Today you can read here: In Britain, a dramatic week around the Brexit is emerging. In Brandenburg and Saxony CDU and SPD must respond and govern after the successes of the AfD. And: The violence in Hong Kong is increasing.
Brexit: All or nothing for Boris
JEREMY SELWYN / AFP
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Issue 36/2019
Can we be rescued?
How much FOREST the human needs to surviveDigital Edition | Printed Edition | Apps | SUBSCRIPTION
If the British Parliament wants to prevent Prime Minister Boris Johnson from heading for a no-deal Brexit on October 31, then he'll probably only have this week. For from next week until 14 October, Johnson has suspended the parliament - a highly unusual step that many British see as an attack on democracy . The opposition Labor Party therefore wants to try, with the help of rebels from the Tories series and other people's deputies, to bring a law through the lower and upper houses in record time from today on: it should give the government a no-deal-Brexit to forbid. Johnson will be forced to ask the EU to extend the withdrawal date. That will be difficult. First, the anti-Brexit alliance must hijack the agenda and bring about a majority in the lower house against the government. In addition, some of the lords in the House of Lords could "filibuster" the law, that is to say with long speeches.
And the government could even ignore the law - as one of its ministers hinted on Sunday - in the end. And Boris Johnson is constantly increasing pressure on the Tory rebels. If they collapse, the whole beautiful plan could already be over. It will definitely be a dramatic week for the British. The danger of a no-deal-Brexit with catastrophic consequences for Great Britain and Europe is greater than ever before. And it does not look as if the Europeans, especially the Germans, are sufficiently prepared for such an outcome - and for the recession, which would then definitely threaten.
- Escalation on the island: how Boris Johnson sabotages British democracy
Breather for AKK
Robert Michael / DPA
How is it going to continue after the state elections in Saxony and Brandenburg? The massive growth for the AfD means that the East German voters have further normalized a partially right-wing extremist party. And that the remaining parties will have a harder time forming a coalition without them. In Saxony, there could be an alliance of CDU, SPD and possibly the Greens, even if some would like to form a minority government in the CDU. In Brandenburg, it could come to a red-red-green alliance. In both federal states, the results of the CDU and SPD on Sunday were - compared to the fears a few weeks ago - less bad than feared.
The fact that the CDU in Saxony has not lost even more votes to the AfD, but is less likely to the CDU as such. It may rather be the merit of Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer, who shouted at almost every marketplace in Saxony, discussed with voters and at the same time clearly distinguished himself from the AfD. The ailing CDU party leader Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer gets thanks Kretschmers result now probably a little breather. After the growth in the East, the right-wing extremist wing in the AfD is getting stronger and stronger - at the latest after the state elections in Thuringia in October there could be new grave battles there. Read an analysis of the elections here. And this morning you will find more reports on SPIEGEL ONLINE.
- Relieved by a shock: the analysis of the state elections
US Vice President Mike Pence in Poland
Czarek Sokolowski / DPA
The fact that they only visit the vice-president today is a heavy blow for the ruling Polish national conservatives. Actually, they had expected Donald Trump, but he remained because of the approaching hurricane "Dorian" at home. Instead, Pence attended yesterday alongside Angela Merkel and Frank-Walter Steinmeier at the commemoration ceremony for the German invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939 - the official outbreak of World War II. Today Pence meets politicians and entrepreneurs in Warsaw; Among other things, it should be talked about an expansion of the US troop presence in Poland. The Polish government, which sees Trump as a political ally, had hoped for the president's visit before the October elections.
- 80th anniversary of the German attack: Federal President Steinmeier asks Poland for forgiveness
The Story of the Day: "The Epstein System"
Shannon Stapleton / REUTERS
A team of SPIEGEL reporters researched the gruesome story of US multimillionaire Jeffrey Epstein , who committed suicide in a New York prison cell in August - he allegedly abused more than a hundred minor girls and apparently ran a kind of pedophile network . Epstein was friends with celebrities like Bill Clinton, Donald Trump, Prince Andrew. Who knew about his activities, who covered him? Read more here.
Loser of the weekend ...
Kin Cheung / DPA
... are the inhabitants of Hong Kong . So brutal scenes of violence, as they were seen on Saturday between pro-democracy demonstrators and police units, there was not yet. Tens of thousands had demonstrated peacefully despite a ban, in the afternoon, the police with tear gas and water cannons against the people - some demonstrators threw Molotov cocktails and stones, the disputes shifted in part in subway stations. Since last night, demonstrators are blocking access to Hong Kong airport again. It is to be feared that the increasing violence could serve as an excuse for the Chinese and Hong Kong authorities to put an end to the demonstrations - with even more violence.
The compact news overview in the morning: current and opinionated. Every morning (weekdays) at 6 o'clock. Order directly here:
The latest news from the night
- The world looks to East Germany : internationally, too, the elections in Saxony and Brandenburg were closely followed - the worldwide press review
- Waiting for "Dorian" : The huge hurricane is rolling towards the US mainland. And two states are already evacuating their entire Atlantic coasts
- Kevin Hart injured in car accident : The actor was in a nearly 50-year-old vehicle on the road, as the disaster occurred. The exact circumstances are still unclear
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I wish you a nice start to the week.
Your Mathieu von Rohr
