Bild: Rebecca (15) buried in the garden? / Rebecca (15) im Garten verscharrt?
FAZ: Merz: Confronting the AfD is also the SPD’s responsibility / Merz: Auseinandersetzung mit der AfD auch SPD-Sache
Funke: New A100 ring railway bridge to serve as a model for Germany / Neue A100-Ringbahnbrücke soll Vorbild für Deutschland sein
Handelsblatt: Klingbeil’s dilemma / Klingbeils Dilemma
RND: Merz at the IG BCE: How the union leader lectures the chancellor / Merz bei der IG BCE: Wie der Gewerkschaftschef dem Kanzler die Leviten liest
SZ: Trump’s course makes Europeans nervous / Trumps Kurs macht die Europäer nervös
Tagesspiegel: „Ask your daughters“ – Dispute over migrants in the cityscape – Merz doubles down / „Fragen Sie Ihre Töchter“ – Streit über Migranten im Stadtbild – Merz legt nach
taz: We still have this problem in the cityscape / Wir haben immer noch dieses Problem im Stadtbild
Welt: Trump takes a zigzag course / Trump vollzieht Zickzack-Kurs
Hamas hands over another body of an Israeli hostage: According to the Israeli army, the coffin was brought to Israeli troops in the Gaza Strip; the forensic institute in Tel Aviv will clarify the identity. So far, 13 of the total 28 bodies have been transferred, while 15 remain missing. Hamas claims it is difficult to locate the bodies because they are buried under rubble from bombed buildings and tunnels. tagesschau.de
- Despite the current ceasefire, there has been renewed Israeli shelling in the Gaza Strip with fatalities. According to Palestinian sources, two people died in Gaza City, while Israel’s army said it had targeted „terrorists“ near the border.
- US President Donald Trump suspects internal rebels within Hamas may be responsible for violating the ceasefire. He said the group’s leadership had lost control and warned that further attacks would lead to Hamas being wiped out. n-tv.de
- Trump added that the organization had little chance left to honor the agreement.
US Vice President JD Vance will travel to Israel following new fighting in Gaza to discuss ways to stabilize the ceasefire. Vance announced talks on a potential solution. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in the Knesset he would work with the US government on further peace agreements. handelsblatt.com - US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to discuss the renewed tensions in the region, following recent ceasefire violations.
Germany is urging Israel and Hamas to uphold the fragile Gaza ceasefire. t-online.de - Government spokesman Stefan Kornelius said Berlin expects full implementation of the Gaza peace plan.
- In Egypt, mediators discussed further steps in the Gaza conflict, including disarming Hamas, the withdrawal of Israeli troops, and reconstruction of the heavily damaged territory.
Israel reopens border crossing to Gaza: After suspending aid deliveries, Israel is once again allowing humanitarian goods into the Gaza Strip. The Kerem Shalom crossing reopened, while Rafah remains closed. Israel had justified the blockade by citing Hamas ceasefire violations after two Israeli soldiers were killed in attacks in southern Gaza. zdfheute.de
- Qatar is pressing for the reopening of the Rafah crossing to allow more aid from Egypt into Gaza. Deputy Foreign Minister Mariam bint Ali Al-Misnad said the access remains crucial for humanitarian relief.
- Nine southern European EU states have called on Israel to immediately release humanitarian aid for Gaza. The MED9 group said there was no legitimate reason to block aid and demanded that all border crossings be opened.
Israel again attacks Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon, calling them „terrorist infrastructure“ near Nabatiya. Since a ceasefire was agreed last November, both sides have repeatedly accused each other of violations. Lebanon accuses Israel of targeting civilian infrastructure and obstructing reconstruction.
Ukraine
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas rejects Trump’s proposal for Ukraine to cede territory: After a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg, Kallas criticized US President Trump’s suggestion that Ukraine should give up parts of the Donbass for peace. She warned against pressuring the attacked country, stressing that Russia remains the aggressor and will only negotiate seriously if it believes it could lose. She urged increased pressure on the Kremlin and confirmed the EU’s readiness for new sanctions.
US President Trump calls for the Donbass to be divided along current frontlines as a basis for a ceasefire, marking a clear policy shift from previous weeks when he had taken a tougher stance on Russia. tagesschau.de, faz.net, rnd.de, tagesschau.de
- Trump says a Ukrainian victory over Russia is unlikely but not impossible. A month ago, he had said Kyiv could retake all occupied territories with NATO and EU support.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy demands 25 Patriot systems after the US decided not to supply Tomahawk missiles for now. He expressed willingness to attend a potential meeting with Putin and Trump in Budapest.
- Zelenskyy will attend the EU summit in Brussels on Thursday to discuss support for Ukraine and European defense. He also plans to visit London on Friday for a „Coalition of the Willing“ meeting.
- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio are preparing a potential Trump-Putin meeting via phone. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says no date has been set and reiterates that Russia’s position remains unchanged, still claiming the entire Donbass.
Bild Sunday poll by Insa: CDU/CSU 24.5 (-0.5), AfD 27 (+0.5), SPD 14, Greens 11 (-0.5), Left 11 (+0.5), BSW 4.5 (+0.5), FDP 4, Others 4. bild.de
Defense Ministry denies plan to buy more F-35 jets beyond the 35 ordered in 2022, contradicting a Spiegel report of 15 more worth €2.5 billion. Defense Minister Boris Pistorius signed an agreement in Iceland allowing Bundeswehr access to local port facilities. tv.de (F35) zdfheute.de (Island)
Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt focuses on electronic jamming for drone defense, saying smart systems should take priority over ballistic ones. The goal is to seize control of or disable hostile drones after numerous sightings near airports, ports, and energy sites. zeit.de
Chancellor Friedrich Merz promotes targeted skilled migration, saying Germany must remain open to qualified workers while preventing irregular migration into welfare systems. The government plans a „Work-and-Stay“ agency to recruit talent from third countries. ndr.de, faz.net
Small-business groups demand relief: Crafts President Jörg Dittrich criticizes the government for delays and calls for faster bureaucracy reduction and investment incentives. welt.de
- Other reports:
Talks on deportations to Afghanistan nearing conclusion. n-tv.de - Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig to intensify prosecutions of human trafficking and forced prostitution. lto.de
- SPD General Secretary Tim Klüssendorf urges CDU/CSU to back the pension package and accuses Chancellor Merz of dividing society in the „cityscape“ debate. tagesschau.de
- Coalition dispute over €115 billion: Merz wants pensions as a top priority. n-tv.de
- Drug Commissioner Hendrik Streeck calls for stricter cannabis limits. fr.de
- Eastern Commissioner Elisabeth Kaiser calls for structural improvements in eastern Germany. rbb-online.de
Rebecca Reusch case: Six years after 15-year-old Rebecca vanished in Berlin, police have launched a new search on a property in Brandenburg linked to her brother-in-law’s family. Investigators now treat the case as a suspected homicide, not just a disappearance. The renewed operation has reignited public attention on one of Germany’s most high-profile unsolved cases, raising hopes for new answers after years of uncertainty. RBB
Other German news
NRW: Newly elected mayor Iris Stalzer critically injured in knife attack; deputy to take office. zdfheute.de
NRW: Over 40 graves vandalized in Essen Muslim cemetery; state security investigating. spiegel.de
Saxony-Anhalt: Memorial site inaugurated for Magdeburg Christmas market attack.
Hesse: State introduces 2025 supplementary budget. mdr.de
Berlin: Construction officially begins on new Ringbahn bridge. rbb24.de
Hamburg: AfD politician insults cancer-stricken Left Party member Theresa Jakob. abendblatt.de
Bavaria: CSU mayor Thomas Pardeller caught with cocaine; party keeps him as candidate. br.de
EU states agree to phase out Russian gas imports by 2027. Hungary and Slovakia opposed but couldn’t block the plan, which allows temporary suspension if supply security is threatened. The law would also permanently rule out reopening Nord Stream 2. zeit.de, faz.net, handelsblatt.com
Eighty European industrial firms call for CO₂-trading relief, warning of job losses and production shifts abroad if costs rise further. derstandard.de
Spain pushes to end daylight-saving time in the EU, arguing it disrupts people’s biological rhythms without saving energy. Madrid wants an EU-wide decision before the 2026 clock change. zeit.de, tagesspiegel.de
Other Europe and world updates:
- Denmark’s PM Mette Frederiksen toughens rhetoric on migration.
- Netherlands considers deporting rejected asylum seekers to Uganda.
- Switzerland’s government sells weapons.
- Portugal: Faulty cable caused Lisbon cable-car crash.
- Greece: Tsipras plans political comeback.
- France: Government admits failures after Louvre break-in.
- US appeals court upholds Trump’s use of National Guard in Portland.
- Trump plans trip to China early next year.
- Colombia recalls ambassador to Washington amid tensions with the US.
- Bolivia’s new president Rodrigo Paz vows to reopen the country to the world.
An expert report questions DB Cargo’s restructuring plan, calling it inadequate to address the company’s structural issues. The EU approved the plan but demands deeper reforms and the separation of unprofitable divisions.
Study: German companies have created about 325,000 extra administrative jobs in three years to handle growing bureaucracy, especially GDPR and supply-chain laws. Researchers warn that this hurts productivity, especially for SMEs.
Other updates:
- AWS outage disrupts many services.
- Ifo sees recovery in housing construction.
- Bird flu is spreading rapidly in Germany.
- Amazon is reportedly considering investment in delivery service Flink.
- Pharma sector warns of overreliance on China.
- Permira starts billion-euro sale in pharma business.
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The German Art of Saying „Doch“ If you’ve ever tried learning German, you’ve probably stumbled over the mysterious little word doch. It doesn’t translate neatly into English — yet Germans use it constantly. When someone says, „Das ist nicht wahr!“ („That’s not true!“), a confident Doch! means, „Oh yes, it is!“ It’s a word of elegant contradiction, a polite verbal punch, or even reassurance depending on tone. You can use doch to soften a reminder (Mach das doch morgen! – „Go on, just do it tomorrow“), to express surprise (Das ist doch unglaublich! – „That’s unbelievable!“), or to cheer someone up (Das wird doch klappen! – „It’ll work out after all!“). So next time you’re caught mid-conversation and English just doesn’t cut it, try a doch. It’s the linguistic equivalent of a raised eyebrow — pure German charm packed into four letters.