1. It is long overdue for the CDU to separate from Hans-Georg Maassen - now the party leadership is urging him to leave voluntarily
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Hans-Georg Maassen (photo from January 2020)
Photo: Heiko Rebsch / dpa
Language images are basically there to make the processes in the world more comprehensible.
But sometimes they are also a means of trivializing.
In the last few days, it has often been claimed that former constitutional protection officer and CDU politician Hans-Georg Maassen is clinging to his party book.
That's a pretty cute picture that probably touches a lot of people: a man in distress who obviously doesn't want to leave the CDU is holding on to a party membership primer.
In the conflict with many men and women in the CDU, the former President of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Maassen, is by no means the victim of a lack of tolerance. He himself attacks the self-image of many democrats with intolerant and ignorant talk.
For years he has disturbed his party with right-wing conspiracy theories.
He recently claimed in an interview that there is racism against white people.
Not recognizing this is "an expression of a green-red racial theory, according to which whites are regarded as an inferior race and one must therefore bring Arab and African men into the country".
Despite or because of such statements, Maassen was elected chairman of the "Values Union" last weekend, a group of up to 4,000 conservative Christian Democrats that is not an official party organization.
Today the Presidium of the CDU Maassen set a deadline for his departure from the party.
He should leave the CDU by February 5, 12 noon.
If Maassen does not go voluntarily, the presidium of the party's federal executive board wants to apply on February 13 to initiate an exclusion procedure.
My colleague Sara Sievert reports on the actions of the CDU leadership and spoke to the deputy party leader Silvia Breher, who not only sees Maaßen as a burden for the party: "The union of values does not belong to the CDU," says Breher.
Even the head of the Junge Union, Johannes Winkel, is not satisfied with the possible exclusion of Hans-Georg Maassen from the CDU;
he calls for a demarcation of his party from the "union of values" as a whole.
Their newly elected boss Maassen was intent on doing "maximum damage" to the party.
The CDU is daring to do something by separating and excluding Maassen and his ilk, says my colleague Sara.
“Such a process of elimination can be long and ugly.
Especially since the CDU will now be in the press more often with Maaßen.
But all in all, it is of course correct that the party is ready to take this overdue step.« The colleague thinks it wise that the JU chairman Winkel is now demanding a decision on the incompatibility of CDU and value union membership.
"That way the clarification could be done in one go."
Read more here: CDU sets Maaßen a deadline for leaving the party
2. The latest anti-terrorist resolutions by the Israeli government could fuel the violence - as of today, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is trying to relax on the spot
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Itamar Ben-Gvir after the attack in front of a synagogue in Jerusalem: The agitator is now responsible himself
Photo: Ahmad Gharabli/AFP
For months, an ever-escalating conflict between Palestinians and the Israeli army has been raging in the West Bank.
After a Palestinian killed seven Israelis in front of a synagogue and a 13-year-old Palestinian boy shot two Israelis in the past few days, the new Israeli government now wants to react harshly to the terrorist attacks in Jerusalem.
My colleague Richard C. Schneider is reporting from Tel Aviv today on the drastic measures that the cabinet has now decided - and the effect of which is obviously very questionable.
The house of the synagogue assassin has now been sealed and will probably be demolished soon.
"A measure that the Israeli army, however, considered completely pointless as early as 2005, beyond all legal questions, since it had no deterrent effect," writes Richard.
Other decisions, such as the one that all Palestinians involved in any form of terrorist activity should lose their right of residence in Jerusalem and be banished to the West Bank, are unlikely to help ward off a wave of terror.
According to experts, they could even fuel the violence.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is being pressured into even tougher measures by far-right Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich in his government.
They are apparently demanding, among other things, waves of arrests, collective punishment and a largely free hand for the security forces.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected in Jerusalem today for talks with Netanyahu.
Blinken wants to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah tomorrow.
According to my colleague Richard, the Americans will have a hard time "to get both sides to somehow get the situation under control and calm it down".
However, one should not expect too much from Blinken's visit.
“The US has little opportunity to exert pressure.
At the moment the signs are pointing to a storm.«
Read more here: The terror and the stokers
3. Searching for a radioactive capsule that fell from a truck in Australia is difficult and dangerous - getting too close risks burns
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Rescuers from the Department of Fire and Emergency Services search for the radioactive capsule in Western Australia
Photo:
Evan Collis / dpa
People making up stories for movies and books should obey the laws of probability, but reality doesn't always do that.
Presumably the story about a radioactive capsule that gets lost somewhere on a long journey and which excites people in Australia will eventually be filmed as a documentary or even as a thriller.
The six by eight millimeter small capsule with the highly radioactive cesium 137 fell from a truck during a 1400 kilometer journey.
Western Australia state authorities today announced plans to use new radiation detection equipment, probably car-mounted, to locate the capsule, which is smaller than a dime.
I, like probably many other people, immediately thought of film images of people with Geiger counters and protective suits when I heard the amazing and also a bit disturbing story.
Fire and rescue teams began scanning the busy cargo route with portable radiation and metal detectors over the weekend.
The British-Australian mining company Rio Tinto has apologized for the incident.
The capsule appeared to have fallen off a truck while being transported from a mine north of the mining town of Newman to a depot near the city of Perth sometime after January 12.
It was not noticed until January 25, when the truck was unloaded, that the capsule was missing.
A bolt in the truck may have come loose due to vibrations while driving - and the capsule could then have fallen through the bolt hole.
It is unclear why it was not better secured.
The Australian authorities are now warning that anyone who discovers what looks like a tiny capsule should keep a distance of at least five meters.
How dangerous is the capsule really?
»Cesium-137 is radioactive and is formed during the fission of uranium.
Exactly how dangerous it is depends on how and how closely you come into contact with it,” says my colleague Julia Merlot.
“In the case of the capsule, don't touch it.
Then there is a risk of radiation burns.
Radioactive radiation also damages our genetic material, which promotes the development of cancer.
The closer you get to the capsule, the greater the radiation dose,” says Julia.
Therefore, the best protection is to keep your distance.
»The Australian Department of Health advises at least five meters to be on the safe side.
If you pass the capsule for a short time, you hardly have to expect any health problems.
But the longer and closer the contact, the more dangerous it becomes.«
It takes a good 30 years for half the material to deteriorate — if the capsule isn't found, my colleague says, "it will pose a health risk for about a century."
Read the full story here: Search for radioactive minicapsule - mining giant Rio Tinto apologizes
News and background to the war in Ukraine
Putin is said to have personally threatened Johnson, Scholz criticized the fighter jet debate:
"Boris, I don't want to hurt you, but...": The British ex-prime minister reports on a phone call with the Kremlin chief shortly before the start of the war.
Kyiv reports dead and injured in Kharkiv and Cherson.
Recent Developments.
Heavy fighting in southern and eastern Ukraine:
Ukraine reports several deaths in the Cherson region, according to which people were killed by Russian rockets.
The other side also reported victims.
Plastic tarps instead of classrooms:
three fifth-graders huddled together in a tent they built themselves on a windy hill: Because they don't have a signal in their town in north-eastern Ukraine, the children are learning via distance learning.
As good as possible.
Here you can see the video.
Find all the latest developments on the war in Ukraine here: The News Update
What else is important today
Lauterbach is critical of school closures in retrospect:
When looking back at the school closures, the Minister of Health is subtly self-critical - but he still does not want to ask for forgiveness.
Lauterbach refers to scientific findings.
Federal Fiscal Court dismisses lawsuit against solidarity surcharge:
The Federal Fiscal Court has dismissed a lawsuit against the solidarity surcharge - the levy is not unconstitutional.
The Ministry of Finance, led by FDP leader Lindner, reacted quite monosyllabically.
Young woman is said to have murdered her doppelganger:
A 23-year-old is said to have killed a woman in August who looked confusingly similar to her.
Even the alleged perpetrator's family had identified the dead woman as her daughter.
Now there are clues as to the motive.
My favorite story today: Jungle camp finale: regent of a parallel society
Djamila Rowe
is the winner of »I'm a star – get me out of here!«, and my colleague Anja Rützel thinks that's a good thing .
Among other things, she appreciates the fact that the nominee "was completely detached from any countable and measurable, unimaginative and petty idea of performance".
In Anja's opinion, Rowe's victory rounds off an extraordinarily entertaining, surprising and heartfelt season.
"If Djamila hadn't won, you wouldn't have been able to look this format in the eye." I myself am probably too humorless and not sufficiently curious for this type of entertainment and, as with all jungle camp seasons before, I have consistently not switched on - for it but always read the reports of my colleague Anja with pleasure.
As a farewell, she once again explains the fascination that characterizes the genre.
In the final jungle election, the illusion comes true for a moment »that people really mean well.
Where has the fairness gone?
Fairness has remained here.«
Read the whole story here: Regent of a parallel society
What we recommend at SPIEGEL+ today
Headmaster Sälzer pulls the emergency brake:
To the chagrin of children, parents and teachers, school classes in Germany are getting fuller and fuller in some places.
The headmaster of a primary school in Bochum has to choose the least of many evils.
"My son is dying":
he was once celebrated as a political shooting star in the Caucasus, now Mikheil Saakashvili is said to be seriously ill in prison.
Critics call him a simulant.
Others sense poisoning from Putin's henchmen.
Volker Wissing's toxic list:
FDP Minister Wissing wanted to settle the autobahn dispute with the Greens.
But according to SPIEGEL information, he presented a list that was provocative for the Greens.
On it: many kilometers of new lanes, up to five in each direction.
What is less important today: Watschenmann in the stadium
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Fredi Bobic's nerves were on edge after the bankruptcy against Union Berlin
Photo: Soeren Stache / dpa
Fredi Bobic
, ex-soccer player and sports manager who has been released from his job as managing director of Bundesliga club Hertha BSC, has threatened a public reporter with a slap in the face.
In an interview after his club lost 2-0 to Union Berlin, he reacted angrily to inquiries about a possible change of coach at Hertha.
"If you ask again, you'll get a scrub," said the 51-year-old to an rbb reporter.
Bobic apologized for the incident on Monday.
“I'm very sorry, I reacted too emotionally.
That was just a saying, which of course wasn't meant like that.«
Mini concave mirror
You can find the whole concave mirror here.
cartoon of the day
And tonight?
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Photo:
Charlie Gillett Collection/Redferns/Getty Images
Could you listen to the terrific pop song "Money (That's What I Want)".
It is a creation of the great songwriter, singer and pianist
Barrett Strong
who has passed away at the age of 81.
Strong was also involved in the creation of many other great songs, including the heartbreak 'I Wish It Would Rain' and the anti-war song 'War'.
And he also co-created perhaps the most famous of all Motown classics, "I Heard It Through the Grapevine."
It's become a classic thanks to Marvin Gaye, but I much prefer Gladys Knight & the Pips' version.
A lovely evening.
Heartfelt
Your Wolfgang Höbel, author in the culture department