published by Sigrid Arteaga
Contributor: Imogen Goodman and Ulrich Kraus
Bild: Brand-name products up to 62 percent cheaper! | Marken-Produkte bis zu 62 Prozent billiger!
FAZ: Iran announces expansion of nuclear program | Iran kündigt Ausweitung des Atomprogramms an
Handelsblatt: Where buying pays off again | Wo sich kaufen wieder lohnt
RND: „Preemptive strike“: Israel attacks Iran’s nuclear facilities – explosions in Tehran | „Präventivschlag“: Israel greift Irans Atomanlagen an – Explosionen in Teheran
SZ: Pistorius announces more money for Ukraine | Pistorius kündigt mehr Geld für Ukraine an
Tagesspiegel: Number of people in need has doubled according to care report | Pflegereport: Zahl der Bedürftigen hat sich verdoppelt
taz: Headline: suffering | Leid-Artikel
Welt: Growth returns | Das Wachstum kehrt zurück
Israel attacks Iran’s nuclear facilities: The attack was aimed at military targets, including ballistic missiles and Iran’s nuclear program. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz spoke of a „preemptive strike“ and declared a state of emergency for his country. Counterattacks with missiles and drones are expected in the near future. Iranian media reported explosions in the capital Tehran. The country’s leadership had convened a crisis meeting. faz.net, zdfheute.de, spiegel.de
Defense Minister Boris Pistorius promises a further €1.9 billion in military aid in Kiev: The main aim is to equip the country with long-range missiles, Pistorius said at a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kiev. The payments are also intended to boost arms production within Ukraine. This involves the manufacture of cruise missiles, drones, and rockets. If the Bundestag approves the additional military aid, Germany will provide Ukraine with a total of around €9 billion this year, according to Pistorius. At the same time, Pistorius made it clear that the German government is not currently planning to deliver Taurus cruise missiles to Kiev. zdfheute.de, n-tv.de, rp-online.de, tagesschau.de
Ukraine and Russia have exchanged sick and seriously wounded soldiers: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that all Ukrainian soldiers who had been released needed medical treatment. Russia’s Defense Ministry announced that a group of Russian soldiers had returned from Ukraine. They were now receiving the necessary psychological and medical assistance. Neither side provided any information on the number of soldiers exchanged. n-tv.de
SPD leader Lars Klingbeil against closer ties with Russia: Klingbeil does not view the foreign policy manifesto as an attack on himself, but distances himself from its content. Klingbeil said he does not share the authors‘ opinion. There have been many diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine, he said, but Russian President Vladimir Putin is not willing to engage. There will be no U-turn in support for Ukraine. handelsblatt.com, spiegel.de
OECD recommends abolishing early retirement and joint taxation for married couples: In view of the growing shortage of skilled workers, Germany must better integrate women and older people into the labor market, according to the economic report presented by OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann to Economics Minister Katherina Reiche. False incentives, such as retirement at 63, have led to many well-educated workers leaving the labor market too early. For women, it is often not worth working full-time from a tax perspective. spiegel.de, tagesschau.de
Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig wants to extend grace period for tenants: People who have already been given notice to leave due to rent arrears must have a chance to avert losing their homes, Hubig told the RND. A notice of termination that has already been issued must be reversible if the outstanding amounts are paid. Corresponding changes to tenancy law are to be introduced before the end of this year. spiegel.de
The number of people in need of care has doubled in the last ten years to 5.6 million: At the end of 2024, around 5.6 million people were receiving benefits from social care insurance; ten years earlier, the figure was 2.7 million, according to the Federal Medical Service. A further increase is expected in the coming years. Younger people are also increasingly being classified as in need of care. The reason given for this is a reform introduced in 2017, which takes greater account of mental and cognitive impairments. Another reason for the higher demand is demographic change. According to the report, the majority of people in need of care live at home. zeit.de
Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier calls for less bureaucracy for skilled trades: The jungle of regulations must be slashed or untangled, said Steinmeier at the event marking the 75th anniversary of the Central Association of Skilled Trades. This would give companies more freedom to act and enable them to work more effectively. Steinmeier welcomed the fact that many proposals on this issue were included in the coalition agreement between the CDU, CSU, and SPD. Politicians would be well advised to give this task the highest priority. ariva.de
2,400 Afghans remain in Pakistan despite promises of admission: The Rheinische Post quotes Union interior politician Alexander Throm as saying that even in cases where promises have already been made, each individual case must be examined. Specifically, it must be investigated whether the information provided by the Afghans and the NGOs that proposed them was correct, whether the necessary security checks were carried out, and whether the promise of admission can be revoked. SPD foreign policy politician Derya Türk-Nachbaur said that we must not shirk our responsibility; these people have a right to protection and must not be abandoned. They had already undergone a lengthy and thorough security check.
Brandenburg’s Minister President Dietmar Woidke calls for measures against traffic jams caused by border controls: Woidke met with officials from the Polish region of Lubuskie, which borders Brandenburg. Woidke announced that he would ask the federal government to push ahead quickly with the project for a third lane on the A12 motorway. tagesspiegel.de
More regional news:
- Hesse: Minister of Economic Affairs Kaweh Mansoori in the investigative committee on Lamia Messari-Becker. hessenschau.de
- Schleswig-Holstein: SPD and FDP want full disclosure of Northvolt files. ndr.de
- Berlin: CDU faction leader Dirk Stettner brings „Iron Dome“ into play for the capital. web.de
- Brandenburg: Double budget clears important hurdle with approval of budget politicians. rbb24.de
- Berlin: SPD parliamentary group leader Raed Saleh calls for protection against Islamophobia in the constitution. n-tv.de
- Bavaria: Free Voters leader Hubert Aiwanger opposes ban on AfD. n-tv.de
- Lower Saxony: „Alarm bells“ in the automotive industry. faz.net
More than 122 million people on the run: According to the UN Refugee Agency, the number rose by around two million within a year. The main causes are the conflicts in Sudan, Myanmar, and Ukraine. The UN organization criticized that humanitarian aid is not adequately funded. Within ten years, the number of displaced persons has almost doubled, but funding has remained at roughly the same level. zdfheute.de
Lawsuit by boat refugees against Italy dismissed: The European Court of Justice did not find it proven that Italy had unlawfully instructed the Libyan coast guard to take back migrants in distress at sea. The case concerns around 150 people who set off from Libya for Europe in a rubber dinghy in 2017. The rescue operation was initially coordinated by the Italian control center in Rome. However, the Libyan ship that was first on the scene acted autonomously and was not under Italian control, the judges explained. Many people died in the incident, and the 45 survivors were returned to Libya. sueddeutsche.de
At least 265 dead in plane crash in western India: One British man survived. The passenger plane crashed into a residential area shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad airport, killing several residents. Numerous people were injured and taken to hospitals. The cause of the accident is not yet known. Authorities from India, the UK, and the US have launched investigations. Most of the passengers on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner bound for London were Indian and British citizens. Several Portuguese nationals and one Canadian were also on board. rnd.de, spiegel.de
US President Donald Trump hints at a change of course in his deportation policy: While raids against undocumented migrants in Los Angeles are causing protests, the agriculture and hotel industries fear losing good, long-term workers. „Our great farmers and people in the hotel and leisure sector have stated that our very aggressive immigration policy is taking away their very good, long-term workers,“ Trump wrote on Truth Social. They are not citizens, he said, but have proven to be „great.“ Currently, there are about 10 to 11 million undocumented people living in the US; even though they generally pay taxes, they are excluded from many government benefits. spiegel.de, volksfreund.de
More news:
- Austria: Three days of national mourning after shooting rampage in Graz ends with memorial service in St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna. stern.de
- France: Senate rejects two percent minimum tax for billionaires. stern.de
- Spain: Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez rejects calls for early elections. spiegel.de
- Czech Republic: President Petr Pavel wants to make NATO more independent from the US. nau.ch
- Netherlands: Social Democrats and Greens merge to form a single party. handelsblatt.com
- United Kingdom: Trade unions reject further open access concessions lok-report.de
- Hungary: Protests against controversial transparency law. dw.com
- Belgium: UN criticizes „systematic racism“ in the country. grenzecho.net
- Belgium: Justice Minister Annelies Verlinden plans to transfer prisoners abroad due to overcrowded prisons. grenzecho.net
- Bosnia-Herzegovina: Conference of European rabbis in Sarajevo canceled at the last minute following an anti-Semitic campaign. dw.com
- Greece: Athens plans drastic measures against migrants. bazonline.ch
- Bulgaria: Finance ministers wave the country into the eurozone; euro debate turns into a culture war. boersen-zeitung.de
- Sweden: Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson concerned about security due to increasingly frequent cyberattacks. tagesspiegel.de
- Mali: Russian mercenaries are said to have tortured and killed hundreds of civilians. spiegel.de
- Kenya: Police officer arrested after the death of well-known anti-corruption activist and blogger Albert Ojwang; protests escalate. n-tv.de
- Bolivia: Several police officers killed in clashes during protests by Morales supporters. derstandard.at
Institutes raise economic forecasts significantly:
- Ifo Institute raised its economic forecast to 1.5 percent. Previously, the forecast had been 0.8 percent. The forecast for the current year was raised slightly to 0.3 percent. zdfheute.de
- Kiel Institute for the World Economy expects the same increase for this year; next year, it should be 1.6 percent. Economists cite the growth package, which includes tax cuts and investments, as one reason for this. zdfheute.de
More from Business, Tech, and Science:
- Mainz-based pharmaceutical company Biontech wants to take over its competitor Curevac. swr.de
- Survey: A quarter of students use AI every day. heise.de
- Cartel Office prohibits Tönnies from purchasing Vion slaughterhouses. handelsblatt.com
- Consumers will pay less for overdrafts. faz.net
- Shadow research: WamS and the „climate lobby“ – „secret agreements“ are supposed to prove that the EU has commissioned environmental associations to lobby on its behalf. However, it has been known for months that there is little substance to the allegations. uebermedien.de
- Now with both sides represented: New episode of the ARD reportage magazine „Klar“ sueddeutsche.de
- Influencer content: First BCM impact study for the DACH region shows strong brand relevance cpmonitor.de
- US director Alexander Payne receives honorary award in Locarno wdr.de
- Highlights of the Berlin Biennale: Testing the West monopol-magazin.de
- Misogynistic, homophobic, Trump fan: Old posts by ESC participant Abor have caused a storm of criticism for the ESC duo Abor & Tynna. The musician issued an apology faz.net
- Heidi Klum congratulates her son Johan on graduating high school vip.de
- New York: No agreement on rape charge in Weinstein trial zeit.de
- FIFPRO study: Union calls for vacation and days off for soccer players sportschau.de
- Even before the first edition: FIFA is considering expanding the Club World Cup n-tv.de
- Bayern star moves to Turkey: What’s behind Sané’s transfer to Galatasaray – The footballer may earn more, but he will now be playing on a smaller stage. Replacing Sané will cost the club much more than extending his contract. spiegel.de
- Commentary: DFB women’s team – Wücks‘ European Championship squad – A promising mix sportschau.de
- „I’ve met a lot of people“: Former BVB coach Terzic prepares for comeback sport.de
2,500 kilometers away: Dog disappears in Portugal and turns up in Bad Oldesloe – the mysterious journey of Boris the Labrador shz.de