Heavy rains in southeastern Brazil leave at least 30 dead
At least 30 people died and hundreds were displaced in Brazil’s Minas Gerais state on Tuesday (24 February) after relentless, record-breaking rainfa...
The United States on Tuesday formally congratulated Friedrich Merz on his election as Germany’s new chancellor, reaffirming its commitment to close transatlantic cooperation amid evolving global challenges.
“We congratulate Friedrich Merz on his election as chancellor in Germany,” said U.S. State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce during a press briefing. “We will continue to work with Germany and its next government to ensure the security of the United States and Europe.”
Merz, the leader of Germany’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU), was elected chancellor by the Bundestag on Tuesday in a second round of voting, following weeks of coalition negotiations. His party secured a governing majority in alliance with the Social Democrats after snap elections held on February 23.
With his confirmation, Merz becomes Germany’s 10th chancellor since World War II, succeeding Olaf Scholz and marking a shift toward more conservative leadership in Berlin. His election is expected to influence Germany’s domestic economic policy as well as its approach to NATO, EU integration, and relations with Washington.
The White House has not yet issued a statement, but officials indicated that President Donald Trump is expected to speak with Chancellor Merz in the coming days to extend congratulations and discuss shared priorities.
Further Iran-U.S. nuclear talks are scheduled in Geneva on Thursday (26 February) as diplomacy resumes over Tehran’s nuclear programme following earlier mediation efforts. But will the talks move Iran-U.S. negotiations closer to a deal, and what should be expected from the meeting?
The European Parliament’s trade chief has urged a temporary suspension of the EU–U.S. trade agreement approval, citing “tariff chaos” following President Donald Trump’s new 15% tariffs and a U.S. Supreme Court ruling invalidating his previous global tariff programme.
Iran has signed a secret €500 million arms deal with Russia to rebuild air defences, weakened during last year’s war with Israel, the Financial Times has reported. The agreement, signed in December in Moscow, will see Russia deliver 500 Verba launch units and 2,500 9M336 missiles over three years.
A British national was among at least 19 people killed when a passenger bus plunged off a mountain highway into the Trishuli river in Nepal before dawn on Monday (23 February), authorities said. A New Zealander and a Chinese national were among those injured.
Seven people were killed after gunmen ambushed a police patrol in Kohat, a district in Pakistan’s north-west near the Afghan border, on Tuesday, in an attack that comes amid rising militant violence and heightened tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is heading to Beijing on for his first official visit as chancellor, aiming to strengthen political and economic dialogue with China before tackling pressing international crises.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has suggested that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán should block financial support to Russia rather than Ukraine, as Budapest opposes the European Union’s 20th sanctions package against Moscow.
The Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, has called for an immediate, full and unconditional ceasefire in Ukraine, describing the conflict as “a stain on our collective conscience”.
Newcastle United secured a 3–2 victory over Qarabağ FK in the return leg of the UEFA Champions League play-offs at St James’ Park.
Laurence des Cars, director of the Louvre Museum, has resigned months after a $102 million daylight heist at the museum, which prompted a parliamentary inquiry.
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