Bild: The cheek of the EU | EU-Frechheit
FAZ: Istanbul court orders detention for Imamoglu | Istanbuler Gericht ordnet Haft für Imamoglu an
Funke: Berlin expects 885 million euros in revenue from property tax | Berlin erwartet 885 Millionen Euro Einnahmen durch Grundsteuer
Handelsblatt: Milestone in space travel | Meilenstein der Raumfahrt
RND: FDP crisis: Is political liberalism in Germany coming to an end? | Die Krise der FDP: Ist der politische Liberalismus in Deutschland am Ende?
SZ: A lot of clarification needed for party bosses/strong> | Viel Klärungsbedarf für die Chefs
Tagesspiegel: Black-red negotiations: Head of government Günther calls on CDU to be realistic | Schwarz-rote Verhandlungen: Regierungschef Günther fordert seine CDU zu Realismus auf
taz: Now more than ever for democracy | Jetzt erst recht für Demokratie
Welt: A coup d’état in civilian clothes | Ein Staatsstreich in Zivil
Demands for the distribution of funds from the special infrastructure budget: Twelve federal states approved the amendment to the Basic Law on Friday. Brandenburg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia abstained; the BSW and FDP – which reject the plans – are involved in the state governments there. Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has signed the amendments to the Basic Law for the financial package. tagesschau.de
- Schleswig-Holstein’s Minister President Daniel Günther spoke on ZDF in favor of distributing the 100 billion euros earmarked for the federal states for infrastructure using the Königstein key. This is based on the number of inhabitants and tax revenues.
- Education associations are proposed that funds be earmarked for the digitalization of daycare centres, schools and universities.
- SPD Secretary General Matthias Miersch has spoken out in favour of using the special fund to create incentives to buy electric cars. Germany cannot afford to delay climate protection, he said. In addition to purchase premiums, there would also be leasing options. n-tv.de
- Institute of German Business calls for accompanying reforms. Without a reduction in bureaucracy or an end to programs such as the ‚retirement at 63‘ scheme, the hoped-for growth impetus could fizzle out. In the worst case scenario, the financial package would only fuel inflation because industry and business would not be able to process all the new orders and prices would rise.
- Association of German Transport Companies demands multi-year commitment to the Deutschlandticket travel pass. The industry and passengers finally need a binding multi-year funding commitment so that the offer can reach its potential. The ticket is already „a success story that simplifies access to public transport for citizens“, VDV Managing Director Oliver Wolff told the Funke newspapers. t-online.de
CDU leader Friedrich Merz sees „foundation of trust“ for coalition with the SPD: Trust, both in politics and in personal dealings with each other, is the basic prerequisite for joint success. Merz added that he also had a certain interest in a strong SPD and Lars Klingbeil being a successful party leader. In his view, the aim must be for both the CDU/CSU and SPD to become stronger in the next general election. After all, stable parties in the middle of the political spectrum are sorely needed. faz.net
- CDU/CSU and SPD working groups to present the first results of the coalition talks on Monday. There are major differences on migration, taxes and finances. One controversial issue is the legalization of abortions in the first twelve weeks, as demanded by the SPD. A steering group consisting of 19 politicians from both sides is to discuss the contentious issues. tagesspiegel.de, spiegel.de
BamS-Sonntagstrend von Insa: Union 27 percent (-1), AfD 23 percent (+1), SPD 15 percent (-1), Grüne 12 percent (+1), Linke 10 percent, BSW 5 percent, FDP 3 percent, Sonstige 5 percent. bild.de
Ministry of Defense rejects fears about F-35 fighter jet: There is no possibility that the F-35 fighter jets ordered by the German Air Force could be decommissioned remotely, the ministry explained. The contracts for the purchase of the jets are designed in such a way that operational readiness is guaranteed. The F-35 is not a purely American product, but is being developed by a total of eight nations. Among others, the German company Rheinmetall is supplying components. tagesschau.de
Dutch armed forces practise crossing the Rhine in Germany for three days: According to the North Rhine-Westphalia state command, the soldiers are carrying out a transport exercise in Emmerich and Kalkar. The focus is on crossing the Rhine by ferry. Basically, the aim is to optimize logistical processes and promote cross-border cooperation between the Dutch armed forces and German authorities. nrz.de
Smartphones in schools will be tolerated for the time being: Schleswig-Holstein’s Education Minister Karin Prien said that no decision had yet been made at the ministerial conference. However, she added that further discussions were planned and a recommendation for action could then be made. Prien also warned against exaggerated expectations. The problem of children and young people spending too much time on their smartphones could not be solved simply by banning them at school. Rather, it is about an „educational partnership“ between parents and schools. rnd.de
More news:
- Baden-Württemberg’s Finance Minister Danyal Bayaz calls for an end to the attitude of entitlement towards the state: „We need a mental turnaround.“ faz.net
- Federal Network Agency wants to boost cell phone network in rural areas. handelsblatt.com
Thousands at nationwide demonstrations by right-wing extremists and conspiracy theorist ‚Querdenker‘ movement: According to the police, there was a much larger than expected crowd of 1500 participants in front of the Frauenkirche in Dresden. In Stuttgart, 1500 people also came together. A march in Berlin-Friedrichshain was attended by 850 more people than the last time these demonstrations took place. In Berlin, the organizers ended the march prematurely due to protests by counter-demonstrators, according to the police. Hundreds also gathered in Hanover, Frankfurt, Mainz, Nuremberg and Munich. Among other things, they demanded nationwide border controls, the „protection of the population“ and an end to support for Ukraine. Counter-protests took place in many places. web.de, t-online.de
More Germany news:
- Hamburg: SPD opts for coalition negotiations with the Greens after exploratory talks. tagesschau.de
- Hesse: Wiesbaden tests first electric articulated bus. faz.net
- NRW: Fire brigade fights forest fires. wdr.de
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discuss the situation in Gaza: Topics of the phone call included the resumption of fighting and the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas. No concrete results were mentioned. faz.net
- Israel wants to promote the „voluntary“ departure of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to third countries with a new authority. The new authority would be subordinate to the Ministry of Defence, but could „cooperate with international organizations“ to ensure the safe departure of Palestinians to third countries. faz.net
- Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz said he had ordered the army to seize more areas in the Gaza Strip. These could be annexed if Hamas did not release the hostages. The longer it refuses, the more territory it will lose.
- Israel’s armed forces launched a new offensive in the south of the Gaza Strip on Sunday afternoon. Residents of a district of Rafah were ordered to leave their homes due to an „operation against terrorist organizations“. The army had previously killed another Hamas political leader in an airstrike. spiegel.de
- Thousands of Israelis demonstrated against the government in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, among other places. They demanded an end to the new attacks on Gaza and an agreement to release the remaining Israeli hostages. Their discontent was also directed against the dismissal of the head of the domestic intelligence agency Shin Bet. derstandard.at
Talks on a possible ceasefire in Ukraine in Saudi Arabia: The agenda of the Ukrainian and American negotiators included proposals for the protection of energy facilities and critical infrastructure. In a video message, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky assured that he would act constructively and emphasized that it was up to Russian head of state Vladimir Putin to end the war he had started. „The discussion was productive and focused,“ wrote Ukraine’s Defense Minister Rustem Umerov on Facebook; energy was also discussed. rp-online.de, n-tv.de, handelsblatt.com
- US negotiators plan to meet Russian representatives on Monday. US special envoy Steve Witkoff was optimistic in the run-up to the meeting. He believes that Russian head of state Putin also wants peace, Witkoff said on Fox News. Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dampened expectations, saying there were still many unresolved „questions“ and „nuances“. web.de, spiegel.de
- The Institute for the Study of War criticized Steve Witkoff for uncritically adopting a number of Russian claims in an interview with Tucker Carlson. Witkoff said that „there were referendums in which the overwhelming majority of people stated that they wanted to be under Russian rule“. In fact, however, these were illegal sham referendums in which residents had no real choice. Witkoff also claimed that Russia „100 percent“ does not want to invade Europe and does not want to „absorb“ Ukraine. n-tv.de
- With regard to the latest round of talks on possible paths to peace under US mediation, Volodymyr Zelensky accused Moscow of dragging out the war. Russia had brought about the war and was continuing it. stern.de
- Following the devastating drone attacks on Kiev on Sunday night, in which three people were killed, another air alert was issued on Monday night. According to the military administration, the air defense was deployed. An air alert is also in place in large parts of eastern and central Ukraine due to approaching drones. Moscow reported Ukrainian drone attacks in various regions with several fatalities. handelsblatt.com
- The Bundestag’s Budget Committee approved the Finance Ministry’s request to release around three billion euros for the purchase of armaments for Ukraine. In addition, there are so-called commitment appropriations of over eight billion euros for the years 2026 to 2029, which will secure payments for longer-term armaments orders.
CHP politician Ekrem Imamoglu removed from office as Istanbul mayor and in prison: Imamoglu has been temporarily suspended from his duties, the Ministry of the Interior announced. A court in Istanbul had previously ordered Imamoglu to be remanded in custody in connection with corruption investigations. Imamoglu was interrogated by the anti-terror police. The 53-year-old rejects all accusations and called them slander. His party, the left-wing nationalist CHP, speaks of a „political coup d’état“ and has announced legal action against the pre-trial detention. Despite everything, the CHP chose Imamoglu as its candidate for the 2028 presidential election. sueddeutsche.de, zdf.de, spiegel.de, tagesschau.de
- More than 340 people have now been arrested in the solidarity rallies for the prominent opposition politician, which have been going on for days. Despite assembly bans, mass demonstrations against the arrest of Imamoglu and other opponents of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan are taking place with over ten thousand participants. They marched in front of the town hall and the courthouse, waving flags and placards. nau.ch
- Elon Musk’s platform X appears to block accounts critical of the government. spiegel.de
- The Federal Foreign Office in Berlin described the events as a serious setback for democracy in Turkey. Political competition should not be conducted with the help of courts and prisons.
- Old German President Christian Wulff outraged by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. In Turkey’s interest, the world should hope „that there will be a reversal.“ focus.de
More:
- EU development bank significantly expands scope for arms financing. handelsblatt.com
- Face recognition in Hungary: EU Commission wants to protect Pride events. heise.de
- Switzerland wants to join the EU migration pact. srf.ch
- EU Medicines Agency rates first AI diagnosis as „scientifically valid“. heise.de
- France: Paris votes for more car-free streets. faz.net
- Poland: Ex-minister Mariusz Blaszczak charged with disclosing defense plans. euronews.com
- Slovakia: Thousands again call for the resignation of Prime Minister Robert Fico. en.euronews.com
- North Macedonia: Investigation against 34 people after fire disaster. derstandard.at
- Italy: Negotiations to buy Elon Musk’s Starlink suspended. tagesspiegel.de
- UK: Investigation into flight chaos in London. faz.net
- Sudan: Military recaptures presidential palace in Khartoum from RSF militia faz.net
- South Sudan: Germany closes embassy in Juba for the time being. tagesschau.de
- Congo: M23 rebels demand a demilitarized zone. faz.net
- Mozambique: Refugees return home. dw.com
Handelsverband expects 4500 store closures this year: Last year, 5000 stores already had to close, HDE President Alexander von Preen told the Funke newspapers. Consumer sentiment is still gloomy. He described the situation in the retail sector as dramatic. Ten years ago there were 370,000 stores nationwide, now there are around 300,000. zdf.de
More economic news:
- Mediation begins in the public sector wage dispute. handelsblatt.com
- Up to 33 percent: Number of long-term unemployed without a German passport rises significantly. rnd.de
- Survey: Overtime common for 44 percent of employees. sueddeutsche.de
- Criticism of bureaucracy: Entrepreneur Michael Otto speaks out in favor of supply chain law. spiegel.de
- #MeToo allegations once again shake Deutsche Bank. sueddeutsche.de
- Glyphosate dispute: US court fines Bayer billions sueddeutsche.de
- Perplexity wants to become as big as Google. faz.net
- Rail digitalization running behind schedule: More than 14 billion euros to be invested in rail infrastructure by 2029. golem.de
- „Elon effect“ for company cars – fleet bosses reconsider Tesla purchases. n-tv.de
- Disinformation online: Trust in social media platforms is plummeting – especially among Gen Z meedia.de
- Art fair Stage Bregenz: Clear the stage for art monopol-magazin.de
- German cabaret prize awarded: Comedian Sarah Bosetti was honored in the cabaret category wdr.de
- Exhibition venues announced: Berlin Biennale in former courthouse, among other venues monopol-magazin.de
- Prince Harry could be questioned next time he enters the US promiflash.de
- New York: New Museum extension to open in fall monopol-magazin.de
- Will it be enough for the Champions League quarter-finals? Neuer jitters begin at FC Bayern – goalkeeper has injured his calf again in training sport.de
- „I’m convinced they’ll be champions“: Ex-Bayern star Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting has high praise for Kompany sport.de
- Football star on Instagram: Neymar slammed for wearing St. Pauli jersey spiegel.de
- Second round at the ATP tournament in Florida: Zverev manages a smooth two-set victory sport.de
- Formula 1: Oscar Piastri downs Lando Norris in McLaren one-two in China – Max Verstappen finishes fourth spox. com
- Biathlon in Oslo: Biathlete Franziska Preuß wins overall World Cup for the first time, rival Lou Jeanmonnot falls spiegel.de
Why only in the USA? “Gulf of Wetzlar“ – Germans troll Google Maps in Trump style. spiegel.de