Berlin: Germany‘s new top diplomat Johann Wadephul called on Saturday for “serious discussions for a ceasefire” in Gaza, where the humanitarian situation “is now unbearable”.Ahead of a visit to Israel, Wadephul said it was “imperative to start” talks “to free all hostages and to ensure that supplies reach the population of Gaza”, according to comments … Read more
European shares extended gains on Friday, with Germany’s DAX index closing at an all-time high, as signs of easing global trade war relieved investors as they looked ahead to discussions between the U.S. and China over the weekend. The pan-European STOXX 600 index ended 0.4% higher. Frankfurt’s DAX index climbed 0.6% and was up 1.7% … Read more
Two decades ago, before Friedrich Merz came back from the private sector to win the German chancellorship, he accepted an invitation to a gathering of the French Foreign Legion in Corsica. At the last moment, the organizers asked him to arrive on the parade ground not by road or rail, but by parachute. Mr. Merz, … Read more
From Brussels to Berlin, leaders across Europe are getting ready to spend hundreds of billions to rebuild their armies. The spending, they say, is necessary to prepare Europe for the dangers of a world where the United States no longer guarantees its security. But many of them are also hoping that the surge of money … Read more
The president of Germany’s central bank, which on Tuesday reported an annual loss for the first time in more than 40 years, said that Germany faced another year of economic stagnation, more gloomy news for a country that is struggling to grow. “It is not possible to rule out a third year consecutive calendar year … Read more
When Vice President JD Vance criticized his German hosts last week for sidelining far-right parties, he did not mention by name the Alternative for Germany, known as the AfD. But soon after his speech at the Munich Security Conference, in which he stunned the room by comparing democracy in today’s Europe to Soviet-era totalitarianism, Mr. … Read more
Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany on Saturday accused Vice President JD Vance of unacceptably interfering in his country’s imminent elections on behalf of a party that has played down the atrocities committed by the Nazis 80 years ago. A day after Mr. Vance stunned the Munich Security Conference by telling German leaders to drop their … Read more
Several people were injured when a car crashed into a union demonstration in Munich on Thursday, and the driver was taken into custody, the police said. The police have not said whether the crash, which took place a few hundred yards north of the city’s central police station, was an accident or a deliberate attack. … Read more
When I crossed a bridge spanning the Rhine last year, a checkpoint blocked the route between France and Germany, on the Pont de l’Europe. Borders are closing in Europe, for reasons ranging from “ongoing crises in Eastern Europe and the Middle East” to “increasing migratory pressures and the risk of terrorist infiltration.” France cites “threats … Read more
Syria’s new leaders are set to meet the French and German foreign ministers in the capital, Damascus, on Friday in one of the highest-level Western diplomatic visits since the fall of President Bashar al-Assad last month. Annalena Baerbock, Germany’s top diplomat, and Jean-Noël Barrot, the French foreign minister, arrived in Damascus for the first such … Read more