Today we are dealing with the measures taken by the Federal Government on climate protection, which are now taking shape; with the dispute between the US and Turkey, which threatens to escalate - and with a strange Angela Merkel interview.
Erdogan lets Trump run
Turkish Presidency / AP / dpa
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Issue 42/2019
Never again?
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The dispute between the US and Turkey over the Syria offensive threatens to escalate. After US President Donald Trump has tightened the tone towards Ankara under the pressure of his own party, the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan seems to let him cool off coolly. Turkey will never proclaim the ceasefire demanded by the US and US sanctions would not worry him, Erdogan said, according to Turkish television.
Meanwhile Republican Senator and Trump confidant Lindsey Graham revealed that Erdogan, in a telephone conversation with Trump, committed to avoiding the area around the town of Kobane. There are many Kurds living there. Should Erdogan break his promise, that would be fatal, Graham said: "I advise Turkey to stop before the relations between the US and Turkey are completely destroyed."
Trump himself wants to meet today in the White House with the leading representatives of the Republicans and Democrats in Congress to discuss the way forward. Especially in the Senate, a number of parliamentarians urge that the sanctions against Turkey be tightened even further.
- Harmless US sanctions: Trump's dull weapon against Erdogan
Rail travel is cheaper, flying more expensive
Patrick Pleul / DPA
At first, hardly anything happened, now everything is supposed to go very fast: The Federal Government is putting pressure on climate protection. Already in the Cabinet a first bundle of new measures is to be decided that will affect many citizens. So train tickets - as announced - cheaper. For the VAT on long-distance tickets to be reduced to seven percent, so far there are 19 percent. Deutsche Bahn wants to pass on the bulk of the relief to its customers.
At the same time, flying should be more expensive. It is planned that the aviation tax for domestic and EU flights will be increased by around 76 percent and that for longer flights by around 43 percent. Specifically, this means that for flights in Europe, the tax increases by 5.65 euros to 13.03 euros. For distances up to 6000 kilometers, an increase of 9.96 euros to 33.01 euros is provided. This would, for example, affect many flights to the USA. For flights over more than 6,000 kilometers, 59.43 euros will be due in future, almost 18 euros more than before.
- CO2 price, flight tax, commuter allowance: what really is to be kept from the climate package
Macron welcomes Merkel in Toulouse
Gonzalo Fuentes / REUTERS
French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel meet today in Toulouse, southern France. In tow, they have almost all their ministers, which is why the meeting is called in diplomatic terms "Council of Ministers" . Once again, the special meaning of the German-French partnership should be summoned, which may not be a bad idea in these times.
It always rappels between Macron and Merkel. Such as in the current dispute over the eastward expansion. Even the failure of the French candidate for the European Commission, Sylvie Goulard, causes atmospheric moods. At the same time, Macron and Merkel are smart enough to see that they perform best against Donald Trump, in the Brexit confusion and in the Syrian conflict, if possible with a common attitude .
In Toulouse, symbolically, the European independence from the United States should be emphasized: Macron and Merkel visit the Airbus plant, an economic lighthouse of the EU. On the agenda are the common climate and industrial policy as well as important defense projects. Germany and France are planning to jointly build a new type of tank and a new fighter aircraft.
- Threatening Summit Controversy of the EU: World Politics Unfit
Winners of the day ... ...
CDU / CSU parliamentary group / YouTube
... ... are Chancellor Angela Merkel and CDU parliamentary leader Ralph Brinkhaus. The two Union politicians prove creativity, they have tried a new video format: Party friend interviewed party friend, so interviewed Brinkhaus Merkel. Erstausstrahlung was now at an extraordinary group meeting of the Union in Leipzig (here is the video on YouTube). It was about the topic of German unity.
Such feel-good interviews are of course a gift for party leaders, as there are no annoying journalists who may ask critical questions. Everything is prepared nicely and pleasingly. Now of course you want to know: What else is coming? Horst Seehofer asks Andreas Scheuer about the toll, Olaf Scholz reads out - only positive - news in the "Tagesschau"? Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer takes over "hard but fair"? Anne Will replaced by Heiko Maas? We are curious. The anticipation is limitless.
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
- Erdogan excludes ceasefire in Syria: The demand came from the White House - the replica of the Turks is cool. The US sanctions hardly cause Ankara
- Enigmatic deaths in Saxony-Anhalt: within one day two employees of the parcel service Hermes died - the reasons are unclear
- Boris Pistorius calls for admission of German IS fighters from northern Syria: In SPIEGEL interview criticized the Lower Saxony Interior Minister, the German Syria policy also sharp
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I wish you a good start to the day.
Your Roland Nelles
