Germany: CDU/CSU alliance and SPD finish preliminary talks

Election winner Friedrich Merz’s conservative CDU, its Bavarian sister party CSU, and the Social Democrats (SPD) have taken a major step toward forming a coalition government, the heads of the parties said.

The parties negotiating Germany’s next coalition government have reached an…[Read more]

German election winner Merz moves a step closer to forming government

Conservative bloc and SPD to start full coalition talks as chancellor-in-waiting plans to revive ailing economy

Germany’s conservative election winner, Friedrich Merz, came a step closer on Saturday to forming a government that he says will revive Europe’s top economy and its…[Read more]

Visitors flock to Paris’s Pompidou Centre before it closes for renovations

Art lovers catch last glimpse of prestigious art collection before gallery shuts for five years for major revamp

Tourists and French visitors alike filled Paris’s landmark Pompidou Centre at the weekend to catch a last glimpse of its prestigious art collection before it…[Read more]

Macron’s diplomatic comeback: from France’s domestic crisis to reshaping Europe’s defense

French President Emmanuel Macron is back at the center of global diplomacy, seeking to ease relations with President Donald Trump, championing a Ukraine peace plan alongside his British counterpart, and seeing his longstanding desire to boost European defen…[Read more]

France to tap Russian assets for 195 million euros this year, minister says

France will use interest from Russian assets to fund another 195 million euros ($211 million) in arms for Ukraine, Armed Forces Minister Sebastien Lecornu said a newspaper interview.
France also plans to hand over some of its older armoured fighting vehicles, such as its…[Read more]

Plans to deport three non-citizens to Nauru thwarted by legal challenges

It’s been revealed the federal government can’t go ahead with the deportation to Nauru of all three people identified for removal after urgent court applications were lodged.

Plans to deport one Iraqi man to Nauru were thwarted after an urgent application to the High Court…[Read more]

Labor says Dutton has questions to answer over timing of share purchases

Peter Dutton’s purchase of bank shares on the cusp of a Rudd government bank bailout is “highly unusual” and demands an explanation about what he knew at the time, Labor minister Murray Watt has said.

Mr Dutton has denied through a spokesperson that he had any sensitive…[Read more]

Australian aviation authorities first informed about Chinese live firing drill by Virgin pilot

Airservices Australia notified Australian defence force about drills 10 minutes after initial contact with pilot, estimates hears

Australian officials did not know Chinese warships were conducting live-fire drills in the Tasman Sea until a Virgin…[Read more]

American women in police custody in France after baby thrown from hotel window

A young American woman has been taken into police custody after her newborn baby was thrown out of a window of a Parisian hotel, the Paris prosecutor’s office said on Tuesday.

The newborn received urgent medical care, but did not survive. Authorities are i…[Read more]

Macron and Trump rekindle their ‘bromance’ amid strategic tensions over Ukraine

Trump greeted Macron as a “very special man” during their Oval Office meeting, exchanging their characteristic firm handshake as the French leader sought to leverage their personal relationship to strengthen US backing for Ukraine.

They hugged, they gripped hands,…[Read more]

France’s Macron and Donald Trump meet in Washington: Four key takeaways

United States President Donald Trump welcomed French President Emmanuel Macron to the White House on Monday for discussions on Ukraine, European security and trade.

Macron, who has built a cordial rapport with Trump, was the first European leader to visit him since the b…[Read more]

Wary of Trump, Germany’s Merz warns it’s ‘five minutes to midnight for Europe’

Germany’s election winner Friedrich Merz warned the United States on Monday against turning its back on allies but also urged Europeans to build up their own defence capabilities, saying it was now “five minutes to midnight for Europe”.
His comments underscored the…[Read more]

UN general assembly backs resolution condemning Russia for Ukraine war

US, Russia, Belarus and North Korea vote against resolution as 93 countries vote in favor, spurning rival US resolution

The United Nations general assembly has backed a resolution drafted by Ukraine and the European Union condemning Russia on the third anniversary of its…[Read more]

A country divided: Five key takeaways from the German election

A detailed look at the results reveals a divided nation increasingly drifting to fringes as dissatisfaction with mainstream parties mounts

German voters yearning for a steady hand in troubled times handed a clear victory to the conservative opposition leader, Friedrich Merz, in…[Read more]

Taiwan weighing multi-billion dollar arms deal with US

Taiwan is considering a multi-billion dollar arms purchase from the U.S., sources say, seeking support from the new Trump administration amid rising military pressure from China.

Three sources familiar with the situation, speaking on condition of anonymity, given the sensitivity of the…[Read more]

Can Europe afford its own defense as Trump spurs budget reckoning?

European leaders have long been aware that the region is exceeding the capabilities of its aging and sluggish economy. The question now is whether the disruptions caused by U.S. President Donald Trump’s second term in the White House will prompt them to take action.

Less than a…[Read more]

Egypt mulls rebuilding Gaza to counter Trump’s depopulation plan

Egypt is working on a plan to rebuild Gaza without displacing Palestinians, countering U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal to depopulate the area for U.S. control.

The state-run al-Ahram newspaper reported that the plan includes creating “secure areas” within Gaza for…[Read more]

Jim Chalmers welcomes RBA’s first rate cut in four years, mum on effect on election date

While the Treasurer welcomed the RBA’s decision to cut rates, he sidestepped questions on how it could affect when Aussies will go to the polls.

Jim Chalmers says Treasury will continue preparing for a March 25 budget despite suggestions Anthony Albanese cou…[Read more]

Claims daycare worker was reported three times before sexual touching of young child

A group of parents say they were left in the dark by a Sydney early education centre, which allegedly knew about the sexual touching of a young child for eight days before it stood down the worker involved.

Multiple parents say they still haven’t been reassured…[Read more]

Australian central bank cuts rates for 1st time since late 2020

Australia’s central bank lowered its benchmark interest rate on Tuesday for the first time since October 2020 as the inflation continues to cool.

The Reserve Bank of Australia reduced the cash rate by a quarter percentage point from 4.35% to 4.1% at its first board meeting for the y…[Read more]