Bild: Tax shock for pensioners | Steuerschock für Rentner
FAZ: Russia takes a wait-and-see approach to possible ceasefire | Russland äußert sich abwartend zu möglicher Waffenruhe
Funke: Berlin’s industry more pessimistic than ever | Berlins Industrie so pessimistisch gestimmt wie noch nie
Handelsblatt: Plan for a new state | Plan für einen neuen Staat
RND: The blackberry coalition in Thuringia is wobbling – because of the BSW | Die Brombeer-Koalition in Thüringen wackelt – wegen des BSW
SZ: State leaders demand a quick financial package | Länderchefs fordern schnelles Finanzpaket
Tagesspiegel: US and Ukraine advance towards a ceasefire deal: Russia plays for time | Vorstoß zu einer Waffenruhe von USA und Ukraine: Russland spielt auf Zeit
taz: A little peace | Ein bisschen Frieden
Welt: Ceasefire in Ukraine? Moscow remains cautious | Waffenruhe in der Ukraine? Moskau hält sich bedeckt
CDU and SPD agree on strict confidentiality for coalition negotiations: The working groups of the negotiators and their chairs are not allowed to do any press work, communicate interim results or take selfies during the negotiations, according to the „handout“ for the talks starting on Thursday. The CDU and SPD have set up 16 working groups with a total of 256 specialist politicians from the federal and state governments for negotiations. A steering group will also be set up to coordinate the negotiations. The aim is to have a ten-day consultation period. The working groups are being asked to find compromises on controversial issues themselves – referring them to party leaders should remain the exception. The negotiations should be concluded by March 24 at the latest. The foundations have already been laid in exploratory talks. rnd.de, spiegel.de
Constitutional Court could still take some time to decide on legality of Bundestag vote: A court spokesman in Karlsruhe told Reuters that the decision would be made before March 18. On March 18, a special session of the Bundestag is to vote on the amendment to the Basic Law that is necessary for the adoption of the financial package. The AfD and the Left Party have filed a lawsuit against it. The first reading will take place in parliament on Thursday; a three-and-a-half-hour debate is scheduled. Specifically, the plan involves loosening the debt brake for defense spending and a setting up a 500-billion-euro special fund for infrastructure. sueddeutsche.de, faz.net
Arab states and US special envoy discuss Gaza reconstruction plan: Foreign ministers from several Arab states have discussed the reconstruction plan for the Gaza Strip with US Middle East special envoy Steve Witkoff, according to information from Qatar. The ministers and Witkoff agreed to continue consultations and coordination on the plan as a basis for reconstruction efforts. The plan, based on a proposal from Egypt, was adopted at an Arab League summit in early March. It envisages the administration of the Gaza Strip by „competent“ residents, while at the same time enabling the Palestinian Authority to return to the area.
US President Donald Trump sends negotiator to Moscow: He hopes that Russian President Vladimir Putin will agree to a ceasefire, otherwise there are financial issues that would be very bad for Russia, Trump said in Washington, without giving details. Trump said he had received some positive messages regarding a possible ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia. The decision is now up to Russia. n-tv.de, tagesspiegel.de, tagesschau.de
Prime ministers expect quick agreement on billion-euro investments: The prime ministers of the federal states have closed ranks behind the financial package planned by the CDU/CSU and SPD for defense and infrastructure. Saxony’s Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer and Lower Saxony’s Prime Minister Stephan Weil emphasized that the financing of defense and infrastructure should not be separated. It is important that investments are made in defense, infrastructure, schools and hospitals, said Kretschmer; Germany must remain capable of action. tagesschau.de, welt.de
Monika Schnitzer, a member of the German Council of Economic Experts, has called for the cancellation of a public holiday to help finance the ongoing crisis: „That would be exactly the right symbol,“ Schnitzer told Der Spiegel. In Denmark, for example, a public holiday has been declared a regular working day to help fund defence spending. Schnitzer said the planned increase in national debt was necessary and „the right thing to do“. The financial package is an expression of the seriousness of the international situation. However, Schnitzler criticized some of the results of the exploratory talks, stating: „There is reason to fear that the special fund will be used to create scope for election gifts.“ n-tv.de
Government rejects doubts about the non-profit status of state-funded non-governmental organizations: In response to the controversial questionnaire on NGO neutrality from the CDU/CSU faction, the government pointed to a decision by the Federal Fiscal Court that declares that non-profit organizations may be politically active. Otherwise, many parts of the questionnaire were left unanswered with the comment that the federal government had no knowledge of the matter. The CDU/CSU had put a total of 551 questions to the ministry. spiegel.de, faz.net
Czech interior minister Vit Rakusan believes he can cooperate with Germany on rejecting asylum seekers: His country is ready to work on this, Rakusan said in Berlin. He did not rule out a domino effect if the German federal police were to turn away asylum seekers; naturally, he said, they were also in contact with the Slovak side. In principle, it is important to make it clear to the citizens of the EU member states that freedom of travel in the Schengen area is a precious asset that must be preserved. stern.de, boerse.de
Government plans further charter flight for endangered people from Afghanistan: 132 Afghans who were considered to be particularly at risk in their home country were recently brought to Germany. According to the Ministry of the Interior, further flights will be necessary to bring people with a valid admission letter to Germany in an orderly manner; no information was provided on the date and number of people. rp-online.de
Initiative puts forward proposals for a more modern and agile German state: The central demand is a separate Ministry for Digital Affairs and Administration to bundle and simplify processes at federal, state and local level. The initiators, led by former ministers Thomas de Maizière and Peer Steinbrück, are calling for a „culture of trust rather than mistrust“ in the relationship between the state and its citizens. A report of more than 80 pages makes corresponding recommendations. Whether these are implemented will be up to the future government. In some cases, constitutional amendments may be necessary. spiegel.de, zdf.de
Federal Intelligence Service considers laboratory origin of corona pandemic likely: According to information obtained by the SZ and Zeit, the BND already assessed this scenario as having an 80 to 95 percent probability in 2020. The basis for this was public data as well as material that had been obtained from Chinese research facilities, for example, as part of an intelligence operation. This is said to have revealed evidence of risky experiments and violations of laboratory safety. The chancellery under the then-Chancellor Angela Merkel reportedly decided to keep this assessment under wraps. welt.de, zdf.de
More Germany News:
- Hamburg: SPD holds parallel talks with CDU and Greens. ndr.de
- Berlin: RBB will not publish Gelbhaar report for now. dwdl.de
- Berlin: The Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation will receive significantly more money from the state starting next year. deutschlandfunkkultur.de
- Lower Saxony: Public prosecutor’s office is investigating AfD member of the state parliament Vanessa Behrendt for incitement to hatred. noz.de
- Bavaria: Munich city council rocked by bribery scandal; employees of the immigration office under investigation. sueddeutsche.de
- Baden-Württemberg: Public prosecutor investigates truck driver after train crash near Karlsruhe. n-tv.de
- Hessen: AI used to convict dealers in Frankfurt’s station district. faz.net
- Lower Saxony: SPD wants to place age restrictions on social media. n-tv.de
- NRW: Cabinet gives green light for specialized „commercial courts“. n-tv.de
Georgia’s ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili sentenced to further prison term: He was found guilty of embezzlement by a court. TV images showed chaotic scenes in the courtroom. Supporters of the former president called the judge a „slave“ of the current government. Saakashvili ruled Georgia from 2004 to 2013 and initially aligned the country with Western countries. His time in office was marked by authoritarian tendencies, brutal police crackdowns on opponents and the brief war with Russia in 2008. derstandard.at, zeit.de, spiegel.de
Opposition parties win parliamentary elections in Greenland: The pro-business Demokraatit came in at 29.9 percent. In the last election in 2021, Demokraatit achieved just 9.1 percent. The separatist Naleraq Party, also in opposition, received 24.5 percent. The parties that had previously been in government together – the social democratic Inuit Ataqatigiit and leftwing Siumut – received just 36 percent, compared to 66 percent four years ago. Election winner Jens-Frederik Nielsen rejected Trump’s expansion plans. spiegel.de
US Democrats want to block transitional budget in Senate: In the US, a shutdown is looming in which hundreds of thousands of government employees could no longer be paid. Democrats in the US Senate have announced that they will vote against the transitional budget with which the Republicans wanted to govern until mid-September. Although the Republicans have a majority of 53 seats in the 100-member Senate, 60 members of parliament must agree to the transitional budget. This makes the blockade one of the few opportunities for Democrats to express their protest against President Trump’s government. If no agreement is reached, the shutdown will begin on Friday night. zeit.de
More news:
- Austria: New government decides to suspend family reunification. dw.com
- Netherlands: Parliament rejects EU rearmament plan. faz.net
- Hungary: Dual citizens could have their passports withdrawn. spiegel.de
- Switzerland: Pro-European candidate Martin Pfister prevails in parliament; allocation of departments on Friday. faz.net
- France: Barrier-free democracy – MPs no longer have to stand up to vote. bernerzeitung.ch
- Great Britain: Police investigate Russian ship captain after collision in the North Sea. tagesschau.de
- Bosnia-Herzegovina: EU mission strengthens troops. n-tv.de
- Finland: Country presents security concept for war. n-tv.de
- Greece: Garbage found at the depths of the Mediterranean. spiegel.de
- Spain: Train strike paralyzes the country for several days. travelnews.ch
- Congo: Government and M23 want to negotiate peace in Luanda, Angola. zeit.de
- Syria: Thousands of Alawites seek protection at Russian military base. derstandard.at
- Pakistan: Hostage situation in train in Balochistan region ends; several dead. derstandard.at
- Philippines: Ex-President Rodrigo Duterte handed over to the International Criminal Court in The Hague. zeit.de
- Argentina: President Javier Milei wants more loans from the IMF. handelsblatt.com
- Argentina: 150 arrests and numerous injuries after pension protests in Buenos Aires. zeit.de
- Canada: Mark Carney to take over as prime minister on Friday. zeit.de
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warns of trade war: In the global economy, everything is interconnected, he said in New York. If a trade war develops, in his opinion everyone will lose. The EU had previously announced that it would impose extra tariffs on the import of US products such as whiskey, motorcycles, boats, jeans and peanut butter from next month. Canada also announced import tariffs on US products. Since Wednesday, a tariff of 25 percent has applied worldwide to the import of steel and aluminum into the US. faz.net, tagesschau.de
battery manufacturer Northvolt files for bankruptcy in Sweden: The company said it had not been able to create the conditions for the company to survive in its current form. The subsidiaries in the US and Germany are not affected. However, Northvolt USA had already initiated a reorganization process in November. Northvolt was seen as a beacon of hope for establishing independent battery production in Europe for electric cars, and thus competing with the dominant manufacturers from Asia. tagesschau.de, zdf.de
More news:
- Continental supervisory board votes in favor of spinning off automotive supply. handelsblatt.com
- Profits at Porsche collapse. tagesschau.de
- Defense contractor Rheinmetall sees significant increase in sales and profits. wdr.de
- Chinese company Wanfeng wants to buy German air taxi manufacturer Volocopter. n-tv.de
- RWE wants to supply green hydrogen to Saxony-Anhalt from 2030. n-tv.de
- Technical problems: flight to the ISS postponed shortly before take-off. tagesschau.de
- Pharmacies are suffering: more and more medicines are being ordered online. zdf.de
- Climate change threatens the global economy: study warns of drastic shrinkage sueddeutsche.de
- Consumer prices: US inflation drops to 2.8 percent under Trump wiwo.de
- Social networks: More and more children and young people are addicted to social media. faz.net
- A media researcher makes a surprising statement: Newspaper reports increasingly resemble the AfD’s press releases. kress.de
- As a separate channel: Apple TV+ is also launching on Prime Video in Germany dwdl.de
- Court ruling: Salzburg Festival’s lawsuit against cultural journalist dismissed – Festival fund and Hinterhäuser took action against critical reports by „Backstage Classical“ publisher derstandard.at
- Germany as a cultural location: Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation – Funding secured monopol-magazin.de
- The AfD faction in the Hessian state parliament demands that the Anne Frank educational institution be stripped of its non-profit status wdr.de
- Rosie O’Donnell flees to Ireland to escape Trump musikexpress.de
- „This is exhausting“: King Charles gives it his all at a first-aid course n-tv.de
- National coach picks squad for Italy match: Nagelsmann has problems from start to finish kicker.de
- Champions League quarter-final: Bayern’s opponents Inter Mailand – a reunion with old acquaintances sportschau.de
- After elimination in the Champions League: Liverpool coach Arne Slot criticizes new format sportschau.de
- European Handball Championship qualifier against Austria: For DHB captain Golla, the club coach is an opponent sportschau.de
- Crisis intesifies in Basketball as Alba Berlin releases coach Gonzalez: Pedro Calles will take the reins sportbuzzer.de
- Reaction to ski suit manipulation scandal: First jumpers admit to cheating sportschau.de
- Historic success for Estonia: German biathletes miss out on IBU Cup podium sport.de
Escaped marsupial? Police search for kangaroo in Saxon Switzerland n-tv.de