Noise against Lindner
Blockades, gallows and on Monday a tractor demonstration that paralyzes traffic in parts of Berlin. Germany's farmers are not squeamish when it comes to defending their interests. Unlike the climate stickers of the "Last Generation", they can hope for understanding.
Christian Lindner also had to experience this. A good four years ago, he stood in front of protesting farmers at the Brandenburg Gate, as an opposition politician. At the time, it was celebrated. Not this time. When Lindner appears on stage today, he is met with shouts of "liar", "hypocrite" and "get out!" (Watch the video here.)
Enlarge image
Finance Minister Lindner (FDP) on stage of the Farmers' Union in front of the Brandenburg Gate
Photograph:
Sebastian Gollnow / dpa
It doesn't help that he ensnares farmers with abstruse comparisons. The climate stickers had smeared the Brandenburg Gate, "the farmers honored the Brandenburg Gate," he says. This is too clumsy even for the farmers.
Lindner first supported the elimination of subsidies for agricultural diesel, then distanced himself from it and finally agreed to the latest compromise – which does not provide for the subsidies to be abolished immediately, but to be gradually reduced, my colleague Severin Weiland analyses: "Lindner has taken a zigzag course in recent weeks, as have many in the coalition."
The farmers feel that there is still more to be had. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz reiterated at the weekend that he considers the latest compromise to be sensible. Lindner does not contradict Scholz, but he also does not give the impression that he is fighting for this compromise. In any case, the SPD parliamentary group is demanding further concessions to the farmers.
The methods of the farmers are ruthless, their protest goes to the limit of what is still conducive to democracy. But there are many indications that they will succeed. The coalition unanimously condemns the climate stickers. She cuddles with the farmers. When asked whether she allows herself to be blackmailed politically, the traffic light answers: It depends on whom.
Read the full story here: How Lindner tried to ensnare the farmers – and failed
2. Sweet and honorable it is....
In war, one reads more often these days, the side that is economically stronger wins. That's basically true. But there is a second rule: the side that can send more soldiers into battle wins.
"For a long time, many Ukrainians voluntarily joined the armed forces," writes my colleague Alexander Kauschansky. "Now the mood has shifted: fewer and fewer conscripts want to join the army." The failed counter-offensive has robbed many of their hopes of victory.
But Ukraine needs new soldiers to stand its ground against Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks of half a million men. While the authorities initially refrained from coercion, they are now resorting to increasingly ruthless methods.
Videos circulating on social media show military officers setting up roadblocks or walking through gyms and shopping malls armed to summon men for mustering. Resistance is growing among the population. Relatives of Ukrainian soldiers regularly demonstrate on the streets.
Apparently, a growing number of Ukrainian men no longer believe that it is "sweet and honorable to die for the fatherland," as the Roman poet Horace claimed. From the Ukrainian point of view, this does not bode well for the further course of the war.
Read more: Volodymyr doubts and is afraid – but he will go to war
3. Doppelganger wanted to kill
It could be the plot of a crime novel: a young woman looks for another young woman who looks like her and has her murdered in order to be presumed dead herself. Only this time it's not about fiction, but about a real murder. Since Tuesday, the 24-year-old influencer Schahraban K. has had to answer to the Ingolstadt Regional Court. According to the public prosecutor's office, she lured the beautician Khadidja O. from Eppingen near Heilbronn, who is one year younger, into a trap. An acquaintance of Shahraban K. is then said to have knocked down and stabbed the victim.
According to the prosecution, the influencer, a Yazidi woman, wanted to go into hiding for private reasons and direct suspicion to her brother-in-law. At first, the plan seemed to work: even her own parents believed that the body found in the back seat of a car was their daughter. The autopsy revealed the error. And then the images from a surveillance camera showed that Shahraban K. was still alive.
"This crime raises many questions," says my colleague Julia Jüttner. "If, as the prosecution claims, the defendant wanted to go into hiding, why did she stay in Ingolstadt? If she wanted to put the suspicion on her brother-in-law, why was the car found in the street where the co-defendant lived?"
In any case, the trial promises everything that fascinates lovers of true crime stories.
Read the full story here: Wanted, Found, Killed
What else is important today
One dead and several injured after attack in suburb of Tel Aviv: A woman was reportedly killed and several people injured in a suspected attack in the Israeli city of Ra'anana. Apparently, a suspect has already been arrested.
AfD leader "can't remember anything": For days, the AfD has been silent on the question of whether its chairman Tino Chrupalla was a guest at a secret meeting of right-wing networkers in 2021. Now Chrupalla invokes alleged memory lapses.
German economy to shrink by 2023.0 percent in 3: Sanctions against Russia, expensive energy and the discussion about the restructuring of the economy in the face of the climate crisis are giving companies a hard time. As a result, the economy slipped into recession in 2023.
New top manager to enforce billion-dollar restructuring: The Volkswagen brand is facing what are probably the biggest changes in its history. According to SPIEGEL information, the savings and restructuring program is to be implemented with immediate effect by a long-time company insider.
My favorite story today: Dog on it
It's not just humans who are into hard drugs, some dogs do too. Just like Lotta, the dog of Mr. and Mrs. Frövel. Lotta has probably eaten the leftovers of drug addicts too often. At some point, her owners noticed that something was wrong. My colleague Alex Smoltczyk writes: "It occurred to them that Lotta could be druff when Frövel ... He opened the car door briefly, and the dog ran leashless and straight out of the courtyard towards the bushes on the high embankment. Where the junkies like to relieve themselves." Heike Frövel, Lotta's owner, also revealed a solution to Alexander: "Poop bags – but not for dogs. For dealers and their customers.«
Read the full story here: Woof-Woof-Addiction
What we recommend today at SPIEGEL+
Trump is betting on a knockout victory: At the Iowa Caucus, Donald Trump is the overwhelming favorite. The ex-president hopes that with a resounding result, he will win the Republican primaries before they have really begun.
The big consequences of a small gesture: With his gesture, which is reminiscent of the Hamas hostages, the Israeli professional Sagiv Jehezkel has caused strong reactions in Turkey. The player was suspended, even taken into custody in between.
Investors leave crisis-ridden Signa Prime hanging: Time is running out to rescue Signa Prime from entrepreneur René Benko's group of companies. Restructuring board member Erhard Grossnigg is looking for investors for the reeling real estate division. So far quite unsuccessful.
What is less important today
High-flyer: She studies at Harvard and works for the U.S. Air Force: Now Madison Marsh, 22, has been crowned Miss America 2024 in Orlando, Florida, as CNN reports. She was able to sharpen her leadership skills in the Air Force: "I don't think I would ever have become Miss Colorado without the Air Force Academy."
Mini Concave Mirror
Here you can find the whole concave mirror.
Cartoon of the Day
And tonight?
Could you listen to an episode of my favorite podcast: "Desert Island Discs," one of the BBC's most popular radio shows for more than 81 years. There, celebrities are asked which eight songs have played a special role in their lives and which of them they would take with them to a desert island. It's almost always entertaining, sometimes moving, and rarely boring. One of my all-time favorites is the episode with British punk poet John Cooper Clarke.
At least as fun as listening to the podcasts is making your own list. However, this raises some questions: Do you take the songs that you like best or that remind you of certain stages in your life? How embarrassing can the songs be – in my case: Should »Mandy« by Barry Manilow be on the list? Not easy at all.
The nice thing is that you can change these lists again and again, depending on your mood – at least until you are invited to the show. If you're interested, here's my current list:
1. »Sunday Morning«, The Velvet Underground
2. "I'm Straight," Jonathan Richman
3. "Corvocado", Astrud Gilberto
4. »Please do not go«, Violent Femmes
5. "Good Night, Friends", Reinhard May
6. "Quand on a que l'amour", Jacques Brel
7. "Penny Lane," The Beatles.
8. "In our Veedel", Bläck Fööss
Have a nice evening, stay tuned to us.
Yours sincerely, Ralf Neukirch, Head of Opinion and Debate