Today in Germany: A roundup of the latest news on Tuesday
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz rejects Taurus missiles amid worries of war involvement, politicians call for cheaper driving licences, and other news from around Germany on Tuesday.
Scholz clearly rejects Taurus cruise missiles for Ukraine
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) has clearly rejected the supply of Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine, citing the risk of Germany's involvement in the war.
The chancellor stated his belief that German soldiers should not be directly linked to the current conflict. From his point of view, however, the use of Taurus would only be possible with the participation of the company's own German personnel. Therefore, he says it is not on the agenda at the moment.
Two years after Russia's attack on Ukraine, Scholz on said at a press conference Monday, "I'm surprised that some people aren't moved at all, that they don't even think about whether what we're doing can lead to a kind of participation in the war."
READ ALSO: OPINION - Germany's timid strategy risks both Ukraine’s defeat and more war in Europe
Scholz explained that his decision is a matter of principle that he has followed from the beginning - and that could not be repeated often enough: "We will prevent an escalation of the war that Russia has started against Ukraine, a war between Russia and NATO. It is quite clear that there will be no German soldiers on Ukrainian soil. And that's what I stand for…”
Politicians call for cheaper driving licences
Some transport politicians want to make driving licences significantly cheaper through more digital and modern driver training.
"Our measures will make driving licences up to 25 percent cheaper," CDU transport politician Florian Müller told the Rheinische Post newspaper on Tuesday. According to an ADAC calculation, obtaining a driving licence can now cost up to around €4,400.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky shakes hands with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin on Friday. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Michael Kappeler
In a paper, the transport working group of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group proposes the increased use of driving simulators in training so that candidates can reduce the number of practical driving lessons.
In addition, theory lessons should be partly digitalised and, if necessary, more examiners - for example from the German armed forces or state police forces - should be able to be deployed, they argued.
READ ALSO: How to get a German driving licence as a third-country national
Navalny was supposed to be 'exchanged for the Tiergarten murderer held in Germany'
Alexei Navalny, an opposition leader in Russia, died a week and a half ago in a Russian prison camp.
However, his supporters say a deal was supposed to be struck on a prisoner exchange.
"Navalny was supposed to be released in the next few days because we had reached a decision on his exchange," said Maria Pevchikh, the long-time employee of Navalny's anti-corruption campaign in a short film released on Monday.
Vadim K. was convicted of the so-called Tiergarten murder, in 2022 for a murder committed in August 2019 in Berlin against a Georgian of Chechen descent in the Kleiner Tiergarten park.
Moscow had previously made comments expressing interest in exchanging certain prisoners for Vadim K. According to Pevchikh, Vadim K., should have been extradited to Russia - in exchange for Navalny and two unnamed Americans.
A corresponding offer was made to Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin at the beginning of February, she said.
Navalny's supporters are convinced that Putin killed his fiercest critic because he did not want to set him free at any price.
German shoppers stay gloomy heading into March
German shoppers are heading into March feeling slightly more optimistic about their future income but consumer morale remains low overall as a downturn in Europe's largest economy drags on, a key survey said Tuesday.
Pollster GfK said its forward-looking survey of around 2,000 people stayed roughly stable at minus 29 points for March, after the previous month saw a sharp drop to minus 29.6 points.
Pedestrians walk in the rain past shops in Ulm, Baden-Württemberg. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Stefan Puchner
Although income expectations rose following wage hikes across different sectors, shoppers remain pessimistic about the German economy and their propensity to make large purchases was largely unchanged from a month ago, GfK said in a statement.
As a result, respondents' willingness to save climbed to the highest level since June 2008, according to GfK which published the survey with the Nuremberg Institute for Market Decisions (NIM).
China's BYD lands auto shipment in car powerhouse Germany
Thousands of cars from China's BYD rolled off a ship in the German port of Bremerhaven on Monday, as the world's biggest electric carmaker brought its challenge directly to Europe's auto making powerhouse.
The delivery was made by the BYD Explorer No.1, the first of eight cargo ships specially commissioned by the Chinese group to expand its export operations.
The arrival of the shipment could become a further headache for established European auto giants, who have trailed upstart rivals in the switch from combustion engines to batteries.
BYD overtook US carmaker Tesla as the biggest maker of battery electric vehicles by volume at the end of last year, delivering over 500,000 units in the last quarter of 2023.
After stopping off in the Dutch port of Vlissingen, the BYD Explorer No.1 docked in Bremerhaven on Sunday, a spokeswoman for the German port told AFP.
Some 3,000 vehicles were unloaded on Monday from the vessel, which carries the carmaker's own livery, the spokeswoman said.
Germany further probes 'one-sided' comments at Berlinale
German officials will investigate how Berlin film festival winners made "one-sided" comments condemning Israel's war in Gaza at the awards gala, a government spokeswoman said on Monday.
At Saturday's ceremony, several winners were accused of making anti-Semitic remarks on stage in relation to Israel's military assault, which began after an attack by the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
US filmmaker Ben Russell, wearing a Palestinian scarf, accused Israel of committing "genocide" with its bombardment of the densely populated Gaza Strip.
Palestinian filmmaker Basel Adra said the Palestinian population was being "massacred" by Israel, to applause from the audience.
"It is unacceptable that... the terrorist attack by Hamas on October 7th was not mentioned," government spokeswoman Christiane Hoffmann told reporters in Berlin on Monday.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz "agrees that such a one-sided stance cannot be allowed to stand", Hoffmann said.
The Hamas assault killed 1,160 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official Israeli figures.
Israel's military offensive has killed at least 29,782 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. Almost two million people have been displaced.
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Scholz clearly rejects Taurus cruise missiles for Ukraine
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) has clearly rejected the supply of Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine, citing the risk of Germany's involvement in the war.
The chancellor stated his belief that German soldiers should not be directly linked to the current conflict. From his point of view, however, the use of Taurus would only be possible with the participation of the company's own German personnel. Therefore, he says it is not on the agenda at the moment.
Two years after Russia's attack on Ukraine, Scholz on said at a press conference Monday, "I'm surprised that some people aren't moved at all, that they don't even think about whether what we're doing can lead to a kind of participation in the war."
READ ALSO: OPINION - Germany's timid strategy risks both Ukraine’s defeat and more war in Europe
Scholz explained that his decision is a matter of principle that he has followed from the beginning - and that could not be repeated often enough: "We will prevent an escalation of the war that Russia has started against Ukraine, a war between Russia and NATO. It is quite clear that there will be no German soldiers on Ukrainian soil. And that's what I stand for…”
Politicians call for cheaper driving licences
Some transport politicians want to make driving licences significantly cheaper through more digital and modern driver training.
"Our measures will make driving licences up to 25 percent cheaper," CDU transport politician Florian Müller told the Rheinische Post newspaper on Tuesday. According to an ADAC calculation, obtaining a driving licence can now cost up to around €4,400.
In a paper, the transport working group of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group proposes the increased use of driving simulators in training so that candidates can reduce the number of practical driving lessons.
In addition, theory lessons should be partly digitalised and, if necessary, more examiners - for example from the German armed forces or state police forces - should be able to be deployed, they argued.
READ ALSO: How to get a German driving licence as a third-country national
Navalny was supposed to be 'exchanged for the Tiergarten murderer held in Germany'
Alexei Navalny, an opposition leader in Russia, died a week and a half ago in a Russian prison camp.
However, his supporters say a deal was supposed to be struck on a prisoner exchange.
"Navalny was supposed to be released in the next few days because we had reached a decision on his exchange," said Maria Pevchikh, the long-time employee of Navalny's anti-corruption campaign in a short film released on Monday.
Vadim K. was convicted of the so-called Tiergarten murder, in 2022 for a murder committed in August 2019 in Berlin against a Georgian of Chechen descent in the Kleiner Tiergarten park.
Moscow had previously made comments expressing interest in exchanging certain prisoners for Vadim K. According to Pevchikh, Vadim K., should have been extradited to Russia - in exchange for Navalny and two unnamed Americans.
A corresponding offer was made to Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin at the beginning of February, she said.
Navalny's supporters are convinced that Putin killed his fiercest critic because he did not want to set him free at any price.
German shoppers stay gloomy heading into March
German shoppers are heading into March feeling slightly more optimistic about their future income but consumer morale remains low overall as a downturn in Europe's largest economy drags on, a key survey said Tuesday.
Pollster GfK said its forward-looking survey of around 2,000 people stayed roughly stable at minus 29 points for March, after the previous month saw a sharp drop to minus 29.6 points.
Although income expectations rose following wage hikes across different sectors, shoppers remain pessimistic about the German economy and their propensity to make large purchases was largely unchanged from a month ago, GfK said in a statement.
As a result, respondents' willingness to save climbed to the highest level since June 2008, according to GfK which published the survey with the Nuremberg Institute for Market Decisions (NIM).
China's BYD lands auto shipment in car powerhouse Germany
Thousands of cars from China's BYD rolled off a ship in the German port of Bremerhaven on Monday, as the world's biggest electric carmaker brought its challenge directly to Europe's auto making powerhouse.
The delivery was made by the BYD Explorer No.1, the first of eight cargo ships specially commissioned by the Chinese group to expand its export operations.
The arrival of the shipment could become a further headache for established European auto giants, who have trailed upstart rivals in the switch from combustion engines to batteries.
BYD overtook US carmaker Tesla as the biggest maker of battery electric vehicles by volume at the end of last year, delivering over 500,000 units in the last quarter of 2023.
After stopping off in the Dutch port of Vlissingen, the BYD Explorer No.1 docked in Bremerhaven on Sunday, a spokeswoman for the German port told AFP.
Some 3,000 vehicles were unloaded on Monday from the vessel, which carries the carmaker's own livery, the spokeswoman said.
Germany further probes 'one-sided' comments at Berlinale
German officials will investigate how Berlin film festival winners made "one-sided" comments condemning Israel's war in Gaza at the awards gala, a government spokeswoman said on Monday.
At Saturday's ceremony, several winners were accused of making anti-Semitic remarks on stage in relation to Israel's military assault, which began after an attack by the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
US filmmaker Ben Russell, wearing a Palestinian scarf, accused Israel of committing "genocide" with its bombardment of the densely populated Gaza Strip.
Palestinian filmmaker Basel Adra said the Palestinian population was being "massacred" by Israel, to applause from the audience.
"It is unacceptable that... the terrorist attack by Hamas on October 7th was not mentioned," government spokeswoman Christiane Hoffmann told reporters in Berlin on Monday.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz "agrees that such a one-sided stance cannot be allowed to stand", Hoffmann said.
The Hamas assault killed 1,160 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official Israeli figures.
Israel's military offensive has killed at least 29,782 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. Almost two million people have been displaced.
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