Zelenskyy announces new arms deals with U.S. and Denmark
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday that Kyiv has signed new agreements with international partners to boost joint arms productio...
President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Friday dissolved Germany's lower house of parliament to pave the way for snap elections on Feb. 23 following the collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's three-way coalition.
"Especially in difficult times, like now, stability requires a government capable of acting, and reliable majorities in parliament," which was why early elections were the right way forward for Germany, Steinmeier said in Berlin.
After the elections, problem-solving must become the core business of politics again, added Steinmeier in a speech.
The president, whose post has been largely ceremonial in the post-war era, also called for the election campaign to be conducted fairly and transparently.
"External influence is a danger to democracy, whether it is covert, as was evidently the case recently in the Romanian elections, or open and blatant, as is currently being practiced particularly intensively on (social media) platform X," he said.
Scholz, a Social Democrat who will head a caretaker government until a new one can be formed, lost a confidence vote in parliament earlier this month after the departure of Finance Minister Christian Lindner's Free Democrats left his unwieldy governing coalition without a legislative majority.
The vote also kicked off election campaigning in earnest, with conservative challenger Friedrich Merz, who surveys suggest is likely to replace Scholz, asserting that the incumbent government had imposed excessive regulations and stifled growth.
The conservatives hold a comfortable lead of more than 10 points over the Social Democrats (SPD) in most polls. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is slightly ahead of the SPD, while the Greens, a coalition partner, are in fourth place.
The mainstream parties have refused to govern with the AfD, but its presence complicates the parliamentary arithmetic, making shaky coalitions more likely.
The European Commission is set to propose allowing carbon credits from other countries to count towards the EU’s 2040 climate target, according to a leaked internal document.
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck off Japan’s Tokara Islands on Wednesday, with no tsunami warning issued but residents advised to remain vigilant.
The United States has rescinded licensing restrictions on ethane exports to China, allowing shipments to resume after a temporary halt and signalling progress in efforts to ease recent trade tensions.
Italy plans to grant approximately 500,000 work visas to non-EU nationals between 2026 and 2028, as announced in a cabinet statement. The initiative aims to address labor shortages by expanding legal immigration pathways
Following a deadly glacier collapse in Blatten, near the Swiss Alpine village of Kandersteg, the town is on high alert as melting permafrost and shifting rock threaten another potential disaster after it was buried a month ago.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday that Kyiv has signed new agreements with international partners to boost joint arms production amid ongoing Russian attacks.
The UK has re-established diplomatic relations with Syria, marking a major shift in its foreign policy following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime eight months ago.
Poland’s iconic Vistula River has dropped to historic lows, as severe drought and scorching heat grip the country.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned Russia’s recent large-scale drone and missile attacks on Ukraine, calling them the biggest since the war began over three years ago.
Russian air defences intercepted four Ukrainian drones targeting Moscow on Saturday, prompting brief flight suspensions at major airports in the capital and other cities.
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