published by Sigrid Arteaga
Contributor: Imogen Goodman and Ulrich Kraus
Bild: Trade unions demand 3 additional vacation days | Gewerkschaften fordern: 3 Urlaubstage zusätzlich
FAZ: Netanyahu threatens Hamas with “fierce fighting” | Netanjahu droht Hamas mit „heftigen Kämpfen“
Funke: Scholz calls Chialo “court jester” | Scholz nennt Chialo „Hofnarr“
Handelsblatt: VW plans to build combustion engines longer | VW plant länger mit Verbrenner
RND: Trump raves about Putin after phone call – and the “great benefit” of future cooperation | Trump schwärmt nach Telefonat von Putin – und dem „großen Nutzen“ aus künftiger Zusammenarbeit
SZ: Trump announces Ukraine negotiations | Trump kündigt Ukraine-Verhandlungen an
Tagesspiegel: Racism accusation against Scholz: Chancellor calls Berlin senator Chialo “court jester” | Rassismusvorwurf gegen Scholz: Kanzler nannte Berlins Senator Chialo „Hofnarr“
taz: Will the Left throw Wagenknecht out? | Wirft die Linke Wagenknecht raus?
Welt: To deter Russia: NATO plans massive rearmament | Um Russland abzuschrecken: Nato plant massive Aufrüstung
US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin agree on Ukraine peace talks: They agreed on immediate negotiations, Trump said after an extensive phone call. According to Trump, it was agreed that negotiating teams would immediately begin talks on Ukraine. Trump also spoke to Ukraine’s president. Selenskyj said that both had discussed the possibility of making peace and the mutual willingness to work together at the team level. No one wants peace more than Ukraine, Selenskyj continued. Trump had informed him of his conversation with Putin. Together with the United States, they are going to plan further steps to stop Russian aggression. zdf.de, handelsblatt.com
Egypt and Jordan call for Gaza reconstruction without displacement: Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Egyptian President Abd al-Fattah as-Sisi stressed the need to fully implement the ceasefire agreement to secure the release of Israeli hostages and detained Palestinians and to facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid, the Egyptian presidential office said after the phone call. Both reiterated their rejection of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza relocation plan. They called for the immediate start of the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, while avoiding the displacement of the Palestinian population. nau.ch
YouGov Sunday question: Union 29 percent, SPD 16 percent (-2), Greens 12 percent, FDP 4 percent, AfD 21 percent (-1), Left 6 percent, BSW 5 percent (-1), Other 6 percent. (change from the previous week). yougov.de
Controls at Germany’s external borders will continue: Checks will be extended for six months until mid-September, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said after the cabinet meeting. He said the EU Commission had already been informed of this step. He added that the fight against irregular migration would continue to be rigorously pursued. In this context, controls are an effective means. Scholz referred to the approximately 47,000 rejections that have taken place since September. In addition, 1,900 smugglers have been arrested. zdf.de
Green Party chancellor candidate Robert Habeck presents “future agenda”: Habeck said that so far, the crucial issues of climate protection, education and economic development have hardly been discussed in the election campaign. Habeck pointed out that global warming is regarded by experts as the most important security issue in the coming years. He accused the other parties of announcing goals but not trying to meet them. The goal is to combine social fairness in Germany with affordable access to renewable energies. In terms of economic policy, Habeck advocated, among other things, investing more in innovation. zeit.de, faz.net
Climate change increases threats to German security: An interdisciplinary study conducted by scientists and the BND on behalf of the Foreign Office and the Ministry of Defense warns of crop failures, price hikes and economic losses. This could result in political instability in Germany and Europe and increase migration. BND chief Bruno Kahl sees this development as one of the five greatest dangers, alongside cyber attacks and international terrorism. zeit.de
Education Minister Cem Özdemir on integration: Too often, education is a matter of luck. faz.net
5,000 police officers to protect Munich Security Conference: Bavaria’s police force will be supported by officers from other German states and Austria. Traffic restrictions are expected in Munich during the security conference; numerous no-stopping zones have been set up for the weekend. A total of 40 demonstrations have been registered – the most in years. sueddeutsche.de
Saxony state parliament adopts consultation mechanism: This will enable the Left Party, the Greens and BSW to exert influence on legislative proposals of the minority government of CDU and SPD at an early stage. It will also allow opposition projects to gain a majority. The AfD is not participating. n-tv.de
More Germany News:
- Berlin: Graffiti on office of CDU MP Jan-Marco Luczak; police investigate. morgenpost.de
- Schleswig-Holstein: State security investigates after threatening letters with AfD logo. n-tv.de
- North Rhine-Westphalia: Vending machine kiosks may also open on Sundays and holidays, administrative court rules. lto.de
- Baden-Württemberg: Man makes Nazi salute at AfD event in Freiburg; suspect identified. spiegel.de
- Schleswig-Holstein: Marine Science Campus in Kiel has commenced operations. ndr.de
- Berlin: Police union considers knife-free zones at Görlitzer Park, Kottbusser Tor and Leopoldplatz to be a placebo. morgenpost.de
- Hessen: Police use influencers to recruit new talent. faz.net
- Saxony: Cabaret artists are worried about the future due to financial problems. mdr.de
Irregular entries into the EU in January fell by 22 percent: The number has fallen to just over 13,400 cases, the EU border protection agency Frontex said in Warsaw. Most undocumented migrants entered the EU via the West Africa route through the Canary Islands. The second most common route was the eastern Mediterranean route through Turkey. According to an estimate by the International Organization for Migration, at least 93 people drowned in January during the crossing. Last year, at least 2,300 people died during the crossing. tagesschau.de
Failed coalition talks between the FPÖ and ÖVP in Austria: Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen wants to explore alternative options; he will hold talks with all parties in the coming days. Compromise has fallen into disrepute, said Van der Bellen, calling for more humility towards each other’s positions. If no coalition can be formed, the constitution provides for new elections or a minority or expert government as a way forward. FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl has spoken out in favor of a quick new election. spiegel.de, zeit.de, zdf.de, faz.net
Konstantinos Tasoulas is the new President of Greece: The parliament has elected the former parliamentary president as the new head of state; 160 of 300 MPs voted for the lawyer. Tasoulas was elected almost exclusively with the votes of the ruling conservative party Nea Dimokratia. The 65-year-old succeeds President Katerina Sakellaropoulou, who became the first woman to hold the office in 2020. The president’s role is largely ceremonial. swissinfo.ch
Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke on the phone with Syria’s transitional president Ahmed al-Sharaa: The Kremlin reported a “comprehensive exchange of views on the current situation in Syria”. The Russian side declared its support for the unity and sovereignty of Syria. Putin offered help to improve the social and economic situation in the Middle Eastern country. Damascus confirmed the phone call but did not provide any details. Russia was the protecting power of long-time Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad until his fall two months ago and granted him asylum after his overthrow. spiegel.de
US President Donald Trump orders federal agencies to work with advisor Elon Musk: In a joint press conference with Trump and Musk, it was stated that without budget cuts, bankruptcy would be imminent. Trump said the US had no choice but to reduce federal spending. Musk heads the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, which aims to reduce staff on a large scale. Critics point out that many of the presidential adviser’s steps are illegal and disregard the constitutionally enshrined supervisory role of Congress. zdf.de, n-tv.de
More European news:
- Italy: After several defeats in court, Albanian camps are to be used for other purposes for the time being. handelsblatt.com
- Romania: Senate President Ilie Bolojan takes over presidential office on an interim basis until new election. puls24.at
- Serbia: Mass protests continue. tagesspiegel.de
- Switzerland: China is monitoring minorities in the country. zentralplus.ch
- Switzerland: According to a Federal Council decision, the country should adopt the conventions of the Council of Europe for AI. horizont.net
- Netherlands: Environmentalists take Shell to the highest court. deutschlandfunk.de
- Financial sector calls for realignment of banking regulation. handelsblatt.com
- According to a survey, the rise in food prices is greatly overestimated. handelsblatt.com
- The downward trend continues: Germany is at the bottom of the EU league table for residential construction rnd.de
- 5.8 percent fewer moviegoers last year. zdf.de
- Sometimes more expensive than diesel – ADAC criticizes charging prices for e-cars. spiegel.de
- Fresh concerns: Inflation in the US unexpectedly rises to 3.0 percent manager-magazin.de
- German companies are making massive purchases in the USA Handelsblatt.com
- Economic relations: Poland increasingly a partner – and competitor
- Forecast: Germany brings up the rear in residential construction cash-online.de
- Volkswagen dominates the German electric car market – Tesla suffers a dramatic fall faz.net
- Journalists‘ association on Trump’s AP exclusion: “This should be a warning signal for us in Germany” kress.de
- BBC warns of flawed AI news summaries heise.de
- Youtube: Streaming site watched more often on TVs than cell phones heise.de
- Berlinale film likely to bring Iranian directing duo Maryam Moghaddam and Behtash Sanaeeha before a revolutionary court in Iran wdr.de
- No more “Döp dö dö döp” for neo-Nazis: Initiative secures trademark rights to “Sylt Song” tagesspiegel.de
- Feel at home here: Uelzen station is ranked Europe’s 10th most beautiful train station – its current appearance was created in 2000 as an Expo project based on the plans of the artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser rnd.de
- Elon Musk’s son X causes a stir at the White House press conference promiflash.de
- Kanye West sells T-shirts with swastikas: This is not shock art, but hate sueddeutsche.de
- Rapper Asap Rocky does not testify in criminal case web.de
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- Suspicion of a sex offense: public prosecutor’s office investigates professional soccer player for FC Augsburg spiegel.de
- WTA investigation: Rybakina’s former coach Vukov remains suspended – an internal report allegedly refers to “toxic behavior” and “mental abuse” sportschau.de
- Fashion instead of engines: Verstappen lands new job advertising for the Red Bull fashion brand with immediate effect sport.de
- Alpine Skiing World Championships in Saalbach – Switzerland men’s team outpaces the competition sportschau.de
- “Disgraceful, false, offensive”: Olympic champion Khelif attacks controversial boxing association n-tv.de
Tip shortly before the deadline: 88-million euro jackpot goes to Hesse n-tv.de