Strike with double whammy
If you're stuck somewhere annoyed today, you can say to yourself: at least it's for a good cause.
On the main day of the public transport strikes, the Ver.di union teamed up with the climate activists from Fridays for Future.
Together they want to ensure that the public transport offering is doubled by 2030.
Wait a minute, you might be saying: Aren't political strikes banned in the Federal Republic?
Unions are only allowed to strike for more money and better working conditions, not for political goals.
Because this is the case, Fridays for Future and Ver.di have taken strict care to ensure that their campaigns run parallel but are separate from each other.
There are warning strikes in public transport in all federal states (except Bavaria) for better working conditions for employees.
And there are the demos for better public transport, which other organizations have called for alongside Fridays for Future and Ver.di.
The approach has advantages for both sides.
For the climate activists, whose Friday demonstrations have become less important in recent years, the cooperation with the union acts as a relevance enhancer, writes my colleague Markus Dettmer.
And the union can show that it has a concern for society as a whole.
So win win
.
Except, of course, for the passengers who aren't coming to work this morning.
Trade unionists and climate activists: Why Fridays for Future and Ver.di are striking together
The last journey of the Kremlin opponent
How dangerous Alexei Navalny was for Vladimir Putin can still be seen after his death.
At first, the Russian authorities refused to hand over Navalny's body to his relatives.
Then Navalny's supporters couldn't find a place for a memorial service for a long time.
And yesterday the Kremlin opponent's spokeswoman made it public that there were even difficulties finding a hearse driver for the funeral.
Undertakers had previously received threatening calls from unknown people.
But despite all resistance, Alexei Navalny is scheduled to be buried today.
The funeral service will take place in a church in southeast Moscow.
Navalny lived nearby when he was still free.
He will be buried at the Borisovskoye Cemetery, a former village cemetery, a 28-minute walk away.
The family's wishes for a cemetery were previously rejected by the authorities.
Navalny's supporters yesterday called for people to come to the funeral despite the police presence.
It's not harmless.
Anyone who publicly mourns Navalny runs the risk of being arrested.
Hundreds of people were recently arrested for laying flowers for Navalny.
Putin wants to prevent images of mourning masses and wants to stifle any protest.
But Navalny's supporters are unlikely to be deterred by the threatening backdrop.
Alexei Navalny: The undignified wrangling over Navalny's final rest
“Disgusting open anti-Semitism”
After the scandal at the Berlinale awards ceremony last weekend, some Union politicians quickly identified someone responsible: Minister of State for Culture Claudia Roth from the Greens.
For some people it seemed to fit the picture: first the mistakes in dealing with the allegations of anti-Semitism at the Documenta 15 art exhibition. Now the unchallenged anti-Israel statements made by filmmakers at the Berlinale.
What responsibility does Roth have?
Should she have behaved differently?
She has now given my colleagues Christoph Schult and Tobias Rapp a detailed interview - the first after the Berlinale scandal.
In it, Roth defends her own passivity at the award ceremony.
She sees responsibility primarily with the Berlinale management.
Roth finds clear words for the appearance of US filmmaker Ben Russell, who accused Israel of a “genocide” against the Palestinians.
That was “unbearable.”
“There is this disgusting, open anti-Semitism among left-wing radicals,” says Roth.
My colleague Christoph Schult is observing a development among the Green Party politician.
“Perhaps because she is a leftist herself, Roth has found it difficult in the past to recognize and criticize specifically left-wing anti-Semitism,” he says.
"The lack of empathy among many leftists towards the Israeli victims of the Hamas attack on October 7th and the disturbing appearances at the Berlinale have changed something in her." This was noticeable during the interview.
Claudia Roth in an interview: “There is this disgusting, open anti-Semitism among left-wing radicals.”
Read the current SPIEGEL editorial here
The consolation of the RAF:
The Red Army Faction has long since been eliminated.
The hype surrounding the arrest of a former member shows how important the terrorist group still is for our self-perception.
Click here for the current daily quiz
The starting question today: How many people lived in Germany at the end of 2023?
Compromise of the day...
... is the agreement on the traffic light payment card for refugees.
The card is intended to ensure that asylum seekers receive less cash in the future.
They already exist in some places such as Hanover, Hamburg or Greiz in Thuringia.
So far, the Greens have refused to secure the introduction of payment cards with a nationwide law - which experts believe is necessary to create legal certainty.
FDP Vice President Wolfgang Kubicki's anger at the Greens' refusal was so great that he questioned the continuation of the coalition.
But now, even if some questions are still open, the dispute has been resolved: the payment card should be included in the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act.
The exact design is then up to the states.
For example, you can decide how much money refugees are allowed to withdraw from ATMs - in Hamburg it is 50 euros per month.
Even if the Greens have given up their resistance in the coalition for the time being, many of them are not happy about it.
Party deputy Andreas Audretsch, for example, warned after the agreement: "Payment cards must not prevent people from integrating in Germany and becoming part of our society, especially if they live here permanently." The last word on this matter is with Security not yet discussed.
Payment card for refugees: Does it even work?
A look into practice
The latest reports from the night
Macron demands an explanation from Israel - and an immediate ceasefire:
"The shelling of civilians is unjustifiable": France's president is emphatically calling for the bloodbath in Gaza to be dealt with.
The EU foreign policy chief was also appalled.
Shutdown in the USA averted – but only until March 8th:
The feared standstill of US government business has been averted.
But only for a few days.
The question of financial aid for Ukraine remains unresolved.
“Odysseus” has fallen silent:
“Goodnight, Odie.” The US company Intuitive Machines has said goodbye to its lunar lander.
Its batteries are now empty.
But there is hope for a reunion.
I would particularly like to recommend this text to you today:
Surprising friendship:
Taiwan and Ukraine are separated by around 8,000 kilometers.
And yet the fates of the states are firmly linked.
Both defend themselves against authoritarian neighboring empires.
Since Putin's attack, the island state has been helping the invaded Ukraine rebuild.
There are even an estimated dozen or so Taiwanese who, like 35-year-old Tony Lu, fought in Kiev's International Legion.
My colleague Cornelius Dieckmann writes about this unlikely alliance.
I wish you a good start to the day.
Yours, Maria Fiedler, deputy head of the SPIEGEL capital office