Europe is marking one of its most joyous days in history.

Friedrich Merz has plunged straight into international crises on his first full day as Germany’s new chancellor.

Friedrich Merz’s unprecedented failure to win election as German chancellor in the first round of voting in parliament has raised doubts about his new government’s ability to carry through on plans to push Europe’s largest economy out of stagnation.

Conservative leader Friedrich Merz succeeded in becoming Germany’s next chancellor.

Germany’s foreign ministry has hit back at U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio after he criticized the decision to classify the Alternative for Germany party as a “right-wing extremist” organization.

Germany’s center-left Social Democrats have voted to approve a coalition agreement.

Russia claims that its deadly missile attack on Ukraine’s city of Sumy that killed and wounded scores on Sunday had targeted a gathering of Ukrainian troops.

Leading think tanks say that Germany’s economy is likely to be more or less stagnant in 2025 after shrinking for two years and the impact of U.S. tariffs could weigh down an already unimpressive showing.

Friedrich Merz has been elected as Germany's 10th post-World War II chancellor, the culmination of a long political career that was once sidelined by his party’s iconic leader, Angela Merkel.

German election winner Friedrich Merz has sealed a deal to form a new government that aims to spur economic growth, ramp up defense spending, take a tougher approach to migration and catch up on long-neglected modernization.

Germany’s would-be next chancellor, Friedrich Merz, won lawmakers’ approval Tuesday for ambitious plans to loosen the nation’s strict debt rules for higher defense spending as doubts mount about the strength of the trans-Atlantic alliance, and to set up an enormous fund for investment in its creaking infrastructure.

Canada’s governing Liberal Party appeared poised for a historic election defeat this year.

French President Emmanuel Macron is back at the center of global diplomacy.

Poland and Baltic nations have welcomed a proposal by French President Emmanuel Macron to launch talks about using France’s nuclear deterrent to protect the continent from Russian threats.

European Union leaders have committed to a massive step in defense cooperation following decades of hesitation.

European Union leaders committed to working together to bolster the continent’s defenses and to free up hundreds of billions of euros for security.

European Union leaders plan to hold emergency talks to agree ways to quickly increase their military budgets after the Trump administration signaled Europe must take care of its own security and also suspended assistance to Ukraine.

French President Emmanuel Macron says he’s ready to start discussions on nuclear deterrence with European allies.

Investigators say the suspect in the car-ramming in the German city of Mannheim that killed two people has given no information about his motive.

The leaders of Britain and France are spearheading a desperate diplomatic drive to shore up Europe’s security, bolster Ukraine’s defenses and ensure the Trump administration doesn’t seek a ceasefire on terms that reward Moscow for invading its neighbor.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says a deal to end the war between Ukraine and Russia “is still very, very far away."

European leaders have pledged to stand by Ukraine in the wake of the contentious Oval Office meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The European Union is getting good at adapting to unprecedented circumstances.

Germany’s businesses have been frustrated by government inaction on the stagnating economy.

Germany has long been considered to have relatively ambitious climate goals and it’s likely that combatting climate change will remain a priority.

Germany faces its second change of leader in less than four years after the head of the center-right opposition won Sunday’s election.

Friedrich Merz is on course to become post-World War II Germany’s 10th chancellor, the culmination of a yearslong political career that was once sidelined by his party’s iconic leader.

Germany’s mainstream conservatives have won the country’s national election, while a far-right party surged to become the country's second-largest party.

Mainstream conservatives led by Friedrich Merz won Germany's election, ensuring strong support for Ukraine and creating hopes for economic renewal.

Opposition leader Friedrich Merz’s conservatives have won Germany's national election.

Projections show German opposition leader Friedrich Merz’s conservatives have won a lackluster victory in Sunday's national election.

German voters go to the polls Sunday to elect a parliament that will determine who runs the country for the next four years.

Four candidates are bidding to be Germany’s next leader in Sunday’s election.

Germany's parliament has narrowly rejected an opposition-sponsored bill calling for tougher rules on migration that risked becoming the first draft legislation to pass thanks to a far-right party.

Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel has issued rare public criticism of her successor as the country’s center-right leader, the front-runner in Germany’s election next month, for putting to parliament proposals for tough new migration rules that only passed with the help of a far-right party.

Germany’s parliament has narrowly approved a call by Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s main challenger to turn back many more migrants at the country’s borders, with apparent backing from a far-right party.

Germany’s opposition leader has vowed to bar people from entering the country without proper papers and to step up deportations if he is elected as chancellor next month.

President Donald Trump has given everyone at Davos something to talk about with his actions on the first day of his second term.

Thousands of people have demonstrated against a convention of the far-right Alternative for Germany, blocking some roads and delaying the meeting’s start as the country's major parties launched their campaigns for next month's general election.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz has lost a confidence vote in the German parliament, putting the European Union’s most populous member and biggest economy on course to hold an early election in February.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz has formally set Germany on course for an early election by requesting a confidence vote in parliament next week.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he is open to the potential deployment of Western troops in Ukraine to guarantee the country’s security as part of a broad effort to end the almost three-year war with Russia.

Europe's economy has enough difficulties, from tepid growth to trade tensions with the U.S. Dealing with those woes is only getting harder due to the political chaos in the two biggest European countries, France and Germany.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has announced he will ask for a vote of confidence in December, setting the path for an early election in February.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has announced that he will ask for a vote of confidence on Dec. 16, paving the way forward for an early parliamentary election in February.

Germany’s leader is expected to lead the country with a minority government after the collapse of the coalition.

An unpopular government with a reputation for constant infighting.

Germany’s main opposition party has launched an effort to expel from its ranks a former head of the country’s intelligence agency, weeks after he complained of what he said was a move toward “eliminatory racism against whites.”.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says the country is well-placed to get through this winter with enough energy thanks to his efforts to shore up supplies.

Germany’s health minister has backed off a decision to end compulsory isolation for people who test positive for COVID-19, declaring that it was a mistake and sent the wrong signal.

Projects show that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s center-left Social Democrats are headed for a clear election win in a western state that their conservative rivals have led since 1999.

The new leader of former German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s center-right party has been elected as head of the main opposition bloc’s parliamentary group.

Friedrich Merz has formally took over as the leader of Germany’s main opposition party, the center-right Christian Democratic Union of ex-Chancellor Angela Merkel, after being elected by a postal ballot.

Members of Germany’s center-right Christian Democratic Union, the party of former Chancellor Angela Merkel, have chosen prominent conservative Friedrich Merz as its new leader.

German Chancellor Angela Merkels party is choosing a new leader on Saturday, eight months before voters decide who will succeed Merkel in a national election. (Odd Andersen/Pool via AP)BERLIN – Chancellor Angela Merkel’s center-right party chose Armin Laschet, the pragmatic governor of Germany’s most populous state, as its new leader Saturday. Laschet will have to build unity in the Christian Democratic Union, Germany's strongest party, after beating more conservative rival Friedrich Merz. Saturday's vote ends a nearly year-long limbo since outgoing leader Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, who narrowly beat Merz in 2018 to succeed Merkel as CDU leader but failed to impose her authority, announced her resignation. Laschet has garnered mixed reviews in the pandemic, particularly as a vocal advocate of loosening restrictions after last year’s first phase.

Now her Christian Democratic Union party is seeking its second new leader since she quit that role in 2018. Current leader Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer announced her resignation last February after failing to impose her authority on the party. Delegates from Germany's strongest party can choose Saturday between three main candidates who differ markedly, at least in style. This is Merz's second bid for the party leadership after he lost narrowly last time to Kramp-Karrenbauer, considered Merkel's preferred candidate. The CDU leader will be chosen by 1,001 delegates.