EU lawmakers are set to vote on Wednesday whether to refer the European Union’s free trade agreement with Mercosur—comprising Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay—to the EU Court of Justice. A legal challenge by 144 lawmakers could delay the deal by up to two years and potentially block its implementation. The agreement, the EU’s largest-ever trade […]
Germany has returned two small fragments of the Bayeux Tapestry to France, more than eight decades after they were taken during the Nazi occupation in 1941. The pieces of unembroidered linen were discovered in the state archives of Schleswig-Holstein in northern Germany, where historians were reviewing the collection of German textile expert Karl Schlabow, who […]
Germany’s finance minister Lars Klingbeil has called for a new era of “European patriotism” to protect the continent’s economic interests amid rising global tensions. Speaking at a lecture in Berlin, Klingbeil proposed that companies receiving state aid should be required to keep jobs within Europe and that public procurement policies should prioritise goods produced in
Germany’s Social Democratic Party (SPD) has proposed sweeping changes to inheritance tax rules, setting up a fresh dispute with its conservative coalition partner. The reforms aim to make the system fairer by increasing taxes on large estates while easing the burden on smaller inheritances, just as the government faces several important regional elections this year. […]
Thieves have stolen an estimated €30 million in cash and valuables after drilling into a vault at a Sparkasse savings bank branch in the western German city of Gelsenkirchen, police said. The break-in, described by investigators as highly professional and reminiscent of a Hollywood-style heist, involved the use of a large drill to access the […]
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has called on Europe to assert its interests more forcefully to safeguard peace and prosperity in 2026, warning of mounting threats from Russian aggression, global protectionism and shifting relations with the United States. Speaking in his New Year’s address, Merz said the war in Ukraine posed a direct threat to Europe’s […]
The European Union, along with France and Germany, strongly condemned U.S. visa bans on five European citizens, including former EU commissioner Thierry Breton, who have been involved in combating online hate and disinformation. Washington accused them of censoring free speech and imposing undue restrictions on U.S. tech companies, a move that European officials described
Tesla has announced fresh investments to scale up battery cell production at its Gigafactory in Gruenheide near Berlin, aiming to produce up to 8 gigawatt hours of battery cells annually from 2027. The U.S. electric vehicle maker said it will invest an additional three-digit million euro amount, taking total investment in the local battery cell […]
The European Commission is poised to ease its 2035 ban on new combustion-engine cars, allowing up to 10% of sales to include non-electric options like plug-in hybrids and range extenders using CO2-neutral biofuels or synthetic fuels. This reversal follows intense lobbying from Germany, Italy, and Europe’s auto sector, including giants like BMW, Mercedes-Benz,
Germany has accused Russia of carrying out a cyber-attack on its air traffic control systems and attempting to interfere in the country’s federal elections, prompting Berlin to summon the Russian ambassador. A German foreign ministry spokesman said Russian military intelligence was responsible for hacking office communications at Germany’s air navigation service provider









