1. Farmers and other interest groups are blocking Poland's borders with Ukraine to exert political and economic pressure
How stable is the West's solidarity with Ukraine in the face of Russia's war of aggression against the country? More than two years after the start of the war, the Ukrainian defenders are currently sending requests and requests for weapons assistance to Europe and the USA almost every day. Today, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky once again warned of a defeat for Ukraine because Republicans in the US Congress are refusing to approve a new Ukraine aid package under pressure from Donald Trump. Without American support, Zelensky said, it would be difficult for his country to survive the war.
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Truck traffic jam at the Polish-Ukrainian border in Hrebenne in December 2023: The flow of goods between the EU and Ukraine has been massively disrupted for months
Photo: Wojtek Jargilo / EPA-EFE
The solidarity of European countries is apparently not far off in some places. Less than 800 kilometers east of Berlin, a drama has been taking place for six months, which my colleagues Benjamin Bidder and Michael Sauga are reporting on today. The Ukrainian border is largely blocked from Poland.
The flow of goods between the EU and Ukraine has been massively disrupted for months, by changing groups with different motives. Polish farmers are currently blocking the border. They are protesting against imports from Ukraine, but also against environmental requirements of the EU's New Green Deal.
“There are reasons for the blockade on different levels,” says Benjamin. "On the one hand, the expansion of trade with Ukraine since the beginning of the war, intended to stabilize the country, actually has tangible consequences for some groups, for example for farmers, or for freight forwarders." On the other hand, many governments in Europe are susceptible to political ( Peasant) pressure from the streets because their support is precarious. »The new Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk differs in many ways from his conservative predecessor, but he also expressed understanding for the blockading farmers. The reason: Tusk may have won the parliamentary election, but his coalition also includes right-wing farmer representatives.
How could the conflict be resolved? “It’s complicated,” said my colleague. "On the one hand, farmers and other blockers shouldn't have too much success with their strategy, otherwise the next imitators will soon be standing with their vehicles right across the border." It would also be important not to burden goods from Ukraine in response to the protests – because the country needs all support in developing its economy. »But Brussels and Warsaw could try to accommodate farmers in other fields without damaging Ukraine. Because every euro that Ukraine cannot earn itself, the Europeans have to provide additional aid.
Read the whole story here: "The situation is worse now than after the start of the war"
2. The AfD leadership is sticking with European candidate Petr Bystron, also due to a lack of alternatives
The strict Martin Luther claimed that untruths are like snowballs. The longer you roll them back and forth, the bigger they get. I don't know whether AfD politician Petr Bystron was telling the truth today when he obviously denied receiving money in cash or via cryptocurrency from Russia during the meeting of his party's federal executive committee. In any case, the Czech government uncovered a Russian influence operation almost two weeks ago, according to which the website “Voice of Europe” was said to have served to covertly finance candidates for the European elections. Specifically, Bystron, who is in second place on the AfD list for Europe, was suspected of receiving money from Russia and Vladimir Putin's entourage.
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AfD leaders Chrupalla, Weidel: “Statement against statement”
Photo:
Filip Singer / EPO
Today, the AfD leadership supported Bystron during their meeting, reports my colleague Ann-Katrin Müller.
When asked by party leader Alice Weidel whether Bystron had accepted money in any form, for example from sources related to the “Voice of Europe” website, Bystron denied this, according to several participants in the meeting. The politician is said to have denied accepting money “from this direction.” He “never” did this.
A Czech newspaper reported that there were audio recordings that could substantiate the accusation against Bystron. Both the Bundestag administration and the Munich Public Prosecutor's Office are dealing with the allegations. Nevertheless, according to my colleague, “Bystron should get through within the AfD at first.” Not everyone on the board is happy with that. »Several members consider Bystron's behavior and statements over the past two weeks to be less than credible. However, you don’t see any alternatives at the moment.”
Read more here: AfD leadership supports European candidate Bystron despite serious allegations
3. Scientists hope to gain new insights during the total solar eclipse, for example about explosions on the sun
Probably the most famous pop song about a solar eclipse is called “Eclipse” and can be found on the Pink Floyd album “The Dark Side of the Moon.” It blared and cheered immediately in my head today as I read the advance reports about the solar eclipse that will be visible in parts of Mexico and the United States today, when it is already evening in Europe. Over the course of a few hours, my colleague Alina Schadwinkel reports, the solar eclipse will be visible first in Nazas, Mexico, then over cities like Kerrville, Indianapolis and Buffalo in the USA, and finally over Newfoundland in Canada.
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Total solar eclipse in Antarctica (2021): The cosmic spectacle can only be seen for a short time
Photo:
Felipe Trueba/Xinhua/IMAGO
Total solar eclipses are usually only visible for a few minutes from a specific location on the globe. The umbra that the moon casts on the Earth races across the Earth's surface at around 2,500 kilometers per hour and is therefore quite small, measuring a good 200 kilometers wide. Seen from Germany, the moon passes just past the central star - "the only option is to observe via live stream," writes Alina.
Many astronomers today point their telescopes into the sky. When the moon passes in front of the sun and obscures it, it reveals a radiant crown called the corona. This outer part of the sun's atmosphere cannot otherwise be seen with the naked eye because the bright light from deeper layers outshines it. During the minutes of the solar eclipse, the corona can be observed more precisely from Earth than with any space mission.
Solar physicists, for example, hope to gain new insights into the flow of charged particles - and this sometimes also has direct consequences on Earth. “Something is constantly exploding on the surface of the sun and charged particles from the star are streaming into space,” says my colleague. "From time to time, the star throws billions of tons of charged particles into the universe at once; researchers speak of a coronal mass ejection." This is partly responsible for the northern lights, among other things. “But the particles can also disrupt satellites and GPS signals or overload the electricity grid.”
Read the whole story here: "No other astronomical event is as exciting"
What else is important today?
Lindner wants to “make you want to work overtime”:
Finance Minister Lindner is convinced that the economy needs new impulses in order to grow again. For him, this also includes the Germans' work ethic.
Tusk draws mixed conclusions from the election results:
"Don't complain, get to work!" Donald Tusk shouts to his party after the local elections. Poland's head of government is celebrating record victories in the cities, but complains about the lack of mobilization of young voters.
He speaks of humanity, the court of manslaughter:
Christoph Turowski helped a depressed woman commit suicide - and was therefore convicted. The retired doctor is still certain: “I did the right thing.” Now it's up to the Supreme Court and the legislature.
What we recommend today at SPIEGEL+
Why investors can brush off the real estate crisis - but tenants can't:
There are signs of a trend reversal in the real estate market: large investors are taking advantage of the favorable opportunity to buy. Tenants and private interested parties have little benefit from this.
“We are all shitty mothers”:
The birth rate in Italy continues to fall, and the country is at the bottom of the list even in a European comparison. Blogger Sarah Malnerich explains why this is – and her campaign against it.
What happened at the Stone Age campfire:
The flames crackle and flicker, mammoth fat hisses into the embers: It was at the fire, cook Verena Lugert believes, that our ancestors discovered their humanity. With wholesome food – and good stories.
Which is less important today
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Mathieu van der Poel on the way to victory
Photo: Alex Broadway / Getty Images
Cool romper:
Mathieu van der Poel, 29, Dutch cyclist, spoke out loudly about an unfair attack. When the cyclist won the spring classic Paris-Roubaix in an outstanding manner on Sunday, he was very lucky because around 42 kilometers from the finish a spectator threw a cap in his direction and narrowly missed him. "I saw something being thrown at me, but I didn't know what it was," said van der Poel after the race. "Obviously not everyone likes it when I'm at the top - but I don't care."
Mini concave mirror
From the "Allgemeine Zeitung der Lüneburger Heide":
"Jesus Christ is expected at the evening service on Sunday, March 24th, at 6 p.m. in the Hanstedt St. George's Church."
You can find the entire concave mirror here.
Cartoon of the day
And tonight?
For a current, cultural-historical reason, could you listen to one of Nirvana's great songs - for example, "Come As You Are" - and read my colleague Andreas Bernard's text entitled "When Rock 'n' Roll Died and the Internet Began." .
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Musician Cobain, 1993: In the conflict between the established and alternative public
Photo: Stephen Sweet / Shutterstock
30 years ago today, on April 8, 1994, Kurt Cobain was found dead. Like many other people who were passionate about music at the time, I found the death of Cobain, who had apparently killed himself a few days earlier, a shock and a formative event. Andreas writes about the historical turning point - and about the fact that exactly in those days when the Nirvana singer died, the company Netscape was founded, which transformed the Internet into a medium for everyone.
Two parallel events that make a break in the era visible. “The grunge movement around Nirvana and the Sub Pop label were, since the late 1980s, the last generation of a musical underground that developed an alternative infrastructure with self-managed record labels, radio stations and fanzines and thus opposed the major labels and the mainstream public,” writes Andrew. »The Netscape browser marks the beginning of the Internet age, in which every consumer can become a producer, in which the opposition between mainstream and underground becomes meaningless. The last icon of rock died the day the new distribution of attention began."
I wish you a nice evening. Warm regards
, Wolfgang Höbel, author in the culture department