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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
The Royal Thai Army is expected to add around 20 new Chinese-made VN-1 armoured vehicles to its existing fleet of more than 100. Photo: X
China's military weapons

Why Thailand, a US treaty ally, is stocking up on Chinese weapons

Bangkok’s recent purchases of Chinese military hardware include tanks, missiles and ships, while a submarine deal is back on track.

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Music

Former Scorpions bassist Francis Buchholz dies at 71

World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos

As Trump shakes world order, Western countries recalibrate approach to China

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China-EU relations

Germany’s Merz talked tough on reform. Will stark car slump force action?

Export slide matched by import upward swing comes amid divisive debate on how German industry can deal with China’s manufacturing prowess.

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German Chancellor Friedrich Merz speaks at the World Economic Forum in the Swiss town of Davos on Thursday. Photo: Xinhua
Hong Kong transport

Air travellers are being urged to ditch power banks. Here’s why

Hong Kong tour operator says it has asked its clients to bring charging cables instead.

European Union

Macroscope | Why Europe struggles to stand up to Trump

Despite being equipped with powerful tools in its economic arsenal, Brussels lacks the leverage needed to keep Washington in check.

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Science

Scientists plan deep-sea expedition to probe ‘dark oxygen’

The existence of a previously unknown source of oxygen would call into question long-held assumptions about the origins of life on Earth.

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Andrew Sweetman is seen in an undated image working with one of the new landers in Oban, Scotland. Photo: Scottish Association for Marine Science of AFP
Electric & new energy vehicles

Chinese EV makers’ outlook overseas improves as Europe levels the playing field

Europe’s 33 per cent EV sales growth outpaces the mainland in 2025, while Germany launches a US$3.5 billion subsidy programme.

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 considers sending small contingent of troops to Greenland

Canada’s Carney reviews role in Nato exercises as European allies push back against Trump’s threats to take Greenland.

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A Danish soldier during a shooting drill at an undisclosed location in Greenland. Photo: Danish Armed Forces via AFP
US-China relations

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

Political scientist Yan Xuetong predicts Beijing will be on ‘equal footing’ in strategic rivalry with Washington in the post-Trump era.

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China and the US have been working to keep the peace ahead of possible reciprocal visits by US President Donald Trump (left) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (right), shown here in Busan, South Korea, on October 30. Photo: AFP
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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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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US President Donald Trump at the White House on Friday. Photo: AP
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 | We are speeding towards a demography of loneliness

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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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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A Royal Danish Air Force plane carrying personnel in military fatigues after landing at Nuuk airport in Greenland. Photo: Reuters
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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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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Employees work on the assembly line of vehicles at a workshop of FAW-Volkswagen on December 9, 2025, in Chengdu in China’s Sichuan province. Photo: VCG via Getty Images
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.

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