Bild: What turbo Trump means for our money | Was Turbo-Trump für unser Geld bedeutet
FAZ: Von der Leyen and Scholz for pragmatic approach to Trump | Von der Leyen und Scholz für pragmatischen Umgang mit Trump
Funke: City councilors for social affairs sound the alarm: „People can’t take any more“ | Sozialstadträte schlagen Alarm: „Leute können nicht mehr“
Handelsblatt: The Trump quake | Das Trump-Beben
RND: On guard: This is the message Melania Trump is sending with her outfit | Auf der Hut: Diese Botschaft sendet Melania Trump mit ihrem Outfit
SZ: Von der Leyen warns of trade war | Von der Leyen warnt vor Handelskrieg
Tagesspiegel: What can the world expect from him? | Was hat die Welt von ihm zu erwarten?
taz: Only 3 years and 364 days to go | Nur noch 3 Jahre und 364 Tage
Welt: Trump takes office amid appeasement and concerns | Beschwichtigungen und Sorgen: Trump tritt sein Amt an
Change of power in the USA dominates World Economic Forum in Davos:
- Chancellor Olaf Scholz called on European states to show more cohesion in an ever more dynamic era. He said that free trade would be defended because tariffs and isolation cost prosperity. At the same time, Scholz emphasized that the United States is still the most important partner outside the EU, even under President Donald Trump. welt.de
- Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned of a global loss of importance for Europe. He said that the EU was no longer a high priority for the US. Europe must become a global player again, Zelenskyy demanded. sueddeutsche.de
- Economics Minister Robert Habeck reacts with concern and a call for self-confidence to the first announcements of US President Donald Trump. Tariffs planned by Trump would drive inflation in the US, but probably also in Europe. They would reach out, but: „We don’t have to be pushed around either,“ Habeck said.
RTL/ntv Trendbarometer by Forsa: CDU/CSU 31 percent, SPD 16 percent, Greens 13 percent, FDP 4 percent, AfD 10 percent (-1), Left Party 3 percent, BSW 4 percent, others 10 percent. n-tv.de
- Chancellor preferences: Olaf Scholz 16 percent (-1), Friedrich Merz 23 percent, Robert Habeck 23 percent, Alice Weidel 16 percent, none of them 22 percent. n-tv.de
Israeli Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi resigns: He justified his resignation with the security failure that allowed the unprecedented terrorist attack by the Islamist Hamas on Israel. Halevi is the highest-ranking representative to date to have resigned in connection with the attack. Halevi had previously admitted serious mistakes and announced a review. The army chief had wanted to resign earlier, but was asked by the government to stay on. zdf.de, waz.de
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky demands at least 200,000 soldiers for a peacekeeping force: Otherwise it would be next to nothing, Zelensky said at the World Economic Forum. France’s President Emmanuel Macron had suggested peacekeeping forces for the period after a ceasefire. US President Donald Trump made it clear even before taking office that he would not send US soldiers to ensure Ukraine’s security. The Europeans would have to provide a peacekeeping force on their own; the main part of such a mission would probably have to be formed by France, Germany, Italy, Poland and Great Britain. n-tv.de, zdf.de
Dispute over financing for Ukraine aid: SPD General Secretary Matthias Miersch called the FDP’s accusations that interests were being played off against each other – and that Chancellor Olaf Scholz was telling untruths and taking Ukraine hostage – absurd. The FDP could no longer be trusted, Miersch told Der Spiegel. It was the FDP that made proposals to cut pensions and local government in order to balance the budget and thus finance aid to Ukraine. Lindner wrote on Twitter that Scholz was lashing out like a drowning man; Scholz must stop playing pensioners against the people of Ukraine. Meanwhile, Economics Minister Robert Habeck indirectly accused Scholz of blocking potentially life-saving aid to Ukraine. tagesschau.de, zdf.de
Bundestag wants to pass law on aid for victims of persecution in the GDR before new elections: The SPD, Greens, Union and FDP parliamentary groups want to take an important step in recognizing the injustice of the SED dictatorship, according to a statement. A joint bill is to be voted on in parliament next week. The amendment provides, among other things, for a nationwide hardship fund. The victim pensions for political GDR prisoners and the compensation payments for those persecuted for professional reasons are to be significantly increased. In addition, official recognition of the health damage caused by persecution is to be made easier. tagesspiegel.de, tagesschau.de
Family Minister Lisa Paus presents new priorities for democracy funding program: The focus should be, among other things, on „conspiracy thinking and hatred on the internet“ as well as on structurally weak regions. In addition, the funding period of „Demokratie leben!“ will be extended to eight years until 2032 in order to give participating organizations more planning security. The ministry plans to provide 182 million euros in the current year. The program was launched in 2015 to promote civil society engagement for democracy and diversity, as well as to counteract radicalization and polarization in society. The FDP criticized the costs and expressed doubts about the purpose of the projects. evangelisch.de, web.de
FDP leader Christian Lindner wants to abolish the „Bürgergeld“ in its current form: Many people have misunderstood the citizen’s income as an unconditional basic income, Lindner told MDR. However, the principle must be guaranteed that those who work will always have more than those who do not work. The combination of a citizen’s income and undeclared work must be prevented by customs; there is considerable potential for savings there. mdr.de
Classification of AfD in Saxony as a right-wing extremist by the state office for the protection of the constitution is lawful: The Higher Administrative Court of Saxony rejected an appeal by the state AfD against a decision by the Dresden Administrative Court. The court ruled that there was sufficient evidence to suggest that the AfD state association was pursuing efforts that were directed against human dignity and the principle of democracy. zdf.de, n-tv.de
World Health Organization regrets USA withdrawal: The WHO said it hoped that Washington would reconsider; the organization plays a crucial role in protecting the health and safety of people around the world, including Americans. It will take a year before the withdrawal announced by Donald Trump takes effect. The USA is by far the largest contributor to the WHO. The loss of US funding could cripple numerous global health initiatives, including efforts to eradicate polio, maternal and child health programs, and research to identify new viral threats. zdf.de
More regional news:
- Sachsen-Anhalt: Special committee of the city council is to process the attack in Magdeburg and develop recommendations for future security concepts for major events.
- Hessen: Bad Hersfeld introduces a weapons-free zone. hessenschau.de
- Lower Saxony: Green party members attacked while putting up campaign posters. ndr.de
- Saxony: AfD rejects consultations with minority government. mdr.de
- Rhineland-Palatinate: Council of Elders against state parliament group for former AfD politician. echo-online.de
- Bremen: Higher Regional Court confirms forced fingerprinting to unlock cell phone by police officer. heise.de
- Bavaria: Cabinet approves extension of 365-ticket for students and trainees. sueddeutsche.de
- Bremen: Funding for children from educationally disadvantaged homes. weser-kurier.de
- Lower Saxony: Hydrogen storage in East Frisia goes into operation. heise.de
- Berlin: Former Chancellor Angela Merkel discussed the perpetrators of Nazi crimes with students. tagesspiegel.de
US President Donald Trump begins sacking unpopular government staff: Several high-ranking officials have lost their posts, and more than a thousand others will follow, Trump said. He said that staff appointed by the previous administration who did not agree with his vision of making America great again were being identified and removed. Among others, US Coast Guard Chief Linda L. Fagan, the first woman to head one of the branches of the US military, was dismissed. welt.de, faz.net
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk calls on Poles without valid documents to return from the US: He said he had instructed Polish consulates to enable all those who wanted to return to do so. All Polish citizens would be warmly welcomed back home. The background to this is the mass deportations of irregular immigrants announced by US President Donald Trump. According to „Gazeta Wyborcza“, around 50,000 Poles were living in the US without a valid residence permit in 2016. tagesspiegel.de
French judiciary issues arrest warrant against overthrown Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad: Specifically, the warrant is for the death of a Franco-Syrian man in June 2017. Investigators suspect al-Assad of complicity in murder and attacks on civilians. The 59-year-old Frenchman died when his house in the southern Syrian city of Daraa was bombed by Syrian army helicopters, reports Le Parisien. French justice suspects that Assad ordered the attack. He is also said to have provided the necessary means for it. orf.at
Taliban release two US citizens in Afghanistan: In return, an Afghan fighter imprisoned in the United States was released and returned to his homeland, the Foreign Ministry in Kabul said. The exchange came about through mediation by Qatar. According to the New York Times, two other US citizens are still in custody in Afghanistan. spiegel.de
South Korea’s suspended president Yoon Suk-yeol explains himself in court: At the hearing in Seoul, he rejected criticism of his decision to declare martial law at the beginning of December. He said he never intended to implement the decree and dissolve the National Assembly. At the same time, Yoon denied the central accusation that he had ordered the military to expel MPs from parliament to prevent a vote against his decision. In doing so, the suspended head of state contradicted the statements of several military commanders. dw.com, zeit.de
More news:
- Slovakia: Opposition accuses Prime Minister Robert Fico of planning to leave the EU. de.euronews.com
- Slovakia: Turbulent parliamentary session before vote of confidence in Bratislava. derstandard.de
- France: Council of the EU approves austerity plans of Prime Minister Francois Bayrou. tagesschau.de
- Denmark: Greenland’s head of government Mute B. Egede opposes Trump – „We don’t want to be Americans“. unternehmen-heute.de
- Estonia: Prime Minister Kristen Michal supports Trump’s five-percent demand for Nato. spiegel.de
- Great Britain: Prime Minister Keir Starmer admits failures in the Southport bombing. tagesschau.de
- Romania: Right-wing extremist Calin Georgescu loses case at the European Court of Human Rights. spiegel.de
- Turkey: 76 people die in fire at ski hotel. faz.net
- Switzerland: Trust in the economy continues to decline. fuw.ch
- Serbia: Landfills endanger people and the environment. dw.com
Recycling rate in 2023 slightly higher: More than two-thirds of packaging waste from private households in Germany is recycled. According to the Federal Environment Agency, the rate in 2023 was 68.9 percent, slightly higher than the previous year’s figure. In 2018, the rate was still around 42 percent. The disposal companies recycled 5.5 million tons of packaging waste from private households. n-tv.de, neue-verpackung.de
More from the worlds of business, technology and science:
- Shoe retailer Görtz insolvent again. abendblatt.de
- Protected songs used without compensation: Gema sues AI music startup Suno. rnd.de
- DHL wants to double the number of parcel machines. sueddeutsche.de
- Almost one in four inspections reveals violations of the Minimum Wage Act. zeit.de
- Netflix reports record growth in user numbers. handelsblatt.com
- Dark patterns: Consumer organization discovers numerous violations. table.media
- Norwegian sovereign wealth fund includes animal welfare in guidelines for companies. faz.net
- Recycling: Composite packaging falls well short of targets. table.media
- Panama Canal: Investigation launched against Hong Kong company. table.media
- Companies avoid Musk products: When Tesla is removed from company car fleets due to Elon Musk’s support for right-wing populists, it also weakens Germany as a business location. tagesschau.de
- Coverage of harassment allegations: RBB loses Gelbhaar case in court as well. sueddeutsche.de
- Most cited media 2024: Stern’s success story continues – X increasingly dominant on social media. kress.de
- Social media: The big problem with the protection of minors. faz.net
- Tailwind for subscription: RTL and Telekom extend streaming contract for RTL+ until 2030.
- Comedian Trevor Noah will host the Grammys again. web.de
- Neuschwanstein becomes a World Heritage Site in 2025 – UNESCO World Heritage in Germany: „Very diligent in nominating“. rnd.de
- Munich’s Deutsches Museum removed an installation because it showed a portrait of tech billionaire Elon Musk. www1.wdr.de
- „Africa“ cover: Toto diss Weezer. laut.de
- What the stars are saying about Trump: „Resistance. Resistance. Resistance.“. n-tv.de
- Break-up of governing coalition: Quitting the FDP didn’t cost Wissing any friends. spiegel.de
- Two German films „Was Marielle weiß“ and „Yunan“ in competition at the 75th Berlinale. zeit.de
- Difficult situation for Bundesliga club: Union Berlin make transfer decision – Before fresh money comes into the coffers through player departures, sports director Horst Heldt will not sign any new players. sport.de
- Handball World Cup: Title defender Denmark steamrolls DHB team. t-online.de
- Basketball: Only a substitute in Istanbul – Bayern close to signing world champion Hollatz. basketball-world.news
- Zverev on his victory against Tommy Paul in Australian Open semi-finals: „I don’t know how I won this game“. faz.net
- Serious allegations of „systematic physical and mental abuse“ in gymnastics: Swabian Gymnastics Federation announces dismissals. sportschau.de
Chimpanzee study from Japan: Peeing is contagious. spiegel.de