US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (C-L) meets with Germany's Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (C-R) on the sidelines of the G7 foreign ministers summit. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / POOL / AFP)
Foreign Minister doubts that Russia is ready to negotiate for peace, Germany among EU countries falling behind on climate targets, Ilse Aigner meets the Bundestag as Germany's likely next president and more news on Tuesday, November 10th.
Tuesday's top story: Peace talks only possible if Russia is 'genuinely prepared' to negotiate, says German Foreign Minister
US-mediated talks this week in Abu Dhabi between Russia and Ukraine on ending the war sparked by the Russian invasion will show if Moscow is truly ready to negotiate a settlement, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Monday.
"This is the crucial question that must be made clear in the discussions over the coming days: Is Russia genuinely prepared to negotiate?" Wadephul said on the sidelines of the G7 foreign ministers' meeting in Paris, urging Moscow to "give up maximalist demands" and warning against any "negotiation show" in the UAE capital.
Speaking after talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Wadephul said they "agreed that there is a chance to end Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine through negotiations".
But he added, "The prerequisite is that Russia finally abandons its maximalist demands."
Wadephul warned that against a background of continued Russian attacks against Ukrainian civilian infrastructure "we see no substantial contribution whatsoever toward negotiations gaining any serious momentum" on Moscow's part.
"If that were to happen, everyone would be prepared to engage in a very constructive manner," he added.
"But Russia has not shown any such willingness thus far, and that is our shared position."
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Germany among EU countries falling behind on climate targets
Nine countries in the European Union, including Germany and Italy, are on track to fall short of their emissions-cutting targets for 2030, Brussels said Monday as annual UN climate talks opened.
The European Commission said it would request the nine offenders "each submit a corrective action plan to accelerate the implementation and development of emission reduction measures and investments".
In a report issued on the sidelines of the United Nations COP31 climate summit in Turkey, the commission assessed EU members' progress on their national plans to reduce greenhouse gases.
It found Italy, Croatia and Cyprus had already exceeded their emissions targets for the 2021-2025 period, while Austria, Germany, Ireland, Lithuania, Malta and Sweden risked failing to meet their 2030 targets.
European Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra will write to all nine countries asking them to submit plans within three months to get back on track, it said.
Overall, the EU's net greenhouse gas emissions fell by 1.6 percent last year from 2024, according to the provisional figures released by Brussels.
READ ASO: Germany expected to miss its climate goal in 2026
Aldi Süd and Lidl raise minimum wage to €16 an hour
Aldi Süd and Lidl will increase their guaranteed minimum wage from €15 to €16 an hour in December, placing their lowest rate above Germany’s statutory requirement.
The legal minimum is currently €13.90 an hour and will rise to €14.60 in January. Lidl said its new rate would therefore remain about eight percent higher. Aldi Süd attributed the increase to renewed inflation, while Lidl said it wanted to offer employees financial security and recognition.
READ ALSO: Millions of workers in Germany are earning less than minimum wage
The guaranteed rate primarily applies to new recruits, temporary staff and unskilled workers. Both retailers said pay may be higher depending on qualifications, seniority and grade, with Lidl adding that most of its employees earn noticeably more.
Aldi Nord is taking a different approach, increasing its minimum wage in three stages to €14.90 by May 2027. It said additional allowances keep overall pay above the statutory minimum.
Aldi Süd employs around 50,000 people across approximately 2,000 stores in southern and western Germany. Lidl has more than 100,000 employees and over 3,250 German stores. Both chains have repeatedly moved ahead of the legal wage floor, raising their rates to €14 in 2022 and €15 in 2024.
One-euro kebab offer sparks disorder in Dortmund
A cut-price grand-opening offer at a Dortmund kebab shop descended into disorder on Sunday, prompting a major police operation after officers were attacked.
Hundreds of people, many of them minors, gathered outside the shop after its owner advertised kebabs for one euro online. The owner claimed more than 1,000 people attended, while police estimated the crowd at around 300.
READ ALSO: 'Döner-Preisindex' - How much have kebab prices risen in Germany?
Although a private security service had been hired, the situation became unmanageable and the owner called the police. Arriving officers were reportedly targeted with bottles, stones, fireworks, an e-scooter and a chair. A police vehicle was also damaged.
Reinforcements included around 100 riot police, while a helicopter monitored the area from above.
Dortmund police chief Tim Frommeyer condemned the violence, saying those who attack officers should be regarded as criminals rather than merely adventurous teenagers or troublemakers.
Police found a blank-firing pistol while searching a person who refused to leave. Investigations have been opened into suspected public disorder, criminal damage and insulting behaviour. The shop owner’s possible responsibility for the operation remains under review.
Ilse Aigner, Germany's likely next President, meets the Bundestag
After her election as the CDU/CSU candidate for the office of Federal President, Aigner will introduce herself on Tuesday in Berlin to the parliamentary groups of the CDU/CSU, SPD and Greens.
Aigner turned down an invitation from the AfD.
Aigner's chief of staff explained: "[The AfD's group leader] publicly described the nomination of Ilse Aigner as an indictment of poverty. Ss a visit to the AfD's parliamentary group is unnecessary."
The CDU had nominated Aigner on Monday for the election on January 30th, making her the joint candidate of the Union parties to succeed Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. The leaders of the SPD and the Greens have already assured her of support.
Criminal trial begins against former RBB director
On Tuesday, the criminal trial against the former rbb director Patricia Schlesinger begins at the Berlin Regional Court.
The Berlin Public Prosecutor's Office accuses her, as well as two former rbb directors and a former chairman of the board of directors, of embezzlement.
The four defendants are said to have introduced a new remuneration system at the media company which "deliberately circumvented the control of the board of directors, and which violated the principle of efficiency and economy".
Schlesinger is accused of a total of 26 cases of embezzlement, the former chairman of the board of directors 13, the then legal director is said to have acted in six cases and the former administrative director in five cases.
The charges against Schlesinger include costs for the release of an employee and controversial payments to another employee in connection with his early retirement.
Schlesinger is also said to have been reimbursed by rbb for the costs for meals with representatives of Berlin politics, culture and business in her private apartment.
The trial is initially scheduled to last 56 days until the end of June next year.
With reporting by AFP, DPA and Tom Pugh.
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