Advertisement
Advertisement
TOPIC
 / people

Friedrich Merz

Friedrich Merz
Friedrich Merz was elected German chancellor in May 2025, becoming the country’s 10th chancellor since World War II.
Ships and boats in the Strait of Hormuz. Photo: Reuters
US, Israel war on Iran

Glimmer of hope in Hormuz Strait, fragile ceasefire holds: what happened overnight

US President Donald Trump has offered some help to commercial shipping and competing plans for peace are said to be on the table.

videocam
Germany

German chancellor plays down row with Trump in fallout from US troop withdrawal

2026 Trump-Xi summit

China trip will go ahead as planned – and it will be amazing, Trump insists

videocam
19
Germany

Trump-EU rift spurs Germany to boost military, add 75,000 soldiers

The German defence minister said the US withdrawal of 5,000 troops from Germany was expected, spurring Europe to improve its defences against Russia.

8
An AH-64 Apache attack helicopter stands in front of a Galaxy C-5 transport plane at the US Air Base in Ramstein, western Germany, in 2017. Photo: AFP
United States

US to withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany, fulfilling Trump threat

The move comes after German Chancellor Merz said the US was being ‘humiliated’ by Iran’s leadership.

8
Iran

Iran ‘dying to make a deal’, US war costs soar: here’s what happened overnight

US President Donald Trump says only a few people know the status of talks with Tehran as war enters its third month.

videocam
9
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
US, Israel war on Iran

Trump, Putin talk Iran and Ukraine, US energy exports up: what happened overnight

The two conflicts could end on a ‘similar timetable’ US President Donald Trump has said.

videocam
While the world remains mired in a fuel crisis with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the US is expanding its energy footprint abroad. Photo: Reuters
US, Israel war on Iran

Trump may cut US troops in Germany after ‘humiliating’ Iran comment

The German chancellor has drawn the US president’s ire with his remarks about Tehran besting Washington at the negotiating table.

US, Israel war on Iran

‘Wartime’ in Iran and Trump’s extended blockade: here’s what happened overnight

As the US president hit out at Germany’s chancellor, Iran said it did not consider the war to be over, while the UAE pulled out of Opec.

videocam
European Union

Germany’s Merz says no ‘immediate’ Ukraine EU membership

There is little appetite to fast track Kyiv to full membership in the EU – causing some to pitch possible interim benefits in the meantime.

videocam
Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz (middle) shakes hands with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky ahead of an informal meeting of the European Council, in Ayia Napa on Thursday. Photo: AFP
US, Israel war on Iran

Iran’s exiled crown prince splashed with red substance in Berlin

Reza Pahlavi targeted while leaving a press conference where he said diplomacy with Iran ‘has been given enough chance’.

7
Reza Pahlavi after he was splattered with that appears to be tomato juice or sauce. Photo: dpa
US, Israel war on Iran

Iran war: France and UK to lead ‘defensive’ force for Strait of Hormuz

Trump, meanwhile, says he received a Nato offer to help secure the key waterway but told the alliance to ‘STAY AWAY’.

US, Israel war on Iran

Europe tests ‘third way’ on Hormuz without the US, Israel and Iran. Will it work?

Coalition of more than 30 nations to meet in Paris for a summit to find a ‘credible proposal’ to restore shipping through the strait.

videocam
11
China-EU relations

Exclusive | EU to cut funding for Chinese inverters amid change of tack towards Beijing

Without fanfare, Brussels will stop funding for projects that use the Chinese-made devices as part of a ‘do more, say less’ strategy.

videocam
12
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Photo: Reuters
China-EU relations

China sidelined: EU shelves rare debate as Middle East crisis takes priority

Delay risks entrenching a policy vacuum as member states diverge and Brussels struggles to evolve its approach.

videocam
11
The meeting led by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen would have been the first dedicated China debate held under the EU’s new “security college” format. Photo: Reuters
US, Israel war on Iran

‘Damage control’? Behind France, Germany’s bid to contain Iran war oil fallout

The European powers are leading calls for de-escalation but analyst notes ‘the age of soft power as a substitute for hard capacity is over’.

videocam
11
China-EU relations

Europe’s crisis tourism: how the Iran war swallowed the EU’s geopolitical agenda

From trade with China to the Middle East conflict and resulting energy shock, Brussels’ agenda has been repeatedly knocked off course.

videocam
14
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
China-EU relations

Merz floats EU-China deal, Trump’s new Beijing date, European lawmakers visit

This week: Germany’s Friedrich Merz envisages an eventual China-EU trade deal, new date set for Trump’s China trip and fuel prices surge amid war on Iran. Next week: European parliament sends first delegation to China in eight years, solar export subsidies end, Air China resumes North Korea flights, and more.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (right) visited Unitree’s headquarters in Hangzhou last month. (Photo: EPA)
China-Germany relations

Germany’s Merz floats EU-China trade deal as European capitals soften on Beijing

Remarks urging ‘strategic partnerships around the world’ underscore how tensions with the US are inducing a more accommodating stance.

videocam
4
US, Israel war on Iran

Trump calls Nato ‘cowards’ over lack of support in Iran war, sends more troops

Iran is threatening tourist sites worldwide, renewing fears that Tehran could resort to militant attacks beyond the Middle East.

videocam
13
Ukraine war

EU leaders clash with Hungary’s Orban for blocking Ukraine loan

A vital US$103 billion lifeline is being held up by Budapest over a dispute involving a war-damaged oil pipeline.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Brussels, Belgium on Thursday. Photo: Reuters
US, Israel war on Iran

Europe says no to Trump’s Iran demands: ‘not our war’

Some of the closest US allies say they don’t want to enter a conflict on which they were given no say ⁠and where they cannot see the endgame.

videocam
23
People hold a banner with an image of US President Donald Trump during an anti-war protest in Malaga, Spain, on March 7. Photo: Reuters
China-EU relations

Exclusive | Chinese military set for EU and Nato talks as Iran war reshapes global security

The PLA delegation will travel to Brussels next week, where the Ukraine war remains a major barrier to better relations with Beijing.

videocam
China-EU relations

Tariffs and distrust: EU’s bid to ditch China hits capacity problems

‘Thinly spread’ bloc seeks this week to thrash out memorandum on critical minerals with the US, eyeing a more formal instrument down the road.

videocam
10
China-EU relations

Get realpolitik? Von der Leyen questions Europe’s faith in rules-based order

The EU must become more realistic and interest-driven to keep up with the new world order, bloc chief says.

videocam
40
Preparations are already under way for a “European Security Strategy”, an approach that will be the cornerstone of Ursula von der Leyen’s vision. Photo: Reuters
China-EU relations

Weaponise EU market against China or face manufacturing collapse: official think tank

Beijing’s ‘weakness creates opportunities’ for bloc to use chokepoints and leverage for negotiations, researchers say.

videocam
30
Container ships are seen at Qingdao port in eastern China. Europe remains the last reasonably open advanced market where China can sell industrial and hi-tech goods. Photo: AFP
China-EU relations

From rivals to partners, China and Europe are retooling ties, adviser says

A succession of leaders have beaten a path to Beijing with pragmatic cooperation in mind, according to former ambassador Wu Ken.

videocam
14
China-Germany relations

Opinion | Merz’s China visit shows pragmatic diplomacy still matters

The German chancellor’s trip to Beijing suggests that Europe can de-risk from China while still pursuing mutually beneficial cooperation.

videocam
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.
SUPPORT NOW
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement