Bild: No more pay on first day of sick leave! | Kein Lohn mehr am ersten Krankheitstag!
FAZ: Van der Bellen commissions FPÖ leader to form government | Van der Bellen beauftragt FPÖ-Chef mit Regierungsbildung
Funke: Berlin fights against long-term construction sites with four-point plan | Berlin kämpft mit Vier-Punkte-Plan gegen Dauerbaustellen
Handelsblatt: Number of insolvencies is rising | Zahl der Insolvenzen steigt
RND: The Greens‘ election campaign kicks off: Habeck accuses the CSU of „stupid slogans“ | Wahlkampfauftakt der Grünen: Habeck attestiert der CSU „dumme Sprüche“
SZ: FPÖ to lead Austria’s government | FPÖ soll Österreichs Regierung anführen
Tagesspiegel: Second-class citizens? Criticism of Merz’s plans to expatriate dual nationals who have committed crimes | Bürger zweiter Klasse? Kritik an Merz‘ Ausbürgerungsplänen für straffällige Doppelstaatler
taz: Not funny anymore? (10 years after the attack on „Charlie Hebdo“) | Schluss mit lustig? (10 Jahre nach Anschlag auf „Charlie Hebdo“)
Welt: Christian Lindner gets the FDP ready for a race to make up ground | Christian Lindner stimmt die FDP auf Aufholjagd ein
Top-News
CSU wants to focus on migration policy: The CSU favors the SPD as a potential coalition partner in the event of an election victory, but is calling for a „real change of policy“. Above all, the party wants to limit immigration, deport foreign nationals who have committed crimes and invest in the Bundeswehr. Bavaria’s Prime Minister and CSU leader Markus Söder rejected an alliance with the Greens. Söder also praised CDU leader Friedrich Merz, claiming he had fundamentally changed the Christian Democrats‘ program. There have never been so many similarities between the sister parties, he said. The CSU wants to score points in the federal election campaign by focusing on the economy, migration and national security. sueddeutsche.de, spiegel.de, n-tv.de
Greens start election campaign with attacks on Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Union Chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz: At the kick-off in Lübeck, the party leadership accused the SPD and Union’s chancellor candidates of naivety and a lack of ideas. Green Party leader Felix Banaszak said that Friedrich Merz only describes problems, while Olaf Scholz marvels at the problems without taking action; Green Party top candidate Robert Habeck would solve the problems. With reference to Chancellor Scholz, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock warned against repeated naivety in foreign policy. tagesspiegel.de, ndr.de, faz.net
FDP leader Christian Lindner gets FDP on the chase: The Free Democrats have been tested for decades in the ups and downs of politics, and often they had started the year on the defensive, said Lindner at the traditional Epiphany meeting in Stuttgart. He encouraged the party to draw confidence from within. No bans would help against the fear of global warming, but rather trust in cutting-edge technology. The promise of advancement of the social market economy must be renewed. Linder sharply distanced himself from the AfD and criticized the US billionaire Elon Musk’s election recommendation for the party. A massive reduction in bureaucracy is necessary. tagesschau.de, zdf.de, n-tv.de, handelsblatt.com
USA temporarily suspends sanctions against Syria: The US Treasury Department said the move was to ensure that „no essential services“ such as „the supply of electricity, energy, water, sanitation“ or humanitarian aid would be impeded. The policy is initially set to last for six months, during which „the US government will continue to monitor developments on the ground“. orf.at
UN World Food Programme accuses Israel of attacking aid convoy in Gaza: Three authorized and marked vehicles were fired upon near the Wadi Gaza checkpoint; the eight employees were unharmed. The Israeli army said it would look into the report. The UN World Food Program called for urgent improvements in security conditions in the Gaza Strip so that life-saving humanitarian aid could continue. vol.at
Ukraine denies Russia’s capture of Kurakhove: According to Russia, it has captured the strategically important city of Kurakhove in eastern Ukraine. The city is considered an important logistics center. The Ukrainian army has not confirmed the capture and reported ongoing fighting. The Ukrainian Khortytsia task force announced that it had „initiated measures to identify and destroy Russian attack groups attempting to penetrate our battle formations“. n-tv.de, handelsblatt.com
Chancellor Olaf Scholz will not take legal action against CDU politician Roderich Kiesewetter. Kiesewetter had written on Twitter that there were increasing indications that Scholz would travel to Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin before the federal election. Scholz rejected this as a false claim and announced legal action against Kiesewetter. However, the Chancellor decided against this as the CDU member had complied with the demand to delete the tweet. At the same time, government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit emphasized that the Chancellery reserves the right to take legal action against Kiesewetter if he spreads more unfounded rumors. sueddeutsche.de, rp-online.de
SPD, Greens and Left Party reject Merz’s call to withdraw citizenship from dual nationals who have committed crimes. n-tv.de, tagesschau.de
German Civil Service Association calls for more investment in public service workers: At the annual conference in Cologne, DBB vice-president Volker Geyer said that the center of democracy is a community with functioning institutions. He added that the wrong priorities have been set in recent years. The DBB expects the future government to increase the pay of civil servants and improve their working conditions. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser pointed out that the public sector was competing with the private sector for skilled workers and called for more flexibility in the public sector in order to further modernize the state. wdr.de, handelsblatt.com, rp-online.de
Anti-firecracker petition handed over: The signatures of around 1.5 million people were handed over to the Ministry of the Interior. The campaign is supported by around 35 organizations, including the police union, the German Environmental Aid, the German Medical Association, the German Animal Welfare Association and the German Nature Conservation Ring. The collection of signatures was launched two years ago after excessive fireworks use. Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Interior Minister Nancy Faeser have previously spoken out against a ban on fireworks. faz.net, tagesschau.de
Allianz CEO Oliver Bäte wants to abolish sick pay on the first day of illness. Germany is the „world champion in sick leave“ at two and a half times the EU average, he told the Handelsblatt. Abolishing sick pay on the first day of illness would relieve the burden on companies. handelsblatt.com, lto.de, n-tv.de
Sixth fatality after attack in Magdeburg: A 52-year-old woman has died of her injuries in hospital. Around 300 people were injured in the attack on the Christmas market on December 20. The Saudi-Arabian perpetrator drove a car into crowds gathered at the market. He is in custody, but has been transferred to the Dresden prison. According to Der Spiegel, this is because inmates knew victims of the attack. zdf.de
Growing criticism of Elon Musk’s interference in politics in Europe: Musk has verbally and personally attacked German President Steinmeier and Chancellor Scholz, among others. He also explicitly endorsed the far-right AfD. More recently, Musk attacked British Reform Party leader Nigel Farage and called for his resignation as head of the Britih right-wing populists.
More regional news:
- Saxony: AfD wants clarification of arrest of „Saxon separatist“. n-tv.de
- Brandenburg: A two-thirds majority in favor of a vote of no confidence in Potsdam’s Lord Mayor Mike Schubert is said to be in place. tagesspiegel.de
- Lower Saxony: Funding for the construction of a hydrogen pipeline. n-tv.de
- Saxony: The Greens are demanding more money for culture. n-tv.de
- Berlin: More than 1,450 crimes committed on New Year’s Eve. faz.net
- Hamburg: Climate activist fined for spraying City Hall with paint. ndr.de
- Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: AfD constituency office in Wismar damaged. n-tv.de
- Bavaria: Habeck’s projection onto Munich’s Siegestor provokes discussion. br.de
- North Rhine-Westphalia: Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst praises the solidarity of young carol singers. n-tv.de
FPÖ and ÖVP to hold coalition talks in Austria: Austria’s far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) has been tasked by President Alexander Van der Bellen with forming a government. The FPÖ has been part of the government several times before, but has never provided the chancellor. The FPÖ emerged from the parliamentary elections as the strongest party. At first, however, no one wanted to work with them. After the failure of other coalition options, the conservative ÖVP changed its mind. The FPÖ has a pro-Moscow stance and is skeptical of the EU. Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban is considered a role model by far-right Austrian politician Herbert Kickl when it comes to migration policy. derstandard.at, faz.net, zdf.de
Apple back-tax payment brings Ireland billions in surplus: Overall, Ireland’s corporate tax revenues rose by almost two-thirds last year to over €39 billion. The majority of this revenue comes from US corporations. Almost €11 billion of this can be traced back to Apple alone. The money is part of an EU fine. The EU Commission had already demanded back payments nine years ago, justifying them with illegally obtained tax breaks in Ireland. The company, whose European headquarters are located in Cork, Ireland, had initially successfully appealed against the fine. In September of last year, the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg upheld the Commission’s judgment. handelsblatt.com, heise.de
Ex-President Nicolas Sarkozy on trial over Libya affair: A total of 13 defendants, including three former ministers, are on trial on charges of illegal campaign financing, embezzlement of public funds and corruption. Sarkozy is suspected of having accepted millions of euros from the then-ruler of Libya, Muammar al-Gaddafi, during the 2007 presidential campaign. faz.net, n-tv.de
Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announces resignation: He will step down from both his post as head of government and as leader of the ruling Liberal Party, the 53-year-old said. He justified the step with a lack of support in his party and announced that he would only remain in office until his successor had been determined. There had been a debate within Trudeau’s party for some time about whether to go into the next election with a different lead candidate in view of weak poll numbers. His minority government had been supported by the social democratic NDP in recent years, but the NDP recently ended the cooperation. spiegel.de, sueddeutsche.de, faz.net
Congress officially confirms Donald Trump’s victory in the presidential election: US Vice President Kamala Harris declared Trump the next president after reading out the election results. Trump had clearly defeated the Democratic candidate and current US Vice President Harris in the November election. Trump is scheduled to take the oath of office in Washington on January 20 and replace the current US President Joe Biden. rnd.de, faz.net, spiegel.de
More news:
- EU: No violation of EU law: Musk and Weidel can campaign on X faz.net
- France: Security measures tightened after attacks in Germany and the US n-tv.de
- France: Government wants to cut back on austerity measures. sueddeutsche.de
- Belgium: Record year for job losses due to insolvencies. grenzecho.net
- Norway: Revenues from commodity sales have increased massively since Russia’s full-scale attack on Ukraine. faz.net
- Czech Republic: Two percent target for defense spending reached. nau.ch
- Denmark: New coat of arms emphasizes the unity of the kingdom. stern.de
- Greece: Coast Guard reports hundreds of migrants since New Year. rnd.de
- Italy: President Sergio Mattarella supports anti-Mafia priest. derstandard.at
- USA: Trump advisers are considering tariffs on critical imports from all countries. handelsblatt.com
- USA: Donald Trump’s lawyers wanted to delay the announcement of the sentence in the hush money trial of porn actress; Judge Juan Manuel Merchan rejects the request. spiegel.de
- USA: Deportation in Oman – US government releases eleven men from Guantanamo Bay prison. deutschlandfunk.de
- USA: US President Joe Biden takes step to protect more US waters. zdf.de
- USA: Violent winter storm hits parts of the USA; 60 million people affected. faz.net
- Indonesia: Step completed to become a full member of the Brics group. handelsblatt.com
Business
More and more large companies insolvent: Last year, 364 companies with an annual turnover of over ten million euros filed for bankruptcy, reports Handelsblatt, citing a consulting firm. Compared to the previous year, this is an increase of 30 percent. The automotive supply industry was particularly affected by insolvencies. There was also a major increase in the building sector. According to the credit reference agency Creditreform, 22,400 German companies of all sizes were unable to pay their debts last year – the highest figure since 2015. handelsblatt.com
New registrations of e-cars down by more than a quarter in 2024: Around 380,000 vehicles were registered, 27 percent fewer than in 2023, according to the Federal Motor Transport Authority in Flensburg. Significant increases were recorded in new registrations of hybrids and plug-in hybrids. Pure combustion cars were roughly as popular as they were in the previous year. A total of 2.8 million new cars were registered in Germany last year, one percent fewer than in the previous year. tagesschau.de
More from the worlds of business, technology and science:
- Germany below average: Only 48 percent give their best at work. n-tv.de
- Inflation rate rose further in December; 0.4 percent more than in November. faz.net
- Renewable energies: Solar systems provide one-seventh of electricity consumption. tagesschau.de
- The number of cases handled by the Travel and Transport Arbitration Board is at an all-time high. tagesschau.de
- AI and software are sales drivers at Bosch. handelsblatt.com
- 10 years after the attack: Charlie Hebdo remains defiant. tagesschau.de
- TV year 2024: ARD and ZDF benefit from the European Championship and the Olympics, with ZDF jumping to a 30-year high. meedia.de
- SD switch-off on January 7: ARD and Dritte only in HD quality. zdf.de
- A chief reporter resigns: The editorial team of Die Welt is in an uproar over the published guest article by Elon Musk. medieninsider.com
- Golden Globes: Demi Moore triumphs with „The Substance“ – at last. t-online.de
- Faces of 2025: Who we will still be hearing from this year. monopol-magazin.de
- „Behind the scenes“: documentary about Melania Trump to be released soon. n-tv.de
- Rowan Atkinson turns 70: He’s too clever to play a prince. faz.net
- At the Golden Globes: Rumors about Zendaya and „Spiderman“ star Tom Holland. web.de
Today at 19:00, you can listen to a new episode of Plus Forty Nine. We will speak with Fernanda Suárez, a bold entrepreneur who traded the hustle and bustle of a million-person city for the charm of a small town near Hamburg. There’s also a feel-good start in 2025 with the positive news of 2024. This week’s “Ask a German” segment is about „Milchreis“ as a full meal.
- Semi-automatic offside detection is coming to the Bundesliga from next season. heise.de
- FC Bayern issues transfer ban for goalkeeper Daniel Peretz. sport.de
- Union Berlin: Baumgart changes the system. sueddeutsche.de
- BBL: Surprise victory against Munich – Alba’s first sign of a turnaround?. sportschau.de
- Will there be „hammer time“ on the PDC Tour again soon? Darts icon Andy Hamilton makes it clear: „My career is not over yet“. sport.de
- Death at 76: Robert Hübner was an esthete at the chessboard. faz.net
Self-driving car makes several laps in front of the airport – and does not let its passenger get out. spiegel.de