Bild: NATO warns Putin: Stop it | Nato warnt Putin: Hören Sie auf
FAZ: NATO: We will defend every inch of our territory | NATO: Werden jeden Zentimeter unseres Territoriums verteidigen
Funke: Power outage in southeast Berlin: Emergency generators sold out | Stromausfall im Südosten von Berlin: Notstromgeneratoren ausverkauft
Handelsblatt: Poland shoots diwn Russian drones | Polen schießt russische Drohnen ab
RND: Why Palantir is so controversial: Police software under suspicion | Warum Palantir so umstritten ist: Polizei-Software unter Verdacht
SZ: Poland shoots down Russian drones | Polen schießt russische Drohnen ab
Tagesspiegel: „Large-scale provocation“ – Russian drones shot down over NATO country Poland for the first time | „Groß angelegte Provokation” – Erstmals russische Drohnen über Nato-Land
taz: Wars withour borders | Kriege ohne Grenzen
Welt: Poland shoots down Russian drones for the first time | Polen schießt erstmals russische Drohnen ab
Poland requests NATO consultations: NATO Secretary General Marc Rutte said in Brussels that the violation of Polish airspace by Russian drones was completely reckless. A full assessment of the incident is still pending. Poland reported at least 19 airspace violations on Tuesday night and initially confirmed the shooting down of three drones. On Wednesday, more than a dozen pieces of drone debris were discovered. One of the aircraft had crashed next to a barracks. Initial findings indicate that the drones were Iranian-made Shahed drones or similar aircraft. n-tv.de, zdfheute.de
- NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said Russia’s behavior was “absolutely reckless” and “absolutely dangerous” — regardless of whether it was intentional. Member states are determined to defend every inch of NATO territory, he said. tagesspiegel.de
- Poland calls for a meeting of the UN Security Council. zeit.de
- According to Warsaw, the drones shot down in Polish airspace originated in Russia. “This is the first case in which Russian drones have been shot down over the territory of a NATO country, which is why all our allies are taking the situation very seriously,” said Prime Minister Donald Tusk after a government meeting.
- Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the Russian government’s claim that it was a mistake was not credible. He sees the incident as a serious threat to peace in Europe. Defense Minister Boris Pistorius spoke of a deliberate provocation against NATO. There is no reason to believe that it was a course correction error. n-tv.de
Germany now Ukraine’s biggest supporter: According to Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, Germany has replaced the United States as the main donor of military aid to Ukraine. Germany is “now the largest supporter with the amounts we have allocated in the budget, approximately nine billion euros,” Pistorius said in the Bundestag. He pointed out that the US government would now supply weapons to Ukraine via the new NATO mechanism PURL. The alliance coordinates the delivery of weapons that are procured in the US but financed by partners.
- EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has announced an alliance with Ukraine to produce drones. Europe will provide six billion euros for the project, she said.
Qatar’s head of government, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, sees negative consequences from Israel’s attack on hostages in the Gaza Strip: He met with relatives of the hostages in Qatar on the morning of the attack. They had been counting on the mediation efforts and had no other hope, Al-Thani told CNN. Qatar, together with Egypt and the US, is mediating in the Gaza war between Israel and Hamas. There are still almost 50 hostages in the Gaza Strip, 20 of whom are still alive, according to Israeli information. zdfheute.de
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demands that Doha expel the Hamas leadership. faz.net
Deaths in the Gaza Strip: A spokesperson for the civil defense service controlled by the militant Islamist group Hamas said that a total of 43 Palestinians were killed on Wednesday. Air strikes on a high-rise building and tents in Gaza City claimed 23 lives. Israel reported an attack on a high-rise building which, according to the military, was being used by Hamas. Residents had been warned in advance.
Numerous people die in Israeli attack in Yemen: The Houthi-controlled Ministry of Health has now reported the deaths of 35 people and 131 injuries. The militia announced that it would respond soon. According to Israeli sources, military targets were hit in the Yemeni capital Sanaa and in the north of the country. These included Houthi military camps and a fuel facility. The Israeli army described the attack as a response to previous Houthi attacks on Israel.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s policy on Israel met with reluctance in Berlin: The EU Commission wants to suspend support for Israel. All relevant payments will be stopped, von der Leyen said. However, this should not affect work with Israeli civil society or the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial. Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said he had taken note of von der Leyen’s speech. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said he viewed the decision with skepticism. welt.de, sueddeutsche.de
Ipsos Sunday poll: CDU/CSU 24 percent (-1), AfD 25 percent, SPD 15 percent, Greens 12 percent (+1), Left Party 12 percent (+1), BSW 4 percent (-1), FDP 3 percent, others 5 percent. (Comparison with previous month). ipsos.com
Sigrid Emmenegger is set to become a federal constitutional court judge: The leaders of the SPD and CDU/CSU parliamentary groups have agreed on the administrative judge as their candidate. The SPD proposed Emmenegger as a replacement for Frauke Brosius-Gersdorf, who had failed to gain sufficient support in the CDU/CSU parliamentary group before the summer recess. Emmenegger has been a judge at the Federal Administrative Court since 2021. The election date is September 26. faz.net, rnd.de, sueddeutsche.de
Cabinet approves tax relief and increased protection for critical infrastructure:
- Tax reduction for restaurants: The sales tax on food in restaurants is to be permanently reduced from the current 19 percent to 7 percent. wiwo.de
- Commuter allowance extended: Mobility, especially in rural areas, is to be promoted with an increase to 38 cents from the first kilometer between home and work. t-online.de
- Recognition for voluntary work: Next year, the flat rate for trainers and volunteers is to be increased; volunteers are to receive greater tax relief. sr.de
- No increase in citizen’s income: The standard rates for living expenses in 2026 will remain unchanged; single adults will continue to receive €563 per month. n-tv.de
- Protection of critical infrastructure: Operators of power plants, airports, and other critical infrastructure facilities will be required to better protect themselves against terrorist attacks, sabotage, and natural disasters. heise.de
- Financing of small businesses and start-ups: Tax conditions for venture capital are to be improved. handelsblatt.com
Federal Prosecutor’s Office indicts “Saxon separatists”: Ten months after the dismantling of the right-wing extremist group, the Karlsruhe authorities accuse the defendants of, among other things, being members or ringleaders of a terrorist organization. The group’s ideology is said to be characterized by racist, anti-Semitic, and, in part, apocalyptic ideas. The Federal Prosecutor’s Office had the eight defendants arrested last November. According to MDR research, three of them were members of the AfD and were expelled from the party after the allegations became known.
More news from Germany:
- NRW: Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court sentences Solingen attacker to life imprisonment with subsequent preventive detention. spiegel.de
- Berlin: 20,000 households will remain without power until Thursday. tagesspiegel.de
- Berlin: Leftists enter the housing battle with the issue of rents in the capital. spiegel.de
- Berlin: Tiergarten Tunnel closed for third day in a row due to staff shortages. n-tv.de
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen calls for a more independent EU: In her State of the Union address, she called for a “new Europe” in light of a “new, power-based world order.” “This must be the moment of European independence,” said Ursula von der Leyen. Europe must fight “for its place in the world,” she told members of the EU Parliament. Many important powers in the world are “either ambivalent” or “openly hostile” toward Europe, she said. spiegel.de, faz.net
France’s new Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu calls for change: “There will have to be breaks, not only in form and method, but also in content,” said Lecornu at the handover ceremony in Paris. The gap between the political situation and citizens‘ expectations must be closed. To achieve this, change is necessary, said Lecornu. We need to be more creative, more technical in some areas, and more serious in the way we work with the opposition. n-tv.de, faz.net
- More than 470 people were arrested during the nationwide day of protest, which saw 175,000 participants. Protests under the slogan “Let’s block everything” are primarily directed against the austerity plans that have been announced for some time. faz.net
More News
- Sweden: Age of criminal responsibility to be lowered due to organized crime. spiegel.de
- Austria: Headscarf ban planned for girls under 14 in schools. orf.at
- Belgium: Justice investigates sniper who was active in Gaza. vrt.be
- Switzerland: Irrigation needs could increase massively. nau.ch
- Cuba: Power grid collapses again. stern.de
- Mexico: Government plans high tariffs on imported goods, especially from Asia. finanzen.net
USA News
Right-wing conservative activist and Trump supporter Charlie Kirk shot dead: Author and podcaster Charlie Kirk was shot several times while giving a speech at an event at a university in the state of Utah. The circumstances surrounding the incident are still unclear. A suspect was arrested. It was later reported that this was probably not the shooter. Kirk was a well-known representative of the right-wing conservative movement in the US and founded the youth activist organization Turning Point USA. He had an audience of millions on social media. Kirk played a major role in getting young people excited about the Republicans in the election. spiegel.de, zdfheute.de, tagesschau.de
Crafts jobs remain vacant for long periods: According to an analysis by the Federal Employment Agency, the vacancy period in the crafts sector rose from 104 days in 2015 to 224 days in 2024. The vacancy period covers the time from the earliest possible date of filling the position to the date on which the vacancy is deregistered with employment agencies and job centers. According to the Federal Employment Agency, these recruitment problems are leading to a decline in employment in the skilled trades.
More from Business, Tech and Science:
- Consumer advocates warn: Legislative change weakens insurance cancellation rights cash-online.de
- Debate over deposit amounts: Reusable bottles are increasingly ending up in the trash tagesschau.de
- Software billionaire Larry Ellison is now almost as rich as Elon Musk spiegel.de
- UNICEF nutrition report: For the first time, more children are obese than underweight tagesschau.de
- Parkinson’s: “Remarkable accuracy” – an ultrasound helmet is set to help with brain diseases in the future welt.de
- OECD education study: Why there is a gap in education in this country Research.Table
- Equality in science: Why there is still much to be done Research.Table
- Stefan Raab finally abandons trashy titles for his new show: “Die Stefan Raab Show” focuses on the familiar rollingstone.de
- Better sound quality: Spotify introduces long-awaited “lossless” feature spiegel.de
- Spain calls again for Israel to be excluded from the ESC welt.de
- Banksy artwork removed by London court – police investigate deutschlandfunkkultur.de
- New sculpture in Berlin: Memorial for survivors of sexual violence unveiled monopol-magazin.de
- Downton Abbey finale: This Earl has earned his rest spiegel.de
- Ed Sheeran confirms: The follow-up album to PLAY is almost finished musikexpress.de
- hronic suffering: Selena Gomez talks about her lupus disease spiegel.de
- Alimony dispute: Becker vs. Becker, the match goes into the next round sueddeutsche.de
This week on Plus Forty Nine, we explore some of the key stories shaping Germany today. We break down the surge in asylum lawsuits flooding the courts, while overall asylum applications are dropping due to tighter border controls. We also look at Germany’s future demographic challenges, with nearly a third of the workforce expected to retire by 2039. In our culture segment, it’s apple season! From the Bodensee region to towns across the country, traditional apple festivals offer tastings, orchard tours, and delicious seasonal dishes. Our guest is Kevin Wu, CEO of Leaping AI, whose voice AI agents are transforming call centers. Kevin shares how AI can relieve repetitive tasks, addresses fears of automation, and compares Berlin’s tech scene with the US. Plus, in Ask a German: why do Germans love Mallorca for a holiday? Listen now: plusfortyninepodcast.podigee.io
- Soccer: World Cup threatened by heat Climate.Table
- 2026 World Cup – Interesting facts about World Cup ticket sales: It’s complicated sportschau.de
- Neuer’s advisor talks about comeback in the national team – “He’s in top shape and performing really well. If Julian Nagelsmann sees a problem in that position, Manuel is healthy and is asked to play, then Manu will certainly not say no.” welt.de
- An unbelievable sum for a goalkeeper! Gianluigi Donnarumma is reportedly earning a record salary at Manchester City—he will earn around €78 million net until 2030. spox.com
- Stage 17 of the Vuelta: First professional victory for Pellizzari and, for once, no protests srf.ch
Germany is holding its annual nationwide warning day today. Starting at 11:00 AM, authorities will conduct a test alert—no danger for residents. Sirens will sound in many cities, and warnings will be sent out via the federal alert system, including apps and cell broadcasting directly to mobile phones. The all-clear will follow around 11:45 AM. This exercise checks the country’s emergency warning channels and helps make sure everyone knows what to expect in a real crisis.