Left party “wants” to end foreign deployments
In a draft of its election manifesto, the Left Party has shown that it is willing to compromise with regard to the Bundeswehr missions abroad. Instead of a clear ‘No’ to foreign missions, it is now said that the Left “wants” to end such missions….
Reason to observe the ‘Lateral Thinker’ movement
Federal Interior Minister Horst Seehofer (CSU) expects the ‘Lateral Thinkers’ movement to be observed by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution. Violence emanating from the scene had increased, derailments within the movement are repeated, and extremists are becoming spokesmen at the demonstrations,…
Altmaier expects a quick economic recovery
Federal Minister of Economics Peter Altmaier (CDU) assumes that the German economy will recover quickly after the end of the Corona pandemic. The situation is robust, he said, adding that the recovery will accelerate from the middle of the second quarter. Altmaier expects growth of…
Bundestag strengthens the rights of indigenous peoples
The Bundestag has passed a law based on an international agreement, strengthening the rights of indigenous peoples. With the exception of the AfD, all members of the Bundestag parliamentary groups voted for the bill. Convention 169 of the signatories of the International Labor Organization guarantees…
Improvements for cyclists thanks to new traffic plan
The Federal Cabinet is working to ensure that Germany becomes a “cyclist country,” in the long run. Cycle paths are to be expanded in both urban and rural areas. Metropolises are to be connected by high-speed bike paths. Commuters, for example, could benefit from this….
Laschet or Söder: Union candidate for Chancellor by vote?
by Thorsten Koch Possibly, the CDU and CSU parliamentary group will vote in the coming week on whether Armin Laschet (CDU) or Markus Söder (CSU) will run as candidate for German Federal Chancellor for the Union parties, the ‘Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland’ reported. The Hamburg CDU regional…
Merkel for a quick implementation of the Corona emergency brake
by Thorsten Koch Chancellor Angela Merkel has called for a faster implementation of the Corona emergency brake, which is to be valid throughout Germany, and warned against overstressing the German health system. In the Bundestag she said: “The situation is serious, very serious.” The third…
Union parties’ candidate for Chancellor: decision expected this week
by Thorsten Koch The decision as to who will be the CDU-CSU’s candidate for Chancellor could be made this week. This was agreed upon by CSU chairman Markus Söder and CDU chairman Armin Laschet. The two had previously spoken in front of about 250 CDU…
Towards an “emergency brake” against the third Corona wave
by Thorsten Koch The third wave of the corona pandemic is “perhaps the toughest for us,” Chancellor Angela Merkel has warned. Merkel hopes for tests and vaccinations in order to effectively combat the infections. In particular, vaccination is suitable to break the wave, said Merkel….
Laschet wants ‘bridge lockdown’ of two to three weeks
A “bridge lockdown” proposed by CDU chairman Armin Laschet could minimize the Corona incidence value to 100 if it was maintained for two to three weeks. This way, easing of limitations in the face of the pandemic would be conceivable. Laschet said during the Morning…
Prospective candidacy for Chancellor : Markus Söder front-runner in poll
According to a survey from the end of March, conducted by ARD-DeutschlandTrend, more and more people feel that the steps against the Corona pandemic are not extensive enough – 32 percent or twelve percent more than at the beginning of March. 38 percent regard the…
Companies are planning a significant number of new hires
The Ifo Institute in Munich has announced that companies in Germany are planning new hires despite the Corona pandemic. The industry sector in particular, and especially the electrical industry, would like to hire new staff. The service sector, especially logistics and IT companies, would also…
One third of the labor force work from home
For a survey, the Ifo Institute in Munich asked how many employees in German companies do some or all of their work from home. In March, this was 32 percent. The institute estimates that over 50 percent of all employees could work from home. This…
Fewer companies report bankruptcy
The number of company bankruptcies fell to its lowest level since 1999 in 2020. As the Federal Statistical Office in Wiesbaden announced, only 15,841 companies – 15.5 percent less than 2019 – filed for bankruptcy last year. In general, due to the Corona pandemic, the…
Unemployment fell in March despite the crisis
Unemployment in the Federal Republic fell by March 12th compared to the same period in February. According to figures from the Federal Employment Agency, the number of job seekers in the period under investigation was 2,827,000 – 77,000 fewer than in February. The unemployment rate…
Additional help for particularly affected companies
The Federal Government would like to pay out an equity grant to companies that are hit very hard by the Corona crisis and which submit a corresponding application. In this way, the substance of the companies should be strengthened directly. Apart from that, the so-called…
The number of intensive care patients has risen
The number of intensive care patients suffering from Covid-19 in German clinics has again risen to just over 4,000. This results from data from the German Interdisciplinary Association for Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine. From the beginning of February to mid-March, the number had fallen…
General medical practitioners also vaccinate
The vaccinations against the Coronavirus began with numerous general practitioners on Tuesday. A total of 35,000 practices expressed their wish to take part in the vaccination campaign, initially. Up to 1 million vaccine doses are currently available for this purpose.
Bundeswehr mission in Afghanistan extended
The German Bundestag has extended the Bundeswehr’s mandate for operations in Afghanistan. For the time being, members of the military are allowed to stay until January 2022. Over 1100 German soldiers are currently serving at the Hindukush. The NATO mission ‘Resolute Support’ began some 20…
Air force delivers ventilators to Brazil
The Bundeswehr has delivered 80 ventilators to Manaus, Brazil, after Germany was asked for help in the wake of the Corona pandemic. Brazil is currently suffering from numerous new infections with the Coronavirus.
11,000 soldiers deployed in Corona aid
The Bundeswehr is currently providing assistance against the Corona pandemic with a strength of 11,000 soldiers. Around 3,000 soldiers are deployed in old people’s and nursing homes. In addition, numerous soldiers help the health authorities with vaccinations and with the follow-up of contacts with people…
Germany grants Syrian populations 1.7 billion Euros
The German government is providing around 1.7 billion Euros for humanitarian aid to civilian populations in need in Syria. Federal Foreign Minister Heiko Maas announced this at an international donor conference. The situation in Syria, a country struck by civil war, is catastrophic, he deplored,…
Agreement on EU agriculture reform
The federal as well as the state ministers of agriculture have agreed on steps to implement the EU agricultural reform in Germany. The relevance of environmental requirements will be 25 percent in the future, after financial aid has so far been determined by the size…
Steinmeier appeals to sense of community in Easter address
The German Federal President, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, has appealed to citizens, in his Easter address, to take responsibility and prove social cohesion in the face of the Corona pandemic. “Let’s all get together,” he said. In the fight against the pandemic, it is not a question…
Merkel calls for a quiet Easter
In a video podcast, Chancellor Angela Merkel has called on Germans to minimize their contacts with other people during the Easter holidays. Thus, a quiet Easter in a small group would be possible. Citizens should avoid unnecessary travel so that the health system would not…