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Protests after Union-AfD vote, bill on asylum law, hostages and detainees free, Russian drones attack Sumy

published by Sigrid Arteaga
Contributor: Imogen Goodman and Ulrich Kraus

Friday, 31st of January, 2025
Newspapers Headlines

Bild: Today, 10:30 a.m., it’s about Germany | Heute, 10:30 Uhr, geht es um Deutschland
FAZ: Merkel criticizes Merz’s behavior as wrong | Merkel kritisiert Verhalten von Merz als falsch
Funke: AfD votes: Kai Wegner announces opposition to migration bill | AfD-Stimmen: Kai Wegner kündigt Widerstand gegen Gesetze an
Handelsblatt: The red revolution – How China is reopening the AI race with Deepseek | Die rote Revolution – Wie China mit Deepseek das KI-Rennen neu aufrollt
RND: How the SPD and the Greens are now dealing with Merz – and how Merkel is helping them | Wie SPD und Grüne nun mit Merz umgehen – und Merkel ihnen hilft
SZ: Former Chancellor criticizes Merz | Altkanzlerin kritisiert Merz
Tagesspiegel: „I think it’s wrong“ – Merkel stands against Merz, CDU in turmoil | „Halte ich für falsch“ – Merkel stellt sich gegen Merz, CDU in Aufruhr
taz: Grandma against the right | Oma gegen rechts
Welt: It was that quiet in the plenary hall | So still war es im Plenarsaal

Top-News

Protests after joint vote by CDU and AfD: Tens of thousands have demonstrated in numerous cities against the joint vote by the CDU and AfD; in Berlin, several thousand people gathered in front of the CDU party headquarters this evening. The party sent its employees home because of the protest. In Munich, 7,000 people protested in front of the CSU party headquarters under the slogan „Be the „Brandmauer“!“ In Freiburg, up to 11,000 people took to the streets, and around 5,000 in Leipzig. Dozens of demonstrations against cooperation with the AfD are planned across the country through the weekend. spiegel.de, stern.de, sueddeutsche.de

  • Holocaust survivor Eva Umlauf called on Union Chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz not to vote with the AfD again on Friday. It would be the first time in post-war history that a law would be passed in the Bundestag together with right-wing extremists, Umlauf writes in an open letter.
  • Holocaust survivor Albrecht Weinberg wants to give back his Federal Cross of Merit. The 99-year-old said he was afraid that history would repeat itself. In view of such news, the Cross of Merit had become too heavy to wear. zeit.de
  • Michel Friedman resigns from the CDU after the asylum vote. hessenschau.de
  • Numerous German celebrities have signed an open letter opposing any attempts to break down the „Brandmauer“ of the AfD. Among those who have signed are the actors Daniel Brühl and Jella Haase. dwdl.de
  • Former Chancellor Angela Merkel wrote in a statement that she had supported the position of CDU leader Friedrich Merz in November that one should only seek majorities with centrist parties. Therefore, she now considers it a mistake that the CDU has turned away from this and, with their eyes wide open, has enabled a majority with the votes of the AfD. zdf.de
  • Berlin’s governing mayor Kai Wegner emphasized that what is currently being experienced will lead to right-wing agitators profiting. He wants to reject AfD-supported legislation in the Bundesrat. rbb24.de
  • Jens Spahn, deputy leader of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, defended the approach, saying that a large proportion of Germans did not want uncontrolled migration. He added that the SPD and the Greens had made the AfD twice as big with their „policy of doing nothing“. Spahn reiterated that there would be no cooperation or talks with the AfD.

The CDU plans to introduce a bill on asylum law on Friday: The influx limitation bill provides for the suspension of family reunification for refugees with limited protection status. Here, too, the votes of the AfD could be crucial. The SPD and the Greens reject the bill. Merz called on the two parties to talk to the CDU about the draft via the tabloid Bild. rnd.de, handelsblatt.com

  • CDU General Secretary Carsten Linnemann defended the approach before a recent vote with possible AfD approval at ‘Maybrit Illner’. „We don’t vote together with AfD. I don’t care what they do.“ If you don’t act according to your convictions out of fear that „someone might agree,“ then it is no longer a democratic parliament. Linnemann ruled out the possibility of Merz being elected chancellor with AfD votes after the federal election. zdf.de
  • Bundestag President Bärbel Bas said she understands that CDU leader Friedrich Merz and other MPs feel obliged to present quick solutions after acts of violence like the ones that recently took place in Magdeburg and Aschaffenburg; this should not lead to the disregard of proven ways of finding compromises in parliament, even during election campaigns.
  • SPD parliamentary group leader Rolf Mützenich calls on Merz to refrain from further draft legislation with the consent of the AfD. Merz should refrain from the bill to tighten migration policy announced for Friday, Mützenich told DLF. The CDU/CSU chancellor candidate had opened a door and must now at least try to close it again. sueddeutsche.de
  • Green Party Chancellor candidate Robert Habeck: Possible coalition with CDU/CSU has become more difficult. stern.de

Luxembourg and Spain against further German border controls: Luxembourg’s Minister of the Interior, Leon Gloden, said at a meeting with his EU counterparts in Warsaw that internal border controls are not the right solution against illegal migration. He pointed out that 250,000 people travel from Germany, France and Belgium to Luxembourg for work every day. Spain’s interior minister, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, emphasized that internal border controls must remain the exception. In Germany, internal border controls have been possible at all national borders since September of last year; without an extension, they will expire in March. rnd.de

Polls

ARD-Deutschlandtrend by Infratest-Dimap: Union 30 percent (-1), SPD 15 percent, Greens 15 percent (+1), FDP 4 percent, AfD 20 percent, Left 5 percent (+1), BSW 4 percent (-1), Others 7 percent. (compared to the beginning of January, survey period January 27-29) tagesschau.de

  • Leadership of the next government: CDU/CSU 32 percent (-1), SPD 17 percent (-2), AfD 13 percent, Greens 10 percent.
  • Majority supports rejection at the borders.

ZDF Politbarometer by the Forschungsgruppe Wahlen: CDU/CSU 29 percent (-1), SPD 15 percent, Greens 14 percent, FDP 4 percent, AfD 21 percent, Left Party 5 percent, BSW 4 percent, others 8 percent. zdf.de

  • Chancellor preference: Friedrich Merz 30 percent (-1), Robert Habeck 24 percent (-1), Olaf Scholz 20 percent (+4), Alice Weidel 13 percent (-2), don’t know 13 percent.
  • Majority in favor of turning away asylum seekers at the German border.

Bild/Insa opinion trends: CDU/CSU 29 percent (-1), SPD 17 percent (+1.5), Greens 13 percent (+0.5), FDP 4 percent (-0.5), AfD 22 percent, Left Party 4 percent (-0.5), BSW 6 percent, others 5 percent. bild.de

Politics

Israel and Hamas release hostages and prisoners: Two German-Israelis, an Israeli soldier and five Thai workers were released from the Gaza Strip. They were initially taken to hospitals. In return, Israel released 110 Palestinian prisoners. Several buses carrying the prisoners left a detention center in the West Bank. Among them are 30 people who had been sentenced to life in prison for deadly attacks on Israelis, as well as some women and children. The exchange had been delayed after threatening scenes during the handover of the hostages. n-tv.de

At least eight dead after Russian drone attack in Sumy: Nine people were injured, the governor said. An apartment building was hit in the attack. According to the Ukrainian military, Russia attacked with a total of 81 drones; 37 of them were shot down by the Ukrainian air force, 39 did not reach their target. n-tv.de

Heated debate on AfD ban proceedings: More than 120 parliamentarians have joined the cross-party group application; there are also different attitudes within the factions. CDU member and initiator Marco Wanderwitz emphasized that the German state could no longer tolerate the AfD without suffering irreparable long-term damage to its substance. Philipp Amthor, on the other hand, warned of the danger that if the proceedings failed, the AfD would attach a „democratic seal of quality“ to itself that it did not deserve. SPD member Carmen Wegge called for haste, saying that it was the duty of all democrats to act quickly. Representatives of the AfD called the debate absurd. The motion was referred to the committees for consideration. faz.net, stern.de, zdf.de, spiegel.de

More regional news:

  • Thuringia: AfD candidate Jörg Prophet fails in bid to become deputy parliamentary speaker; AfD blocks appointment of judges and public prosecutors. spiegel.de
  • Berlin: RBB director general Ulrike Demmer apologizes to Stefan Gelbhaar. web.de
  • Lower Saxony: Campaign for more employees with a migration background. shz.de
  • NRW: Higher Regional Court overturns suspended sentence for author Akif Pirincci for inciting hatred. spiegel.de
  • Schleswig-Holstein: State wants to second more teachers due to canceled classes. ndr.de
  • Thuringia: Criminal complaint filed due to dubious large donation to AfD. spiegel.de
  • Berlin: Two people injured at the Holocaust Memorial. tagesspiegel.de
  • Berlin-Brandenburg: Broadcaster RBB wants to cut 250 jobs. dwdl.de
Around the World

European Court of Human Rights condemns Italy for illegal toxic waste dumps around Naples: The Italian state has violated the human right to life by its inaction, the judges in Strasbourg stated. In the Campania region, large quantities of toxic waste have been dumped and incinerated under the control of the Mafia since the late 1980s. This has led to environmental damage and an increased number of cancer cases. Rome has been given two years to develop a strategy to remedy the problem. zeit.de, tagesschau.de

Russia uses diplomats for acts of sabotage in the EU: The Czech Republic has warned that the Russian secret service uses Russian diplomats and their families for acts of sabotage. Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky told the RND about an unprecedented network. There are at least 2,000 diplomats and their families in the Schengen area. The Czech Republic wants to launch an initiative to restrict their freedom of movement in the Schengen area. The aim is to require Russian diplomats, their staff and all their relatives to apply for visas when traveling from one EU country to another.

ECB lowers key interest rates again by 0.25 percentage points to 2.75 percent: The interest rate at which commercial banks can borrow money from the ECB will also be lowered again, from 3.15 to 2.90 percent. The interest rate cut is seen as a measure to counter the weakening economy in the eurozone. faz.net

EU Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner wants to speed up deportations: At a meeting of EU interior ministers in Warsaw, Brunner said that no one understands why people without the right to remain cannot be deported. That is why they are working on stricter rules. Brunner referred to the EU migration pact, which must now be implemented. This includes the protection of external borders and more efficiency in repatriation. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser also emphasized that migration issues must be resolved at the European level. tagesschau.de

Major blow to counterfeit medicine makers: Europol has announced that in connection with counterfeit medicines and illegal drugs, investigators in 30 countries have arrested more than 400 people over a period of several months. Among other things, more than 420,000 packages of drugs, millions of pills and more than 170,000 ampoules were confiscated. The seized goods are worth a good 11 million euros. According to Europol, organized crime is behind the trade and production of counterfeit pharmaceutical products.

Rebel leader wants to overthrow government in Kinshasa: After taking the city of Goma in the province of North Kivu, M23 rebel militia leader Corneille Nangaa announced that they would march on the capital Kinshasa. In a televised address, President Felix Tshisekedi had previously called on the population to resist the M23 and declared that Congo would not bow to the rebels. He accused the international community of inaction. Several Western heads of state and government criticized Rwanda’s role in the conflict. Rwanda is accused of supporting the rebels. derstandard.at, spiegel.de, faz.net

Authorities do not expect survivors after plane crash in Washington: All 67 passengers died, the local fire department said. So far, 30 bodies have been recovered from the waters of the Potomac. A passenger plane and a military helicopter collided in the air and crashed into the water on Wednesday evening. According to the US Department of Defense, the helicopter was on a training flight and the passenger plane was on an approach to land. Without providing any evidence, President Donald Trump blamed the plane crash on diversity programs. spiegel.de, zdf.de, derstandard.at

More news:

  • Romania: Right-wing presidential candidate Calin Georgescu wants Ukrainian territory. n-tv.de
  • Norway: Government coalition over EU energy package dispute; Center Party leaves government. tagesschau.de
  • Italy: Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni distances herself from the Mussolini regime on Holocaust Remembrance Day. derstandard.at
  • Spain: Explosion at Rheinmetall. t-online.de
  • Turkey: President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is targeting cultural figures and members of the opposition. spiegel.de
  • Denmark: Expropriations, harsh prison conditions and campaigns abroad reduce the number of asylum applications. handelsblatt.com
  • France: Despite problems, more nuclear power plants are to be built. augsburger-allgemeine.de
  • Greece: Exploration of natural gas deposits in the Mediterranean. handelsblatt.com
  • Poland: Government announces construction of Baltic Sea wind farm for 7.15 billion euros. unternehmen-heute.de
  • Sweden: Salwan Momika, who defamed the Koran, shot dead; five suspects arrested. rnd.de
  • Austria: Editorial committees of ARD and ZDF back Austrian public broadcaster ORF. wdr.de
  • Switzerland: Parents convicted of supporting the country’s most dangerous jihadist. aargauerzeitung.ch
  • Uganda: Male nurse dies after Ebola infection. spiegel.de
  • South Africa: Fear over drug supply after Trump’s announcement to cut HIV aid. zdf.de

Business

German economy shrunk more than expected at the end of the year: Gross domestic product fell by 0.2 percent from October to December compared to the previous quarter. An earlier estimate had assumed a minus of 0.1 percent. In 2024 as a whole, Europe’s largest economy shrank by 0.2 percent. The economy in the eurozone also stagnated at the end of the year. However, as the statistics authority Eurostat in Brussels announced, there was an increase of 0.7 percent over the year as a whole. tagesspiegel.de, n-tv.de

Measles protection in children still inadequate despite compulsory vaccination: In 2022, only 87 percent of two-year-olds were fully vaccinated against measles, according to the drug report of the Barmer health insurance company. A vaccination rate of at least 95 percent is required for herd immunity. The measles vaccination coverage is particularly patchy in Saxony, Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria. aerzteblatt.de

More from the worlds of business, technology and science:

  • Almost all industry sectors are planning job cuts. n-tv.de
  • Mobile communications: Cartel office demands corrections to plan for frequency extension. heise.de
  • Planes were fuller than ever in 2024. handelsblatt.com
  • DDoS attack: Websites of several railway companies unavailable. heise.de
  • Strike at parcel centers: DHL customers should expect delayed parcels. n-tv.de
  • Economy: US economy loses significant momentum. wiwo.de
  • Renewed interest rate cut in the eurozone: How the ECB is reacting to the economic situation – cut by 0.25 percentage points to 2.75 percent, the fifth time since last summer. zdf.de
  • Cryptocurrency: ECB chief Lagarde does not see Bitcoin as a national reserve. manager-magazin.de
Lifestyle
  • More advertising on streaming service: Mega class action lawsuit against Amazon Prime Video in Saxony. horizont.net
  • ARD and ZDF against broadcasting reorganization in Austria. www1.wdr.de
  • Coverage of Green Party politician Gelbhaar: RBB director admits „serious mistake“. spiegel.de
  • Streaming: Joyn secures extensive rights to films and series from ARD and ZDF. stadt-bremerhaven.de
  • Contract for eight years – „milestone“: DAZN will show all European League of Football matches in the future. kicker.de
  • Suspicion of incitement of the people: Higher Regional Court quashes suspended sentence for author Akif Pirinçci. spiegel.de
  • Netflix series „Mo“: Am I automatically a bomb maker because I am Arabic?. faz.net
  • Rumor has it: Rolling Stones‘ European tour is canceled. musikexpress.de
  • Typewriter art: ?????!!! ????? !!!!! ??? !!!!! – Rediscovering: Ruth Wolf-Rehfeldt and her typewriter art. zeit.de
  • Fire in Los Angeles: Meryl Streep fled in her car through the neighbor’s fence. spiegel.de
  • Scandal in the stadium: Prince William is ridiculed by Celtic fans. n-tv.de
Community News

Baby in Berlin is Germany’s first international maternity concierge. Their mission is to help international families in Germany during pregnancy, birth and the early family years by offering assistance with pregnancy questions, paperwork, mother care and validated contacts for a happy and stress-free start as a family in Germany!

Sports
  • New mode: Champions League – old problems solved, new ones created. sportschau.de
  • Borussia Dortmund signs Niko Kovač as new coach. zeit.de
  • Serious knee injury: Bayern and England fear for the future of midfield star Georgia Stanway. spiegel.de
  • Handball: Gislason must ask himself questions – Germany is far from the top of the world. sport.de
  • Mike Glemser: No agreement in the case of the paralyzed ice hockey player – The former ice hockey player wants compensation from his former opponent. faz.net
  • Davis Cup against Israel: Struff is missing from the DTB team. sportschau.de
  • Vendée Globe – Mainsail torn suddenly before the finish – Boris Herrmann is not allowed in the harbor. ksta.de
Gedöns

US singer SZA poses with a Heinsberg landscape gardeners jersey – helped to achieve unexpected fame. web.de

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