this case, the judge ruled; the testimony related solely to non-official conduct. Trump was found guilty in the trial in May of covering up a $130,000 hush money payment to a porn actress made before his 2016 election victory by falsifying business documents.
EU Commission signs contract for Iris satellite programme: The contract for the 290-satellite project was awarded to the Spacerise consortium, which consists of several European manufacturers, including the space and defence division of Airbus and Deutsche Telekom. Iris is intended to strengthen Europe’s strategic autonomy as a European response to Starlink. The programme is estimated to cost a total of 10.6 billion euros. heise.de, factorynet.at
More News:
- Austria: Decision on turquoise-red-pink coalition expected this week. derstandard.de
- Poland: Prime Minister Donald Tusk signals opposition to Mercosur agreement. derstandard.at
- Romania: Photos show presidential candidate Calin Georgescu with former French Foreign Legionnaire and military entrepreneur Horatiu Potra. de.euronews.com
- Finland: Discontent over closed border with Russia; offers Kremlin propaganda potential. tagesspiegel.de
- Greece: Massive investments in armaments and plans for own ‘Iron Dome’ out of concern for Turkey. ksta.de
- Switzerland: Asylum debate in the Council of States; Unicef warns against banning family reunification srf.ch
- Serbia: Government spies on civil society. netzpolitik.org
- Belgium: Awareness campaign to make the country crisis-proof. grenzecho.net
- France: Helpers search for survivors of Cyclone Chido on Mayotte. de.euronews.com
- Sweden: Energy Minister Ebba Busch takes action against Robert Habeck over high energy prices. welt.de
- France: Health agency calls for a reorientation of Perrier water production. tageblatt.lu
- Italy: Rome fines people who refuse to be vaccinated. faz.net
- Kenya: 50-year prison sentence for murderer of LGBTQ activist. spiegel.de
- Pakistan: Vaccination campaign against polio launched. de.nachrichten.yahoo.com
- South Korea: President Yoon Suk Yeol fails to appear in court for questioning. zeit.de
- USA: School shooting: Several people killed by gunfire at school in Wisconsin. spiegel.de
- USA: Fox News as a trigger: inheritance disputes in the Murdoch empire. t-online.de
- Pakistan: Tiktok goes to the US Supreme Court. handelsblatt.com
Almost a quarter more corporate insolvencies in 2024: By the end of the current year, the credit reference agency Creditreform expects 22,400 cases; the highest level since 2015. With some delay, the crises of recent years are taking hold. More and more companies weakened by the Corona years, high energy prices and rising interest rates were getting into trouble. zdf.de, faz.net
Per capita household waste at a new low: at just over 430 kilograms, less waste has never been produced than since records began in 2004, according to the Federal Statistical Office. The volume has decreased for the second year in a row. The decline is all the more remarkable given that the population has grown by more than 300,000 people in 2023. According to the statisticians, the sharpest decline was in bulky waste. By contrast, the volume of biowaste and household waste rose slightly. wiwo.de
More from Business, Tech and Science:
- DIHK wants to ‘become more pragmatic’: Business open to part-time sick leave. n-tv.de
- E-prescriptions strengthen the dominance of foreign online pharmacies. handelsblatt.com
- German farmers‘ leader: Butter prices not expected to fall. tagesspiegel.de
- E-car boom: China reaches peak in oil consumption. table.media
- The Greek economy is doing surprisingly well. faz.net
- Cheap rent can be inherited: Live cheaply thanks to grandma’s lease. faz.net
- Reaction to the ‘dark doldrums’: Enormously high electricity prices: Industry criticises government. t-online.de
- Is the solar industry facing a wave of bankruptcies? The solar industry is beset with crisis news: factories are closing, price pressure is increasing. Experts warn: ‘The „Made in Germany“ argument no longer works’. wiwo.de
- British beer thirst: demand for Guinness explodes – pubs fear beer shortages. stern.de
- Home of Santa Claus: Finnish village of Rovaniemi struggles with tourist rush. n-tv.de
- ‘Gabor Steingart is damaging journalism’: Media pioneer creator faces strong opposition from the industry. kress.de
- Telegram blocks a million groups and channels every month – with the help of AI. heise.de
- Poland: Fear of foreign influence on the media. sueddeutsche.de
- False information from Apple Intelligence: BBC complains to Apple. heise.de
- Journalism: New environmental programme ‘Atmo’ starts. table.media
- ‘Miosga’: ‘Then you start selling crap for gold and talking nonsense,’ admits Ricarda Lang. welt.de
- Anti-Semitism in the cultural sector: ducking is the wrong approach!. spiegel.de
- ‘Oppenheimer’ actress: Florence Pugh finds it ‘exhausting’ to be a young woman in the film industry. spiegel.de
- ‘Malcolm mittendrin’: Comeback announced for 25th anniversary. musikexpress.de
- New Year’s Eve at the Brandenburg Gate: Shirin David is the headliner – along with Bausa, Alex Christensen, Peter ‘Major Tom’ Schilling, Sarah Engels, Memo and Beatrice Egli. web.de
Tune in today at 7 PM for a brand-new episode of Plus Forty Nine!
In this episode, Eden dives into politics, shares her thoughts on people recognizing her hometown in Kansas because of Taylor Swift, and much more. You’ll also hear the latest news of the week and find out what „wichtel“ means. This week’s „Ask a German“ segment explores the topic of mental health professionals in Germany.
- Athlete of the year: ‘I can now watch the race without tears in my eyes’ – Oliver Zeidler lived up to his favourite position at the Olympic Games and secured gold in the single scull final. kicker.de
- Tournament in Switzerland: Prize money at the Women’s European Football Championship increases to 41 million. sportbuzzer.de
- Quarter-final decider: Nations League final in Germany or Italy. sportbuzzer.de
- According to double winner, no execution: Bayer does not confirm contract with top star Wirtz. kicker.de
- Ski jumping: Pius Paschke flies away from everyone. sueddeutsche.de
- Darts World Cup in London: title defender Humphries easily through to next round. sportschau.de
Better than your own parents: according to a survey, in-laws are often right when it comes to gifts. spiegel.de