Bild: Researchers test pill against Alzheimer’s / Forscher testen Pille gegen Alzheimer
FAZ: Coalition wants to expand „mothers’ pension“ earlier than planned / Koalition will Mütterrente früher ausweiten als geplant
Funke: Minus 25,000 students: Berlin’s universities must shrink / Minus 25.000 Studenten: Berlins Hochschulen müssen kleiner werden
Handelsblatt: Does your region have a future? / Hat Ihre Region noch Zukunft?
RND: Torture in El Salvador prison? The nightmare of an „accidentally“ deported man / Folter in Gefängnis in El Salvador? Der Albtraum eines „versehentlich“ Abgeschobenen
SZ: „We can only spend money we have“ / „Können nur Geld ausgeben, das wir haben“
Tagesspiegel: For deportations to Afghanistan: Dobrindt wants direct talks with the Taliban / Für Abschiebungen nach Afghanistan: Dobrindt will direkte Gespräche mit den Taliban
taz: Minimum wage €2.38 / Mindestlohn 2,38 Euro
Welt: Dispute over electricity tax: CDU frustration with Merz is growing / Streit um Stromsteuer: In der CDU regt sich Ärger über Merz
Deaths in Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip: According to Palestinian sources, a former school building housing displaced people was bombed. The Israeli army stated it was investigating the reports. A total of around 150 targets were attacked the previous day, including Hamas tunnels. stern.de
- Netanyahu visits Kibbutz Nir Oz for the first time since the Hamas massacre on October 7, 2023. stern.de
- Hamas warns Palestinians against cooperating with GHF: Deadly incidents near food distribution points are endangering starving residents, the group said.
- GHF chief Johnnie Moore wants to continue operations. According to him, the GHF has distributed over one million boxes of food since beginning work at the end of May. agesschau.de
USA imposes new sanctions on Iran and Hezbollah: The measures target networks that allegedly bought and transported Iranian oil worth billions, according to the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Part of the money is said to have gone to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. Additionally, the sanctions are directed at several ships that were allegedly involved in oil smuggling.
Trump speaks with Putin by phone: In the phone call, Putin reaffirmed his goals in Ukraine, according to the Kremlin. However, he also stated that he remained interested in a negotiated solution. Putin and Trump also discussed Iran and the Middle East. Trump commented only that there had been no progress regarding Ukraine and that he was “not happy” about the ongoing war. n-tv.de, tagesschau.de
- Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has called on Beijing to push Russia to end the war. As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China must take responsibility for peace and security, Wadephul said after a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Berlin. n-tv.de
Russian forces launched a drone attack on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Thursday evening. Air defenses were active on the east bank of the Dnipro River, according to Mayor Vitali Klitschko. The air force also warned of Russian drones in other regions, including central and western Ukraine. In the east of the country, in Donetsk, at least five people were killed and another twelve injured in Russian attacks. spiegel.de
ARD-DeutschlandTrend by Infratest Dimap: CDU/CSU 30% (+1), AfD 23%, SPD 13% (−2), Greens 12%, Left Party 10% (+1), BSW 4%, FDP 3% (−1), Others 5%. (tagesschau.de)
- Satisfaction with the federal government: Very satisfied 3%, Satisfied 36%, Less satisfied 32%, Not satisfied at all 22%.
- Military and civil service: In favor of suspension 23% (+1), In favor of reintroduction 18% (−9), In favor of service for women as well 55% (+10).
- Citizen’s income (Bürgergeld) sanctions after multiple refusals of reasonable work: Too harsh 12%, Appropriate 50%, Not strict enough 35%.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz defends increase in defense spending: The days when Germany could piggyback on U.S. security policy are over, Merz said in Berlin. Europeans must do much more for their own security. He referred to NATO decisions to raise defense spending to five percent of GDP. The international situation requires it. Merz also expressed doubt that Germany and the U.S. would continue to share common interests in the long term. welt.de
Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt wants direct talks with the Taliban about deportations to Afghanistan: Third parties are still needed to communicate with Kabul, but this should not be a permanent solution, Dobrindt told Focus. He envisions direct agreements to enable returns. His proposal drew criticism from the SPD and opposition parties. zdfheute.de
Federal government to compromise with states on hospital reform: Health Minister Nina Warken said the reform needs to be workable in daily practice. The core principles remain, but the implementation timeline will be adjusted. Not every hospital should offer every service. In addition, €4 billion from the federal infrastructure debt package will be allocated retroactively to hospitals for 2022 and 2023 to offset inflation. Exceptions are planned for rural clinics that can’t yet meet quality standards. web.de, rnd.de
China pledges access to rare soil: Foreign Minister Wang Yi assured that German and European companies need not worry about supply. This comes amid Chinese export restrictions. During a meeting with Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul in Berlin, Wang emphasized that this is not a conflict between China and Europe. An accelerated application process is already in place at China’s Ministry of Commerce to meet European demand. handelsblatt.com
Other News
- Interior Minister Dobrindt calls for more investment in cybersecurity. handelsblatt.com
- New law expands data access: Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil strengthens customs in fight against illegal work.n-tv.de
- Education Minister Karin Prien considers school quotas for children with a migration background. welt.de
- AfD inquires about names of welfare recipients: Michael, Andreas, and Thomas. n-tv.de
- Electronic patient records for Bundeswehr to be introduced without data extraction. heise.de
Attacker on ICE had axe and hammer: Following the attack by a Syrian man on an ICE train, Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann said there are no signs of extremist motives. The 20-year-old injured three fellow Syrians with a hammer on a train from Hamburg to Vienna. He is registered in Austria. A 38-year-old man, whose nationality remains unclear, was also lightly injured. The incident occurred near Straßkirchen in Lower Bavaria. sueddeutsche.de, spiegel.de
- Berlin: SPD makes a new attempt at introducing a rent cap. spiegel.de
- Hessen: Starting next school year, all schools will have a weapons ban. hessenschau.de
- Mecklenburg-Vorpommern: Interior Committee addresses police hacking incident. wdr.de
- North Rhine-Westphalia: Four years after the flood disaster, the state proposes a „Pact for Flood Protection“.
- Saxony: Demolition of Dresden’s Carolabrücke progressing faster than planned. radiodresden.de
- Schleswig-Holstein: After an SPD complaint, the public prosecutor sees no case of incitement against the AfD. shz.de
Far-right ID group in EU Parliament illegally spent taxpayer funds: According to an audit report reviewed by an international investigative team including ARD, more than four million euros were misused. The ID group included parties such as Germany’s AfD, Austria’s FPÖ, and France’s Rassemblement National. The group disbanded in mid-2024. Despite annual checks, EU auditors reportedly uncovered numerous irregularities only after the group’s dissolution — including payments to party-affiliated companies. A prominent German AfD MEP is also said to be involved in the scheme. tagesschau.de, spiegel.de
- Netherlands: Parliament votes in favor of tightening the asylum law. spiegel.de
- France: Over 900 flight cancellations due to air traffic controllers‘ strike.
- Austria: First deportation of a Syrian offender in 15 years. spiegel.de
- Switzerland: Beznau nuclear power plant taken completely offline due to heat.
- United Kingdom: Markets express confidence in Finance Minister Rachel Reeves. handelsblatt.com
Sick leave remained at record levels in 2024: According to the umbrella organization of company health insurance funds, employees were on average unable to work for 22.3 days in 2024 — nearly unchanged from the previous year. On average, each employee reported sick twice during the year. The main causes were respiratory illnesses. Mental health conditions were less common but led to over five weeks of absence on average. aerzteblatt.de
Other Business News
- State-owned energy company Uniper cuts hundreds of jobs. spiegel.de
- HHLA CEO Angela Titzrath to receive multimillion-euro severance payment. ndr.de
- SAP CEO Christian Klein frustrated: „Data centers are not what we need.“ faz.net
- Federal Network Agency launches AI advisory service for businesses. faz.net
- Conglomerate in crisis: Write-downs lead to billion-euro loss at Baywa. n-tv.de
- Comedy legend Otto on his painting: ‘When I can no longer jump, I just paint’. spiegel.de
- Freddie Mercury took a critical view of the Live Aid concert. faz.net
- Sophia Al-Maria wins Frieze London Artist Award 2025. monopol-magazin.de
- Found unconscious: Tarantino star Michael Madsen is dead. n-tv.de
- Christina Block is said to have known about fabricated allegations against ex-husband. n-tv.de
- How international award shows are reacting to the Cannes scandal horizont.net
Why are Germans so obsessed with insurance? Welcome to Germany, where there’s insurance for just about everything. Your phone gets water-damaged? Don’t worry, if you’ve got Haftpflichtversicherung (liability insurance), you’re covered. Germans take precautions seriously. It’s not about being paranoid; it’s about being prepared. We insure homes, pets, bikes, laptops — even body parts, depending on your job. Liability insurance is a must-have. It helps when you accidentally break or damage something that’s not yours. Then there’s Hausratversicherung (household insurance), which protects everything inside your home, from furniture to electronics, even against theft or storm damage. Unfallversicherung (accident insurance) is great if you’re active or just a bit clumsy. And with Rechtsschutzversicherung (legal insurance), you’ve got backup if things ever get complicated. So yes, insurance is a big deal here. It’s less about fearing the worst and more about feeling ready, like carrying an umbrella even when the forecast says sunshine. You might not need it, but if you do? You“ll feel very German.
- Liverpool star Diogo Jota killed in an accident – videos show chaos at the scene. stern.de
- Minute’s silence for Jota at Club World Cup. sport1.de
- Ex-coach has to „fight“ with himself – Klopp completely devastated about Jota: „Breaks my heart“. n-tv.de
- Belgium superior, but goalless: Bayern star Caruso scores Italy’s opening win at the European Championship. n-tv.de
- Torfiesta at the European Championships in Bern: Spain’s footballers take Portugal apart. n-tv.de
- FC St. Pauli start training with six new signings. ndr.de
- Half-time lead at the Grand Prix: Isabell Werth shines with the German team at the CHIO. n-tv.de
- Now superstar Alcaraz awaits: Struff achieves Wimbledon coup for biggest hurdle of all. n-tv.de
Germany once had over 300 independent states: Before it became a unified nation in 1871, what we now call Germany was a patchwork of kingdoms, duchies, principalities, and free cities—over 300 separate entities within the Holy Roman Empire! That’s why traveling across „Germany“ in the 18th century could mean going through dozens of borders and encountering a wide variety of dialects, currencies, and customs. It wasn’t until Otto von Bismarck led unification efforts that modern Germany began to take shape.