Bild: Carlo von Tiedemann loses five liters of blood | Carlo von Tiedemann verliert fünf Liter Blut
FAZ: Trump threatens 25 percent tariffs on steel and aluminum | Trump droht mit Zöllen von 25 Prozent auf Stahl und Aluminium
Funke: Verdi calls further public sector strikes in Berlin | Verdi ruft zu weiteren Streiks im öffentlichen Dienst in Berlin auf
Handelsblatt: Europe’s AI offensive | Europas KI-Offensive
RND: Trump’s tariffs and the fear of a chain reaction | Trumps Zölle und die Sorge vor einer Kettenreaktion
SZ: EU prepares for new US tariffs | EU bereitet sich auf neue US-Zölle vor
Tagesspiegel: Dispute over steel and aluminum tariffs: Europe threatens Trump with “retaliation” | Streit um Zölle auf Stahl und Aluminium: Europa droht Trump mit „Vergeltungsmaßnahmen“
taz: Groko back in sight | Groko wieder in Sicht
Welt: A duel with reversed roles ends in a draw | Ein Duell mit vertauschten Rollen endet unentschieden
Green Party Chancellor candidate Robert Habeck wants to integrate refugees into the labor market faster: The question of integration has not been asked “enough and hard enough” in recent weeks, Habeck said on ZDF. He criticized the CDU for demanding permanent border controls and the rejection of all attempts at illegal entry without exception. zdf.de, spiegel.de
- SPD faction leader Rolf Mützenich calls on Union chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz to distance himself from the AfD. boerse.de
- SPD leader Lars Klingbeil speaks out in favor of extending controls at Germany’s external borders to limit illegal migration. web.de
- CSU leader Markus Söder sees common ground with the SPD. faz.net
- The Christian Democratic Union’s candidate for chancellor, Friedrich Merz, believes in a stable government despite differences. tagesschau.de
Hamas suspends release of hostages: The terrorist militia justified this with alleged violations of the ceasefire by Israel and accuses Israel, among other things, of delaying the return of Palestinians to the northern Gaza Strip and hindering the import of relief supplies. Israel rejected the allegations. Defense Minister Israel Katz, for his part, classified Hamas‘ suspension of the releases as a violation of the ceasefire agreement. stern.de, spiegel.de, zdf.de, n-tv.de
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announces that Trump negotiators will travel to Ukraine this week: People from Trump’s team will travel to Ukraine before the Munich Security Conference. Selenskyj is set to meet US Vice President J.D. Vance in Munich, CBS-News reports. In addition to the Vice President, the US delegation includes Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US Special Envoy Keith Kellogg. Selenskyj wants to meet with Trump before he meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin. So far, Trump has left open how he intends to fulfill his promise to end the war. tagesspiegel.de, handelsblatt.com, rnd.de
Bild-Sonntagstrend by Insa: Union 30 percent, SPD 15.5 percent (-0.5), Greens 13 percent, FDP 4 percent (-0.5), AfD 22 percent, Left 6 percent (+1), BSW 5.5 percent, others 4 percent.
RTL/Stern poll on government coalition by Forsa: Grand coalition 43 percent, black-green 33 percent, CDU and AfD 17 percent. stern.de
Germany ticket on the brink: Bavaria’s Transport Minister Christian Bernreiter has described the Germany ticket as a federal government initiative, which is why the federal government should cover the full cost of the local transport subscription in the future. At the moment, funding by the federal and state governments is only secured until the end of the year. Both sides contribute half of the estimated three billion euros. However, according to the Association of German Transport Companies (VDV), the actual costs are almost half a billion euros higher, which is why the industry is running up losses every year. All sides expect tough negotiations to continue the ticket beyond 2025. rp-online.de, heise.de
Reform of abortion law has failed for the time being: There was no majority in the Legal Affairs Committee to put the topic on the Bundestag agenda before the election on February 23. The group application from the ranks of the SPD, Greens and Left Party essentially proposes allowing abortions up to the twelfth week of pregnancy as a matter of principle. However, the required special session of the committee did not take place due to resistance from the CDU/CSU and FDP. stern.de, rnd.de
Home Affairs Committee on knife attack and the consequences: Green interior policy expert Konstantin von Notz accused Bavaria and Saxony-Anhalt of not investigating the attacks in Aschaffenburg and Magdeburg with the necessary determination. As things stand, a large part of the responsibility lay with the two federal states, von Notz told the “Rheinische Post”. Andrea Lindholz, a member of the CDU/CSU in the Bundestag’s Internal Affairs Committee, pointed to failures on the part of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees. After the meeting, Bavarian interior minister Nancy Faeser said that conclusions had already been drawn, and that a “massive” increase in staff at the BAMF had been greenlit last year. tagesschau.de
“Hamburg Standard” to reduce the cost of residential construction: Costs could be reduced by more than a third; over 200 experts from construction companies and public authorities have developed the “Hamburg Standard” for this purpose. There is potential for savings in building standards, the planning and construction process, and the procedures required between project development and building approval. Many of the proposed savings could be made without any significant loss of quality, explained Stefan Weihrauch, President of the Hamburg Chamber of Engineers, citing impact sound insulation for balconies and underfloor heating in corridors. faz.net, n-tv.de
Tens of thousands of municipal employees are walking off the job. The warning strikes were concentrated in the Cologne area and the Ruhr region. Further action is planned in Salzgitter, Göttingen, Hamburg and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, among other places. The Verdi trade union and the DBB civil servants‘ association want to increase the pressure on federal and municipal employers ahead of the second round of negotiations. Verdi boss Frank Werneke said the employers should present a negotiable offer. rp-online.de, zdf.de
More regional news:
- Schleswig-Holstein: LKA investigates drone sightings over airbase near Husum. zeit.de
- Bremen: Bündnis 90/Greens MP takes action against the withdrawal of his right to speak in parliament. butenunbinnen.de
- Schleswig-Holstein: Ralf Anders can become the new attorney general following the decision of the Higher Administrative Court. ndr.de
- NRW: AfD advertising on ICE display board at Cologne Central Station; Deutsche Bahn speaks of abuse. wdr.de
- Hessen: Wiesbaden plans unlimited cash withdrawal for refugees. faz.net
- Saxony: District offices in the Ore Mountains no longer have the right of first refusal to purchase nature conservation areas. freiepresse.de
- Thuringia: Return of the Federal Cross of Merit: Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier cannot change the mind of Holocaust survivor Albrecht Weinberg. n-tv.de
- NRW: State government presents second climate protection package. wdr.de
- NRW: Police officer in Aachen convicted of assault in the line of duty. wdr.de
EU Commission reacts to US tariffs on steel and aluminum imports: US President Donald Trump has imposed tariffs of 25 percent on steel and aluminum imports and ruled out exceptions in the decree. The EU stated that it sees no justification for such a step; fundamentally, the imposition of tariffs is illegal and economically counterproductive. Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that anyone who imposes tariffs must expect counter-tariffs; France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot expressed a similar view. Germany’s largest steelmaker, Thyssenkrupp, does not expect Trump’s announcement to have a major impact; exports of steel products to the US are negligible. ECB Vice President Luis de Guindos said it was important to avoid a trade war. spiegel.de, tagesschau.de, handelsblatt.com, spiegel.de
Almost all of the countries that signed the 2015 Paris Agreement have missed the deadline for submitting new climate targets. Only 10 of almost 200 signatory countries submitted new climate plans, including the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Brazil. Major CO2 producers such as China, India and the EU did not submit any plans. Most G20 countries were also absent. tagesanzeiger.ch, zdf.de
European corporations call on the EU to cut AI regulations: At the start of the two-day AI conference in Paris, politicians and managers spoke out in favor of less red tape. The only way Europe could compete with the US and China was with a “drastically simplified regulatory framework”, they said. French President Emmanuel Macron warned against fear of innovation. Europe could become a world market leader in artificial intelligence, according to a statement by 60 leading European companies. Among the signatories from Germany are Deutsche Bank, Lufthansa, Mercedes-Benz and Siemens. Proponents of AI regulation point to the dangers of the technology. Last year, the EU passed the first regulations for artificial intelligence with the “AI Act”. t3n.de, n-tv.de
Romanian President Klaus Iohannis announces resignation: In order to spare Romania and its citizens a crisis, he will resign from office on Wednesday, Iohannis said in Bucharest. The 65-year-old has been president since 2014 and was not allowed to run for office again in November after serving two terms. When the first round of the presidential election was annulled due to alleged Russian interference, he remained in office on an interim basis. This was criticized by several opposition parties. On Tuesday, parliament was to decide on his impeachment. The presidential election is to be repeated in May. tagesschau.de, handelsblatt.com
Sharp increase in returnees to Syria: An estimated 200,000 refugees have returned to their homeland since the overthrow of former ruler Assad. According to the UNHCR, there has been a significant increase since the Islamist HTS militia took power. Most of the people have returned from neighboring countries, especially from Lebanon and Turkey, but also from Jordan, Iraq and Egypt. According to the UN, around four million Syrians fled their homeland after the outbreak of the civil war in 2011.
Trump’s vice president’s attack on the courts sparks a storm of indignation: J.D. Vance had questioned the judiciary’s control over the executive in a social media post and claimed that judges should not be allowed to control the legitimate power of the executive. Experts see this as a dangerous attack on the constitution. The background to this is the numerous conflicts between the Trump administration and the courts, which have blocked several political measures, including Elon Musk’s team’s access to a US Treasury payment system. These developments have led to fears of a constitutional crisis as the Trump administration ignores court rulings. A federal judge has already ruled that the White House disregarded a judgment. n-tv.de
More news:
- Kosovo: Governing party wins parliamentary election with just under 42 percent; liberal “Democratic Party” achieves 21 percent and bourgeois “Democratic League” 19 percent. zdf.de
- Netherlands: Right-wing populist Geert Wilders threatens to leave the coalition over dispute on tightening asylum law. spiegel.de
- Austria: Coalition talks between FPÖ and ÖVP in jeopardy. tagesschau.de
- Moldova: The breakaway region of Transnistria continues to rely on gas from Moscow. handelsblatt.com
- Poland: Prime Minister Donald Tusk wants to protect the country’s security with record investments of 155 billion euros. n-tv.de
- Denmark: Increased control against Putin’s shadow fleet in the Baltic Sea. merkur.de
- Portugal: Scandals are rocking the right-wing populist Chega party. faz.net
- Switzerland: Private individuals pledge hundreds of millions for research. watson.ch
- Finland: Former Prime Minister Sanna Marin releases memoirs. rnd.de
- Italy: Tourism Minister Daniela Santanche does not resign despite allegations. sueddeutsche.de
- Sudan: The government wants to set up a transitional government and a civilian prime minister, as well as a national dialog with political and civil society groups. zeit.de
- South Africa: The second strongest coalition party, the “Democratic Alliance”, is suing the government over the expropriation law. zeit.de
- Iran: Celebrations for the anniversary of the 1979 revolution. handelsblatt.com
- Ecuador: Runoff vote for presidency between incumbent Daniel Noboa and left-wing challenger Luisa Gonzalez. zdf.de
- Colombia: More members of President Gustavo Petro’s government resign. lessentiel.lu
Film industry is the first to sign an AI collective agreement: The Verdi union, the German Actors‘ Association and the employers‘ association Produktionsallianz want to create more legal certainty with a new collective agreement for the use of generative artificial intelligence. The aim is to ensure that digital replicas of actors may only be used with consent. The new contract will also regulate the remuneration for this content. Due to the rapid development of AI, the agreement is to be reviewed every six months. dwdl.de
More from the worlds of business, technology and science:
- Médard Schoenmaeckers becomes Boehringer’s head of Germany. saarbruecker-zeitung.de
- Merck confirms talks about acquisition of US biotech company Springworks Therapeutics. n-tv.de
- Sugar consumption down ten percent. handelsblatt.com
- German fruit juice producers are concerned about pineapple juice after poor harvests. n-tv.de
- Fashion retailing suffers from thrifty customers and high costs. handelsblatt.com
- Climate facts: Return to nuclear power has more costs than benefits. tagesschau.de
- Donald Trump’s meme coin: Profits for a few, hundreds of thousands in the red. heise.de
- Disinformation: Why the media sector is particularly vulnerable in Africa. table.media
- Nokia wins against Amazon in patent dispute: Amazon gives in – but no end in sight for Prime Video. meedia.de
- Boyens Medien’s new editor-in-chief comes from Bild – Johannes Simonsen. kress.de
- “Cities on the move”: The Berlin-Breslau cultural train is getting a branch to Warsaw. monopol-magazin.de
- Elton John doesn’t like to listen to his own music. musikexpress.de
- Ozzy Osbourne remains positive despite health problems. promiflash.de
- Thomas Gottschalk takes aim at Markus Lanz: “I made a conscious decision not to let Markus Lanz represent me tonight. As we know, that went wrong before.“ t-online.de
Germany’s first VC incubator and impact program for founders with an immigrant background. – In the new episode of Plus Forty Nine, we discuss current political and economic developments in Germany, including a new law that extends maternity leave to women who have experienced miscarriages. In the interview, we welcome Ben Wilkins from Earlybird, who presents the Vision Lab – we also delve into German winter culture and explore the tradition of après-ski, as well as the question of why Germans like to be naked in the sauna. Listen to the new episode today at 7pm on JazzRadio Berlin 106.8 or now on: https://plusfortyninepodcast.podigee.io/22-week-07-vision-lab-apres-ski-and-sauna-culture
- After booing at the Super Bowl: Donald Trump mocks Taylor Swift. n-tv.de
- After accident in Mallorca: No German men’s fours team at European Track Cycling Championships in Heusden-Zolder. sportschau.de
- Ski World Cup in Austria: Shiffrin cancels giant slalom in the aftermath of serious accident. spiegel.de
- Biathlon World Championships 2025 – All eyes on Preuß as she bids for a medal. sportschau.de
- Olympics gender debate – After Trump’s trans decree: boxing association wants to sue. t-online.de
Pursuit: police horse catches alleged drug dealer. web.de