Bild: We’re left with much less of our pay / Uns bleibt noch viel weniger vom Lohn.
FAZ: Former US presidents criticize actions in Minneapolis / Frühere US-Präsidenten kritisieren Vorgehen in Minneapolis
Funke: Fatal police shootings in Minneapolis – pressure on Trump grows / Todesschüsse in Minneapolis – Druck auf Trump wächst
Handelsblatt: Airbus versus Rheinmetall / Airbus gegen Rheinmetall
RND: German combat drones: company with stake held by Trump supporter Thiel set to win contract / Deutsche Kampfdrohnen: Firma mit Beteiligung von Trump-Unterstützer Thiel soll Zuschlag bekommen
SZ: The welfare state is to be slimmed down / Der Sozialstaat soll schlanker werden
Tagesspiegel: Commission proposes comprehensive reform of the welfare state / Kommission schlägt umfassende Reform des Sozialstaats vor
taz: Söder shocked: CDU wants to ban „lifestyle part-time work“ / Söder geschockt: CDU will Lifestyle-Teilzeit verbieten
Welt: Republicans criticize Trump’s deportation policy / Republikaner kritisieren Trumps Abschiebepolitik
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius has condemned ongoing Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure during ceasefire talks, calling them „particularly cynical“ and a violation of international law. He said Germany has already delivered over a third of its Patriot air-defence systems and cannot currently supply more.
tagesschau.de
- Germany expects rapid progress in the deployment of Armoured Brigade 45 in Lithuania as part of NATO’s eastern flank defence. Around 500 German soldiers are already stationed there; the full brigade remains on schedule.
- German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has criticized Russia for its lack of compromise in the Ukraine peace talks in Abu Dhabi, warning that negotiations could drag on without progress on territorial issues. tagesschau.de
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged tangible progress ahead of the next round of talks with Russia and the US, warning Moscow against using negotiations as a delaying tactic.
- The Kremlin says peace talks with the US and Ukraine are still far from a breakthrough, citing territorial demands as a central sticking point despite a „constructive“ start.
- NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has urged EU countries to use a €90 billion loan for Ukraine flexibly, warning that „Buy EU“ restrictions could slow support as European defence production remains insufficient.
Investigations by the BBC and Disclose show Russia systematically abusing Interpol notices to target regime critics abroad using fabricated charges. Interpol now rejects more Russian requests than those from any other country. tagesanzeiger.ch
- Russian airstrikes have knocked out power for around 80 percent of Kharkiv and the surrounding region following overnight drone and missile attacks. Authorities are working to restore electricity.
- More than 1,200 residential buildings in Kyiv remain without heating after recent Russian strikes. Zelenskyy described the situation as critical and called for faster protection of energy infrastructure.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has warned of the growing security importance of Northern Europe at the North Sea summit in Hamburg. He pointed to rising tensions within the EU and NATO, strategic interests of the US, and increasing debate over military presence and control in the North Sea and Arctic regions. sueddeutsche.de, n-tv.de, tagesschau.de, sat1regional.de
- Germany’s Economy Minister Katherina Reiche has called for stronger European cooperation to protect critical energy and data infrastructure. She warned that attacks on power grids, pipelines and data cables are increasing and said Europe must expand and better secure its infrastructure. zeit.de
- North Sea countries have agreed on an investment pact and closer cooperation to expand offshore wind power. The deal aims to reduce costs, ease investment and interconnect wind farms across borders, with up to 100 gigawatts of capacity planned. ndr.de, handelsblatt.com
- Germany and Denmark are expanding their energy cooperation in the North Sea and plan to jointly distribute offshore wind power. The EU-backed Bornholm project will link both countries via power cables and become part of a wider offshore grid by 2050.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul says Europe will remain dependent on the US nuclear umbrella for the foreseeable future. While Germany is open to talks with France on a European deterrence option, implementation would take years. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte warned Europe could not defend itself without the US unless defence spending rose sharply. rnd.de(Wadephul) n-tv.de, tagesspiegel.de (Rutte)
A government commission has presented 26 recommendations to reform Germany’s welfare system, proposing to bundle benefits such as citizen’s income, housing support and child allowances and to digitise procedures. The aim is faster payments, fewer authorities and stronger incentives to return to work. sueddeutsche.de, n-tv.de, tagesschau.de
Germany’s governing coalition has agreed on a new framework law to better protect critical infrastructure. Companies in sectors such as energy, transport, finance, health and water will be required to register facilities, conduct risk analyses and implement protective measures.
handelsblatt.com
Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt is pushing to expand the powers of Germany’s domestic intelligence service, including giving it operational authority and additional digital investigation tools. He also wants to restrict public access to sensitive data on critical infrastructure, citing security risks. n-tv.de, stern.de, rnd.de
Chancellor Friedrich Merz has expressed concern over the use of force by US authorities following fatal shootings by ICE officers in Minneapolis. He called for a full investigation, while Germany’s Foreign Office tightened US travel advice, warning against large gatherings in affected cities. spiegel.de (Merz); t-online.de (Auswärtiges Amt)
Several senior German politicians have rejected proposals to abolish the legal right to part-time work. Critics across party lines argue that motivation, tax incentives, childcare and care infrastructure — not restrictions — are key to increasing working hours. br.de
Other news:
- Germany’s coalition has agreed on adjustments to asylum and migration rules in line with EU requirements. n-tv.de
- The SPD wants large online platforms such as Google to contribute more financially to support independent journalism and media diversity in Germany. wiwo.de
- Germany has signed a Council of Europe convention strengthening legal protections for lawyers under international law. lto.de
Thuringia’s AfD faction welcomes right-wing extremist Martin Sellner to the state parliament: The Austrian right-wing extremist’s visit has caused outrage across party lines. The CDU and The Left see the meeting as further evidence of the ideological proximity of Thuringia’s AfD to the right-wing extremist milieu. CDU Secretary General Niklas Waßmann spoke in Erfurt of an “alarm signal” and called for the party to clearly distance itself. Left Party MP Katharina König-Preuss accused the AfD of deliberately inviting Sellner, a well-known thought leader of the extreme right, into the center of democracy. AfD deputy faction leader Daniel Haseloff posted photos showing him with Sellner in the foyer of the state parliament and publicly thanked him for the exchange, which he said was about Sellner’s “remigration concept” and differences with the positions of the Thuringian AfD. tlz.de, rnd.de, thueringer-allgemeine.de
Pro-Kurdish activists storm CDU state headquarters in Stuttgart: Several activists shouted slogans there. According to Baden-Württemberg CDU Secretary General Tobias Vogt, some of them were masked and used force to gain access to the premises. The state security service is investigating, among other things, trespassing. Six suspects were taken into custody. n-tv.de
More news from Germany:
- Saxony-Anhalt: Reiner Haseloff steps down; Sven Schulze to become Minister President. welt.de
- Berlin: Federal government offers one million euros for information on left-wing extremist arson attack. rnd.de
- Bavaria: Minister President Markus Söder rejects AfD idea of a Trump-style deportation police force. n-tv.de
- Rhineland-Palatinate: AfD wants to introduce school uniforms, including for teachers. rnd.de
- Rhineland-Palatinate: Minister President Alexander Schweitzer does not want a position in a possible CDU government. allgemeine-zeitung.de
- Berlin: Administration wants to introduce PayPal alternative “Wero.” rbb24.de
- Schleswig-Holstein: Minister President Daniel Günther condemns vandalism at the Kiel synagogue memorial. n-tv.de
- Berlin: Brandenburg Gate to be illuminated on Tuesday in memory of the Holocaust. morgenpost.de
- Bremen: Police set up investigation team to look into truck trailers on highways. butenunbinnen.de
- Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: Greens want to make it easier to set up citizens‘ councils in the state. n-tv.de
EU and India plan to sign free trade agreement in New Delhi: One day before the EU-India summit, both sides have concluded negotiations on a trade agreement. India’s Secretary of Commerce Rajesh Agrawal said the agreement was ready to be signed and would be officially presented in New Delhi on Tuesday. Brussels is counting on the agreement to expand exports of cars and steel to India. In return, New Delhi could supply more medicines and textiles to Europe. In addition, a defense and security agreement is planned to deepen the strategic partnership. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Council President Antonio Costa are already in the Indian capital and were guests of honor at Monday’s Republic Day parade. n-tv.de
- DIHK has high hopes for a trade agreement with India. handelsblatt.com
EU Commission classifies WhatsApp as a particularly large online platform: WhatsApp will now fall under EU digital services law. The reason for this is the high number of users of the messaging service. The Commission can now impose fines if illegal content such as hate speech or Nazi symbols is disseminated on open WhatsApp channels; the regulation does not apply to private chats. Meta has four months to implement the new requirements. A total of 26 large platforms, including X, Instagram, and Zalando, are currently subject to direct EU supervision. heise.de, rnd.de
EU Commission takes action against Elon Musk’s chatbot Grok for sexualized AI images: Users were able to temporarily prompt the software to sexualize images, including some that could be considered child abuse. Brussels accuses X of violating EU regulations on protection against systemic risks. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen emphasized that the EU would not hand over responsibility for child protection to tech companies and that unimaginable behavior such as digitally undressing women and children would not be tolerated. lto.de, welt.de
EU seals exit from Russian pipeline gas by 2027: The energy ministers of the EU member states have decided in Brussels to completely stop imports of Russian pipeline gas. Hungary and Slovakia voted against the regulation; Budapest announced that it would file a lawsuit before the European Court of Justice. With this decision, the EU is implementing a key energy policy project that negotiators from the member states and the EU Parliament had already negotiated in December. focus.de, n-tv.de
Further news:
- EU Parliament postpones decision on work on US trade agreement. derstandard.at
- Italy calls for Iran’s Revolutionary Guards to be classified as a terrorist organization. stern.de
High sickness rates cost the economy up to €160 billion: A VFA study shows how badly the economy is suffering from rising sickness rates. For four years, sickness rates have been well above the long-term average. The association estimates that this results in an annual loss of around one-third of a percent of German economic output. According to the pharmaceutical association, the total loss over four years amounts to up to €160 billion. spiegel.de
Further economic news:
- Study: Only one in four German companies prepared for war. zdfheute.de
- Gold rush atmosphere in the space industry. faz.net
- Satellites for the German Armed Forces: Rheinmetall and OHB consider building a German Starlink alternative. n-tv.de
- Ifo Business Climate Index: Business expectations of companies are stagnating. zeit.de
- Germany’s largest trade union, IG Metall, loses members. tagesschau.de
- Broadcasting Council confirms journalist: Boris Lochthofen becomes MDR director. lvz.de
Germany is debating “remigration” in a state parliament, regulating WhatsApp like a public square, and planning life after Russian gas — all while sickness rates quietly drain billions from the economy. The big theme of the day: security, in every sense of the word. Borders, data, energy, democracy — and even who shows up for work.