Today in Germany: A roundup of the latest news on Thursday
Germany's Foreign Minister warns of a worsening humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza on fifth visit to Israel since October 7th, a major auto supplier cuts 7,150 jobs and more news from around Germany on Thursday.
Baerbock in Israel for the fifth time since the beginning of the Gaza war
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock was received in Israel on Wednesday for the fifth time since October 7th.
The Green politician has announced that she will once again raise the humanitarian situation of the civilian population in Gaza, and is calling for more aid deliveries. Baerbock has also called on Israel to provide safe corridors for civilians in Rafah.
"The distress in Rafah is already beyond belief. 1.3 million people are seeking protection from the fighting in the most limited of space. An offensive by the Israeli army on Rafah would be a humanitarian catastrophe," Baerbock wrote in a post on X on Saturday.
A meeting with Israel’s President Izchak Herzog is scheduled for Thursday.
Baerbock has previously emphasised Israel's right to self-defence against Hamas terror, but also that Israel had a duty to respect international humanitarian law.
She is expected at the Munich Security Conference this Friday. The Gaza war will also be one of the main topics there, along with the Russian war against Ukraine.
Greens cancel Ash Wednesday debate in Baden-Württemberg over security concerns
Federal Minister of Agriculture Cem Özdemir cited security concerns as the reason for cancelling a debate that was to take place in Biberbach in Baden-Württemberg.
Before the event was due to kick off, massive protests and blockades by farmers and others escalated in front of the town hall.
Green federal leaders such as Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann, Federal Chairwoman Ricarda Lang, and veteran Jürgen Trittin were all expected to participate in the event, but most of the guests did not make it into the hall.
READ ALSO: Tractors converge on Rome as farmers protest across Europe
A placard for a Greens' political Ash Wednesday event hangs in the town hall in Biberach, Baden-Württemberg. The event was cancelled due to security concerns. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Silas Stein
Since the morning, farmers, among others, had protested and blocked roads. Police said they used pepper spray and batons to clear the way for two vehicles. A window was smashed on one vehicle.
Several officers were injured, according to police, and at least one person was arrested.
With aggressive mood at demonstrations in the vicinity of the event, the chairman of the Green district association Biberach, Michael Gross, justified the short-term cancellation of the political event on Ash Wednesday.
China's top diplomat to visit Germany
China's top diplomat Wang Yi will visit Germany for the Munich Security Conference then travel to Spain and France in the coming days, Beijing's foreign ministry said Thursday.
"From February 16th to 21st... Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi will attend the 60th Munich Security Conference where he will deliver a speech," a spokesperson said in a statement.
He will then visit Spain and France, where he will "hold the China-France Strategic Dialogue", they added.
The annual security gathering in Munich brings together military elite from around the world and is seen as a barometer of transatlantic relations. It starts on Friday.
Wang will use his speech there to "elaborate on China's propositions on building a community with a shared future for mankind and advocating an equal and orderly multipolar world", the foreign ministry said.
READ ALSO: Beijing says Germany's new China strategy to result in 'risks'
Former Volkswagen Group CEO denies involvement in ‘Diesel Gate’
Former Wolkswagen CEO, Martin Winterkorn, appeared as a witness at the Braunschweig Higher Regional Court on Wednesday, and promptly denied involvement in the ‘diesel gate’ scandal.
"If I had been given a complete picture of the internal processes in the responsible departments, I would not have hesitated to tackle the processes directly and clarify them," Winterkorn testified. He said he was not involved in decisions regarding the development and use of software which famously cheated emissions regulations.
In September 2015, it came out that VW used hidden software in some of its vehicles to falsify the measured values of polluting emissions. These ensured that cars passed emissions tests, even though emissions limits were exceeded during road use.
Martin Winterkorn, former CEO of Google, testifies in Braunschweig. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Julian Stratenschulte
The carmaker estimated the "consequences of the diesel issue" cost the company around €32 billion. "I neither demanded nor promoted this function nor even tolerated its use," Winterkorn said in court.
READ ALSO: Five things you need to know about Germany's 'dieselgate' scandal
Meanwhile, VW is in the process of navigating another PR scandal over its operations in Xinjiang China.
On Wednesday, Handelsblatt reported that forced labourers could have been used in the construction of a test track belonging to a VW site in the town of Turpan in Xinjiang
Following in the footsteps of the chemical company BASF, Volkswagen says it is considering a reorganisation of its business in the Chinese region of Xinjiang.
German car supplier Continental to cut 7,150 posts worldwide
German auto supplier Continental said Wednesday it would cut some 7,150 posts worldwide by 2025 as the difficult switch to electric vehicles forces companies in the sector to retool.
The group, which makes tyres and supplies components, said in a statement it would shed 1,750 jobs in research and development, as well as eliminating some 5,400 posts as part of a previously announced cost-saving programme.
It would also lose around 5,400 posts as part of a previously announced cost-cutting programme aimed at saving the group €400 million by 2025. Continental, which currently employs around 200,000 people worldwide, announced the plan in November without putting a precise figure on the number of jobs that would go.
"We are aware of the impact on our employees and will do everything we can to find good, tailored solutions (for employees)," Continental's automotive chief Philipp von Hirschheydt said.
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Baerbock in Israel for the fifth time since the beginning of the Gaza war
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock was received in Israel on Wednesday for the fifth time since October 7th.
The Green politician has announced that she will once again raise the humanitarian situation of the civilian population in Gaza, and is calling for more aid deliveries. Baerbock has also called on Israel to provide safe corridors for civilians in Rafah.
"The distress in Rafah is already beyond belief. 1.3 million people are seeking protection from the fighting in the most limited of space. An offensive by the Israeli army on Rafah would be a humanitarian catastrophe," Baerbock wrote in a post on X on Saturday.
A meeting with Israel’s President Izchak Herzog is scheduled for Thursday.
Baerbock has previously emphasised Israel's right to self-defence against Hamas terror, but also that Israel had a duty to respect international humanitarian law.
She is expected at the Munich Security Conference this Friday. The Gaza war will also be one of the main topics there, along with the Russian war against Ukraine.
Greens cancel Ash Wednesday debate in Baden-Württemberg over security concerns
Federal Minister of Agriculture Cem Özdemir cited security concerns as the reason for cancelling a debate that was to take place in Biberbach in Baden-Württemberg.
Before the event was due to kick off, massive protests and blockades by farmers and others escalated in front of the town hall.
Green federal leaders such as Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann, Federal Chairwoman Ricarda Lang, and veteran Jürgen Trittin were all expected to participate in the event, but most of the guests did not make it into the hall.
READ ALSO: Tractors converge on Rome as farmers protest across Europe
Since the morning, farmers, among others, had protested and blocked roads. Police said they used pepper spray and batons to clear the way for two vehicles. A window was smashed on one vehicle.
Several officers were injured, according to police, and at least one person was arrested.
With aggressive mood at demonstrations in the vicinity of the event, the chairman of the Green district association Biberach, Michael Gross, justified the short-term cancellation of the political event on Ash Wednesday.
China's top diplomat to visit Germany
China's top diplomat Wang Yi will visit Germany for the Munich Security Conference then travel to Spain and France in the coming days, Beijing's foreign ministry said Thursday.
"From February 16th to 21st... Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi will attend the 60th Munich Security Conference where he will deliver a speech," a spokesperson said in a statement.
He will then visit Spain and France, where he will "hold the China-France Strategic Dialogue", they added.
The annual security gathering in Munich brings together military elite from around the world and is seen as a barometer of transatlantic relations. It starts on Friday.
Wang will use his speech there to "elaborate on China's propositions on building a community with a shared future for mankind and advocating an equal and orderly multipolar world", the foreign ministry said.
READ ALSO: Beijing says Germany's new China strategy to result in 'risks'
Former Volkswagen Group CEO denies involvement in ‘Diesel Gate’
Former Wolkswagen CEO, Martin Winterkorn, appeared as a witness at the Braunschweig Higher Regional Court on Wednesday, and promptly denied involvement in the ‘diesel gate’ scandal.
"If I had been given a complete picture of the internal processes in the responsible departments, I would not have hesitated to tackle the processes directly and clarify them," Winterkorn testified. He said he was not involved in decisions regarding the development and use of software which famously cheated emissions regulations.
In September 2015, it came out that VW used hidden software in some of its vehicles to falsify the measured values of polluting emissions. These ensured that cars passed emissions tests, even though emissions limits were exceeded during road use.
The carmaker estimated the "consequences of the diesel issue" cost the company around €32 billion. "I neither demanded nor promoted this function nor even tolerated its use," Winterkorn said in court.
READ ALSO: Five things you need to know about Germany's 'dieselgate' scandal
Meanwhile, VW is in the process of navigating another PR scandal over its operations in Xinjiang China.
On Wednesday, Handelsblatt reported that forced labourers could have been used in the construction of a test track belonging to a VW site in the town of Turpan in Xinjiang
Following in the footsteps of the chemical company BASF, Volkswagen says it is considering a reorganisation of its business in the Chinese region of Xinjiang.
German car supplier Continental to cut 7,150 posts worldwide
German auto supplier Continental said Wednesday it would cut some 7,150 posts worldwide by 2025 as the difficult switch to electric vehicles forces companies in the sector to retool.
The group, which makes tyres and supplies components, said in a statement it would shed 1,750 jobs in research and development, as well as eliminating some 5,400 posts as part of a previously announced cost-saving programme.
It would also lose around 5,400 posts as part of a previously announced cost-cutting programme aimed at saving the group €400 million by 2025. Continental, which currently employs around 200,000 people worldwide, announced the plan in November without putting a precise figure on the number of jobs that would go.
"We are aware of the impact on our employees and will do everything we can to find good, tailored solutions (for employees)," Continental's automotive chief Philipp von Hirschheydt said.
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