Bild: The big deportation farce | Die große Abschiebe-Verarsche
FAZ: European states wrestle over Ukraine peacekeeping force | Europäische Staaten ringen um Ukraine-Friedenstruppe
Funke: Significant increase in severe flu cases in children’s hospitals | Deutlicher Anstieg schwerer Grippefälle in Kinderkliniken
Handelsblatt: Europe in Trump shock | Europa im Trump-Schock
RND: Series of attacks in Germany: Theories about election interference only speculation | Häufung von Anschlägen in Deutschland: Theorien über gesteuerte Taten nur Spekulation
SZ: Talks about peacekeeping force for Ukraine | Gespräche über Friedenstruppe für Ukraine
Tagesspiegel: Wegner counters Merz: Governing party insists on vote on Tempelhofer Feld | Wegner kontert Merz: Regierender beharrt auf Abstimmung über Tempelhofer Feld
taz: Suddenly cool (Left Party) | Plötzlich cool (Linkspartei)
Welt: CDU state associations in the east are working on an agenda | CDU-Landesverbände im Osten arbeiten Agenda aus
Top candidates answer questions from citizens in the ‘election arena’. spiegel.de, zeit.de, tagesspiegel.de
- Chancellor Olaf Scholz reiterated his election promises on social policy, such as a stable pension level or a guarantee that pensions will rise in line with wages. In education policy, Scholz advocated further increases in the BaföG rate and a smaller proportion of loans. Criticism came from the audience about how the SPD and the CDU had reacted to the attacks in Munich and Aschaffenburg. In the trade dispute with the US, Scholz called for more self-confidence and unity in Europe.
- Union Chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz stated with regard to migration policy that people without a permanent residence permit would have to leave Germany. In terms of fiscal policy, Merz promised tax relief for lower and middle-income earners. At the same time, he reaffirmed the plan to reduce Bürgergeld, Germany’s long-term unemployment benefit. Those who are able to work but choose not to should no longer receive the benefit. In climate policy, the CDU is committed to openness to technology and innovation. zeit.de
- Green Party chancellor candidate Robert Habeck called for a continuation of state funding for solar roofs and electric cars. He also expressed openness to the idea of civil servants paying into the statutory pension fund in the future. Habeck ruled out a return to nuclear power.
- AfD candidate Alice Weidel said she wanted to stop illegal migration and emphasized a separation of asylum law and the desired immigration of skilled workers into the German labor market. Weidel would negotiate with the radical Islamic Taliban if more people could be deported to Afghanistan as a result. Weidel argued tat registered civil partnerships should be treated equally to marriage. web.de
European states discuss further aid for Ukraine: At an extraordinary summit in Paris, state leaders discussed how Europe could contribute to a possible peace solution for Ukraine. No concrete decisions were expected at the informal meeting hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron. The supporting countries exchanged their positions on further aid for Ukraine. Leaders agreed that Europe will bear more of the burden in the future following the change of course by the new US administration. Poland and Germany nevertheless called for close cooperation with the US within NATO. spiegel.de, tagesspiegel.de, faz.net, zdf.de
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will meet a high-ranking US delegation in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday: The aim is to prepare possible peace talks for Ukraine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov explained. A meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin is also being planned. In addition, the focus is on fundamentally restoring relations between Russia and the US. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is also in Riyadh. Lavrov has questioned the EU’s involvement in talks to end the war in Ukraine. Europe has already had several opportunities to participate in an agreement, Lavrov said. derstandard.at, handelsblatt.com
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has signed an economic agreement with the United Arab Emirates. He met with President Mohammed bin Zayed in Abu Dhabi. They signed an agreement on duty-free import of almost all Ukrainian goods into the Emirates and goods from the Emirates into Ukraine. In addition, the two men discussed the release of more Ukrainian soldiers held captive by Russia. The Emirates‘ mediation has saved many lives, Selenskyj emphasized. The government in Abu Dhabi has been mediating between Kiev and Moscow since the beginning of the war. Selenskyj will also visit Saudi Arabia on Wednesday.
Israel confirms that troops remain in five locations in Lebanon after the agreed withdrawal deadline: Israel’s military announced that it is currently necessary to remain at these points to defend its own citizens on the northern border. However, these locations will be handed over to the Lebanese army “in the long term”. The militant Islamist Hezbollah militia had recently declared that remaining Israeli soldiers would be classified as occupation troops from Tuesday. Large parts of the population on both sides of the border had fled due to the fighting between the militia and the Israeli military. spiegel.de, n-tv.de
Insa Bild Sunday poll: CDU/CSU 30 percent, SPD 15 percent (-0.5), Greens 13 percent, FDP 4.5 percent (+0.5), AfD 22 percent, Left Party 6.5 percent (+0.5), BSW 5 percent (-0.5), others 4 percent. bild.de
Stern survey on Bundeswehr deployment in Ukraine by Forsa: 49 percent in favor, 44 percent against. stern.de
Deportation flight from Hanover-Langenhagen Airport to Iraq took off with 47 people on board: 47 people with an obligation to leave the country were on board, according to the Lower Saxony Ministry of the Interior. They came from a total of eleven federal states. There were protests in front of the airport. tagesspiegel.de
Anti-discrimination commissioner Ferda Ataman sees an increase in everyday racial discrimination, she told the Funke newspapers. Those affected reported racial bullying at work, rejection by doctors and insults at school. Fears and experiences of discrimination among people with an immigrant background must be taken seriously. Instead, they are now being declared a security problem more than ever. sueddeutsche.de
New center for the repatriation of refugees: The new so-called Dublin Center in Eisenhüttenstadt is supposed to help repatriate asylum seekers within two weeks. In addition, from March onwards, they will only receive benefits in kind there and no additional cash, which should also reduce the incentive to re-enter the country. The city on the Polish border is already home to a reception center for asylum seekers. Nancy Faeser, interior minister of Bavaria, and Katrin Lange, interior minister of Brandenburg, recently signed an agreement in Potsdam. faz.net
- Lower Saxony is considering its own “Dublin Center”. ndr.de
More news:
- Berlin: Senate sees evidence of election sabotage by foreign intelligence services. rbb24.de
- Schleswig-Holstein: Minister of Economic Affairs Claus Ruhe Madsen wants to visit Northvolt. zeit.de
- Berlin: According to a Verdi survey, staff shortages in daycare centers only enable “custody” of children as opposed to education.
- Bremen: CDU and SPD criticize delay in A 270 renovation. weser-kurier.de
- Bavaria: At a memorial service in Munich, Prime Minister Markus Söder warns against “general suspicion” of asylum seekers. faz.net
- Hessen: For the second time, Hessian money is being used for housing subsidies. n-tv.de
- Saxony-Anhalt: Police target trucks and buses. mdr.de
- Bavaria: Last coal mine ceases regular operations. spiegel.de
- Lower Saxony: Osnabrück invites homeless people to city hall. ndr.de
- Berlin: State security investigates controversial pro-Palestinian slogan at the Berlinale. faz.net
Number of asylum applications in the EU declining: According to the statistical office Eurostat in Luxembourg, around 75,000 people applied for international protection last November. That was 14 percent fewer than in the previous month and 31 percent fewer than in November 2023. Syrians still made up the largest group of first-time applicants. They were followed by Venezuelans and Afghans. Almost three quarters of the asylum applications were received by four EU countries alone: Germany, Spain, Italy and France. derstandard.at
Villach attacker radicalized on Tiktok: The 23-year-old Syrian made a pledge of allegiance to the jihadist militia IS before the deadly knife attack. According to the public prosecutor’s office in Klagenfurt, the attacker radicalized himself on the video platform Tiktok for three months. He did not seek direct contact with the Islamist terrorist network. The attacker stabbed people at random over the weekend. A 14-year-old died and five people were injured, some seriously. A witness, who also comes from Syria, observed the attack and drove the 23-year-old with a vehicle, presumably preventing further attacks on passers-by. n-tv.de
Italian companies targeted in pro-Russian cyber attacks. According to the Italian National Cybersecurity Agency, the attacks were directed against three banks and the two Milan airports, among others; a total of 30 websites were affected. The attacks did not cause any major disruptions. The hacker group justified its attacks with the statements made by Italian President Sergio Mattarella. He had compared Russia’s war against Ukraine with the expansionism of Nazi Germany before World War II. orf.at
Three men arrested in Syria for involvement in execution of hundreds of people: Dozens of police vehicles lined the streets in the Damascus suburb of Tadamon, where the three suspects were taken into custody. They are accused of playing a role in the execution of civilians by government soldiers in the Syrian capital in 2013. In 2022, a video from April 16, 2013, emerged showing harrowing footage of executions. dw.com
President Xi Jinping meets heads of Chinese tech companies: The relationship between the government and the private sector should be further developed, said Xi Jinping. He expressed confidence that the economic downturn is temporary and can be overcome. According to Chinese media, the bosses of the e-commerce platform Alibaba, smartphone manufacturers Huawei and Xiaomi, AI start-up Deep Seek and e-car brand BYD were in attendance. sueddeutsche.de
More news:
- Austria: ÖVP and SPÖ resume coalition talks. spiegel.de
- Serbia: President Aleksandar Vucic rules out new elections. derstandard.at
- Italy: Cosa Nostra bosses complain of a lack of young talent. rp-online.de
- Greece: Earthquakes continue to shake Greek island of Santorini. dw.com
- Ireland: Housing crisis due to pro-landlord market. deutschlandfunkkultur.de
- Poland: Right-wing rhetoric a necessary strategy in presidential election campaign? sueddeutsche.de
- South Korea: China’s AI phenomenon Deepseek initially banned. handelsblatt.com
- Canada: 17 injured in crash landing of Delta Airlines plane in Toronto; plane comes to rest on the roof. tagesschau.de
- USA: US government wants to erase transgender people from the history of the New York “Stonewall Riots”. derstandard.at
- Mexico: Google Maps threatened with legal action over “Gulf of America”. welt.de
- Argentina: President Javier Milei helped crypto-scammers; investigation launched. n-tv.de
Three quarters of 20 to 24-year-olds work full-time or part-time: The Institute for Employment Research reported that labor force participation in this age group has risen by 6.2 percentage points since 2015 to almost 76 percent. Compared to other age groups, this increase is above average and has taken place primarily in part-time employment. The trend is therefore mainly due to a growing proportion of students with part-time jobs. faz. net, n-tv.de
Children’s hospitals report increase in severe flu cases: According to data from the German Society for Paediatric Infectiology, around five times as many children with flu came to major children’s hospitals at the beginning of February than at the beginning of January. The Robert Koch Institute also reported an unusually high number of school children with flu and many toddlers who had to be hospitalized as a result. n-tv.de
More news:
- Ifo: Almost one in three companies lacks skilled workers. n-tv.de
- Peek & Cloppenburg parent company allowed to take over insolvent fashion chain Sinn. handelsblatt.com
- IG-Bau leader Robert Feiger: Should lure young people with more days off. zeit.de
- Commerzbank head of works council defends job cuts. sueddeutsche.de
- New economic barometer: Slight upturn for Germany’s overall economy tagesschau.de
- Residential construction: Those who live in rented accommodation have simply been unlucky zeit.de
- District of Freising: Bavaria’s last coal mine ceases regular operations spiegel.de
- Chancellor candidates‘ election debate: As if Olaf Scholz had practiced in front of the mirror – Scholz seems to be cut out for this format, Robert Habeck meandered himself into the sidelines. And Alice Weidel? Of all things, she remained pale on the subject of migration. spiegel.de
- Top ratings on Sunday evening: RTL’s “Quadrell” outperforms ARD/ZDF’s “Duell” in the target group dwdl.de
- “A fresh start”: Euronews is in the black for the first time in ten years dwdl.de
- Rediscovered work by Camille Claudel fetches millions web.de
- South Korean actress: Netflix star Kim Sae-ron dies aged 24 spiegel.de
- Ozzy Osbourne on leaving Black Sabbath: He won’t play a complete set with the band vip. de
- Debate about residence status: US judge orders disclosure of Prince Harry’s visa documents spiegel.de
- New addition to the family: Elon Musk’s daughter Vivian apparently found out about her new sibling via social media spiegel.de
- Hospitalization extended: Pope Francis suffers from a “complex clinical picture” n-tv.de
In the new episode of Plus Forty-Nine, we once again address the upcoming federal election in Germany and take a look at the Wahl-O-Mat. This online tool helps voters to compare their political positions with the party manifestos. Also joining us: Giorgi, co-founder of Loyi, a gamification platform for customer retention that works with brands like Deutsche Telekom and BMW. We talk about loyalty in the digital age, the challenges of building a company in Germany and Giorgi’s expat experience. In Ask a German, we clarify the question of what Germans actually mean when they fancy something savory. Listen to the new episode today at 7 p.m. on JazzRadio Berlin 106.8 or now here
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Curious case in Hamm: Thieves leave behind seven packs of yoghurt with a note saying “Sorry, we didn’t want the yoghurt” spiegel.de