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Germany

Yesterday

President Donald Trump arrives to play golf at his course in Florida.

Trump warns EU companies to comply with his DEI ban

The move signals a push by the American president to widen his ideological campaign abroad.

This Month

Mark Carney

Carney says US no longer a reliable trade partner

The Canadian prime minister has vowed there will be a “renegotiation” of the two allies’ trade agreement in the face of Donald Trump’s hostility.

A US Air Force fighter aircraft F-35 takes off in Bangalore during India’s air show.

Allies rethink F-35 fighter jets over Trump’s ‘kill switch’

Some of America’s allies are considering dumping plans to buy the $127 million US plane, as the president upends traditional military alliances.

Bill Pallot in 2016. The expert on 18th-century French furniture admitted that he and his co-accused, Bruno Desnoues, had forged the chairs from scratch.

Tax inspectors busted art expert’s $7.7m forgery scam

Bill Pallot, an expert on 18th-century French furniture, is accused of running a counterfeit operation between 2008 and 2015.

A worker at Accell’s  e-bike assembly line at a plant in Toszeg, Hungary.

Is KKR’s bad bet on cycling the start of Europe’s private equity reckoning?

As one of the first pandemic era purchases to go into a full restructuring, Accell may be the canary in the European coal mine for a crop of PE deals struck at high valuations.

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Palestinians inspect the rubble of a structure hit by an Israeli bombardment in Deir al-Balah, Gaza, at the weekend.

Israeli airstrike kills Hamas political leader in southern Gaza

Pro-Hamas media said the airstrike killed Salah al-Bardaweel, a member of the group’s political office, and also his wife.

Far-right populist Steve Bannon is clashing with billionaire Elon Musk.

‘Parasitic illegal immigrant’: The Musk v Bannon feud fires up

Donald Trump has made clear he wants to keep both men and their allies within his MAGA movement, but the tensions are growing.

A float at a parade mocks Elon Musk and his support for Germany’s far-right party in Dusseldorf.

‘Stay away from the EU’: Tesla sales plummet on Musk anger

February numbers show the US electric-car maker is struggling to attract buyers across Europe – and the billionaire’s politics are partly to blame.

Police stand next to a damaged car, possibly the car used by the assailant who drove a car into pedestrians at Mannheim in western Germany.

One dead after driver rams car into crowd in Germany

German police say a driver drove into a group of people in Paradeplatz, a pedestrianised street in Mannheim, killing one person.

February

Cole Palmer of Chelsea in action against Southampton at Stamford Bridge this week.

European football club takeovers halve in a year

Just 23 clubs in Europe changed hands in 2024, according to figures from governing body UEFA, a steep drop from the 44 that were sold in 2023, and 48 in 2022.

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Trump-Macron bromance; Musk rattles markets; Frequent flyer changes

Read everything that’s happened in the news so far today.

Friedrich Merz is under pressure to move quickly on defence.

Germany eyes $330b emergency defence fund to counter Russia

New chancellor Friedrich Merz is looking to free up resources to beef up Germany’s dilapidated military to counter Russian aggression.

Cutting waste from the public service is the only one of Donald Trump’s policies that a majority of respondents would like to see in Australia.

Chalmers straps in for trip to Trump World

The treasurer’s visit to Washington this week shows the difficulties of navigating the risks and presidential whims dominating any interaction with the Trump White House.

Friedrich Merz, front right, leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), gestures while addressing supporters at the party headquarters in Berlin.

German election winner Merz vows ‘independence from US’

In blunt remarks after his victory, the chancellor-in-waiting criticised the “ultimately outrageous” comments flowing from Washington during the campaign.

Christian Democratic Union leader Friedrich Merz is set to become the next German chancellor.

Germany’s new leader may face Trump with one hand tied behind his back

Friedrich Merz faces urgent economic and geopolitical crises. But to form a coalition he needs to turn foes into friends – and that will make it hard to govern.

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German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said violating borders would be a breach of Western values.

Scholz promised stability, but Germany got chaos instead

The deeper rot in German governance will require more fundamental reforms than any coalition is likely to deliver.

Vance meets German far-right leader amid election interference claims

The pair met after the US vice president controversially endorsed the AfD as a political partner ahead of Germany’s poll later this month.

January

Elon Musk on screen at the rally.

Musk praises ‘German values’ at far-right rally

The tech billionaire made a surprise appearance during an AfD rally, speaking in support of the far-right party for the second time in as many weeks.

Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares, left, and Thierry Kostkas, CEO of Citroen, beside a Citroen C5 Aircross Concept at the Paris Motor Show late last year.

European carmakers braced for tough 2025 despite ‘firework’ of launches

The return of EV sales growth this year will also come with the high costs of meeting tougher emissions rules and more discounts as consumers seek affordable cars.

German populists turn heads with fake air tickets for illegal migrants

Alternative for Germany, the Elon-Musk-backed party pushing for second place at next month’s election, says ‘only deportations can save Germany’.

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/topic/germany-9zg