For years, doubts have grown about the international competitiveness of German industry. Take the photovoltaic sector, for example, where Germany had a lead but the real action has long since shifted to East Asia. Similarly, its famed automotive industry is fast losing ground, particularly compared to China.
Skip next section Iran's Revolutionary Guards reject Trump pressure over peace deal May 3, 2026 Iran's Revolutionary Guards reject Trump pressure over peace deal Iran's Revolutionary Guards warned US President Donald Trump that he faced a choice between an "impossible" military operation or a "bad deal" with the Islamic Republic.
The Iran war and resulting blockade of the Strait of Hormuz have focused minds on international shipping. Russian officials are promoting the Northern Sea Route (NSR), an Arctic sea lane running along their country's northern coast.
Austrian police detained a 39-year-old man in connection with an attempted blackmail case in which rat poison was placed in jars of baby food produced by the German brand HiPP, a spokeswoman for the Public Prosecutor's Office in Eisenstadt told Germany's DPA news agency on Saturday.
Two political allies of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum's party have resigned from their official posts, following a US indictment that has linked them to the Sinaloa cartel.
Relations between Ukraine and Israel have long been friendly and cooperative — that is, until a dispute over grain kicked off. It started with a Facebook post by Kateryna Yaresko, a journalist with the SeaKrime project, part of the Myrotvorets Center, an independent organization that investigates crimes against Ukraine’s national security.
Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te arrived in the African nation of Eswatini on Saturday, announcing the trip on social media. In a post on X, he said that he had arrived in Taiwan's only diplomatic ally in Africa to "affirm our longstanding friendship." "Taiwan will never be deterred by external pressures," Lai added.
Ukraine plans to raise military wages, improve contracts and implement a phased discharge system for long-serving personnel, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Friday. The reforms, set to begin in June, aim to address acute manpower shortages after more than four years of full-scale war with Russia. What reforms did Zelenskyy announce?
German Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil on Friday has defended Chancellor Friedrich Merz against criticism from the United States, pushing back at President Donald Trump. Klingbeil's remarks came after Trump hit back at Merz, government policy — and Germany — over the chancellor's assertion that Tehran had "humiliated" Washington. What did the German vice chancellor say?
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz gives a statement during his visit to the army at the Bundeswehr base in Munster, Germany, Thursday, April, 30, 2026.
Vehicles drive past a billboard with graphic showing Strait of Hormuz and sewn lips of U.S. President Donald Trump in a square in downtown Tehran, Iran, Saturday, May 2, 2026. Vahid Salemi/AP hide caption toggle caption Vahid Salemi/AP Iran has submitted a 14-point response to the U.S.
FILE - Taiwan President Lai Ching-te delivers a speech as he inspects Taiwanese reservists participating in reserve military training in Ilan County, Eastern Taiwan, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025.