Bild: Hard work always pays off! The big job table / Fleiß lohnt sich immer! Die große Job-Tabelle
FAZ: Wagenknecht wants to shape BSW but no longer lead it / Wagenknecht will BSW prägen, aber nicht mehr führen
Funke: Tens of thousands of cases of violence every year in Berlin’s schools / Zehntausende Fälle von Gewalt pro Jahr an Berlins Schulen
Handelsblatt: Amazon’s AI bet / Amazons KI-Wette
RND: A trip into the bizarre world of Taleb A.: “The police are cheating you” / Ein Ausflug in die wirre Welt des Taleb A.: “Die Polizei betrügt Sie”
SZ: Wagenknecht wants to step down as BSW chair / Wagenknecht will BSW-Vorsitz abgeben
Tagesspiegel: Draft for all young men instead of a lottery: Federal government close to agreement on military service / Musterung statt Los für alle jungen Männer: Bundesregierung steht vor Wehrdienst-Einigung
taz: Wagenknecht surrenders faster than Ukraine / Wagenknecht kapituliert schneller als die Ukraine
Welt: Compromise emerging in the dispute over military service / Im Streit um Wehrdienst zeichnet sich Kompromiss ab
Fight against enemies in Lebanon and Gaza remains current, according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: the opponents were rearming and still pursuing the goal of destroying Israel. Israel would enforce the ceasefire agreements „with an iron fist“ as long as they remained in effect. Netanyahu also pointed to the military pressure on Hamas and the diplomatic pressure from the United States, which had enabled the return of all living and most of the dead hostages.
U.S. special adviser Jared Kushner and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met in Jerusalem to discuss the next steps for implementing the U.S.-driven Gaza peace plan. The focus was on the ongoing first and planned second phases, which include the disarmament of Hamas and the establishment of an international stabilization force.
- As part of the ceasefire, Israel has returned the bodies of 15 more Palestinians to the Gaza Strip. Since the start of the ceasefire a month ago, a total of 315 bodies have been handed over, of which less than a third have been identified so far.
- Despite the ceasefire, a deadly incident occurred in the south of the Gaza Strip. The Israeli army killed two Palestinians who, according to military sources, posed a threat to soldiers; Hamas reported an Israeli attack near Khan Yunis in which a minor also died.
- Israel once again bombed Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, striking several locations in the south and east of the country. According to the Israeli military, the attacks targeted weapons and production depots belonging to the Shiite militia.
UKRAINE
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is calling for increased use of Western air defense systems: in light of continued Russian attacks, Zelensky wants to order 25 Patriot air defense systems from the United States. He emphasized the long production times and high costs but sees the option for European countries to temporarily hand over their own systems to Ukraine while awaiting replacements. Germany recently provided additional Patriot systems to Ukraine. Kyiv has not disclosed the current number of systems in operation.
- Outgoing Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský warns against the new government’s possible withdrawal from military aid to Ukraine. Following the election victory of Andrej Babiš’s party, the ammunition initiative could be at risk. „We know we have to pay the price if we want to stop Russia,“ said Lipavský. stern.de
- Germany plans to increase aid to Ukraine to more than 11.5 billion euros next year.
- The Kremlin dismisses reports of a conflict between President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov as „absolutely false.“ Spokesman Dmitry Peskov emphasized that Lavrov remains active in office, even though he has not appeared publicly since late October.tagesschau.de
- After corruption allegations emerged at the Ukrainian state nuclear company Energoatom, President Volodymyr Zelensky demanded strict punishment. The company is crucial for Ukraine’s energy supply. Among the suspects is also a close friend and business associate of Zelensky, who managed to leave the country in time. n-tv.de
Defense Minister Boris Pistorius is pushing for an agreement on conscription reform, reaffirming his demand for comprehensive medical assessments of all young men in each age group. During a visit to the Homeland Security Regiment in Münster, he also advocated for mandatory elements if too few volunteers sign up for service. Pistorius emphasized that only this would ensure operational readiness in the event of defense. He expressed confidence that the coalition would reach an agreement on the reform concept this week. zdfheute.de, tagesspiegel.de
- Military historian Sönke Neitzel criticized the draft of the new conscription law at an expert hearing in the Bundestag as too hesitant and too focused on voluntariness. He called for the introduction of selective conscription to meet the Bundeswehr’s personnel needs quickly.sueddeutsche.de
- Bundeswehr Association head André Wüstner doubted that the planned conscription law could solve the military’s personnel problems. He argued for including a mandatory mechanism in the law in case too few volunteers come forward.
- Federal Youth Council head Daniela Broda clearly opposed the reintroduction of compulsory military service. She emphasized that young people were already contributing much to the common good and accused the government of viewing them as a convenient resource rather than as equal citizens.
- Federal Students’ Conference head Quentin Gärtner criticized the fact that young people were not involved in the legislative process for conscription. Many are willing to engage, he said, but their perspectives are not being heard.
SPD grassroots challenge citizen’s income reform: the initiators have submitted over 4,000 signatures to the party executive, reaching the formal threshold for an internal party procedure. The group demands that the SPD reject stricter sanctions in the citizens’ income system and instead provide more support for those in need. They also call on the SPD to more strongly counter populist narratives. Within three months, one-fifth of SPD members must support the initiative for it to succeed. The CDU/CSU called the move bizarre, pointing to the broad approval of the coalition agreement within the SPD, which includes the reform. tagesspiegel.de
- SPD leader Lars Klingbeil criticizes SPD members’ initiative against the citizens’ income reform. welt.de
Economics Minister Katherina Reiche is pushing for an economic policy shift with an „Agenda 2030“: in a keynote speech, she warned that Germany is losing both economic and security strength and called for a „fitness program“ with less state and more market. Subsidies and funding programs should, according to Reiche, be critically reviewed and false incentives eliminated „even if it hurts.“ She also hinted at cuts to heating subsidies. In addition, she advocated for a longer working life and the reduction of regulatory barriers to strengthen competitiveness. To restore the state’s capacity to act, she said, it must focus on its core tasks: internal and external security, infrastructure, and education. n-tv.de, faz.net, handelsblatt.com
Health Minister Nina Warken sets the additional contribution rate for statutory health insurance at 2.9 percent: the decision follows the calculations of the expert committee, which assumes a largely stable financial situation. However, it is only a guideline; each health insurer can decide individually whether and to what extent to adjust its contribution. Health insurers and associations warn of rising contribution rates if structural relief or reforms fail to materialize. The main reasons are growing expenditures in the healthcare system and higher personnel costs. Some insurers are already considering adjustments beyond the reference value.zdfheute.de, tagesspiegel.de
The Taliban announce the reopening of the Afghan consulate in Bonn: the mission had been closed after the previous consul general, Hamid Nangialay Kabiri, resigned a few weeks ago in protest against the Taliban takeover; he has since applied for asylum in Germany. The consulate in Bonn currently has no consul general, according to the Foreign Office in Berlin. The candidate proposed by Afghanistan will only become consul once he is authorized by the Foreign Office to perform consular functions — which has not yet happened. The Afghan missions in Berlin and Munich continue to be led by individuals appointed by the former Republic of Afghanistan before the Taliban takeover in August 2021. Recently, however, Germany allowed two Afghan diplomats from Kabul to enter the country to support the work of the consulates in Berlin and Bonn and facilitate deportations. wdr.de
Other reports:
- Chancellor Friedrich Merz turns 70 – and many consider him too old: three out of four respondents advise him against running again. n-tv.de
- CDU General Secretary Carsten Linnemann: „The heating law should be scrapped in its current form.“ faz.net
- Push from the CDU/CSU to abolish mini-jobs. sueddeutsche.de
- Government tightens draft law against undeclared work, according to „Rheinische Post“; food delivery services also in focus. rp-online.de
- Chaos in the office of Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder: the Bundestag must now prevent a 100-million-euro deficit at Deutsche Bahn. tagesspiegel.de
- Norbert Röttgen on AfD foreign policy spokesman: „The best propaganda Putin could wish for.“ rnd.de
- Agriculture Minister Alois Rainer: „Our German agriculture is really good.“ n-tv.de
- 32 associations call for a legal investment obligation for streaming services. dwdl.de
- FDP Vice President Wolfgang Kubicki: „Equating the Nazis with the AfD is an outrage.“ n-tv.de
Serpil Midyatli resigns as SPD state leader in Schleswig-Holstein: after her defeat in the primary election for the top candidacy in the 2027 state election against Kiel’s mayor Ulf Kämpfer, she proposed him as her successor. In a letter to party members, Midyatli justified her decision with the new internal party situation. rnd.de
Other news
- Saxony-Anhalt: No approval yet for the 2025 Christmas market in Magdeburg; trial over the attack has begun. zdfheute.de
- Hamburg: 63-year-old apparently attacked while cleaning Stolpersteine on November 9. spiegel.de
- Saxony: Leipzig Stolpersteine apparently deliberately damaged. mdr.de
- Lower Saxony: Extremists are to be removed from civil service more quickly. rnd.de
- Berlin: Neukölln SPD wants to nominate a successor for district mayor Martin Hikel before the end of the year. rbb-online.de
- Bremen: CDU calls for a parliamentary inquiry into retirement regulations. n-tv.de
- Berlin: Governing Mayor Kai Wegner wants to increase residential parking fees. heise.de
Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva opens the World Climate Conference with an attack on climate deniers: he called on the international community to take decisive action against disinformation about the climate crisis. In his speech, Lula described the event as a „conference of truth“ and urged that climate change deniers be defeated. The United States is not participating in the summit after President Donald Trump once again called climate change a „hoax.“ Approximately 50,000 delegates from over 190 countries will convene to discuss strategies for mitigating global warming over the next two weeks. zdfheute.de, rnd.de
- Brazil’s COP President Correa do Lago called for decisive action and emphasized the central role of multilateralism in combating global warming. He appealed to the international community to address the climate crisis as a shared challenge.
- UN climate chief Simon Stiell urged faster progress in reducing emissions and improving protection from climate impacts, warning that lamenting alone was not enough in the face of slow negotiations. faz.net
- Climate scientist Johan Rockström from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) expressed deep concern at the opening of COP30 about looming tipping points in the Earth system. He urged countries to move beyond rule-making and take concrete action.
- The UN Refugee Agency warned of the growing burden that climate change places on refugees and host countries. UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi pointed to 117 million displaced people and called for tangible results from the climate conference to protect those affected. zdfheute.de
Expanded participation and guarantees in the EU budget proposed for the European Parliament: EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has supplemented her proposal for the next long-term EU budget to counter parliamentary blockades. The amendments include additional participation rights for regions, guarantees for agriculture, and stronger parliamentary involvement in fund allocation. The EU Commission plans a total volume of around two trillion euros. handelsblatt.com, sueddeutsche.de
EU Commission plans targeted measures against Russian disinformation: these include increased financial support for independent media and measures against so-called „media deserts.“ The Commission also wants to promote media pluralism by more closely monitoring mergers in the media sector. Moscow is attempting to „undermine trust in democratic systems,“ spreading „misleading information“ and „distorting historical facts,“ according to a Commission paper. A new center is also to be established to coordinate defenses against foreign interference at the EU level. The draft does not yet specify a budget.
Other reports:
- EU agreement: less bureaucracy and fewer inspections for farmers. zeit.de
- EU-CELAC meeting: EU and Latin America distance themselves from U.S. President Donald Trump. faz.net
- Seen in almost all countries: more than 80 percent of EU citizens support the euro. n-tv.de
- EU data protection rules under pressure. rnd.de
Austria’s government presents a revised strategy against antisemitism: in the future, AI-based systems are to identify antisemitic content online, while integration courses will place a much stronger emphasis on values education. A new measure will require integration course participants to sign a declaration against antisemitism. The government is also considering establishing a Holocaust museum in Austria. derstandard.at, orf.at
Allianz calls for better job placement in the apprenticeship market: the number of apprentices in Germany continues to decline, while many training positions remain unfilled. The federal government, states, business associations, and trade unions emphasize the urgent need for action in the vocational training market. According to Economics Minister Katherina Reiche, the main challenge lies in finding enough suitable applicants for the available positions. In the coming years, the matching between supply and demand must be significantly improved.
Other news:
- Bitkom warns of an AI lag due to slow expansion of data centers. tagesschau.de
- Chemical industry: order backlog at its lowest level in 30 years. handelsblatt.com
- Triple-digit billion-euro investments: municipal utilities warn of rising heating costs. rnd.de
- Star investor Warren Buffett donates 1.3 billion dollars upon stepping down as CEO. handelsblatt.com
- British-American writer Salman Rushdie awarded the Dayton Literary Peace Prize. wdr.de
Shailee is the founder of Smells Like Bolly Spirit, Berlin’s go-to for everything Bollywood dance. A professional dancer, choreographer, and performer, Shailee has been training since the age of six and is skilled in a range of styles, including Indian classical Bharatnatyam. Originally from western India and now based in Berlin, she offers classes, workshops, event performances, and wedding choreographies
In Germany, your Ausbildung (vocational training) can be a life-defining step — but don’t expect confetti on day one. Apprentices often start with early mornings, modest pay, and an alarming number of acronyms. Yet, it’s also one of the country’s proudest traditions: a system where plumbers, bakers, and even media designers are trained with the same rigor as university grads. So if your neighbor’s kid calls himself an Azubi, don’t underestimate him — in a few years, he might be your boss, and he’ll have the certificate to prove it.