Franco-German relations are in a poor state. That is how it seems while reading the reports of recent months on the meetings between German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and French President Emmanuel Macron. On topics such as nuclear power and ground troops in Ukraine, their views diverged widely. What’s more, Germans and French are less […]
Religion plays a major role in André Ventura’s life. As a teenager, he attended a Catholic seminary. Inflicting pain on himself with a penance belt was part of his spiritual experience. Although he left the seminary to become a lawyer and later a politician, his relationship with politics is still tinged with religion. The leader […]
Jochen Schultz first traveled to China as a tourist around 18 years ago. He had no idea that the country would one day play such an important role in his life, although the ultra-modern cities, the people and, of course, the food left a lasting impression on him even then. The fact that the Swabian, […]
Always in the center, that’s how Jeromin Zettelmeyer describes his career. In the center between research and politics. The top economist worked for a long time at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), several years at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and was Chief Economist at the German Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy […]
The US vice president has chosen her preferred vice president. Kamala Harris, the US Democratic presidential candidate, wants to campaign against Donald Trump with Tim Walz by her side. The governor of the state of Minnesota could appeal to white working-class voters in key swing states who have supported Trump in recent years. The 60-year-old Walz […]
Hu Xijin, the verbose former editor-in-chief of the state-run newspaper Global Times, has disappeared. He has not posted on social media for over a week. Normally, the journalist known for his nationalistic tones spouts his mostly pro-Beijing opinions to the world on WeChat, Weibo or X every day.However, according to Bloomberg, Hu apparently went too […]
Zheng Qinwen 郑钦文 became the first Chinese woman to win Olympic gold in tennis singles. As surprising as this tournament victory was, the 21-year-old earned it. Zheng put an end to Angelique Kerber’s career in the quarter-finals. In the semi-finals, she knocked out the top favorite Iga Świątek before the crowning glory followed in the […]
In a world of trained lawyers, economists and political scientists, Andreas Baler’s background stands out. Before he went into politics, he was a shift worker. “I got up at five in the morning and worked on the filling machine in a mineral water factory”, he says. Last year, he was surprisingly elected leader of the […]
“Hey, I’m here!” – This was the motto of Stefan Lock’s first few weeks as the new head of the EU Commission’s regional representation in Bonn. At the beginning of April, he took over from Jochen Pöttgen, who had been transferred to Brussels. After a number of temporary appointments, the oldest regional EU office is […]
Yu Xinyan grew up in one of the last enclaves of the socialist planned economy. It was the 1990s and Yu’s parents worked in the factory of one of the large state-owned steel companies in Wuhan. Their “dānwèi” (单位) was more than just a workplace: The state provided the workers with housing, childcare and recreational […]