Former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl died on Friday morning in his home in Ludwigshafen, the Christian Democratic Union party (CDU) announced. The mentor of current Chancellor Angela Merkel and architect of Germany's reunification was 87 years old.
Angela Merkel has said she sees no obstacles in the way of beginning Brexit talks as scheduled after Theresa May failed to win a majority in Thursday's UK election. The German chancellor said she believed Britain would stick to the timetable, adding the European Union was ready.
Germany and Argentina voiced hopes Thursday for a free trade agreement between the European Union and Mercosur as German Chancellor Angela Merkel visited Buenos Aires. In talks with Argentine President Mauricio Macri, Merkel discussed bilateral commerce and efforts to strike a deal with the Mercosur grouping of South American countries.
Germany's energy utilities look set to receive refunds of billions of euros after the government's tax on their use of nuclear fuel rods was declared illegal by the country's top court. Between 2011 and 2016, nuclear power operators made payments of more than 6bn euros to the government. The Constitutional Court has ruled the tax was unconstitutional and void.
Germany's top politicians have stepped up criticism of US President Donald Trump, a day after Chancellor Angela Merkel said the US and UK were no longer reliable partners. On Monday Mrs Merkel said it was right not to gloss over differences with the US, while her foreign minister said Mr. Trump's actions weakened the West.
Europe can no longer completely depend on the US and UK following the election of President Trump and Brexit, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said. Mrs. Merkel said she wanted friendly relations with both countries as well as Russia but Europe now had to fight for its own destiny.
France's new president, Emmanuel Macron, has called for a historic reconstruction of Europe, saying it is the only reaction to fight populism. Speaking in Berlin on the first full day of his presidency, he was joined by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who said the pair had a joint conviction that they needed to deepen the European Union.
Germany's Christian Democrats (CDU) have unseated the Social Democrats in a key state election, exit polls are indicating. Chancellor Angela Merkel's CDU is projected to win 34.5% of votes in North Rhine-Westphalia, compared with 30.5% for the Social Democrats (SPD). It was seen as a test for Mrs. Merkel ahead of September's general election.
German investigators suspect that a mole spied for Swiss intelligence from inside a government office which was trying to catch German tax dodgers. The allegations are part of the case against an alleged Swiss spy arrested in a Frankfurt hotel on Friday, 29 April, German media report. He is suspected of monitoring German tax investigators.
Recent tensions between the U.S. and other major economies over trade did not reemerge during Friday’s meeting of G20 finance ministers and central bank governors, fueling hopes global policy makers can avert an open dispute with the Trump administration over globalization, top German officials said.