Author: Daily Sabah With DPA
German conservative leader Friedrich Merz pledged to help Europe achieve “real independence from the US” on defence in stark remarks hours after his centre-right CDU/CSU bloc won Sunday’s parliamentary election, making him the presumptive next chancellor. “For me, the absolute priority will be to strengthen Europe as quickly as possible so that, step by step, we can achieve real independence from the US,” said the CDU/CSU leader. “I did not think I would have to say this in a television programme, but after Donald Trump’s statements last week at the latest, it is clear that … this administration is largely…
German conservative leader Friedrich Merz pledged to help Europe achieve “real independence from the US” on defence in stark remarks hours after his centre-right CDU/CSU bloc won Sunday’s parliamentary election, making him the presumptive next chancellor. “For me, the absolute priority will be to strengthen Europe as quickly as possible so that, step by step, we can achieve real independence from the US,” said the CDU/CSU leader. “I did not think I would have to say this in a television programme, but after Donald Trump’s statements last week at the latest, it is clear that … this administration is largely…
US President Donald Trump has congratulated Germany’s conservative CDU/CSU bloc on its victory in Sunday’s parliamentary election. “Looks like the conservative party in Germany has won the very big and highly anticipated election,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform in an all-capitalized message, after initial results showed the centre-right alliance leading on 28.5% of the vote. “Much like the USA, the people of Germany got tired of the no common sense agenda, especially on energy and immigration, that has prevailed for so many years,” the president wrote. “This is a great day for Germany, and for the United States…
The Israeli army has released videos of the deadly bombing raid on the bunker of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, which killed him, on the day of his official funeral. Other leading members of the Iranian-backed Shiite militia were also killed in the massive airstrike in a suburb of the Lebanese capital Beirut on September 27. Low-flying Israeli fighter jets and drones were seen and heard during the funeral service by dpa reporters. The crowd in the stadium in Beirut chanted “Death to Israel.” Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said the fighter jets over Beirut were supposed to send a clear…
Pope Francis has spent a quiet night in hospital had rested after his condition was said to have deteriorated the previous evening following an asthma attack, the Vatican said on Sunday. In a written message shared on Sunday, the 88-year-old pontiff called on the worldwide Catholic community of 1.4 billion people to pray for him as he continues his recovery. He also expressed his deep gratitude for the outpouring of support he has received. In particular, he thanked his doctors at the Gemelli Hospital in Rome, where he has been hospitalized for over a week due to respiratory illness. “I…
Speaking after her party achieved its best-ever result in a national election, Alternative for Germany (AfD) co-leader Alice Weidel said that her party was ready to help form a government. “Our hand will always be outstretched to take part in government, in order to enact the will of the people, the will of Germany,” she told supporters. Mainstream parties have always shunned cooperation with the far-right party. But this stance will significantly complicate coalition building after the AfD was forecast to win about 20% of the vote according to exit polls.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Sunday evening that he would remain in office until the next coalition government is formed, after initial election results showed his centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) suffering a historic defeat. Scholz made it clear that he would leave it to others to work on forming a coalition, which is expected to likely still include the SPD as a junior partner. “Now it is up to others to find a way to form a government,” he said in a brief speech to supporters at his party’s headquarters in Berlin. He vowed to continue carrying out his…
Ahead of the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the US has proposed a draft United Nations resolution. The proposal, made available to dpa, does not explicitly name Moscow as the aggressor, nor does it call for the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine. It contrasts with a European-backed statement demanding an immediate withdrawal of Moscow’s forces from Ukraine. The US text does call for the conflict to end and laments the loss of life. The European-backed proposal was due to be tabled at the UN General Assembly on Monday. The US proposal comes as President Donald Trump…
US President Donald Trump’s national security adviser thinks Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will sign a raw materials agreement with the United States. “Look, here’s the bottom line – President Zelensky is going to sign that deal,” Mike Waltz told the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), which was meeting outside Washington on Friday. “And you will see that in the very short term, and that is good for Ukraine,” he added. Waltz called Trump a “deal maker,” and noted that Zelensky had proposed the partnership on raw materials last year. Trump has linked US aid to Ukraine, which has been invaded…
Palestinian resistance group Hamas released six more hostages on Saturday, with hundreds of Palestinian prisoners set to be released from Israeli jails in exchange for a fragile ceasefire deal. The six hostages were turned over to the Red Cross in different parts of Gaza, with 40-year-old Tal Shoham and long-term captive Avera Mengistu, 39, released first in the city of Rafah. Omer Shem-Tov, Eliya Cohen and Omer Wenkert, all in their 20s, were then handed over to Red Cross representatives in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza. Masked and armed Hamas fighters were present at both handover ceremonies, which…