TOPIC

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Germany

The latest news, analysis and opinion on Germany. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.

Capital

Berlin

Head of State

President Frank-Walter Steinmeier

Head of Government

Chancellor Olaf Scholz

last updated:

29 November, 2024

Austria

Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer to quit as coalition talks collapse

Collapse underlines difficulty of forming governments in European countries where far-right on rise but parties refuse to partner with them.

5 Jan 2025 - 6:33AM

Elon Musk

‘Starmer must go’: Elon Musk turns his gaze on Europe’s far-right politics

4 Jan 2025 - 11:35AMvideocam

Education

German school introduces US$5 fine for latecomers. And it’s working

3 Jan 2025 - 10:20AM

Middle East

Iran to hold nuclear talks with France, Britain and Germany on January 13

The 3 European nations had accused Iran of growing its stockpile of high-enriched uranium to ‘unprecedented levels’.

2 Jan 2025 - 12:35AMvideocam

Britain

Opinion | Britain’s pivot towards Beijing is an economic imperative

Britain desperately needs China’s help to revive its economy, but London risks trading Brussels for Beijing as the overseer of its fortunes.

1 Jan 2025 - 8:08AMvideocam

Crime

Man goes on rampage with excavator in Germany before being shot dead by police

Meanwhile, two people were hurt by a knife-wielding man in Berlin, with the country still reeling from a deadly car attack in Magdeburg.

1 Jan 2025 - 10:28AM

Crime in Hong Kong

3 arrested after 30kg of ketamine seized at Hong Kong airport

Three Hong Kong passengers had flown from Frankfurt in Germany and were detained in two separate drug trafficking cases.

29 Dec 2024 - 11:48PM

In the first of two cases, officers at Hong Kong airport found 15 bags of suspected ketamine in a male passenger’s luggage. Photo: Handout

Elon Musk

Elon Musk backs right-wing AfD party in German newspaper opinion piece

Soon after article was published online, editor of the opinion section said she had submitted her resignation, with a link to the commentary.

29 Dec 2024 - 7:34AM

Olaf Scholz

Germany set for February 23 snap election after president dissolves parliament

Election campaigning has begun in earnest, with conservatives having a comfortable lead of more than 10 points over the SPD.

27 Dec 2024 - 6:54PM

China-EU relations

How friendly will Europe’s right wing be to Trump on China? It’s complicated

Leaders like Viktor Orban of Hungary and Giorgia Meloni of Italy embrace US president-elect but may not hold with his entire agenda.

24 Dec 2024 - 11:45PMvideocam

Robotics

China’s industrial robot sales shrink on ‘tightening demand’

Total industrial robot deliveries this year are estimated to reach 300,000 units, down 5 per cent from 2023.

23 Dec 2024 - 6:30PM

China had 470 robots per 10,000 employees in 2023, up from 402 units a year earlier. Photo: Shutterstock

Crime

Saudi suspect in German Christmas market attack held on multiple murder charges

Officials say Taleb al-Abdulmohsen, a doctor, was angry about country’s permissive attitude to refugees from other mainly Muslim countries.

23 Dec 2024 - 3:16AM

France

France’s most powerful nuclear reactor comes on stream after 12-year delay

The delay arose from technical setbacks that saw the cost of the project balloon four times from the original estimate.

21 Dec 2024 - 8:40PMvideocam

Thailand

Thai court delivers death penalty, life sentences for German man’s murder

A Thai of Pakistani descent received the death sentence while two Germans were sentenced to life imprisonment.

21 Dec 2024 - 5:24PMvideocam

Night scene of a red light district in south Pattaya in Chonburi province. A Thai man was sentenced to death and two Germans received life imprisonments, for the murder of a German property agent near the resort town of Pattaya. Photo: AP

Beauty

Manila pageant school that’s like boot camp for world’s beauty queens

One of the world’s leading pageant schools, in the Philippines, puts willing contestants from around the world through a total body workout.

21 Dec 2024 - 1:15PMvideocam

Rodgil Flores (right) shows his students a pose. Photo: dpa/picture alliance via Getty Images

Christmas

Germany’s Scholz mourns 5 killed, hundreds hurt in Christmas market attack

Police said the vehicle drove at least 400 metres across the venue, leaving a trail of bloody carnage.

21 Dec 2024 - 8:39PM

United States

Elon Musk gives nod to German far-right party as election looms

The billionaire says the AfD party ‘can save Germany’. He has already expressed support for other anti-immigration parties across Europe.

20 Dec 2024 - 7:54PMvideocam

Music

How Gen Z, Tinder and Spotify are disrupting clubbing capital’s rhythm

Berlin’s nightlife scene is under threat, with the number of clubs dropping by almost half in 10 years and many more considering closing.

19 Dec 2024 - 7:15PM

A DJ plays at Re:mise in Berlin, Germany. Home to legendary clubs such as Tresor and Berghain, the German capital has long been a destination for nightlife lovers. Photo: DPA/Picture Alliance via Getty Images

United States

Opinion | Why a Trump economic boom is much less likely this time around

Trump is once again inheriting a strong US economy but the world is more volatile, and US debt and interest rates are much higher.

17 Dec 2024 - 8:30PMvideocam

Responsible travel

Half as fast as Beijing-Shanghai, Paris-Berlin high-speed trains launch

Direct daytime high-speed trains link French and German capitals, but journey time nearly twice that of Beijing to Shanghai, a longer trip.

17 Dec 2024 - 3:32PM

Olaf Scholz

Germany heads for early elections after Scholz loses confidence vote

Olaf Scholz remains interim chancellor as Europe’s biggest economy on the path to elections on February 23.

17 Dec 2024 - 8:55AM

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz bites his finger, on the day of a confidence vote called by him to pave way for snap election. Photo: Reuters

Singapore

Allianz withdraws offer to acquire Singapore’s Income Insurance

The decision comes after public outcry and government scrutiny over the importance of balancing commercial interests with social responsibility.

16 Dec 2024 - 6:39PM

Allianz is a German multinational financial services company and the largest insurance company in the world. Photo: Shutterstock

United States

Ex-US House speaker Pelosi has hip replacement surgery in Germany after fall

The senior lawmaker is ‘well on the mend’ after tripping at an event in Luxembourg and fracturing her hip.

15 Dec 2024 - 3:48AM

Electric & new energy vehicles

Chinese EV maker Nio takes aim at BMW, Audi with new luxury sedan

The ET9, which Nio expects to start delivering in March, is priced at 800,000 yuan (US$110,080) in presale.

13 Dec 2024 - 6:00AM

Hong Kong Squash Open

‘Greatest stage’: US star Olivia Weaver backs squash to thrive at LA Olympics

World No 4, one of several academically inclined players at the world team championships, set to return from injury for Malaysia semi-final.

12 Dec 2024 - 11:34PM

Olivia Weaver (right) is set to return to action after recovering from the back injury she suffered in her Hong Kong Squash Open semi-final match against Nour El Sherbini. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Trade

Macroscope | Could Trump be a catalyst for the reforms China and Germany need?

As Beijing and Berlin face pressure to stimulate their economies, challenges posed by Trump’s approach could prompt much-needed policy changes.

12 Dec 2024 - 8:30PMvideocam

An image of US president-elect Donald Trump is displayed as traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on November 26. Photo: AFP

Food and Drinks

Women-only cafe in Germany a ‘place of retreat’, says teenage owner

18-year-old Sumeja Zumberi’s cafe Baresha offers women in Bremen, many from countries where sexes meet separately, a rare space of their own.

12 Dec 2024 - 12:45PM

United States

US hotels welcome Indian tourist boom as East Asian demand falters

This comes amid fewer visitors from China, Japan and South Korea as demand from East Asian nations remains lower than pre-pandemic levels.

12 Dec 2024 - 12:31AMvideocam

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