Germany approves 2025 budget, marking new spending era
Germany's parliament approved on Thursday the nation's first annual budget since sweeping reforms to loosen fiscal rules were passed earlier this year...
U.S. Vice President JD Vance has arrived in the UK for a working visit with Foreign Secretary David Lammy, as political tensions and protests loom over U.S. foreign policy.
JD Vance began his visit on Friday with a meeting at Chevening, the official residence of Foreign Secretary David Lammy, where the two are expected to discuss the crises in Ukraine and Gaza, as well as trade issues.
The visit comes at a time of heightened transatlantic tensions and scrutiny of Vance’s foreign policy stance, including past remarks criticising Britain’s Labour government. In a previous interview, he described the UK as “maybe” the first “truly Islamist” country with nuclear weapons and accused it of curbing religious liberties.
Lammy, who once called Donald Trump a “neo-Nazi,” has downplayed past rhetoric, and officials say the two men have formed a cordial relationship, bonding over shared faith and challenging upbringings. Lammy visited Vance’s Washington residence for Mass in March, and the pair met again in Rome in May at the inaugural Mass of Pope Leo XIV.
Vance is accompanied by his wife, Usha, and their three children. They are due to stay in the Cotswolds following the official programme, which includes cultural visits and a meeting with U.S. troops.
The bilateral meeting on Friday does not have a formal agenda, but British officials hope to present the UK’s perspective on global conflicts without escalating differences. “They’re not looking for conflict,” said Bronwen Maddox of Chatham House, noting the UK’s satisfaction with a recent trade deal with the Trump administration.
Vance’s visit follows former President Trump’s recent trip to Scotland, during which he met British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to finalise a 15% tariff deal on European goods. Trump is scheduled for a full state visit to the UK in September.
Vance is expected to face demonstrations in the coming days from a coalition of trade unions, pro-Palestinian groups and climate activists, echoing similar protests during his winter holiday in Vermont.
AnewZ has learned that India has once again blocked Azerbaijan’s application for full membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, while Pakistan’s recent decision to consider diplomatic relations with Armenia has been coordinated with Baku as part of Azerbaijan’s peace agenda.
A day of mourning has been declared in Portugal to pay respect to victims who lost their lives in the Lisbon Funicular crash which happened on Wednesday evening.
A Polish Air Force pilot was killed on Thursday when an F-16 fighter jet crashed during a training flight ahead of the 2025 Radom International Air Show.
At least eight people have died and more than 90 others were injured following a catastrophic gas tanker explosion on a major highway in Mexico City’s Iztapalapa district on Wednesday, authorities confirmed.
Germany's parliament approved on Thursday the nation's first annual budget since sweeping reforms to loosen fiscal rules were passed earlier this year, securing record investments to revive the economy while committing to an increase in defence spending.
Ukrainian troops and engineers will train their Polish counterparts in a joint group on countering drones, Ukraine's defence minister Denys Shmyhal said on Thursday, a week after Russian drones flew into Poland.
The Ambassador of Afghanistan to Russia, Ghulam Hassan, has met with Zamir Kabulov, Moscow’s Special Envoy for Afghanistan, to discuss deepening ties and regional engagement, the Afghan embassy in Moscow said on Wednesday.
FBI chief Kash Patel told the U.S. Senate on Tuesday there was “no credible information” that Jeffrey Epstein trafficked women or underage girls to anyone but himself, as he defended the bureau’s decision to close its review.
As well as a text message, the suspect accused of assassinating right-wing activist Charlie Kirk in Utah also wrote a physical note message before the shooting that he planned to kill Kirk, FBI Director Kash Patel said on Monday.
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