Bild: 16 dead! Renovation of the accident-prone railway line was too expensive | 16 Tote! Sanierung der Unglücksbahn war zu teuer
FAZ: International community agrees on security guarantees for Ukraine | Staatengemeinschaft einig über Sicherheitsgarantien für Ukraine
Funke: One million less: Senate cuts funding for homeless people
Handelsblatt: The gap is secure | Die Lücke ist sicher
RND: After election poll in Saxony-Anhalt: Commissioner for Eastern Germany warns against focusing on the AfD | Nach Wahlumfrage aus Sachsen-Anhalt: Ostbeauftragte warnt vor Fokussierung auf die AfD
SZ: Merz hesitates on protection force | Merz zögert bei Schutztruppe
Tagesspiegel: Security guarantees for Ukraine: 26 countries want to send their own troops | Sicherheitsgarantien für die Ukraine: 26 Staaten wollen eigene Truppen schicken
taz: Despite the Taliban, despite Dobrindt | Trotz Taliban, Trotz Dobrindt
Welt: Asylum reform: „Interpret EU rules as restrictively as possible“ | Asylreform: „Legt EU-Regeln möglichst restriktiv aus“
Federal budget for 2025 finalized: The Budget Committee has agreed on a budget for 2025. Expenditures are expected to amount to €502.5 billion, slightly less than previously planned. New borrowing will remain unchanged at €81.8 billion. In addition, there will be billions in loans for the German Armed Forces and infrastructure, meaning that more than €140 billion in new debt is likely to be incurred. The parliamentary groups plan to comment on the details on Friday. Parliament is expected to vote on the final budget during the session week from September 16 to 19. zdfheute.de, zeit.de, handelsblatt.com, n-tv.de
- Union budget expert Christian Haase spoke of a budget that lays the foundations for security and growth.
- Green budget politician Sebastian Schäfer criticized the fact that billions from the special fund for infrastructure would be used to plug holes in the budget and finance gifts to voters.
- Left-wing budget politician Dietmar Bartsch described the first budget of Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil as a “fiscal policy coup.”
Israel’s army has taken over a large part of Gaza City: It controls 40 percent of the city, said an army spokesman, announcing an expansion and intensification of military operations in the coming days. Pressure on Hamas will be increased until it is defeated. Gaza City is considered one of the last strongholds of the terrorist organization. rnd.de
- According to Palestinian health authorities, more than 50 people were killed in Israeli shelling in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, most of them in Gaza City.
- Following the Islamist Hamas‘ agreement to a comprehensive ceasefire, relatives of the hostages are calling for an immediate return to negotiations. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is insisting on the surrender and disarmament of Hamas, which the latter strictly rejects.
- EU Commissioner Teresa Ribera has described Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip as “genocide,” expressing the strongest criticism yet from the EU Commission. Until now, neither the EU Commission as an institution nor most member states have used the term in connection with Gaza. Israel rejects the accusations. welt.de
- French President Emmanuel Macron is unwelcome in Israel because of his plans to recognize a Palestinian state. Only when Paris abandons this plan will Macron be able to visit Israel again, said Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar. No official plans for a possible visit by Macron to Israel were known. spiegel.de
Israel threatens biblical plagues after Houthi attack: Following a rocket attack from Yemen on Thursday morning, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz threatened the Houthi militia with the ten biblical plagues. “We will complete all ten plagues,” Katz wrote on X. n-tv.de
26 countries want to participate in security force: During the consultations of the “coalition of the willing,” 26 countries declared their willingness to participate in a security force for Ukraine after a ceasefire. The forces stationed in the country would not be there to wage war, but to guarantee the ceasefire, said French President Emmanuel Macron. Thirty-five heads of state and government attended the meeting in Paris or via video link. tagesspiegel.de, spiegel.de
- US President Donald Trump wants joint sanctions by the US and EU against Russia: According to Finnish President Alexander Stubb, sanctions against oil and gas are also under discussion. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and close advisors to Trump are to discuss this in the near future.
- Trump wants to end military aid to European countries on the border with Russia. zeit.de
- Volodymyr Zelensky has once again pushed for his country to join the EU. Membership is a compelling economic, political, and geopolitical security guarantee, Zelensky said after the meeting in Paris.
Defense Minister Boris Pistorius wants to prioritize increased military aid to Ukraine, he said on Sat.1. He sees no signs of a ceasefire or peace agreement, which are prerequisites for security guarantees. “In the opinion of all nations, the top priority is to strengthen the Ukrainian armed forces beyond the end of the war.” handelsblatt.com - Chancellor Friedrich Merz has threatened further sanctions against Russia if there is no progress in the negotiations for a ceasefire in Ukraine.
Deaths after Russian air strike in eastern Ukraine: Two civilians were killed in the Donetsk region; three bombs were dropped on the town of Illiniwka, according to Governor Vadym Filashkin. Five uninhabited buildings were damaged. According to Filashkin, three bombs also fell on a hospital in the industrial city of Kostyantynivka.
- According to Rosneft Germany, a Ukrainian attack on the Druzhba pipeline in Russia also temporarily disrupted oil supplies to the PCK refinery in Brandenburg. After repairs, the flow will return to normal by the end of this week. PCK does not purchase Russian oil, but receives oil from Kazakhstan in transit via the Druzhba pipeline.
- Russia’s economy is cooling faster than Moscow expected. The growth forecast will be revised downward shortly, said Economy Minister Maxim Reshetnikov. In April, the government had still been expecting 2.5 percent growth this year. handelsblatt.com
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte warns of Russian and Chinese rearmament: The West must prepare for a lasting threat from the China-Russia duo. Both countries are preparing for a long-term confrontation, Rutte said at a security conference in Prague. Moscow and Beijing are investing heavily in expanding and modernizing their armies and are stepping up their defense industry cooperation to an unprecedented level. Rutte called on Europeans to intensify their efforts to increase arms production. zdfheute.de
Tax relief for restaurants and commuters: From 2026, sales tax on restaurant meals is to be permanently reduced from the current 19 percent to 7 percent. The commuter allowance is to be increased to 38 cents. The draft of the 2025 Tax Amendment Act is currently being discussed internally by the government, reports the dpa. The Ministry of Finance is thus implementing plans announced by the CDU, CSU, and SPD in their coalition agreement. sueddeutsche.de
More and more unresolved cases: At the end of the first half of the year, the number of cases nationwide had risen to just under 964,000, reports the German Judges Association. This means that in the first half of 2025, around 13,000 new cases were added to the authorities‘ caseload. At the end of 2024, a record high of 950,852 unresolved cases had been reached. The figures are based on a survey of the state judicial administrations. stern.de
More News
- North Rhine-Westphalia: Four police officers suspended for “armed robbery.” n-tv.de
- Bavaria: Israeli Consul Talya Lador-Fresher warns of growing anti-Semitism. zeit.de
- Berlin: IFA opens its doors to private visitors on Friday. zeit.de
- North Rhine-Westphalia: Swimming ban on the Rhine also in Cologne. wdr.de
Deliberate interference with navigation systems in Swedish airspace: The Transport Agency believes Russia is behind this. Since the beginning of the year, 733 interference attacks on satellite-based navigation systems, including GPS, have been reported; in the whole of last year, there were 495. In 2023, there were 55 incidents of interference. Denmark has also recorded more disruptions this year than before. n-tv.de
More News
- Mercosur agreements with South America: EU aims to create the world’s largest free trade area. rnd.de
- How Russia is stirring up opposition to EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. dw.com
- 4.3 million euros embezzled: EU Parliament demands repayment from Patriots for Europe faction. de.euronews.com
- EU Advocate General: Member states must issue ID cards based on gender identity. euractiv.de
- European Court of Justice: Prison sentences in other EU countries only possible with consent. stern.de
- ECJ ruling on data protection: Compensation must also be paid for defamation. tagesschau.de
- Microsoft Office without Teams to prevent EU penalty. heise.de
USA News
Washington D.C. sues over deployment of National Guard in the capital: Attorney General Brian Schwalb said the lawsuit filed in federal court seeks to stop the deployment because it is unconstitutional and violates several federal laws. Armed soldiers should not perform police duties for American citizens on American soil. US President Donald Trump deployed National Guard troops to Washington last month, citing allegedly rampant crime in Washington as the reason. n-tv.de, tagesschau.de
- US President Donald Trump wants to rename the Department of Defense the “Department of War.” zeit.de
- Federal judge overturns the suspension of billions in US foreign aid. welt.de
- US Health Secretary Kennedy faces sharp criticism in the Senate. tagesspiegel.de
Ifo Institute lowers economic growth expectations to 0.2 percent: Researchers expect growth of 1.3 percent for the coming year. In June, the figures were still 0.3 percent and 1.5 percent, respectively. Ifo President Clemens Fuest said on Deutschlandfunk radio that the lower forecast was mainly due to the fact that the federal government’s debt-financed spending packages would come later than initially assumed. He added that private households had not been relieved of the electricity tax. However, he said the central problem in Germany was that there was too little private investment. rnd.de
More from Business, Tech and Science:
- Risk of heat waves such as those recently experienced in Spain increased fortyfold due to climate change stern.de
- Recognition of foreign professional qualifications increases significantly zeit.de
- Creditreform: Company start-ups in Germany fall to an all-time low boerse.de
- The power of PayPal: “There is simply no equivalent alternative at the moment” zeit.de
- Reports of surveillance in Gaza: Microsoft fires employees after protests netzpolitik.org
- When and how can the total lunar eclipse be seen? If the weather is clear and there is a clear view of the eastern horizon, the rise of the eclipsed full moon can be observed on the evening of September 7, 2025, preferably with binoculars. spektrum.de
- Donnepp Media Award revoked – Due to accusations of anti-Semitism: Waiblingerin stripped of award swr.de
- Police crack down: Major blow against illegal Bundesliga and UEFA streams golem.de
- Painting returned in Argentina: Nazi-looted art was featured in real estate ad tagesschau.de
- At hospital opening – King Charles on his health: “I’m not doing too badly” web.de
- Revealed in autobiography: Tennis legend Björn Borg diagnosed with prostate cancer web.de
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- Incumbent proposed as DFB vice president – New DFB secretary general: Blask to succeed Ullrich kicker.de
- Fans “stunned” by Chancellor – Friedrich Merz comments on security in German soccer stadiums and denounced a negative development on the part of fans. Fans respond with a clear answer – “populist slogans” sport1.de
- EuroBasket: Alan Ibrahimagic proves successful as stand-in coach – Germany’s national basketball team emerges as favorites at the European Championships. Stand-in head coach Alan Ibrahimagic impresses on the sidelines with his meticulousness, calmness, and modesty. dw.com
- Williams appeals Sainz penalty auto-motor-und-sport.de
- Max Verstappen: If I switch to Ferrari, it will only be in a winning car motorsport-total.com
- Stage 12 of the Tour of Spain: Ayuso takes second stage win after row with UAE sportschau.de
- Successful coach and “teacher at the punching bag”: boxing trainer Michael Timm has died spiegel.de
Many Germans love forests and hiking: “Waldeinsamkeit” is the word for that special feeling of solitude and peace when walking in the woods.