published by Sigrid Arteaga
Contributor: Imogen Goodman and Ulrich Kraus
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
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
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
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
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
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
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:
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:
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
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