Bild: Chancellors‘ duel with heart and toughness | Kanzler-Duell mit Herz und Härte
FAZ: Selenskyj rejects Trump’s „disinformation“ | Selenskyj weist Trumps „Desinformationen“ zurück
Funke: First university threatens to take legal action against the Senate’s austerity measures | Erste Hochschule droht mit Klage gegen Sparvorgaben des Senats
Handelsblatt: Europe’s business plan | Europas Businessplan
RND: Merz declares Bundestag election over – and declares himself the winner | Merz erklärt Bundestagswahl für gelaufen – und sich selbst zum Sieger
SZ: Trump launches massive verbal attack on Zelensky | Trump greift Selenskij massiv an
Tagesspiegel: BVG strike in Berlin – public transport also at a standstill in other federal states | Streik der BVG in Berlin: Auch in weiteren Bundesländern steht der Nahverkehr still
taz: Trump: Ukraine started the war | Trump: Die Ukraine hat den Krieg angefangen
Welt: Which coalition will govern Germany? | Welche Koalition wird Deutschland regieren?
Olaf Scholz and Friedrich Merz in the last TV duel: It was the second direct encounter between the two most promising candidates for the chancellorship before Sunday’s election; held on Welt TV and Bild. In light of the opinion polls, Merz said, „Your chancellorship may be over on Sunday.“ welt.de, stern.de, web.de; welt.de (full broadcast)
- Scholz again cited initial successes in curbing irregular migration and in deportations, but admitted these were not yet sufficient. Merz pointed to approximately 500 officially known offenders in Germany, mostly from Afghanistan and Syria, and argued they should be arrested and deported. However, he conceded that this could not apply across the board to thousands of others obliged to leave the country. Merz is thus weakening a key demand of his five-point migration plan. spiegel.de
- Merz’s solution to Germany’s economic issues is to lower energy prices and taxes, and to drastically reduce bureaucracy. Scholz criticized Merz’s plans to lower taxes as unfair because people with high incomes would benefit more than those with low incomes.
Green Party Chancellor candidate Robert Habeck for a stronger EU: In the next ten years, there must be a real European republican constitution. He accused the US under Donald Trump and Russia of imperialism. He wants to be part of the government because the next four years will be crucial, Habeck said on ARD; his chances of becoming Chancellor are currently „not huge“, but he still wants to take responsibility. With the only possible coalition partner, CDU / CSU, there are few similarities. tagesschau.de
Forum of Israeli hostage families confirms the death of the two youngest Hamas hostages and their mother: Shiri Bibas, her children Ariel and Kfir and Oded Lifshitz are no longer with us, the forum stated. The bodies of the four hostages are to be handed over to Israel on Thursday. The family was abducted during the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023 from the kibbutz Nir Oz. Father Jarden Bibas was released two and a half weeks ago. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it a „very difficult day for the State of Israel.“ The families of the dead have already been informed, he said. spiegel.de, welt.de, tagesschau.de
US President Donald Trump has once again attacked Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Selenskyj: Trump called Selenskyj a ‘non-elected dictator’ and advised him to act quickly before he ‘has no country at all’. Earlier, Trump had blamed Zelenskyj for Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. According to the US government, further talks are scheduled for next week. National Security Advisor Michael Waltz told Fox News that French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer are expected in Washington. spiegel.de, morgenpost.de, tagesspiegel.de, zdf.de
- British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has given Zelenskyi his backing in a phone call, saying it is appropriate to suspend elections in times of war. He said the UK had done the same during World War II. The office of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres clarified that Zelenskyi is in office after duly held elections.
- US Vice President J.D. Vance rebukes Zelensky after the latter said Donald Trump lives in a „disinformation bubble“. Zelensky, he said, had been „poorly advised“ on how to deal with the new US administration and called Zelensky’s statement „counterproductive“. The US president is not influenced by Russian disinformation. n-tv.de
- Russia’s leader Vladimir Putin is satisfied with the talks between Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The US delegation had acted without prejudice, Putin said. The purpose of the talks was to strengthen trust. Putin did not say when a meeting with US President Donald Trump could take place. zeit.de
- French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday again discussed the situation in Ukraine with the heads of state and government of 18 European states and Canada. Most of them participated via video link. According to Macron, the participants reaffirmed their support for Ukraine and their commitment to fulfill all their responsibilities to ensure peace and security in Europe. Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reiterated his call for Ukraine to be directly involved in peace negotiations. derstandard.at, spiegel.de
- The CDU/CSU’s candidate for Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, is shocked by Trump’s accusations against Ukraine, which he blames for the ongoing Russian war of aggression. „This is basically a classic case of the perpetrator turning the tables on the victim. This is the Russian narrative,“ Merz told ARD. To finance significant additional spending on defense, Merz first insists on shifts in the federal budget; he did not rule out a „correction of the debt brake“.
- Estonia and Lithuania are sending new military aid to Ukraine. Estonia has given Ukraine a catalog of almost 500 products and services from around 100 Estonian companies; Ukraine should be able to choose from this according to its military needs. Lithuania is sending trucks, thermal imaging scopes and other equipment.
- EU countries have agreed on new sanctions against Russia. The package is set to take effect next Monday, the third anniversary of the invasion, and includes a ban on Russian aluminum imports and new measures to restrict Russian oil exports. zdf.de
- Two North Koreans report in the newspaper „Chosun Daily“ that they were told they would fight against South Koreans. The two soldiers are currently being held as prisoners of war in Ukraine.
Sunday poll by GMS: CDU 31 percent (+1), SPD 15 percent, Greens 13 percent (-1), FDP 4 percent, AfD 20 percent (-1), Left Party 6 percent (+1), BSW 4 percent, others 7 percent. (compared to February 7).
Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier urges resistance to hostility: On the fifth anniversary of the racially motivated murders in Hanau, Federal President Steinmeier called for a determined stand against any form of hostility towards people. It is „up to us to ensure good relations, every day and again and again,“ Steinmeier said in Hanau. Boris Rhein, the Prime Minister of Hesse, said the attack had shown how important it was to stand up to racism, anti-Semitism and all forms of discrimination. In February 2020, a 43-year-old German man shot and killed nine people in a racist attack, before killing his mother and himself. zdf.de, tagesschau.de
Association of Judges welcomes significant relief for the judiciary as a result of the Cannabis Act: Lawyers say they have had positive experiences with the Cannabis Act and warn against repealing it after the federal election. Speaking to the RND, Simon Pschorr of the Neue Richtervereinigung NRV said that, despite all the challenges, which should not be downplayed, the relief for the judiciary is not insignificant. Reversing the law would mean that the judiciary would again have to prosecute small-scale consumers on a large scale. This would mean that there would be insufficient time to take action against organized crime. The NRV is an association of judges and public prosecutors. zdf.de
Labor shortage will hit eastern German states and Saarland hardest by 2040: According to a projection by the Nuremberg Institute for Employment Research, the population of working age there will fall most sharply by 2040. For Thuringia, the IAB predicts a decline of 15.8 percent. Only Hamburg and Berlin are expected to see an increase. Nationwide, researchers expect that there will be 46 million people of working age in 2040. That is a decline of 1.1 million compared to 2023.
More news:
- Saarland: SPD defends hospital planning against accusations from the opposition. saarbruecker-zeitung.de
- Rhineland-Palatinate: Parliament unanimously approves new police law. n-tv.de
- Rhineland-Palatinate: Law gives municipalities more leeway in property tax. echo-online.de
- Saarland: Parliament against strict ban on cell phones at primary schools. saarbruecker-zeitung.de
- Schleswig-Holstein: Prime Minister Daniel Günther can imagine a third term in office. n-tv.de
- Saxony: Suspected right-wing extremists in the police force. zdf.de
- Berlin: Tax offices are catching more and more tax evaders. morgenpost.de
- Hamburg: Failed initiative against gender-neutral language files lawsuit. ndr.de
- Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: Communities in Mecklenburg Switzerland plan to introduce a tourist tax. ndr.de
G20 group of industrialized and developing nations discusses crises and sustainability at the foreign minister level: The focus is on the wars in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip. However, emerging markets such as host South Africa, Brazil and India also want to discuss topics such as adapting to climate change and fairer economic development. Russia and China are sending their ministers to the two-day meeting, but US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has canceled. This is seen as proof of the new US administration’s low regard for cooperation in international organizations. news.at, zeit.de
EU Commission wants to redistribute payments to farmers: Subsidies should be more strongly geared towards farmers who are actively involved in food production and the preservation of the environment. This is stated in a strategy paper from the EU Commission. The production of agricultural goods that are essential for the autonomy and resilience of the EU should be prioritized. Agricultural businesses in Europe currently receive about 30 percent of the EU budget. This makes agriculture one of the largest items in the budget. Currently, a few large companies benefit disproportionately from the funds. spiegel.de, faz.net
Germans caused more than 13 tons of emissions per capita in 2022 through the purchase of goods and services: The greenhouse gas footprint in Germany was a third larger than the EU average and roughly the same as before the coronavirus pandemic. This was the result of calculations by the European statistics office Eurostat. The front-runner among the 27 member states is Cyprus with 16.6 million tons. The calculation is based on climate-damaging gases that are produced by the consumption of goods and services, regardless of where these emissions occur in the global production chain. Because the EU imports many of its goods and services, the gas emissions cannot be directly observed, but are calculated.
Terrorist attack foiled at Vienna’s Westbahnhof station: The suspect is a 14-year-old Austrian who was arrested last Monday. He was found to be in possession of sketches of attacks, knives and materials for making a bomb. According to the Ministry of the Interior in Vienna, the starting point for the investigation was videos with Islamist content that were posted on the video platform Tiktok. The Austrian investigations were triggered by a tip from German authorities. faz.net, spiegel.de, n-tv.de
Pakistan denies wanting to deport all Afghan refugees: Authorities are merely trying to create conditions for the rapid return of Afghans to their homeland, the Foreign Ministry in Islamabad said. Afghanistan’s embassy had accused Pakistan of wanting to expel all Afghan refugees after citizens were arrested and ordered by the police to leave the country. n-tv.de
US President Donald Trump wants to pay part of the DOGE savings to citizens and use them to reduce debt: 6,700 employees of the national tax authority IRS will be laid off, reports Reuters. Similar mass layoffs have already occurred at other US institutions. Twenty percent of the funds saved will be used to reduce the national debt, and another 20 percent will be paid directly to American households. Trump wants to work with Republican members of Congress on tax cuts that would benefit domestic oil and gas producers, among others.
More news:
- France: Prime Minister Francois Bayrou survives socialist vote of no confidence. zeit.de
- France: Macron’s candidate Richard Ferrand elected president of the Constitutional Court. sueddeutsche.de
- Greece: Binge drinking among young people leads to tougher laws. derstandard.de
- Italy: Google pays more than 300 million euros in years-long tax dispute. horizont.at
- Bosnia and Herzegovina: The country’s integrity depends on court ruling in Sarajevo. de.euronews.com
- Austria: Faxing banned in the health sector. sueddeutsche.de
- Netherlands: Return of Benin bronzes to Nigeria. deutschlandfunk.de
- Sweden: Supreme Court rejects climate class action suit. spiegel.de
- Brazil: Indictment against former President Jair Bolsonaro on charges of attempted coup. zdf.de
Federal Association of German Credit Unions and Rural Cooperatives expects the number of insolvencies to continue to rise: The current economic report states that corporate bankruptcies are expected to increase by 15.5 percent to around 25,400. That would be the highest figure since 2013. According to the credit reference agency Creditreform, around 22,400 German companies went insolvent last year. handwerksblatt.de
VDA President Hildegard Müller calls the US announcement of car tariffs a provocation. She said that tariffs as a negotiating tool were the wrong approach, and that higher import duties would have negative consequences for both sides. Müller called for a dialogue between the EU and the US government. Economics Minister Robert Habeck expressed a similar view and said that the EU would not be pushed around. A trade war must be avoided. handelsblatt.com
More news:
- Verdi calls for warning strikes in local transport in Baden-Württemberg, Bremen, Hesse, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate on Friday. zdf.de
- E-truck maker Nikola is finally out of business. n-tv.de
- Gerolsteiner Brunnen sees slight increase in sales. n-tv.de
- MTU breaks the billion mark for the first time. n-tv.de
- Microsoft reports breakthrough in quantum computers. n-tv.de
- ECB director Isabel Schnabel suggests end to interest rate cuts. handelsblatt.com
- Rejoicing in Moscow: Russian sovereign wealth fund expects return of US companies n-tv.de
- Far ahead of China and the USA – the astonishing dominance of Europe’s construction companies welt.de
- First consequences of Trump’s punitive tariffs – German steelworks, the Stahlwerk Thüringen in Unterwellenborn, stops exports to the USA welt. de
- Federal Statistical Office: USA Germany’s most important trading partner again after nine years zeit.de
- Trump wants to keep AP out „until they agree that it is the Gulf of America“ kress.de
- #ZusammenFürDemokratie: Brands position themselves as election helpers wuv.de
- „I’m not in the mood“: Alice Weidel breaks off interview on ZDF kress.de
- Paid content offers: taz breaks the 40,000 digital subscriptions mark new-business.de
- Restitution: The Netherlands returns looted Benin bronzes monopol-magazin.de
- Nazi-looted art: Claudia Roth has not been able to bring about a reasonable settlement welt.de
- „The White Lotus“: They travel halfway around the world, but their disgust with themselves travels with them nzz.ch
- German Cultural Council fears drastic cuts in the cultural sector after the parliamentary elections wdr.de
- Lollapalooza Festival in Berlin: Justin Timberlake confirmed as headliner vip.de
- P. Diddy sees himself as a victim of injustice because of the color of his skin promiflash.de
- Billions for reorganization, athlete protection, access to the chancellor: What German sport wants from the next government spiegel.de
- 1st and 2nd Bundesliga: Record attendance in the first half of the season sportschau.de
- No seats for the far right at the club: FC Bayern says no to AfD faz.net
- Football in Brazil – Campaign against artificial turf: Neymar is concerned about the quality of the game, stating, „Football is natural, not synthetic“ faz.net
- Eva Lys: Suddenly Number 1 in Germany tennismagazin.de
- Individual at the Biathlon World Championships: Gold for Perrot – German biathletes improve sportschau.de
- Alpine Skiing World Cup: „It seems impossible to have come so far so fast“: Shiffrin draws an emotional conclusion sport.de
- UAE Tour in cycling: First win of the season for world champion Pogacar sportschau.de
Too warm in China: snow village fools tourists with cotton wool t-online.de