Bild: From kiss-gate to power | Mit Kuss-Panne an die Macht
FAZ: Trump promises a golden age for the USA | Trump verspricht USA goldenes Zeitalter
Funke: „We will win like never before“ | „Wir werden siegen wie niemals zuvor“
Handelsblatt: Trump announces energy emergency | Trump kündigt Energie-Notstand an
RND: Trump pardons 1,500 supporters after Capitol attack | Trump begnadigt 1500 Anhänger nach Kapitol-Attacke
SZ: Trump speaks of „day of liberation“ | Trump spricht von „Tag der Befreiung“
Tagesspiegel: Trump back in power | Trump zurück an der Macht
taz: One case. One word. Disaster | Ein Fall. Ein Wort. Desaster
Welt: This is how the CSU wants to convince AfD voters to switch to Union | So will die CSU AfD-Wähler von der Union überzeugen
Donald Trump sworn in as 47th US president: In his speech at the Capitol, Trump announced that he would immediately implement numerous election promises. He said he would put the US first every day of his term in office and called it the beginning of the „Golden Age of America“. The US government would deport „millions and millions“ of undocumented immigrants. Trump announced that he would immediately declare a national emergency at the Mexican border and send the military to the border area. In the future, only two sexes would be recognized, namely woman and man. He wants to declare a national energy emergency to promote the production of fossil fuels. During his speech, the White House announced that the US would withdraw from the Paris climate agreement, as it had during Trump’s first term. The ceremony did not take place outside due to freezing temperatures. spiegel.de, tagesschau.de, rnd.de, faz.net (speech in full)
Joe Biden grants a series of precautionary pardons to Trump critics shortly before handing over office: These include immunologist Anthony Fauci, retired General Milley and members of the committee of inquiry that investigated the storming of the Capitol by violent Trump supporters, including Liz Cheney. Biden also issued a preventive pardon for members of his own family. „My family has been subjected to incessant attacks and threats that are solely intended to harm me,“ the 82-year-old said, explaining the unusual step. Biden wants to prevent the future administration from being able to initiate politically motivated investigations. Biden said the pardons should not be misconstrued as an acknowledgment of wrongdoing. The nation owes public servants gratitude for their service, he said. tagesschau.de, spiegel.de
Relief supplies have arrived in Gaza: Over the course of Monday, more than 900 trucks entered the Gaza Strip, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The goods entered through the Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom crossing. Egypt has sent around 350 trucks of aid to the Gaza Strip, said a representative of the Egyptian Red Crescent; more than 3,000 trucks are waiting near the Egyptian border crossing at Rafah to bring aid to Gaza. Qatar said it would provide 1.2 million liters of fuel to the Gaza Strip every day during the first ten days of the ceasefire.
Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Oleksij Tschernyschow wants to bring back more refugees from Germany: A considerable number of Ukrainians are seriously considering returning home, said Tschernyschow. Returnees will receive support, especially in finding jobs and housing. According to Tschernyschow, workers are needed in arms production, in the energy sector and in reconstruction. He assured that returnees would be exempted from military service if they worked there. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, more than 1.1 million Ukrainians have fled to Germany. zdf.de
Chancellor Olaf Scholz accuses opponents of lying over Ukraine aid: „I have the feeling that I am saying this so openly here: At the moment, the German people are being lied to with the utmost intensity and great circumspection,“ Scholz said at the FAZ event. The question of how it is to be paid for is being ignored, he said. This applies to the politicians who are doing it, but also to all the others who do not want to discuss it; Scholz does not name names or parties. In the dispute over the financing of new aid for Ukraine, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock warns Scholz against instrumentalizing the issue in the election campaign. faz.net
Green Party leadership appoints commission after the allegedly fabricated harassment allegations against Berlin Green Party politician Stefan Gelbhaar: The party leadership decided to press criminal charges against the former Green Party politician who had apparently falsely accused Gelbhaar. Green Party leader Felix Banaszak spoke of behavior characterized by criminal energy and perfidy. Banaszak and co-leader Franziska Brantner also pointed out that there were further accusations. Green party chancellor candidate Robert Habeck called the events in the Berlin state association shocking; now, he said, the party must quickly and ruthlessly clarify what happened. faz.net, spiegel.de, zdf.de, n-tv.de
Ministry of Defense spent 4.36 billion euros less than budgeted last year: 2.6 billion of this came from special funds and 1.7 billion from the defense budget. The reason for this is delays in the production of armaments by industry. The portion of the defense budget is mostly operating expenses, such as heating costs, for which provisions have been made. welt.de
Brandenburg has foot-and-mouth vaccine produced for future outbreaks: The Ministry of Agriculture in Potsdam announced that it is important to be prepared in the event of a possible spread of the animal disease. The step has been discussed with the other federal states. The costs will be shared among them. So far, the foot-and-mouth disease has only been detected on one farm in Hönow, Brandenburg. There have been no further cases in other animal populations. However, the tests on samples are still ongoing. faz.net
More regional news:
- Saxony: Finance Minister Christian Piwarz wants to save to combat billion-dollar deficit. lvz.de
- Saxony: After the AfD party conference in Riesa, the Left Party asks 161 questions about the police operation. saechsische.de
- Brandenburg: Minister of the Interior Katrin Lange supports the use of body cameras in private homes. tagesspiegel.de
- Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: Ombudsman Christian Frenzel is confident despite cuts to the state budget. ndr.de
- Bavaria: Animal rights activists disrupt discussion with Free Voters leader Hubert Aiwanger at the „Jagen und Fischen“ (Hunting and Fishing) trade fair in Augsburg. augsburger-allgemeine.de
- Lower Saxony: Greens attacked while putting up election posters. n-tv.de
- Brandenburg: AfD must restrict access to election campaign video; clip contains „developmentally harmful content“ according to the Commission for Youth Media Protection. rbb24.de
- Hesse: State-wide police operation against child pornography and abuse. echo-online.de
- Berlin: Plans for new refugee accommodation on a former military site in Tegel. rbb24.de
- North Rhine-Westphalia: The association „Help for People in Deportation Prison“ criticizes the state government for the deportation prison on a former military site. mt.de
- Thuringia: Final grades and repeating a year set to make a comback in schools. mdr.de
EU takes China to WTO over intellectual property as it said the country continues to block European companies from enforcing their patent rights. Beijing is trying to put pressure on European high-tech companies and force them to accept lower license fees. The proceedings involve consultations with China as a first step. table.media/china, derstandard.at
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock announces EU initiative against hybrid threats: At a meeting with Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys in Berlin, Baerbock said that the EU would make concrete proposals. The exchange of information among member states and with NATO should be expanded. In order to increase the EU’s resilience to attacks, companies would also have to be regularly included in exercises and stress tests. stuttgarter-zeitung.de
More news:
- Poland: PiS and Civic Platform at odds on Ukraine in election campaign. sueddeutsche.de
- Austria: No abolition of administrative hours in compulsory schools. derstandard.de
- Italy: Giorgia Meloni’s government hesitates on the issue of longer working lives. faz.net
- Bulgaria: Romanians come to refuel after border controls are lifted. de.euronews.com
- Turkey: President Recap Tayyip Erdogan in favor of peace process with Kurds. deutschlandfunk.de
- Turkey: Leader of the extreme-right Zafer party, Ümit Özdag, arrested for insulting the president. Özdag says no crusade has done as much damage to the Turkish state and people as Erdogan and his AKP. watson.ch
- Belgium: Nuclear reactor at Tihange power plant shuts down due to broken pump. wort.lu
- Denmark criticizes Norway for withholding Ukraine aid. faz.net
- Greece: Seawater for pools to relieve freshwater resources. de.euronews.com
- Austria: Confidence in science could be improved. science.orf.at
- China: Beijing urges US to provide fair market conditions after temporary Tiktok shutdown. tagesschau.de
- Colombia: President Gustavo Petro declares war on ELN guerrillas in the fight against cocaine. spiegel.de
World Economic Forum in Davos opened: Around 3,000 people from business and politics, including more than 60 heads of state and government, are expected at the meeting in the Swiss Alps over the next five days. US President Donald Trump will join the event via video link on Thursday. EU Industry Commissioner Stephane Sejourne warned of a trade dispute between Europe and the US, but said the European Union must act offensively in the face of Trump’s threats. Trump’s assumption of office is a central topic at the annual conference. wiwo.de, handelszeitung.ch, zdf.de
German bosses are more pessimistic about the economic situation than their counterparts in other countries: According to a survey by the management consultancy PwC, presented at the World Economic Forum in Davos, a majority of German managers expect another year of recession. Only 16 percent still believe that their own company can grow this year – a sharp decline from the previous year. And more than 40 percent of company bosses are planning to cut jobs. At the same time, foreign top managers are giving Germany a better rating as a business location. handelsblatt.com
More from the worlds of business, technology and science:
- Weak sales of electric cars and heat pumps: Germany needs less electricity than expected. spiegel.de
- Dax rises above 21,000 points for the first time. n-tv.de
- According to a Pronova-BKK study, 39 percent of Germans take medication or herbal aids to sleep. n-tv.de
- Zalando has published a takeover bid for About You. handelsblatt.com
- Regional election in Austrian Burgenland: ORF employee apparently attacked by another journalist. spiegel.de
- Trump is president again: „How long do you want to stick with this shit?“ Phoenix interpreter asks live on-air. welt.de
- TikTok radicalizes young people, study finds. golem.de
- Investigation of Green Party politician Stefan Gelbhaar: RBB editor-in-chief admits mistake – „Journalistic standards not fully adhered to“. dwdl.de
- Deal with UEFA: ARD and ZDF have secured the TV rights to the 2028 European Football Championship. dwdl.de
- Head of the Pushkin Museum in Moscow, Yelizaveta Likhacheva, has been dismissed after criticizing the Kremlin. www1.wdr.de
- US rap icon: Snoop Dogg draws criticism for performing at crypto gala in honor of Trump. spiegel.de
- „The Bodyguard“ stars: Kevin Costner remembers Whitney Houston on his 70th birthday. spiegel.de
- Ahead of the launch of a new Netflix series: ‘Vanity Fair’ reports on an alleged Meghan Markle divorce book – Markle’s management is said to have proposed a book project that is apparently intended for the worst case. spiegel.de
Swimming in Cold Water: Building Community One Dip at a Time Today, at Xpat Berlin, we dive into the invigorating world of cold-water swimming with native Berliner Phillip Brüger, founder of Ice Dippers—a community of people who come together to brave Berlin’s icy lakes throughout the winter. We explore the physical and mental benefits of cold swimming, uncovering how this chilly pastime fosters connection and resilience. Plus, our friends from Simple Germany take over our „Ask a German“ segment this week. 7pm on JazzRadio Berlin 106.8 or already on https://plusfortynine.de/week-3-digitalization-boellern-and-entrepreneurship/
- 225 clubs can look forward to the European Football Championship climate fund: UEFA is distributing around eight million euros to German amateur clubs. kicker.de
- Champions League: Paris, Man City and the big tremor. sportschau.de
- Former soccer superstar: Suddenly Neymar is too bad for Saudi Arabia. spiegel.de
- Handball World Cup against Denmark: Just up for the „Hell of Herning“. sportschau.de
- Australian Open in Melbourne: After early break points – Swiatek only allows Lys to win one game. kicker.de
- Abuse of power in artistic gymnastics: A former athlete and a trainer report that there are other ways to achieve top performance. faz.net
Alone in the aquarium: Cardboard people cheer up lonely moonfish – aquarium temporarily closed. n-tv.de