Bild: Blah-blah chancellor | Bla-Bla-Kanzler
FAZ: Union wants „de facto entry ban“ | Union will „faktisches Einreiseverbot“
Funke: Merz: Drastically tighten asylum policy | Merz: Asylpolitik drastisch verschärfen
Handelsblatt: The big rollback | Das große Rollback
RND: Aschaffenburg between mourning and politics: „There is a huge sense of despair“ | Aschaffenburg zwischen Trauer und Politik: „Es gibt eine riesige Verzweiflung“
SZ: Merz wants a ”de facto entry ban” | Merz will „faktisches Einreiseverbot“
Tagesspiegel: Suspect in psychiatric ward – Merz wants all illegal entry attempts to be rejected | Tatverdächtiger in Psychiatrie – Merz will alle illegalen Einreiseversuche zurückweisen
taz: Best German Trump impersonator | Bester deutscher Trump-Darsteller
Welt: Merz promises „de facto entry ban“ in case of election victory | Merz verspricht „faktisches Einreiseverbot“ bei Wahlsieg
Lebanese Hezbollah warns Israel against delaying withdrawal from Lebanon: The pro-Iranian militia said that if Israeli ground troops are not withdrawn by Sunday, it would be in breach of the ceasefire agreement. Israel is reportedly talking to the new US administration about an extension of the deadline by 30 days because the Lebanese army is not advancing quickly enough and Hezbollah is not adhering to all the agreements, Israeli media reported. The United States is one of a group of countries that are to monitor compliance with the agreed ceasefire. shz.de, handelsblatt.com
US President Donald Trump wants to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the war in Ukraine: Trump said in his video address to the World Economic Forum that the war in Ukraine must end. Trump expressed hope that China would mediate in the conflict. Ukraine is ready to make a deal, Trump emphasized. Trump announced just hours after his inauguration that he wanted to talk to Putin or meet with him as soon as possible. brf.be
Franco-German brigade to be more closely integrated into NATO: A declaration of intent to this effect was signed in Paris by the defense ministers of Germany and France, Boris Pistorius and Sebastien Lecornu. This will strengthen the eastern flank of the alliance and Europe’s defense capabilities, Pistorius said. The two ministers also agreed on further steps for the joint development of a successor model to the German Leopard main battle tank and the French Leclerc tank.
German air defense protects strategically important airport in southeastern Poland: This will also improve the logistics of supplies of Ukraine, Defense Minister Pistorius said in Rzeszow, where two Patriot systems were handed over. US soldiers were previously stationed there. This is the second deployment there for the Bundeswehr, after it was already present from January to November 2023. The aim is to protect Poland’s airspace after two people were killed in a Polish village near the border by a rocket impact at the end of 2022. ivz-aktuell.de, tageblatt.de
Union Chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz sees „epochal break“ and wants to realign foreign policy: In the face of growing challenges from autocratically ruled states, Germany must become capable of action again. The European security architecture that has existed since the fall of the Iron Curtain no longer exists. „We are experiencing the dawn of a new era of systemic conflict between liberal democracies and illiberal autocracies,“ says Merz. An ‚axis of autocracies‘ has emerged, he says, with China, Russia, Iran, North Korea and others. spiegel.de, n-tv.de
Chancellor Olaf Scholz warns against indifference in the face of discrimination on the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz: „Indifference is how the destruction of the community began under National Socialism,“ Scholz said at a memorial event held by the International Auschwitz Committee in Berlin. He said that German citizens had largely stood by and done nothing as their colleagues, neighbors and acquaintances were first disenfranchised, then deported, and finally killed in droves. In the face of populism and national radicalism, and in the face of increasingly shameless attempts to normalize right-wing extremist positions, he said, we must not back down an inch. zdf.de, dw.com
Agreement apparently reached on funding law for efficient power plants: SPD, the Greens and the CDU/CSU have agreed on a draft for so-called combined heat and power plants, reports Reuters. The law is to be passed before the parliamentary elections on February 23. The CDU/CSU had responded to the Ministry of Economic Affairs‘ legislative proposal with an amendment stating that funding for new plants could continue to apply even after 2026. The bill for combined heat and power plants had been removed from the planned Power Plant Safety Act because it had no chance of winning a majority in the Bundestag. merkur.de
German Association of Cities calls for reforms in migration and housing: Stringent rules are needed to help cope with the influx of foreign workers, said Markus Lewe, president of the Association of German Cities. At the same time, immigrants must receive help with integration. However, the municipalities often reach their financial limits in this regard.
Lawsuit by former BSI president Arne Schönbohm against Ministry of the Interior has failed: He is not entitled to compensation for bullying or any other violation of the duty of care by his employer, the Cologne Administrative Court ruled. The court found, however, that there was much to suggest „that the defendant did not adequately fulfill its duty of care by failing to position itself more strongly on the side of the plaintiff.“ In November 2022, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser had dismissed Schönbohm as BSI president after the satirical program „ZDF Magazin Royale“ had accused him of having close ties to an association with alleged contacts to Russian intelligence services. heise.de, welt.de, tagesschau.de
IG Metall wants to nationalize and expand the national power grid: Otherwise, electricity costs could skyrocket, with dire consequences for private consumers and industry, explained Jürgen Kerner, vice president of the union. According to a study by the union-affiliated Hans Böckler Foundation, grid fees will rise significantly if private investors, rather than the public sector, are primarily responsible for expanding the power grid. stuttgarter-nachrichten.de
More regional news:
- Mecklenburg-Vorpommern: Former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder cancels testimony in Nordstream 2 investigative committee for health reasons. faz.net
- NRW: First citizens‘ assembly to start work in 2026. n-tv.de
- Lower Saxony: Prime Minister Stephan Weil proposes social media license. n-tv.de
- Saxony: Federal government will not cover costs for rebuilding the Carolabrücke bridge; Dresden takes out loan. n-tv.de
- Berlin: RBB schedules special session; further discussion needed in the Gelbhaar intrigue affair. web.de
- Schleswig-Holstein: Environmental concerns grow over seawater heat pump in Flensburg. ndr.de
- Berlin: Education Senator Katharina Günther-Wünsch rejects a ban on cell phones in schools; however, institutions could individually introduce the regulation. tagesspiegel.de
- Berlin: Notorious gang leader Issa Remmo visits the House of Representatives on invitation from the CDU. morgenpost.de
- Hessen: Controversial Frankfurt SPD politician Thomas Bäppler-Wolf leaves party. faz.net
- Brandenburg: Police investigate „Heil Tesla“ projection at the Werk in Grünheide. faz.net
- Saxony: Ministry of Science leaves X. lvz.de
- Saxony-Anhalt: State relies on digital portal to locate spots in care homes. n-tv.de
Ireland’s parliament elects Micheal Martin as head of government: The leader of the center-right Fianna Fáil party was elected with a day’s delay. The vote on Wednesday had been prevented by a protest demonstration following a debate over procedural matters. Martin heads a coalition of the conservative Fine Gael party and a group of independent MPs. He was already Prime Minister from June 2020 to December 2022. It has been agreed within the governing coalition that Fine Gael leader and outgoing Prime Minister Simon Harris will replace Martin in 2027 and become Prime Minister again for the remaining two years of the legislative period. faz.net
Government in Slovakia strengthens protection of parliament and government headquarters due to alleged plans for a coup: Prime Minister Robert Fico announced this after a meeting of the National Security Council. The reason for the protective measures is a report by the domestic secret service SIS, which alleged that government opponents want to spark riots and bring about a change of power. The opposition parties accused the Prime Minister of stoking panic. Since its election victory in 2023, the government has been confronted with protests. On Friday, tens of thousands of people across the country want to demonstrate against the Prime Minister’s pro-Russian politics. mdr.de, nau.ch
Italian government justifies release of Libyan police chief Osama al-Masri Njeem, wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes. The man had been returned to Libya for reasons of state security, said Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi. Njeem is said to have run a prison in Tripoli where thousands of people were detained for long periods. He is accused of ordering murder, rape and torture. diepresse.com
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte renewed his call for higher defense spending: „We are in crisis mode,“ Rutte said in Davos. In his video address to the World Economic Forum, US President Donald Trump repeated his demand that NATO members spend five percent of their economic output on defense instead of two percent in the future. Earlier, after signing decrees, Trump questioned the US’s spending on NATO, saying he was not sure whether the US should spend anything on the alliance at all. He said that while the US protected NATO, the alliance did not protect the US.
Gas storage in EU 59 percent full: Supplies have fallen much faster this winter than last year, according to data from the European Gas Storage Platform. A year ago, storage facilities were still 74 percent full at this time. According to the International Energy Agency, there is no immediate danger to supplies. However, EU countries will have to purchase significantly more gas next summer than in the two previous years. tagesspiegel.de
EU triples funds for border protection: With these funds, one of the most modern border protection systems in the world is being built, said Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner in the EU Parliament. The financial framework runs until 2027. The three multi-year financial frameworks provide 7.7 billion euros for border protection alone. Additional money is available for member states with borders with Russia and Belarus. de.euronews.com
US President Donald Trump has once again threatened to impose tariffs while at the same time promoting investment in the US. In his speech, which was broadcast via video to Davos, he called on foreign companies to invest in the US and touted lower tax rates. At the same time, he threatened tariffs on companies that manufacture their products elsewhere. Trump repeated his criticism of the European Union. He said that the Europeans buy neither American agricultural products nor American cars. zeit.de, spiegel.de, n-tv.de
More news:
- Spain: Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez fails to pass major left-wing reforms. faz.net
- Great Britain: Competition proceedings against Apple and Google expanded. n-tv.de
- Belgium: Teenager allegedly planned attack on mosque. stuttgarter-nachrichten.de
- Denmark: Data leak at health company; personal patient data published. heise.de
- Great Britain: Perpetrator of Southport sentenced to life imprisonment for murder of three girls. sueddeutsche.de
- Austria: Real estate entrepreneur Rene Benko remanded in custody on suspicion of committing the offense and risk of collusion. manager-magazin.de
- Italy: Return to nuclear energy sought. n-tv.de
- Czech Republic: Outcry over German hazardous waste. mdr.de
- Afghanistan: ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan calls for arrest warrants for Taliban leaders Haibatullah Achundsada and Abdul Hakim Hakkani. zeit.de
- Thailand: Same-sex marriages allowed. faz.net
Germany lags behind in investment internationally: Germany is falling behind in key areas and is at risk of being left behind internationally, said Stefan Wintels, head of the state-owned development bank KfW. He said that Germany’s competitiveness is threatened by a lack of public and private investment. According to a KfW study, in the third quarter of 2024, Germany invested significantly less in industry, residential construction, research and software than in the third quarter of 2019. In the rest of the EU and in the US, investments are now again significantly higher than they were before the coronavirus pandemic. focus.de
More from the worlds of business, technology and science:
- IG Metall and automotive suppliers are demanding support from Chancellor Olaf Scholz. spiegel.de
- Railway and transport union EVG demands 7.6 percent more money at railway wage talks. tagesschau.de
- BGH: Air passengers do not have to accept vouchers forever. lto.de
- BMW CEO Oliver Zipse will not receive a contract extension in 2026 due to age. heise.de
- Job cuts at Medienholding Süd: Editorial offices of Stuttgarter Zeitung and Stuttgarter Nachrichten are affected. kress.de
- Steel group: Salzgitter confirms possible takeover bid. wiwo.de
- The comeback of nuclear power – The world’s demand for electricity is increasing, thanks in part to AI. More and more countries and companies are rediscovering nuclear power. Does Germany also have to get back on board? wiwo.de
- Important ZF supplier: Automotive supplier Voit files for bankruptcy. wiwo.de
- Need for discussion – the Gelbhaar case: RBB broadcasting council plans special session. dwdl.de
- SZ strike makes itself felt – had a massive impact on reporting. mmm.verdi.de
- Journalism in demand as never before. mmm.verdi.de
- Yuval Raphael escaped Hamas: Israel sends massacre survivors to the ESC. n-tv.de
- Artworks at risk: Louvre director – world museum in critical condition. tagesspiegel.de
- Los Angeles – Oscar nominations: Emilia Pérez in the lead. monopol-magazin.de
- Rijksmuseum: A long-lost Bernini sculpture has turned up in the Netherlands. faz.net
- Trial in Los Angeles: Rapper A$AP Rocky rejects court deal. rnd.de
- Chris Pratt: Actor’s house was saved from the L.A. wildfires „as if by a miracle“. viply.de
- Bayern, BVB and Co: The prospects of the German teams in the Champions League. welt.de
- Champions League: 0:3 in Rotterdam – Bayern writes off direct qualification. sportschau.de
- Eintracht loses top striker: Omar Marmoush moves from Eintracht Frankfurt to Manchester City. sportschau.de
- Racism in Israel: When the war continues in the stadium. zeit.de
- Surprise at the Australian Open: Keys duped Swiatek – Sabalenka before Melbourne triple. sportschau.de
Police inspection in Bavaria: Woman picks up suspended driver’s license by car. spiegel.de