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Merz rules out AfD collaboration, US aid to Ukraine for raw materials, Spending on defense, US punitive tariffs on hold, Rail reform plans

published by Sigrid Arteaga
Contributor: Imogen Goodman and Ulrich Kraus

Tuesday, 04th of February, 2025
Newspapers Headlines

Bild: Marriage over (Daniel Hartwich) | Ehe-Aus (Daniel Hartwich)
FAZ: Merz calls AfD the „most important opponent“ | Merz nennt AfD den „wichtigsten Gegner“
Funke: CDU celebrates Friedrich Merz | CDU feiert Friedrich Merz
Handelsblatt: Tariff dispute shocks markets | Zollstreit schockt Märkte
RND: CDU party conference as election campaign: unity in installments | CDU-Parteitag im Wahlkampf: Geschlossenheit auf Raten
SZ: Merz thanks CDU for steadfastness | Merz dankt CDU für Standhaftigkeit
Tagesspiegel: „Living is becoming a luxury“: rents are rising significantly – especially in Berlin | „Wohnen wird zum Luxus“: Mieten steigen deutlich an – vor allem in Berlin
taz: Merz’s confused plan | Merz wirrer Plan
Welt: Leading CDU politicians back Merz | Führende CDU-Politiker stärken Merz den Rücken

Top-News

CDU/CSU Chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz rules out any cooperation with AfD: At the CDU party conference, Merz said there would be no cooperation, no tolerance and no minority government. He said the CDU was striving to make the AfD as small as possible again. In his speech, Merz did not directly address the parliamentary votes in the Bundestag last week. Despite assurances to the contrary, as the leader of the CDU parliamentary group, he had twice accepted votes from the AfD. With a view to economic development, Merz announced that all decisions would be linked to whether they served the competitiveness of German industry. faz.net, wiwo.de, tagesschau.de, t-online.de, sueddeutsche.de, spiegel.de

  • Delegates unanimously approved the emergency program, which, in addition to economic issues, also includes the plans for migration policy passed in the Bundestag with AfD support. zdf.de
  • CSU leader Markus Söder said in a welcoming address that the state needs a new direction. He added that migration in Germany would be effectively combated. The CDU/CSU parties are the only ones that can stop the AfD. t-online.de
  • The alliance of associations calls on the CDU to refrain from rhetoric and demands that further divide society and pit people against each other. Discussions about tightening nationality, residence and asylum laws threaten the self-understanding of fundamental and human rights.
  • According to the police, there were more than a dozen rallies with several hundred participants around the party conference. The protest was directed against the joint vote of the CDU/CSU and AfD in the Bundestag last week. morgenpost.de

USA wants to sell weapons to Israel for a billion dollars: The government has asked Congress for approval of the sale of, among other things, some 4,700 1,000-pound bombs worth more than $700 million, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing insiders. Caterpillar’s armored bulldozers, worth more than $300 million, are also included in the package.

Donald Trump wants to tie US aid to Ukraine to raw materials: Ukraine is to supply the US with rare earth elements in exchange for aid. His administration wants to negotiate an agreement with Kyiv, Trump said. According to him, Ukraine is positive about the deal. Ukraine is said to have the largest European reserves of rare earth elements, which have so far been little researched or industrially developed. spiegel.de, tagesspiegel.de

Polls

Bild-Sonntagsfrage by Insa: Union 30 percent (+1), SPD 16 percent (-1), Greens 13 percent, FDP 4.5 percent (+0.5), AfD 22 percent, Left 5 percent (+1), BSW 5.5 percent (-0.5), others 4 percent. bild.de

Politics

Green Party candidate for chancellor Robert Habeck calls for „security offensive“: In response to acts of violence such as those in Aschaffenburg, Magdeburg and Solingen, the Green Party has presented a ten-point plan for migration policy and internal security. Habeck said that everyone in the country must be made safer, whether they have a history of migration or not. He said it was unacceptable that more than 170,000 arrest warrants had not been executed, more than 14,000 of them for violent crimes. As a consequence, he called for an „enforcement offensive“ with a focus on Islamists and extremists. waz.de, zdf. de, n-tv.de

More regional news:

  • Saxony: CDU politician Jens Lehmann criticizes ban on advertising for the Bundeswehr in Zwickau. mdr.de
  • Brandenburg: Peitz district council has „The Party“ election posters taken down. rbb24.de
  • Thuringia: 98 percent of the proceedings after attacks on constituency offices were dropped. otz.de
  • NRW: Accused confesses to arson in Solingen with four dead. zdf.de
  • Brandenburg: Parking tickets in Brandenburg an der Havel will soon come with QR codes. maz-online.de
  • Hessen: Uber erhält festen Platz am Flughafen Frankfurt am Main. faz.net
Around the World

Chancellor Olaf Scholz and EU Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas call for calm in the face of impending US punitive tariffs: Should US President Donald Trump make good on his threat to the EU, the EU could respond with its own tariffs. But it would make more sense for both sides to seek an agreement rather than an escalation, said Scholz at the informal summit of heads of state and government in Brussels. Kallas explained that there are no winners in a trade war. spiegel.de, zdf.de, faz.net

Greenland wants to ban foreign donations to political parties about two months before parliamentary elections. The law is said to serve to ensure Greenland’s political integrity. The new law must be considered in the context of geopolitical interests in Greenland and the current situation, in which representatives of an allied great power have expressed their interest in taking control of Greenland. All donors who are not resident in Greenland are considered foreign. In view of the majority situation in parliament in Nuuk, the adoption of the ban is considered certain. tagesspiegel.de

French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou accepts no-confidence motion for budget law: The minority government has passed the budget for the current year without a vote by the National Assembly. Bayrou used a special article in the constitution that is linked to a vote of no confidence in parliament. It is expected that Bayrou will survive the vote planned for Wednesday. The Socialists announced that they would support the center-right government. The budget plan provides for a reduction in the state deficit, primarily through cuts in public spending. spiegel.de, welt.de

Poland reviews appointment of more than 3,000 judges: A commission has presented two draft laws to reverse unlawful appointments of judges under the national-conservative previous government. Some of the appointments are to be declared invalid, while others are to be reviewed by 2030. The judges will be able to continue to exercise their offices for a two-year transition period. The judgments pronounced are also to remain in force if they have not already been challenged.

M23 rebels in the DR Congo declare a unilateral ceasefire: a spokesperson said that the aim was to protect the civilian population. However, the rebels said that they would continue to defend their own positions. The rebels took control of the strategically important city of Goma, which is home to millions, last week. According to new information from the World Health Organization, at least 900 people were killed in the fighting. spiegel.de (ceasefire) sueddeutsche.de (Goma)

Presidential election in Syria in four to five years: Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa said it would take some time to restore the infrastructure for such a vote. In addition, the authorities would have to update the electoral register. In December, he had stated that it would take up to three years to draft a new constitution. The future government would represent Syria, but would be based primarily on the competence of individuals. Al-Sharaa said he would initially focus on reforming the Syrian economy; corruption of the old government had severely affected the economic situation. derstandard.at

Planned US tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico to be postponed by at least a month:

  • Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he had agreed with US President Trump to work more closely together on their shared border. He said his country was prepared to deploy a government representative to fight the smuggling of fentanyl. In addition, Canada will add Mexican drug cartels to the list of terrorist organizations. spiegel.de
  • Mexico’s head of state Claudia Sheinbaum had announced that she would deploy 10,000 soldiers along their shared border to prevent drug smuggling from Mexico to the United States. In return, the United States would work to prevent the illegal import of firearms into Mexico. Trump declared that he would not impose tariffs on goods from Mexico for the time being. There would be further negotiations with the neighboring country. web.de

More news:

  • Sweden:A cable break in the Baltic Sea between Latvia and the Swedish island of Gotland about a week ago was not an act of sabotage. zdf.de
  • Great Britain: Party of right-wing populist Nigel Farage strongest in poll for first time. spiegel.de
  • Spain: Ex-football president Luis Rubiales on trial over kissing scandal. zdf.de
  • Belgium: Flemish right-wing nationalist De Wever sworn in as prime minister. derstandard.at
  • Poland: „Escape helpers“ face up to five years in prison for soup and clothing. tagesschau.de
  • Greece: People flee from the earthquake on Santorini. zdf.de
  • Serbia: Authorities are investigating possible corruption in the renovation of a building in Novi Sad. derstandard.at
  • Hungary: Prime Minister Viktor Orban sees the AfD as „more of a movement than a party“. unternehmen-heute.de

Business

  • Increase in broadcasting license fee: ARD and ZDF are determined to take legal action. faz.net
  • Weidel gives Miosga the highest reach since Scholz. dwdl.de
  • Comment: Alice Weidel with Caren Miosga – Stop inviting the AfD on talk shows!. uebermedien.de
  • Spiegel: Özlem Topçu becomes co-head of the foreign desk. medieninsider.com
  • Odds plummet: Oscar favorite „Emilia Pérez“ on the brink due to scandalous tweets. rnd.de
  • Beyoncé makes music history – again, as the first black artist to win the Grammy for best country album of the year. tagesspiegel.de
  • At the age of 81: „Squid Game“ actress Lee Joo Sil has died. faz.net
  • Court in Paris sentences French director Christophe Ruggia to two years‘ house arrest for sexually assaulting former child star Adèle Haenel. www1.wdr.de
  • Drunk driving: penalty order against Jens Lehmann. t-online.de
Lifestyle
  • Increase in broadcasting license fee: ARD and ZDF are determined to take legal action. faz.net
  • Weidel gives Miosga the highest reach since Scholz. dwdl.de
  • Comment: Alice Weidel with Caren Miosga – Stop inviting the AfD on talk shows!. uebermedien.de
  • Spiegel: Özlem Topçu becomes co-head of the foreign desk. medieninsider.com
  • Odds plummet: Oscar favorite „Emilia Pérez“ on the brink due to scandalous tweets. rnd.de
  • Beyoncé makes music history – again, as the first black artist to win the Grammy for best country album of the year. tagesspiegel.de
  • At the age of 81: „Squid Game“ actress Lee Joo Sil has died. faz.net
  • Court in Paris sentences French director Christophe Ruggia to two years‘ house arrest for sexually assaulting former child star Adèle Haenel. www1.wdr.de
  • Drunk driving: penalty order against Jens Lehmann. t-online.de
Community News

Illegal dog sales generate billions annually – a huge black market in Germany. On Plus Forty Nine this week, we talk to Sufyan, an entrepreneur from Pakistan who now lives in Berlin. He founded HonestDog, a platform that helps people find the ideal dog and connects them directly with verified breeders and animal shelters. In addition, with the upcoming federal elections in February in mind, we take a closer look at current developments in migration policy and provide insight into how the German electoral system works. Listen to the new episode today at 7pm on JazzRadio Berlin 106.8 or now here.

Sports
  • „Deadline Day“: Which transfers are allowed to play in the Champions League – a maximum of three new players can be registered. sportschau.de
  • International Day of Remembrance: „Never Again“ – many fan scenes commemorate the Holocaust. sportschau.de
  • Premiere in Leverkusen or Leipzig – „A real added value“: referee announcements also in the DFB Cup. kicker.de
  • 2024/25 season: An overview of the Bundesliga clubs‘ winter signings. kicker.de
  • Until 2026: Manuel Neuer extends contract with FC Bayern. sportschau.de
  • Authoritarian training methods: top gymnast Elisabeth Seitz makes accusations against junior national team coach Claudia Schunk. spiegel.de
Gedöns

World’s best pizzeria chosen: winner is not in Italy – „Una Pizza Napoletana“ restaurant in New York „Una Pizza Napoletana“. stern.de

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