Federal Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil and five European counterparts are calling for an EU-wide excess profits tax for energy companies. The issue will be discussed at the meeting of EU finance ministers in Ireland in mid-September in order to respond to high energy prices.
Annalena Baerbock is under pressure shortly before the end of her term as President of the UN General Assembly. The USA and Russia criticize their transparent selection process for the next UN Secretary General as overstepping their authority.
Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil and five EU counterparts are calling for an EU-wide excess profits tax for mineral oil companies. In view of high energy prices due to the Iran war, the topic is to be discussed in Dublin in September.
Estonian politician Siim Kallas has died at the age of 77. As a former prime minister, foreign minister and EU commissioner, Kallas played a key role in shaping his country's western course and European integration after independence.
The FDP is calling for an expansion of domestic gas production in order to reduce gas prices and secure supplies. Secretary General Martin Hagen also advocates the use of more advanced fracking processes and a reduction in state taxes.
The death of Cambridge professor Jason Arday marks the failure of a diversity policy focused on identity. The university exploited Arday's biography, which politicized the case and led to social division.
The draft care reform envisages cuts in care level 1 and pension contributions for carers, but promises reductions in bureaucracy and care support. Expert Sophie Rosentreter warns of burdens for caring relatives and calls for greater social recognition.
Lawyers in the Bundestag continue to assess the federal government's heating law as potentially unconstitutional. Despite improvements made, the experts see a risk that the law will fail before the Federal Constitutional Court.
Historian Christoph Brechtken analyzes the growing alienation between East and West Germans. He criticizes the lack of rational processing of GDR history in the East and warns against an authoritarian longing for simple solutions.
The CDU local politician Bernd Prange from Saxony-Anhalt has publicly called for the AfD to be elected and supported the party with 10,000 euros. He sharply criticizes the Union's course and actively provokes a party expulsion process.
The US Postal Service USPS has issued new requirements for postal voting in the congressional elections, including name lists and barcode requirements. Implementation is currently halted by the courts while the Trump administration appeals to the Supreme Court to overturn it.
A US federal judge has ruled that the Trump administration's visa ban on citizens from 75 countries was unlawful. The regulation, which affected Brazil and Bangladesh, among others, exceeded the authority of the Foreign Ministry.
After F.A.Z. correspondent Michael Martens asked President Zelensky an ambiguously worded question, Moscow responded with criminal proceedings and a manhunt. The incident is seen as part of a hybrid war against the press.
Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig (SPD) advocates an amendment to the Basic Law to explicitly prohibit discrimination based on sexual identity. She sees this as a necessary reaction to the Islamist attack at the Berlin CSD.
Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul arrived in Kiev for his fourth visit to Ukraine. He assured the country of further military and financial support in view of Russian attacks on civilians and energy infrastructure.
Russia has initiated criminal proceedings against FAZ journalist Michael Martens for alleged incitement to hatred. The background is a question from Martens to Volodymyr Selenskyj in Belgrade. The FAZ rejects the allegations as an attempt at intimidation.
In view of the state elections in Saxony-Anhalt, a look at Austria shows how the FPÖ operates in state governments. While it often appears pragmatic at the state level, experts warn of the dangers of participating in government at the federal level.
The BSW federal leadership is pushing for a coalition break in Thuringia, but is encountering resistance from the grassroots. Several district associations support remaining in the government and are calling for a stronger focus on factual issues instead of internal party conflicts.
The US Department of Defense has fired several top employees of the military newspaper Stars and Stripes for alleged “disobedience”. Editor-in-chief Erik Slavin and reporter Lara Korte had previously publicly criticized the Pentagon's editorial interference and attempts at censorship.
A European group of states is planning talks in Rwanda about setting up return centers for rejected asylum seekers. The EU Parliament created the legal basis for this in June.
After his summer vacation, Chancellor Friedrich Merz visits the Eifel region affected by a historic forest fire. Meanwhile, a heated argument is breaking out in the coalition over the anchoring of heat protection in the constitution and drought crisis teams.
The federal government's anti-Semitism commissioner, Felix Klein, is calling for criminal law to be tightened. Public glorification of Hamas should result in a minimum prison sentence of six months; Foreign perpetrators should be deported after prison.
The pro-Russian disinformation campaign “Matryoshka” uses AI-fake videos and websites of well-known media outlets such as the Süddeutsche Zeitung to discredit and polarize German politicians ahead of upcoming elections.
