Bild: Carsten Linnemann: Why I don’t want to be a minister | Carsten Linnemann: Warum ich kein Minister werden will
FAZ: Linnemann rejects offer of ministerial post | Linnemann schlägt Angebot für Ministeramt aus
Funke: Wegner supports ban on knives on Berlin’s BVG and S-Bahn | Wegner unterstützt Messerverbot bei BVG und S-Bahn in Berlin
Handelsblatt: Share buybacks at record level on the Dax | Aktienrückkäufe im Dax auf Rekordniveau
RND: New Alzheimer’s drug lecanemab: What it can and cannot do | Neues Alzheimer-Medikament Lecanemab: Was es kann – und was nicht
SZ: Harvard fights against Trump | Harvard kämpft gegen Trump
Tagesspiegel: Union and SPD at odds – dispute over leading posts for the AfD in the Bundestag | Union und SPD uneins – Streit über führende Posten für die AfD im Bundestag
taz: Wolf given the go-ahead | Wolf zum Abschuss freigegeben
Welt: Europe overtakes USA in Ukraine aid | Europa überholt USA bei Ukraine-Hilfen
CDU General Secretary Carsten Linnemann turns down ministerial post: As general secretary, he is better able to push for political change, Linnemann explained on X, justifying the decision with his „gut feeling“. He wants to continue the reconstruction of the party. Among other things, Linnemann played a leading role in drawing up his party’s new manifesto. CDU leader Friedrich Merz had offered Linnemann a post in the cabinet or to continue to lead the CDU as general secretary even in government; Linnemann was considered as a possible economics minister. spiegel.de, n-tv.de, tagesschau.de, tagesspiegel.de
Debate on how to deal with the AfD: Jens Spahn, deputy leader of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, has advised treating the AfD in the same way as other opposition parties when it comes to organizational matters, such as the chairmanship of committees, in the Bundestag. handelsblatt.com
- Saxony’s Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer said on ZDF that the democratic rights for every member of parliament should also apply to the AfD, because otherwise you would be strengthening them rather than weakening them. He emphasized that there should be no cooperation with the AfD.
- CDU member of parliament and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern CDU general secretary Philipp Amthor told the FAZ that Spahn was not trivializing the AfD; rather, he was pointing out that it would be better to reject it through passionate debate than through parliamentary tricks.
- Mathias Middelberg, deputy leader of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, does not consider it necessary to withhold committee chairs from the AfD. Such a measure would not „break“ this party, he told the NOZ. On the contrary, it would give the AfD the opportunity to „cultivate its victimhood“. noz.de
- Johann Wadephul, deputy leader of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, spoke out in favor of allowing the AfD faction to chair committees. However, this should only apply to candidates who have not attracted negative attention in the past. shz.de
- CDU politician Roderich Kiesewetter warns against normalizing the AfD; the AfD is not a normal party and nor is it a normal opposition. Speaking on Phoenix, the deputy chairman of the Parliamentary Control Panel also warned against electing AfD members of parliament to security-related committees. ardmediathek.de
SPD vote on coalition agreement has begun: On Tuesday morning, the online platform was activated, where around 358,000 eligible voters can cast their vote over the next two weeks. The results will be announced on April 30. zdf.de
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the north of the Gaza Strip: His office did not provide any details or reason for his visit to the embattled Palestinian territory. According to media reports, he visited soldiers there. Netanyahu was last in the sealed-off coastal strip in July. Israeli troops are expanding a so-called security zone in the north of the Gaza Strip. Israel’s government says it wants to increase the pressure on the militant Islamist Hamas to release the remaining hostages. tagesschau.de, handelsblatt.com
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Odessa. Stoltenberg assured that the military alliance’s support is unwavering; they will continue to help Ukraine so that it can defend itself and ward off future aggression. He condemned the „outrageous“ and „terrible pattern“ of the Russian army repeatedly attacking civilians. Rutte stressed that he supports the US efforts to achieve a ceasefire. Selenskyj again called for further military support; his country urgently needs more air defense systems and missiles. stern.de
RTL/ntv Trendbarometer by Forsa: CDU/CSU 25 percent, AfD 24 percent, SPD 15 percent, Greens 12 percent, Left Party 10 percent, BSW 4 percent, FDP 3 percent, other 7 percent. n-tv.de
- Black-red better than traffic light: Yes 51 percent, No 43 percent.
- Merz would make a good chancellor: yes 31 percent, no 64 percent.
- Political priorities: economy 85 percent, infrastructure improvements 72 percent, maintaining the social security system 71 percent.
Court of Auditors says 30 billion euros could be saved by reducing tax breaks: In a report, the agency proposes 20 measures, including abolishing diesel subsidies and tax breaks for tradesmen. It also calls for fewer exceptions to VAT. Kay Scheller, president of the Federal Audit Office, said that eliminating privileges would require courage on the part of politicians. In view of the growing mountain of debt, measures to consolidate the federal budget are more urgent than ever. Auditors and tax offices would have to be better equipped and digitized to avoid tax losses, for example, in transactions with crypto currencies. faz.net, rnd.de, tagesschau.de
Electronic patient files to be launched nationwide at the end of April: In a letter from Health Minister Karl Lauterbach to the shareholders of Gematik, the minister said the necessary security measures had been implemented. Experts had expressed concerns regarding data protection. According to Lauterbach, digital patient files are to be made mandatory in doctors‘ surgeries and clinics from October. The ePA will enable doctors to access important information about their patients, such as findings from other doctors, vaccinations or prescriptions. This should improve treatment and prevent dangerous drug interactions. Patients can object to the use of the data. sueddeutsche.de, heise.de
Zwickau’s mayor Constance Arndt files criminal complaint after email with right-wing extremist content: Arndt published the email on social media. In the letter, an anonymous sender calling himself „Adolf Hitler“ threatens her, telling her to „always be careful“ and think of Walter Lübcke. The Kassel district president was murdered by a neo-Nazi in 2019 because of his refugee policy. Arndt wrote that she found the email threatening, but would not be intimidated. zdf.de, otz.de, n-tv.de
Schleswig-Holstein’s 2024 budget ruled unconstitutional: The state constitutional court based its decision on three emergency loans taken out by the black-green state government. The court ruled that the storm surge on the Baltic Sea coast in 2023, the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine and the coronavirus pandemic were all emergencies. However, there was no causal link to the state’s financial needs. In addition, the 2024 budget was not significantly affected by the events. lto.de
29-year-old terror suspect arrested in Berlin-Neukölln: The alleged Islamist is accused of preparing a serious act of violence to endanger the state. According to investigators, the man was arrested during a search of an apartment on Sonnenallee. At the end of 2023, he is said to have traveled to Lebanon to be trained in the use of weapons of war. The Hezbollah supporter is said to have planned acts of violence such as murder and hostage-taking that were to be directed against Israel. tagesschau.de
More News:
- Hessen: Court imposes 4500 euro fine and driving ban for Scholz-Umarmer at Frankfurt Airport. tagesspiegel.de
- Brandenburg: Germany declared free of foot-and-mouth disease; containment zone lifted. t-online.de
- Brandenburg: Construction Minister Detlef Tabbert announces more money for social housing. tagesspiegel.de
- Berlin: Senate extends rent control until December 31. rbb24.de
- Hamburg: Commercial Court for Commercial Law opened at the Higher Regional Court. n-tv.de
- NRW: A false report of an alleged violent crime on a playground in Cologne is circulating on the internet. spiegel.de
EU climate service Copernicus sees Europe as the fastest warming continent: In a joint report with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), researchers state that record temperatures in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe made 2024 the warmest year in Europe since records began. In addition, almost half of the days across the continent were much warmer than average. In addition to extreme weather events such as floods and storms, the report also cites the impact of heat stress on people. ndr.de
Piracy on the high seas has increased: The German International Shipping Bureau registered 45 attacks and attempted attacks in the first three months of the year. In the same period last year, there were 33. The threat to the safety of crews remains high. In particular, the number of attacks in the Strait of Singapore – a bottleneck between Singapore and Indonesia – has increased. rnd.de, handelsblatt.com, n-tv.de
More than 800 million euros in aid for Sudan: Two years after the start of the civil war in Sudan, the participants at an international conference in London have pledged additional funds. The EU Commission wants to provide 282 million euros, Great Britain around 140 million euros. Germany has announced additional funds of 125 million euros. Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock called on the parties to the conflict in Sudan to return to the negotiating table. The African Union and the UN should take a leading role in possible peace negotiations. zeit.de, dw.com, n-tv.de
Parliament in Singapore dissolved for new elections: President Tharman Shanmugaratnam thus complied with the government’s request as expected. Prime Minister Lawrence Wong justified the need for new elections by saying that the prosperity of the country was threatened by US President Donald Trump’s tariff policy. Wong belongs to the PAP, which has ruled Singapore since the country’s independence in 1965. The party has a large majority in parliament, but lost some seats to the Labor Party in the last election in 2020. stern.de
More news:
- France: Paris wants to escape its debt trap. faz.net
- Georgia: Opposition to be banned after local elections in fall. faz.net
- Sweden: Authorities see no evidence of sabotage of two Baltic cables by Chinese cargo ship in final report. n-tv.de
- Switzerland: Number of asylum applications continues to decline. nau.ch
- Serbia: Students blockade the state television station in Belgrade. zeit.de
- Turkey: Protests in the country spread to high schools. tagesschau.de
- Netherlands: Man arrested as possible suspect behind the murder of crime reporter Peter R. de Vries. spiegel.de
- Latvia: Entire villages are disappearing from the Baltic coast. dw.com
- Austria: Alpine republic courts US scientists. diepresse.com
- Jordan: Secret services thwart Islamist Muslim Brotherhood’s plans to build missiles. stuttgarter-nachrichten.de
- North Korea: Images show new frigate; construction of the largest warship in its history. n-tv.de
- China: Delivery stop imposed in response to US tariffs on Boeing aircraft. n-tv.de
- China: Export controls for rare earths will hit Europe too. handelsblatt.com
Rail infrastructure sees minor improvement for first time in years: The group gave the overall grade of 3.0 for 2024, compared to 3.03 the previous year, according to the network status report. DB InfraGo boss Philipp Nagl spoke of a trend reversal. Tracks, points, overhead lines and stations had been renewed on a large scale. However, there is a lot of catching up to do when it comes to signal boxes, more than half of which are in a poor state of repair. According to the report, many systems are more than 100 years old and have to be operated by hand. n-tv.de, tagesschau.de
More news:
- Cartel office approves takeover: Harry-Brot is allowed to take over Rewe subsidiary Glockenbrot. hessenschau.de
- Rheinmetall takes over Stascheit explosive ordnance recovery company. n-tv.de
- Entrepreneur Harald Christ calls on business to live the commitment to an open society, both internally and externally. prmagazin.de
- Lawsuit over coronavirus measures: Court rejects compensation claim for store closures. tagesschau.de
- OpenAI apparently working on social network. handelsblatt.com
More news:
- ProSiebenSat.1: New trouble – major shareholder MfE rejects designated supervisory board chairwoman manager-magazin.de
- ProSiebenSat.1 buys out Jochen Schweizer’s experience business meedia.de
- Protests by young artists in Turkey deutschlandfunk.de
- Debate over festival appearance: Protest singer or anti-Semite? Rapper Macklemore and his „Free Palestine!“ songs rnd.de
- Nick Carter: Fourth sexual abuse lawsuit filed viply.de
- Trial set to begin in May: Sean „Diddy“ Combs dismisses new charges ksta.de
- Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder has recovered from a stomach flu vip.de
Looking for an inspiring watch this week? Reef Builders, a new documentary directed by Stephen Shearman and co-produced by actress and environmental activist Auli’i Cravalho, is a powerful and timely film that shines a light on one of the world’s largest coral reef restoration programs.
Backed by Mars Sustainable Solutions (MSS), the documentary chronicles a 15-year global effort to restore marine ecosystems through collaboration between scientists, NGOs, and coastal communities. From the iconic HOPE Reef in Indonesia to four key reef sites worldwide, Reef Builders showcases how over 1.2 million corals have been planted, 90,000 reef stars deployed, and 200 local reef builders trained.
Amid stark predictions about the future of our oceans, the film doesn’t dwell in despair—it champions resilience, innovation, and collective action. A visually stunning and emotionally uplifting reminder that hope is a renewable resource. Now streaming on Amazon Prime.
- Referees to be equipped with bodycams: German referee quartet with Zwayer in action at the Club World Cup kicker.de
- Women’s Cup final likely to be sold out for the third time in a row: FC Bayern against Werder Bremen on May 1 in Cologne kicker.de
- Future of Bayern star in doubt: Gnabry wants to stay at Bayern sport.de
- Overtime victory against Ingolstadt: Cologne Sharks advance to the DEL final faz.net
- Tennis: ATP tournament in Munich – Struff knocked out in first round sportschau.de
- Cycling: Van der Poel’s team and the UCI take action against bottle throwers sportschau.de
Lawsuit: Egg liqueur without eggs does not taste good to the spirits association. sueddeutsche.de