Rescue mission races to save crew after Houthi attack on Greek ship in Red Sea
Maritime security teams from Greece’s Diaplous and Britain’s Ambrey began a high-risk operation on Wednesday to evacuate the 22-strong crew of the...
Berlin, February 17, 2025 – Following Sunday's general election, conservative leader Friedrich Merz is working to establish a new coalition government within eight weeks, according to local media reports.
Bild newspaper reported that Merz initiated informal preliminary talks by contacting Social Democratic Party parliamentary group leader Lars Klingbeil on Sunday night, signaling an eagerness to explore coalition possibilities.
The Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) emerged as the clear winner with 28.5% of the vote, yet they fell short of an absolute majority necessary to govern alone. In response, Merz has ruled out any coalition talks with the far-right AfD, which secured 20.8% of the vote—their best performance to date—citing fundamental differences on democratic principles and key policy issues.
Despite the Social Democrats receiving only 16.4% of the vote, their party is seen as a potential coalition partner. Media reports suggest that a CDU/CSU-SPD alliance would command 328 seats in the Bundestag, exceeding the 316 seats required for a majority. Informal discussions among top party officials have reportedly begun ahead of the upcoming Easter holiday, with plans for formal exploratory talks to start on or after March 6. This delay is partly attributed to regional elections taking place in Hamburg this weekend.
Merz has indicated that his goal is to have a new coalition government in place by mid-April, a timeline that would ensure continued political stability as the country transitions from the election period. As coalition negotiations progress, the focus remains on securing a stable majority while upholding democratic values and addressing key policy challenges.
Australian researchers have pioneered a low-cost and scalable plasma-based method to produce ammonia gas directly from air, offering a green alternative to the traditional fossil fuel-dependent Haber-Bosch process.
A deadly mass shooting early on Monday (7 July) in Philadelphia's Grays Ferry neighbourhood left three men dead and nine others wounded, including teenagers, as more than 100 shots were fired.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen urged stronger sanctions and defence support for Ukraine as the EU's 18th sanctions package against Russia nears approval.
Archaeologists have uncovered a 3,500-year-old city in northern Peru that likely served as a key trade hub connecting ancient coastal, Andean, and Amazonian cultures.
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.
Shipments of antimony to the United States have jumped to more than 3,800 tonnes in five months via Thailand and Mexico, customs data show, as buyers find back-door routes around Beijing’s export ban on critical minerals bound for the U.S.
From launching 25 % duties on Mexican goods in February to unveiling a 50 % levy on imported copper on Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump has fired off a rapid-fire series of tariff moves that has jolted financial markets and unsettled global supply chains.
Russia has confiscated 3.9 trillion roubles (about $50 billion) in company assets since 2022, signalling a decisive shift towards a “fortress Russia” economic model, the Kommersant business daily reported on Wednesday.
Maritime security teams from Greece’s Diaplous and Britain’s Ambrey began a high-risk operation on Wednesday to evacuate the 22-strong crew of the Greek-operated Eternity C, after a Houthi drone-and-speed-boat assault off Yemen on Monday killed four sailors and wounded two.
A court in Ankara has ordered regulators on Wednesday to block access to Grok, the artificial-intelligence chatbot built into Elon Musk’s X platform, after it allegedly generated insulting replies about President Recep Tayyip Erdogan — a criminal offence in Türkiye.
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