How hurricanes get their names and why it matters
As Hurricane Melissa barrels towards Jamaica as a powerful Category 4 storm, questions often arise about how these tempests get their names....
Friedrich Merz has been elected as Germany’s new chancellor after surviving a dramatic first-round defeat in parliament, raising fresh questions about the stability of his coalition and the far-right’s growing influence.
Friedrich Merz secured his position as Germany’s 10th postwar chancellor on Tuesday, winning 325 votes in a second-round ballot after a surprise failure in the first round earlier the same day.
Needing 316 votes to pass, Merz fell short with just 310 votes in round one — despite his coalition controlling 328 seats. The secret ballot left open the question of who defected. His second-round victory, however, ensured no constitutional crisis would follow.
Merz leads a coalition made up of his Christian Democratic Union, the Christian Social Union, and the Social Democrats, led by outgoing chancellor Olaf Scholz.
The vote, held on the eve of the 80th anniversary of Nazi Germany’s surrender, was seen as symbolic amid war in Ukraine and rising far-right support at home.
The conservative’s shaky first-round showing was seized upon by opposition leader Alice Weidel of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), who called it proof of a “weak foundation” and pushed for new elections.
AfD, now Germany’s largest opposition party, was excluded from coalition talks due to a longstanding political firewall against the far right. The party was recently classified as a “right-wing extremist” group by the domestic intelligence agency, prompting backlash from U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Germany’s Foreign Ministry defended the classification, insisting it remains within constitutional law. Merz has yet to comment on the decision.
The chancellor faces immediate pressure: to sustain support for Ukraine as Trump’s White House questions NATO commitments, to confront economic stagnation after two years of shrinkage, and to modernise a country increasingly divided over migration and globalisation.
Merz’s coalition promises tax cuts, economic stimulus, and tougher migration controls — while aiming to preserve European unity as Trump allies amplify voices from Germany’s far right.
Germany remains the EU’s largest economy and a major military spender, ranking fourth globally. It passed a €100 billion defence upgrade in 2022 and continues to support Kyiv with substantial military aid.
But with the far right rising and transatlantic tensions deepening, Merz’s narrow win may be just the beginning of a difficult term.
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.
Kosovo’s parliament failed to elect Albin Kurti as prime minister on Sunday, raising the likelihood of a snap election to resolve the political stalemate that has persisted since the inconclusive parliamentary vote in February.
At least two workers were killed in a fire that broke out on an oil pipeline at Iraq’s Zubair oilfield on Sunday, according to oilfield officials.
Hurricane Melissa has intensified into a Category 4 storm, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) announced on Sunday, with maximum sustained winds reaching 140 mph (220 km/h).
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he expected to reach mutually beneficial agreements during his meeting with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in Malaysia.
Suspects involved in the daring daylight theft of France’s crown jewels from the Louvre were detained near Paris on Saturday, shortly before one of them attempted to leave the country from Charles de Gaulle Airport, the Paris prosecutor announced on Sunday.
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