King Charles III pays visit to Manchester's Jewish community
King Charles III visited the scene of Manchester synagogue attack on Monday where he met with and spoke to eye witnesses of the incident....
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz seeks a vote of confidence in parliament as a prelude to new federal elections after his coalition’s collapse, amid rising political instability in Germany.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is set to submit a request to parliament on Wednesday for a vote of confidence, a necessary step before new federal elections can be held following the collapse of his coalition last month.
Policymaking has largely stalled since Scholz’s coalition—comprised of Social Democrats (SPD), Greens, and the neoliberal Free Democrats (FDP)—broke down, leaving him at the helm of a minority government.
Germany’s political system does not allow the head of government to simply call for new elections, as it’s designed to maintain stability and require other branches of power, such as parliament and the presidency, to have a say in such significant matters.
A government spokesperson told Reuters that Scholz will make the request for a vote of confidence in writing on Wednesday.
Scholz is expected to lose the vote, scheduled for Dec. 16, as his government no longer holds a majority. He must then request the president to dissolve parliament, triggering new elections.
The vote will come just ten days after former French Prime Minister Michel Barnier lost a no-confidence vote, underscoring the unusual degree of political instability affecting both of Europe’s top powers.
Scholz has agreed with the opposition to hold the vote on Feb. 23, setting Germany up for a short and wintry election campaign.
Currently, the opposition conservatives are leading in the polls, with a survey published on Monday showing them at 31%, followed by the far-right Alternative for Germany on 18%, Scholz’s SPD on 17%, and the Greens at 13%.
The FDP and the newly-created Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance are both currently polling just under the 5% threshold needed to enter parliament.
However, analysts caution that polls can shift rapidly, with voters displaying less loyalty to parties than in the past—echoing the 2021 election campaign when the conservatives fell from frontrunner to runner-up within a few months.
Friedrich Merz, leader of the conservatives, is particularly known for making gaffes and having a quick temper.
Scholz will become the fifth chancellor in post-World War Two Germany to pose a vote of confidence.
At least 69 people have died and almost 150 injured following a powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Cebu City in the central Visayas region of the Philippines, officials said, making it one of the country’s deadliest disasters this year.
A tsunami threat was issued in Chile after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck the Drake Passage on Friday. The epicenter was located 135 miles south of Puerto Williams on the north coast of Navarino Island.
The war in Ukraine has reached a strategic impasse, and it seems that the conflict will not be solved by military means. This creates a path toward one of two alternatives: either a “frozen” phase that can last indefinitely or a quest for a durable political regulation.
A shooting in Nice, southeastern France, left two people dead and five injured on Friday, authorities said.
Snapchat will start charging users who store more than 5GB of photos and videos in its Memories feature, prompting backlash from long-time users.
King Charles III visited the scene of Manchester synagogue attack on Monday where he met with and spoke to eye witnesses of the incident.
British soldiers will soon have the authority to shoot down drones threatening UK military bases under new powers set to be unveiled by Defence Secretary John Healey.
China’s economy grew 4.8% year-on-year in the third quarter, as official data showed the country remains on course to meet its annual growth target of around 5%.
Australian PM Anthony Albanese meets U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday to seek greater U.S. investment in Australia’s critical minerals sector amid China’s tightening control.
Ukraine is preparing a contract to buy 25 Patriot air defence systems, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, in what would be a huge boost to Kyiv's abilities to defend against Russia's aerial bombardments.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment