published by Sigrid Arteaga
Contributor: Imogen Goodman and Ulrich Kraus
Bild: Günther Jauch – Burglars steal special gold watch | Günther Jauch – Einbrecher erbeuten besondere Gold-Uhr
FAZ: EU imposes millions in fines on Apple and Meta | EU verhängt Millionenstrafen gegen Apple und Meta
Funke: Berlin companies with no traineeships to pay fines | Berliner Unternehmen ohne Ausbildungsplätze sollen Strafe zahlen
Handelsblatt: Merz’s emergency plan for the economy | Merz‘ Sofortplan für die Wirtschaft
RND: German Armed Forces in Lithuania: NATO battlegroup trains for emergency situations | Bundeswehr in Litauen: Die Nato-Battlegroup trainiert den Ernstfall
Tagesspiegel: Pressure on Kiev and Moscow – US threatens to withdraw from Ukraine peace talks | Druck auf Kiew und Moskau – USA drohen mit Rückzug aus Ukraine-Friedensgesprächen
taz: Unbelievable: Wagenknecht excluded from the papal election! | Unglaublich: Wagenknecht von der Papst-Wahl ausgeschlossen!
Welt: Ukraine meeting: Rubio’s cancellation fuels doubts about progress | Ukraine-Treffen: Absage Rubios schürt Zweifel an Fortschritt
Tens of thousands bid farewell to Pope Francis: The late head of the Roman Catholic Church will lie in state in St. Peter’s Basilica until Friday evening. The basilica will be open from 7 a.m. to midnight. According to the Vatican, the traditional nine-day mourning period will begin on Saturday, during which daily ceremonies will be held in St. Peter’s Basilica in honor of the late head of the church. State guests from around the world are expected to attend the funeral service on Saturday. Francis will then be buried in the Roman church of Santa Maria Maggiore. spiegel.de, tagesschau.de
Israel defends attack on former school building in the Gaza Strip: The government claims the target was a command center of Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and said at the time of the attack, members of terrorist organizations had gathered in the building in Gaza City. The building was housing displaced persons, according to the Hamas-controlled civil defense service. Israel has accused Hamas of using the Palestinian civilian population as human shields. spiegel.de, n-tv.de
US President Donald Trump hints at agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin: Russia is ready to reach an agreement, Trump told reporters at the White House. „And I think we have an agreement with Russia.“ The US may have shifted its stance to align with the Kremlin. According to Axios, the agreement includes international recognition of Russian control over Crimea, de facto recognition of Russian control over most of the territories occupied by Russia since 2022, no NATO membership for Ukraine, and the lifting of sanctions against Russia. Referring to President Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump said of Ukraine: „We have to make a deal with Zelensky.“ This is more difficult than he had initially expected, he said. stern.de, tagesschau.de, faz.net
Russian drone factory attacked: Ukraine’s military has attacked a drone factory in the Russian city of Yelabuga. Yelabuga is located more than a thousand kilometers from the Ukrainian border. Three hundred drones are reportedly produced there every day. Russia had previously hit a bus carrying workers in the Ukrainian city of Marhanez in a drone attack. Nine people were killed and 30 injured. According to authorities, one person was killed in a Russian airstrike in the eastern Ukrainian city of Sloviansk.
CDU Secretary General Carsten Linnemann rejects minimum wage set by politicians: In an interview with Mediengruppe Bayern, he emphasized that he understood the pressure the SPD was under due to the membership vote on the coalition agreement. A minimum wage of 15 euros is achievable, but ultimately it will be decided by the relevant commission. SPD Secretary General Matthias Miersch had said it was possible that parliament could set the 15-euro mark. pnp. de, tagesspiegel.de
The acting government will not carry out any further flights to Germany for people from Afghanistan who have been granted asylum: However, visa procedures and security checks will continue, according to the Foreign Office. There are currently 2,600 people from Afghanistan waiting in Pakistan to leave for Germany. According to the Foreign Office, they are former local employees of German institutions and their relatives. The future government will have to decide on further flights. rp-online.de, tagesschau.de
Government wants to enable Syrian refugees to visit their homeland: The Interior Ministry has presented a concept to the federal states according to which, under certain conditions, travel to Syria can be made possible in preparation for a permanent return. People need to be able to see for themselves, for example, whether their houses are still standing and their relatives are still alive. Until now, those who have been granted asylum in Germany have only been allowed to travel to their country of origin in exceptional cases; otherwise, they risk losing their protection status. ksta.de
Federal Criminal Police Office classifies 575 people as dangerous: By far the largest group falls under „religious ideology“. As of April 2025, 458 people had been classified in this category. Dangerous individuals are people for whom certain facts justify the assumption that they will commit politically motivated crimes of considerable significance. tagesschau.de
Union faction vice-chair Jens Spahn calls on future government to curb support for the AfD: Spahn told the Westfälische Nachrichten newspaper that it was the joint task of the CDU and SPD to solve problems and thus halve the AfD’s support, adding that this might now be the last chance for the democratic center. Spahn did not want to comment further on his controversial statements about dealing with the AfD in the interview. He said that everything had been said and there was no need to prolong the discussion. wn.de
SPD and Greens conclude coalition negotiations in Hamburg: The talks were concluded on schedule after four weeks. The result will be announced shortly. Details about the new red-green coalition in the Hanseatic city could be announced before Thursday’s city parliament session. Hamburg has been governed by the SPD and the Greens for ten years. ndr.de
More News:
- Lower Saxony: SPD parliamentary group leader Grant Hendrik Tonne is set to become the new Minister of Economic Affairs. ndr.de
- North Rhine-Westphalia: Minister President Hendrik Wüst courts investment from Qatar. rp-online.de
- NRW: Refugee Minister Josefine Paul wants a more objective debate on migration. ksta.de
- Brandenburg: Warning of fines for failure to file property tax returns. rbb24.de
- Bremen: Bremerhaven massively increases security services. butenunbinnen.de
EU Commission imposes heavy fines on Apple and Meta: Apple is to pay 500 million euros; Meta 200 million euros. The companies are violating European digital law by using their dominant market position to disadvantage other providers, it said. This is the first time the EU Commission has imposed penalties under the Digital Markets Act. Apple announced that it would appeal the fine. Apple is accused of preventing developers from making offers available to consumers outside the App Store. Meta is accused of violating rules on the use of personal data in its online services Facebook and Instagram. zeit.de, lto.de, dw.com, handelsblatt.com
EU wants to continue working with US on trade issues, according to Economic Affairs Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis: The EU will not abandon its closest and most important partnership, Dombrovskis said in Washington. With regard to the current tariff dispute, he said that new partners would be sought at the same time. The EU commissioner spoke of an increasingly conflict-ridden and competitive world in which Washington and Brussels need to deepen their cooperation.
Swedish journalist Joakim Medin faces 12 years in prison in Turkey: The Swedish newspaper „Dagens ETC“ reports that its employee is being charged with terrorism and insulting the president. The newspaper stated that the journalist is not a criminal and definitely not a terrorist. Among other things, the public prosecutor’s office accuses him of participating in a demonstration by the Kurdish Workers‘ Party (PKK) in Stockholm, at which a puppet of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was allegedly displayed. He is also said to have facilitated contact between the PKK and the press. The journalist denies this.
Jordan bans Islamist Muslim Brotherhood: Interior Minister Masen al-Faraja accused the group of attempting to destabilize the country. The Muslim Brotherhood was founded in Egypt and has been banned there for some time. Its goal is the Islamization of society. In Jordan, it has been an influential political player for decades. zeit.de, derstandard.at
Syria explores military role of Russia and Turkey: Both countries could provide military support to Syria, interim president Ahmed al-Scharaa told the New York Times. Any agreement would have to „guarantee Syria’s independence and security.“ In addition, no foreign military forces would be allowed to use Syrian territory to threaten other countries. Russia supported the government of Bashar al-Assad, who was overthrown in December, during the Syrian civil war.
Tensions rise between India and Pakistan after terrorist attack in Kashmir: In response to the attack, India has taken a number of measures, including suspending a treaty on the use of its rivers indefinitely. In addition, Pakistani diplomats were expelled and a border crossing was closed. The Foreign Ministry in New Delhi spoke of cross-border connections in the attack and accused Pakistan of supporting terrorism. Twenty-six people were killed and at least 17 were seriously injured in the attack on tourists on Tuesday. faz.net, tagesschau.de
The US has not made a unilateral offer to China in the tariff dispute: Both sides are waiting to talk to each other, said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent at the IMF’s spring meeting in Washington. Trump had previously promised China lower tariffs. Referring to the 145 percent surcharge on many imports from China that he himself had ordered, the president said that this rate was „very high“ and that it would be reduced „significantly.“ n-tv.de, sueddeutsche.de
More news:
- Turkey: At least 230 injured in earthquake in the Istanbul region; harbingers of a larger disaster. zdf.de
- France: Battle with escalating gang violence; series of brutal attacks against prisons and judicial staff. faz.net
- Belgium: Nuclear phase-out on the brink. aachener-zeitung.de
- France: Prime Minister Francois Bayrou claims to have known nothing about violence against his daughter at a Catholic school. stern.de
- Spain: Billion-euro military budget divides the left. fr.de
- United Kingdom: Contrary to earlier statements, Prime Minister Keir Starmer no longer considers trans women to be women. spiegel.de
- United Kingdom: Business sentiment deteriorates more than expected. boerse.de
- Austria: Significant rise in anti-Semitism. meinbezirk.at
- Austria: Former Chancellor Sebastian Kurz founds real estate company. spiegel.de
- Austria: Sending penis pictures will become a criminal offense. derstandard.at
- Greece: Ban on flavored tobacco products possible. euractiv.de
- Slovakia: Small automotive powerhouse fears Trump’s tariffs. diepresse.com
Germany obtains two-thirds of its rare earths from China: Austria was the second most important source country for Germany, accounting for 23.2 percent of imports, according to the Federal Statistical Office. Estonia followed at a considerable distance with 5.6 percent. Rare earths are further processed in these two countries; their original origin cannot be statistically verified. zdf.de
More news:
- World Economic Forum investigates allegations of breach of trust against founder Klaus Schwab. spiegel.de
- Klaus Schwab accuses the WEF’s board of trustees of serious misconduct. faz.net
- Xiaomi plans to open electric car development center in Germany. faz.net
- Intel is reportedly planning to cut over 20,000 jobs. n-tv.de
- Federal Network Agency: Electricity customers to pay less due to reduced grid fees. faz.net
- Germany remains a pioneer in working from home. faz.net
- US media under Donald Trump: Bill Owens, producer of the US investigative program „60 Minutes,“ resigns after political pressure spiegel.de
- After criticism of Tilo Mischke: ARD says castings will run better in future. uebermedien.de
- Kantar survey: TikTok Shop in Germany: Generational divide in social commerce wuv.de
- Oscars: Academy officially recognizes AI in films for the first time stadt-bremerhaven.de
- Premiere in Berlin: Iranian director Rasoulof presents play about exile weser-kurier.de
- Giacometti sculpture could fetch $70 million at auction derstandard.de
- Next, she wants a hyena: Heidi Reichinnek explains her tattoos n-tv.de
- Siegfried and Roy: Famous magicians were lovers until 1998 t-online.de
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- Thomas Müller turns down first clubs from Italy and the US web.de
- FC Bayern: Jamal Musiala wants to make his comeback at the Club World Cup t-online.de
- Effective immediately: Coach André Breitenreiter leaves Hannover 96 sportschau.de
- Officially confirmed: Schalke 04 to part ways with coach van Wonderen at the end of the season sportschau.de
- Six teams in contention: Close promotion race in the 2nd Bundesliga – What are the arguments for each team? sportbuzzer.de
- „Visit Tottenham“: Arsenal fans protest against Rwanda sponsorship – and Bayern is also under fire kicker.de
- Overcoming a dry spell: Pogacar storms to victory in Flèche Wallonne sportschau.de
Hiking fun for everyone: Spectacular hiking trail with nine slides opens in Tyrol rnd.de