Bild: Stop asylum at all borders immediately! | Asyl-Stop an allen Grenzen Sofort!
FAZ: Merz wants closer cooperation with France on defense | Merz will bei Verteidigung enger mit Frankreich zusammenarbeiten
Funke: Merz calls for a „new start“ for Europe | Merz wirbt für „Neustart“ für Europa
Handelsblatt: Threatening boom | Bedrohlicher Boom
RND: Merz wants a new start for Europe – but first there is trouble with Warsaw | Merz für Neustart in Europa – aber erst einmal Ärger mit Warschau
SZ: Dobrindt tightens border controls | Dobrindt verstärkt Grenzkontrollen
Welt: Dobrindt increases police presence at borders | Dobrindt verstärkt Polizeipräsenz an Grenzen
Chancellor Friedrich Merz wants a „new start for Europe“: During his inaugural visits to Paris and Warsaw, Merz agreed on a „new start for Europe“ with French President Emmanuel Macron and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
- Merz and Macron emphasized in Paris the need to strengthen the industrial base in the EU and to cooperate more closely on defense policy and within the defense industry. Merz announced talks on the future of nuclear deterrence in Europe. The aim is to work hand in hand on all important issues in the future. Macron said that new impetus would be given to the Franco-German partnership. zdf.de, handelsblatt.com
- Merz and Tusk announced closer cooperation between the two countries at a joint press conference. Germany and Poland are major countries in Europe, Merz said. Good German-Polish relations strengthen the EU as a whole. Referring to the rejections of asylum seekers at German state borders, Merz promised that these would be carried out in a manner acceptable to European neighbors. zdf.de, faz.net
Transfer of power in the ministries: In Berlin on Wednesday, numerous members of the new cabinet took over the leadership of their ministries. Independent Digital Minister Karsten Wildberger said his newly created department was facing enormous challenges. The aim is to drive concrete progress in digitization and move towards a more modern and effective administration in Germany. heise.de
Matthias Miersch leads the SPD parliamentary group in the Bundestag: The former secretary-general was elected with 83.2 percent of the votes cast; 18 members voted against. The 56-year-old replaces Lars Klingbeil, who has been given the roles of vice chancellor and finance minister. Miersch belongs to the SPD’s parliamentary left wing and is considered a close confidant of Klingbeil. faz.net, zeit.de, handelsblatt.com
Excerpt from constitutional protection report on AfD made public: According to the publication on „Frag den Staat“ (Ask the State), speeches, interviews, and other contributions by party leader Alice Weidel and MP Maximilian Krah, among others, were analyzed. The statements were assessed as partly anti-democratic, xenophobic, and Islamophobic. Weidel is said to have made „negative generalizations about Muslims.“ Krah is reported to have commented on a statement by Green politician Kathrin Göring-Eckardt on migration policy on X, saying that this „Green master plan“ meant „replacement of the population“ – a seeming reference to the Great Replacement conspiracy theory. The report also evaluates contributions made by the party on social media. spiegel.de, n-tv.de
21 hostages still alive: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel has no certainty about the fate of three other abductees. US President Donald Trump had previously caused consternation in Israel with statements that three more of the people kidnapped by the Islamists had died. Media reports citing Israeli officials said there was „great concern for the lives“ of three hostages. In the Gaza Strip, the bodies of 35 abductees whose deaths have been officially confirmed are still being held. tagesspiegel.de
Three-day ceasefire announced by Russia comes into effect: According to the state news agency Ria Novosti, citing the Kremlin, the ceasefire came into effect at midnight. The occasion is the 80th anniversary of Nazi Germany’s surrender in 1945. Ukraine has not agreed to the ceasefire; Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had countered by proposing a ceasefire of at least 30 days. stern.de
Russia complains about Ukrainian drone attacks: Moscow has described the attacks as acts of terrorism shortly before the celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany. Russia is doing everything to ensure the safety of the commemorative events, said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. Air raid sirens sounded repeatedly on Wednesday, especially in the Moscow metropolitan area. Ukraine is fighting back against Russia with drone attacks and wants to hit it economically and militarily. Oil refineries, military airports, and oil depots are therefore being targeted. n-tv.de
ARD DeutschlandTrend by Infratest-Dimap: Union 27 percent (+1), AfD 23 percent (-1), SPD 16 percent, Greens 11 percent, Left 10 percent, BSW 4 percent, FDP 4 percent, others 5 percent. tagesschau.de
- The AfD is a right-wing extremist party: 67 percent agree, 27 percent disagree.
- Initiation of proceedings to ban the AfD: Appropriate 43 percent (+1), Not appropriate 47 percent (+1).
Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt orders asylum seekers to be turned away at state borders: Dobrindt said that a corresponding directive had been issued to the president of the Federal Police Headquarters, Dieter Romann. A contrary order from 2015 has thus been repealed. However, vulnerable groups are exempt from the new regulation. Dobrindt explained that rejecting asylum seekers was necessary to prevent local authorities and the relevant agencies from becoming overwhelmed. Migration figures were still far too high and needed to be reduced significantly. Dobrindt had previously ordered an increased police presence at the border. tagesschau.de, faz.net
- Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk rejects German border plans. spiegel.de
- Austria opposes asylum plans by Dobrindt and Merz. t-online.de
- German border policy: Switzerland relies on existing law for asylum. watson.ch
- Green politician Irene Mihalic: Blanket rejections violate European law. tagesspiegel.de
Commemoration ceremony in the Bundestag marking the end of the war 80 years ago: The main speaker on Thursday will be Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. He intends to address the lessons of May 8, 1945, for the present day. Diplomats representing Germany are also expected to attend the event. Due to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, the ambassadors of Russia and Belarus have not been invited. Before the memorial service, there will be an ecumenical service at the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church and a wreath-laying ceremony at the Neue Wache. faz.net
Brandenburg’s AfD regional association classified as confirmed right-wing extremist: The state constitution protection agency had already made the classification on April 14, said Interior Minister Katrin Lange; however, she only found out about it on May 5. Until now, the AfD state association had been considered a suspected case. On Tuesday, Lange placed the head of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Jörg Müller, on temporary retirement, citing a lack of trust. The Interior Ministry told RBB that the head of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution had not violated any official instructions with the classification; however, he should have informed the top leadership. Since this had not been done, Müller had been relieved of his duties. Minister President Dietmar Woidke was also not informed about the AfD’s reclassification. sueddeutsche.de, rbb24.de, zdf.de
More Regional:
- Hamburg: First Mayor Peter Tschentscher confirmed in office; one vote more than the SPD and Greens combined. abendblatt.de
- Rhineland-Palatinate: Sven Teuber becomes Minister of Education, succeeding Stefanie Hubig. swr.de
- Schleswig-Holstein: Former State Secretary Dorit Stenke is the new Minister of Education. ndr.de
- Bavaria: Teacher training to better prepare teachers for everyday school life. n-tv.de
- Bremen: CDU accuses Senate of violating budget law. weser-kurier.de
- Saxony: BSW presents package of reforms. n-tv.de
- Berlin: 19-year-old defendant confesses in trial over alleged neo-Nazi attack on SPD members during Bundestag election campaign. morgenpost.de
- Bremen: Dispute in the AfD state executive committee over rent arrears owed by the mother of the former chairman. weser-kurier.de
- Saarland: CDU fails in fight against gender asterisks. n-tv.de
Conclave opens in Rome: The cardinals were unable to agree on a new pope in the first round of voting. Black smoke rose from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel in the evening, signalling that the necessary two-thirds majority for a candidate had not been achieved. The 133 cardinals eligible to vote entered the Sistine Chapel in the afternoon and took an oath of secrecy. They are now deliberating behind closed doors on the successor to Pope Francis, who died on Easter Monday at the age of 88. spiegel.de, tagesschau.de
Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico opposes ban on gas imports from Russia: He says the EU Commission’s proposal is unacceptable for his country because it would lead to price increases. The EU Commission plans to end imports of Russian gas by the end of 2027. Slovakia is prepared to veto the move and will demand compensation if the import ban is implemented. Russian gas currently accounts for around 19 percent of EU imports. Slovakia has a supply contract with Russia that runs until 2034. msn.com
Tens of thousands demonstrate in Istanbul for the release of imprisoned mayor Ekrem Imamoglu: The leader of the opposition CHP party, Özgür Özel, said that around 15 million people had now signed a petition for Imamoglu’s release and new elections. The demonstration took place in front of Istanbul University, which had revoked Imamoglu’s university degree shortly before his arrest, making it more difficult for him to run for president. Imamoglu’s arrest on March 19 sparked the largest protests nationwide since the Gezi demonstrations in 2013. The opposition and numerous observers view the charges as a politically motivated attempt to eliminate Imamoglu as a dangerous challenger to Recep Tayyip Erdogan. zeit.de
French President Emmanuel Macron has received Syria’s interim president Ahmed al-Scharaa: Macron said he had called on al-Scharaa to guarantee the protection of all Syrians without exception. Origin, religion, and differing opinions should not play a role in this. Macron floated the prospect of lifting European economic sanctions if the Syrian transitional government succeeds in democratizing and stabilizing the country. stern.de
Israel and Syria are holding indirect talks through mediators, according to interim president Ahmed al-Scharaa: The aim is to calm the situation and prevent a loss of control, al-Scharaa said in Paris. According to informed circles in Damascus, a possible peace process would be based on certain conditions. These include the establishment of an independent Palestinian state and the return of territories occupied by Israel since 1967. The influential Kingdom of Saudi Arabia had already made similar conditions a prerequisite for normalizing relations with Israel. tagesschau.de
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announces response by armed forces: Following attacks by the Indian military in Pakistan, he announced retaliation, saying that the armed forces had been authorized to take appropriate measures. International concern is growing over an escalation of the conflict between the two nuclear powers. US President Donald Trump called on India and Pakistan to immediately end the attacks. The EU Commission and Germany also called for de-escalation. zeit.de, tagesschau.de
US Federal Reserve keeps key interest rate at 4.25 to 4.5 percent: The monetary authorities are thus resisting calls from US President Donald Trump, who is pushing for a rapid reduction in the key interest rate. The Fed justified its decision by pointing to the increased risk of higher inflation, among other things. This is likely also aimed at Trump’s tariff policy. spiegel.de, faz.net
More News:
- Denmark: In the dispute over Greenland, Copenhagen wants to summon the US ambassador. spiegel.de
- Romania: George Simion could enable a triumph for the far right. nau.ch
- France: Construction of Europe’s largest warship begins. lessentiel.lu
- Spain: Madrid enters European race for critical raw materials. de.euronews.com
- Portugal: Rail strike paralyzes the country; workers demand higher wages. n-tv.de
- Austria: WWF report shows alarming decline in natural diversity in the country. derstandard.at
- Iran: Outrage over Donald Trump’s plan to rename the Persian Gulf the Arabian Gulf. n-tv.de
German industry reports unexpectedly strong new business in March: Orders rose by 3.6 percent compared to the previous month, the strongest increase since December, according to the Federal Statistical Office. Analysts had expected a smaller increase. There had been stagnation in February and a slump of 5.5 percent in January. The increase in March is likely to be partly due to pull-forward effects in response to the announced US tariff increases.
More from Business, Tech and Science:
- BMW profits slump by 26.4 percent. faz.net
- Shareholders increase pressure on CEO Ola Källenius. faz.net
- Customs dispute weighs heavily: Medical technology company Siemens Healthineers cuts earnings forecast. n-tv.de
- Uber misses expectations – drop in tourist numbers slows growth. handelsblatt.com
- Multi-billion takeover of Techem in jeopardy. faz.net
- Ten percent more jobs: Amazon on course for growth in Germany. tagesschau.de
- Enfit initiative aims to reduce hygiene risks in raw material transport. dvz.en
- Imprisoned for years: Wallraff Prize for Belarusian opposition activist Maria Kolesnikova ksta.de
- Roger Köppel’s „Weltwoche“ publishes RT article: Putin’s view sueddeutsche.de
- According to the German Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, the German Press Council sees no need to change its approach to the AfD pro-medienmagazin.de
- TikTok study: How brands can combat „creative fatigue“ on social media horizont.net
- Criticism of new ESC flag rules: No more political messages musikexpress.de
- Venice Architecture Biennale 2025: We will survive in the shadows with robots and on aquabikes faz.net
- New culture minister: Anti-Semitism in art is the first major issue ksta.de
- Friedrich Merz is chancellor – but his wife Charlotte does not want to move to Berlin gala.de
- He stayed away from the chancellor election: Friedrich Merz’s son Philippe is known as the founder and managing director of the Thales Academy for Applied Philosophy in Freiburg t-online.de
- The title is the goal: Nagelsmann names squad for Nations League Final Four after end of season rnd.de
- „Don’t stay too long“: Trump and Vance send mixed signals to soccer fans web.de
- Club World Cup in sight: Musiala completes first laps after torn muscle kicker.de
- Champions League semi-final against Barcelona: Inter fans leave early – and miss out on triumph in extra time spiegel.de
- Farewell to the EuroLeague: Alba Berlin moves to the Champions League after 24 years sportschau.de
- „Very, very good“: Nowitzki praises developments in German basketball sport.de
- Italian Open: Altmaier disappoints in Rome – out in the first round sportschau.de
- Honor in Colorado: Tennis icon Serena Williams inducted into Olympic Hall of Fame kicker.de
Using his mother’s smartphone: Eight-year-old orders 70,000 lollipops on Amazon faz.net