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Germany
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Germany

Germany
Germany
The latest breaking news and stories on Germany, a country in northern Europe known as a federal republic, and the world’s fourth largest economy. Also covering Germany’s relationship with China and Europe, plus commentary and updates on Germany’s economy, politics, society and social issues.
Capital
Berlin
Head of State
President Frank-Walter Steinmeier
Head of Government
Chancellor Olaf Scholz
Olaf Scholz
BYD’s plant in Zhengzhou, central China’s Henan province. Photo: Xinhua
Electric & new energy vehicles

Chinese automotive suppliers speed up localisation to boost global market share

International carmakers’ orders from Chinese vendors are an endorsement of the quality and competitiveness of their products, analyst says.

Canada

Canada could send small contingent of troops to Greenland for Nato exercises

US-China relations

How narrowing China-US gap could reshape global power play by 2035

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Greenland

Punch back or punching bag? EU weighs response to Trump Greenland tariff threat

Bloc has been reluctant to act on his various punitive moves, but many now believe that a threshold has been crossed, analysts say.

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Several national leaders in Europe have come out against US President Donald Trump’s push to acquire Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory. Photo: Reuters
Greenland

Europe prepares retaliation over Trump’s Greenland ultimatum

Eight European countries consider US$108 billion retaliation and ‘anti-coercion’ tools after Trump vows tariffs on Europe over Arctic island.

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Donald Trump

A ‘Trump UN’ with US$1 billion entry? Nations cautious on Board of Peace plan

US president invites 60 nations to join his ‘Board of Peace’, with permanent membership available for states that pay US$1 billion.

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Timepieces

Horology’s most storied addresses: watch museums, workshops and archives

These locales, from museums to brands’ own premises, are hallowed grounds for watch fans, giving them insights and a peek into timekeeping history.

A fresco at the Musée International d’Horlogerie in Switzerland. Photo: Handout
Israel-Gaza war

Israel objects to composition of Trump-led Gaza ‘board of peace’

PM Netanyahu says the unveiling of the board was not coordinated with Israel and contradicted his government’s policy.

Donald Trump

Trump hits 8 Nato allies with tariffs to force Greenland sale

The duties will start at 10 per cent in February and go up to 25 per cent in June if no deal is reached for the US to buy the island.

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China society

Outside In | Plight of Hebei’s freezing elderly shows urgent need for pension reform

The swarming sociability of family life is fading as one-person households and lonely deaths rise. Coping with loneliness is now a life skill.

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Around the world, more people are growing up as only children; marrying late, if at all; having children late, if at all; and living alone in old age. Photo: Shutterstock
Science

Could China’s Yaogan-47 satellite have a lens as wide as the Hubble Telescope?

Chinese satellite will be used for national land surveys, urban planning, environmental management and comprehensive disaster prevention.

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The Yaogan-47 satellite was launched aboard a Long March 4B carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre on December 9. Photo: Xinhua
Japan

Japan’s next-generation fighter jet project gets boost as European rival stalls

Germany, France and Spain have put their project on hold, prompting speculation that some may turn to the Japan-UK-Italy programme.

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Greenland

Europeans send military personnel to Greenland in message to Trump

Initial deployments are small, but Denmark is planning a ‘larger, more permanent’ Nato presence.

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Hong Kong

Legal Tales | Time to end bid-rigging in Hong Kong with criminalisation, tougher enforcement

In the wake of the Tai Po fire, an all-too-common practice in building management and maintenance comes under the spotlight – and must be redressed.

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The catastrophic blaze at Tai Po’s Wang Fuk Court has exposed widespread bid-rigging in Hong Kong’s building management and maintenance industry. Photo: Sam Tsang
India

Germany’s Merz backs India-EU trade deal during first official visit to Asia

The German chancellor and India’s Modi have signed agreements aimed at boosting bilateral trade and enhancing defence cooperation.

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German Chancellor Friedrich Merz arrives for an appointment on Monday as part of his state visit to India. Photo: dpa
Iran

Iran hits back as Germany’s chancellor says leadership facing ‘final days’

Germany’s Friedrich Merz warns that a government relying on violence is ‘effectively finished’.

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China-EU relations

Opinion | EU-China ties are stuck between interdependence and rivalry

To break the pattern of trade escalations with Beijing, Brussels must move beyond tariffs and invest in its own competitiveness.

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South Korea

South Koreans see joy in parenthood but fear economic strain

While 74 per cent see joy in children, 92 per cent say economic burdens impact family planning – a factor in South Korea’s record-low birth rate.

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South Koreans view parenthood as a source of joy, but widespread anxiety about financial burdens highlights a critical tension underlying the country’s low fertility rate and persistent economic worries. Photo: Shutterstock
Israel-Gaza war

Hamas says will dissolve its Gaza government when Palestinian body takes over

Militant group agrees to cede power to technocratic committee under Trump-brokered plan, but silence remains over disarmament.

India

India’s Modi to host German leader to bolster trade, defence ties

Merz’s visit is his first to an Asian country since he took office, ahead of a planned EU-India summit and as they work on a free-trade agreement.

Greenland

Britain in talks with Nato allies over Arctic security as US eyes Greenland

UK minister says talks on the Arctic ‘business as usual’, while Trump posits having Greenland ‘one way or the other’.

Donald Trump has said that he would like to make a deal to acquire Greenland, a semiautonomous region of Nato ally Denmark. Photo: Reuters
Britain

1 dead in UK, 100,000 French homes without power as storms batter Europe

The man died on Friday after a tree fell onto a caravan in Cornwall, while some rail services in Germany remain affected by the storms.

A fallen tree is cleared from a road in St Stephen, Cornwall, England, on Friday as Storm Goretti continues to batter the United Kingdom. Photo: PA via AP
Taiwan

Taiwan to fortify key facilities and ramp up ammunition output to ward off PLA

Senior official says the island must be ready for drones and new grey-zone tactics as Trump fuels doubts about US commitment.

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Crime

Online predator ‘White Tiger’ on trial in Germany over crimes against children

Shahriar J is accused of driving a trans teen in the US to suicide, and of encouraging kids to make porn that he then used to exploit them.

European Union

EU agrees to ‘world’s largest’ free-trade zone with Mercosur pact after 25 years

The EU sealed the historic deal with Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay to form a 700 million strong bloc, defying fierce farmer opposition.

EU flags waving in front of the European Parliament building in Brussels, Belgium. Photo: Shutterstock
Artificial intelligence

Chinese robot vacuum maker Dreame sees AI-driven appliances run household chores

The firm’s ambition is to become a ‘world-class technology company’, global president Chang Xinwei says.

People at the CES trade show watch Dreame’s prototype Cyber X robot vacuum cleaner, the first such product designed to climb up and down an entire flight of stairs and handle multilevel cleaning. Photo: AFP
Donald Trump

Trump plots to buy Greenland, as Nato ally Denmark seethes

The US president has repeatedly refused to rule out using force to seize the Arctic island, but his team says the first option is diplomacy.

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Ukraine war

Ukraine’s allies agree to ‘robust’ security guarantees in push to end war

UK and France could deploy troops on Ukrainian territory after a ceasefire, but a big question mark hangs over Russia’s response.

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