A morning ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect at 4 AM, with Baerbock calling it a "ray of light." Merkel's memoir presentation at Deutsche Theater dominated early coverage, particularly her discussion of Russia policy, while avoiding direct criticism of current leadership.
By midday, economic concerns intensified as multiple manufacturers announced insolvencies, including a traditional machine builder with 240 employees. Thyssenkrupp's restructuring prompted Scholz's direct intervention. VW's withdrawal from Xinjiang added to industrial sector turbulence.
Russia expelled two ARD journalists in apparent retaliation for Berlin's closure of "Perwy Kanal," though German authorities disputed this sequence of events. Evening brought news of constitutional lawyers seeing potential success for AfD ban proceedings, while Trump nominated ex-General Kellogg as Ukraine-Russia special envoy, signaling potential policy shifts.