Overview
- At the Junge Union congress in Rust, Friedrich Merz urged moderation on pensions and said he would approve the draft in the Bundestag with a clear conscience, drawing a muted response from delegates.
- JU chief Johannes Winkel intensified pressure, calling the projected follow‑on costs of roughly €115–120 billion unacceptable and warning the party youth could withhold support in Parliament.
- CDU general secretary Carsten Linnemann attacked the AfD as a “doomsday party” in his speech but largely sidestepped the pension dispute roiling the party’s youth wing.
- Berlin police confirmed three pro‑Palestinian activists reached the Brandenburg Gate roof in two to three minutes using a hydraulic lift, unfurled a banner, and were arrested, exposing a repeatable approach that hid the vehicle behind the monument’s columns.
- In a separate case, Berlin authorities are investigating a Lichtenberg shooting that wounded two men, including one in critical condition, with prosecutors examining possible organized‑crime links.