Alice Hsu

Eye to the chancellor: interviewing Friedrich Merz

Friedrich Merz, Rosie Bloor, Jason Palmer, Sani Minton-Beddoes, Chris Lockwood, Tom Nuttall, Alice Hsu, Johnny Williams

Ahead of the German general election, CDU leader Friedrich Merz positions his party as the polling frontrunner by diagnosing deep structural economic crises while refusing to compromise on the constitutional debt brake. Simultaneously, Taiwan confronts an unprecedented wave of military espionage where Chinese agents coerce both retired officers and active-duty soldiers through debt traps and psychological tactics to prepare the population for a potential 2027 invasion. In a separate commercial shift, the backpack market has evolved from utilitarian gear into a high-fashion sector driven by luxury brands and design innovations, with limited-edition items commanding prices between $400 and $4,000.