Bild: Secret phone call: Trump shocks Merz | Geheimtelefonat: Trump schockt Merz
FAZ: German economy may not grow again until next year | Deutsche Wirtschaft könnte erst im kommenden Jahr wieder wachsen
Funke: More protection for infrastructure | Mehr Schutz für die Infrastruktur
Handelsblatt: Country without growth | Land ohne Wachstum
RND: Netflix ruling: Can millions of customers now get their money back? | Netflix-Urteil: Können sich Millionen Kunden jetzt Geld zurückholen?
SZ: Israel loses supporters in Europe | Israel verliert in Europa Unterstützer
Tagesspiegel: Raid against suspected right-wing terrorist cell: Suspects between 14 and 18 years old | Verdächtige zwischen 14 und 18 Jahren alt: Razzia gegen mutmaßliche rechte Terrorzelle
taz: The fresh wave of Nazis | Die jüngste Nazi-Welle
Welt: Economists predict zero growth | Wirtschaftsweise sagen Null-Wachstum voraus
Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul calls Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar about his military firing shots at a group of diplomats: The Foreign Office condemned the incident and called on Israel to immediately clarify the circumstances. Diplomats from Germany, Italy, Spain, France, and other countries were traveling with representatives of the Palestinian Authority to gather information about the situation in the West Bank. The Israeli army said the group had deviated from its approved route near the city of Jenin and entered a restricted area. Warning shots were fired as a result. France and Italy have summoned the Israeli ambassador. stern.de, zeit.de, zdf.de, spiegel.de
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ready for temporary ceasefire in exchange for hostages‘ return: Of the hostages still being held by Hamas in the Palestinian territory, 20 are „definitely alive.“ At the same time, Netanyahu stuck to his recently announced goal of taking complete control of the Gaza Strip. At the end of the recently extended military operation in the Palestinian territory, „the entire Gaza Strip will be under the control of the Israeli army.“ n-tv.de
Hospitals report numerous deaths in new Israeli attacks: In Khan Yunis alone, there were more than 20 fatalities. Israel’s military has not yet commented on the report, but regularly emphasizes that the attacks are directed against the infrastructure of the militant Islamist Hamas. Israel recently ordered evacuations in Khan Yunis ahead of the expansion of its military offensive.
Russia reports massive Ukrainian drone attack: According to information from Moscow, more than 230 aircraft were shot down. In addition to border areas with Ukraine, the greater Moscow area was also affected, it said. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said operations at the capital’s airports had been temporarily suspended. Russia’s largest airport, Sheremetyevo, as well as Domodedovo and Zhukovsky, were particularly affected. t-online.de
Defense Minister Boris Pistorius criticizes US President Donald Trump’s policy toward Russia: Trump has not yet exerted sufficient influence on Russia in efforts to achieve a ceasefire. Pistorius suspects that Trump has misjudged his negotiating position vis-à-vis Russian President Vladimir Putin. However, Pistorius said that Trump did not stab the Europeans in the back during his phone call with Putin. Pistorius said on DLF radio that his expectations for the latest phone call had not been particularly high anyway, and they had been undershot. rnd.de
Chancellor Friedrich Merz announces changes to construction policy: The government is determined to tackle the issue so that an average-income family can generally afford to buy their own home, Merz said at the „Construction Industry Day.“ Construction in Germany is too expensive and too complicated, and everything takes far too long. Unfortunately, there are no uniform building regulations in Germany, but 16 different ones in the federal states. Merz appealed to local authorities to make land available. Faster approval procedures are also needed. n-tv.de, shz.de, tagesschau.de
Government stands by „streamlined“ EU supply chain directive: Government spokesman Stefan Kornelius said in Berlin that concerns in Brussels about Germany’s different stance were exaggerated. The aim was to streamline the directives. The coalition agreement stipulates that the German supply chain law should be abolished and the European directive reformed. French President Emmanuel Macron had called for the EU directive to be abolished, referring to similar statements made by Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier calls for better funding for local authorities: During his visit to Delitzsch, Steinmeier told MDR that additional tasks should not be passed on to local authorities without also providing funding. He said it was urgently necessary to take this into account more strongly. mdr.de
Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt defends stricter border controls:
- Dobrindt acknowledged that the current 12-hour shifts were a heavy burden for many officials. However, he said he had received assurances from the federal police leadership that this deployment was possible over a longer period. lto.de, stern.de
- Dobrindt announced plans to equip the federal police with Tasers. The electric shock weapon can temporarily incapacitate an attacker, but these electric shocks are not usually fatal. However, there is no timeline yet. sueddeutsche.de
- Dobrindt wants to allow security authorities to store IP addresses and monitor the online communications of suspects. Dobrindt made this demand in response to the arrest of five young people who are said to have links to a right-wing extremist terrorist group. br.de
G7 finance ministers have pledged further support for Ukraine: At the start of a meeting in the city of Banff, Canadian Minister of International Development and Trade François-Philippe Champagne said that the presence of Ukrainian Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko sent a strong message to the world. Russia must be held accountable for its war of aggression. Machenko said he wanted to use the talks to reiterate Ukraine’s position that pressure on Moscow must be increased. stern.de
Police break up right-wing terrorist cell: Five suspects aged between 14 and 18 were arrested in raids on Wednesday morning. The group is said to have planned attacks on refugees and political dissidents. According to the Federal Prosecutor’s Office, those arrested include four alleged members and one supporter of the right-wing extremist terrorist organization „Letzte Verteidigungswelle“ (Last Wave of Defense). The arrests took place in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Brandenburg, and Hesse. Search warrants were also carried out in Saxony and Thuringia. zdf.de, n-tv.de
More regional news:
- Brandenburg: AfD property tax proposal fails; BSW member Sven Hornauf votes with AfD. n-tv.de
- Berlin: SPD faction leader Raed Saleh insists on proceedings to ban the AfD. zeit.de
- Brandenburg: Supervisory body criticizes former interior minister and supports the Office for the Protection of the Constitution. rbb24.de
- Brandenburg: State parliament debates independence of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution. n-tv.de
- Lower Saxony: State parliament discusses cell phone use in schools. zeit.de
- Saxony: Remains of the Carola Bridge in Dresden cleared away. saechsische.de
- Hamburg: Mayor Peter Tschentscher emphasizes stability and reliability in government statement. ndr.de
- Schleswig-Holstein: Finance Minister Silke Schneider wants to review supplementary budget. ndr.de
- Schleswig-Holstein: State parliament discusses protection against bluetongue disease. n-tv.de
- Lower Saxony: Misconduct in the state parliament can now cost €1,000. ndr.de
- Bavaria: State parliament divided over AfD ban proceedings; turbulent debate. sueddeutsche.de
- Baden-Württemberg: Financial buffer for Stuttgart 21 shrinks. stuttgarter-zeitung.de
- Saxony: Economics Minister Dirk Panter wants more arms companies in the state. mdr.de
- Bremen: SPD calls for 500 million euro cash injection for North Sea ports. butenunbinnen.de
- North Rhine-Westphalia: Police officer rightly dismissed after racist chats. n-tv.de
- Bavaria: Children’s Commission wants improvements in all-day childcare. n-tv.de
Belgian prosecutors request lifting of immunity for five EU lawmakers in connection with corruption investigation: According to Parliament President Roberta Metsola, the lawmakers in question are Daniel Attard from Malta, Nikola Minchev from Bulgaria, and Salvatore De Meo, Fulvio Martusciello, and Giuseppina Princi from Italy. The background to this is the suspicion that lobbyists for the Chinese technology company Huawei may have bribed MEPs and staff since 2021. In April, charges were brought against eight suspects, who are accused of bribery, money laundering, and participation in a criminal organization, among other things. derstandard.at, spiegel.de
EU parliamentarians call for all subsidies to Hungary to be withdrawn in a cross-party letter: Previous sanctions have had no effect. FDP politician Moritz Körner said that those who do not respect EU values have no right to money from the EU budget. The initiator of the letter, Daniel Freund of the Green Party, emphasized that it was a matter of protecting the financial interests of the EU and thus European taxpayers in accordance with applicable law. The letter was also signed by Christian Democrat and Social Democrat members of parliament. Hungary is one of the EU’s largest net recipients, receiving 4.6 billion euros annually. taz.de, sueddeutsche.de
Foreign ministers of the EU and African Union discuss partnership: The talks will focus on migration, security, and economic cooperation. More than 80 governments and leading representatives of the EU and African Union are taking part. The EU Commission describes the partnership with Africa as one of its priorities.
China and Russia criticize planned US missile defense system: The Foreign Ministry in Beijing said the US was violating the principle that one country’s security should not come at the expense of others. The project threatens global stability, it said, and could lead to an arms race in space. The Kremlin expressed similar views on the missile defense system, known as the „Golden Dome.“ spiegel.de
More news:
- Finland: Moscow building up armaments on the Finnish border. tagesspiegel.de
- Poland: Ship belonging to Russian „shadow fleet“ expelled. de.euronews.com
- Slovakia: Murders of journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kusnirova are being reexamined in court. faz.net
- Poland: Parliament votes to extend asylum ban at Belarusian border. de.euronews.com
- Spain: Andriy Portnov, advisor to former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, shot dead in Madrid. rnd.de
- Romania: Far-right candidate George Simion clashes with the press. faz.net
- Czech Republic: Investigation into soldiers accused of torture dropped. nau.ch
- France: Telegram founder Pavel Durov banned from traveling to the US on business. heise.de
- Belgium: Green light for budget; neighboring country allowed to spread reforms over seven years. brf.be
- Austria: Vienna fights for special status in EU deforestation regulation. kleinezeitung.at
- United Kingdom: Funding granted for controversial geoengineering projects. web.de
Economic experts have lowered their economic forecast for Germany: According to its spring report, the German Council of Economic Experts expects the economy to stagnate in the current year. Back in the fall, the advisory body had predicted weak growth of 0.4 percent. The decline was mainly attributed to the effects of US tariff policy. In addition to investment, economists also see considerable room for improvement in reducing bureaucracy. At the same time, the Council of Economic Experts warned the new government against diverting funds from the debt-based financial package. n-tv.de, zdf.de, tagesschau.de
Direct rail connections between Germany and Italy to be expanded: Deutsche Bahn has signed a cooperation agreement with Italy’s Trenitalia and Austrian Federal Railways. From the end of 2026, Italian Frecciarossa trains will run between Munich, Milan, and Rome. The direct connection will also be extended to Berlin and Naples. The travel time is to be further reduced by the opening of the Brenner Base Tunnel, among other things. n-tv.de
More from Business, Tech and Science:
- 130,000 people sign petition to save Phoenix news channel; Bundestag President Julia Klöckner accepts citizens‘ petition. wdr.de
- Germans save primarily for retirement. tagesschau.de
- OpenAI brings former Apple designer Ive on board with billion-dollar deal. handelsblatt.com
- Prices for battery raw materials falling, in some cases significantly. faz.net
- Advertising industry fears the power of tech giants despite growth. faz.net
- Bundestag President Julia Klöckner has accepted a petition for the preservation of the public political broadcaster Phoenix wdr.de
- „No longer justifiable from a journalistic point of view“: Anne Will takes a critical look back at the exclusion of the AfD from her talk show kress.de
- TV rights: ZDF lacks millions for DFB Cup welt.de
- Honored for his life’s work: Kevin Spacey speaks out against cancel culture n-tv.de
- „Britpop“ to be released in autumn: Robbie Williams returns with new album rnd.de
- Serious allegations: Chris Brown released from prison on six million euro bail t-online.de
- Kid Cudi to testify in trial against Sean „Diddy“ Combs musikexpress.de
- Executive Committee: UEFA – More influence for Watzke and Neuendorf sportschau.de
- Premiere for Woltemade – Comebacks for Anton and Füllkrug: Nagelsmann drops Musiala – Gnabry and Gosens return kicker.de
- Certificate proceedings before the Berlin Regional Court – Bobic vs. Hertha: More than four million euros at stake kicker.de
- Verdict after „hate crime“: Historic ruling after insult against Vinicius sportschau.de
- Playmaker at Manchester City: Guardiola cries as De Bruyne leaves spiegel.de
- Ice hockey World Championship – Germany eliminated by Denmark faz.net
World record: This robot solves a Rubik’s cube in just 0.103 seconds t3n.de