Five killed and emergency workers targeted as firework chaos mars Germany’s New Year celebrations

Five people have been killed and dozens of emergency workers were injured as a spate of incidents involving fireworks marred New Year’s Eve celebrations in Germany.

Despite calls for a nationwide ban on the private use of fireworks, they con…[Read more]

New Year’s fireworks accidents kill five in Germany

Five people died across Germany and a police officer was seriously injured from accidents linked to the powerful fireworks Germans traditionally set off to celebrate the new year, police said Wednesday.

Germans celebrate New Year’s Eve with a particularly intense usage of fireworks, which spurs…[Read more]

Iran to hold nuclear talks with France, UK, Germany on January 13: Report

The next round of talks with European powers will take place one week before Trump’s return to the White House.

The next round of nuclear talks between Iran and France, the United Kingdom and Germany will take place in Geneva in January, Iran’s semi-official ISNA news age…[Read more]

Trump opposes deal to avert gov’t shutdown

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump urged Republican lawmakers Wednesday to scupper a cross-party deal to avert a fast-looming U.S. government shutdown, as the White House accused him of “playing politics.”

Staring down a Friday night deadline to fund federal agencies, party leaders in Congress had agreed…[Read more]

Musk’s possible meddling in UK politics stirs concern

Concerns are growing in the U.K. as tech billionaire Elon Musk takes an increasingly close interest in Britain’s political scene, appearing to cosy up to hard-right firebrand lawmaker Nigel Farage.

With Musk named to a new position in the incoming U.S. administration of Donald Trump, there…[Read more]

US hopes for Gaza truce within weeks as CIA chief heads to Doha

The U.S. expressed optimism Tuesday that a Gaza cease-fire and hostage exchange deal could be finalized within weeks, citing ongoing efforts to resolve remaining disputes, according to the State Department.

Addressing reporters at the Foreign Press Center, State Department…[Read more]

Zelensky urges EU-US unity at bloc’s last summit before Trump

Donald Trump loomed large over EU leaders Thursday at their last summit before he reclaims power in the United States, with President Volodymyr Zelensky saying only transatlantic unity can “save” Ukraine.

The upheaval in Syria after the toppling of Bashar al-Assad, and how to deal…[Read more]

If 1.5m Germans have them there must be something in it’: how balcony solar is taking off

Balcony solar panels can save 30% on a typical household’s electricity bill and, with vertical surface area in cities larger than roof space, the appeal is clear

By Stephen Burgen in Barcelona

They are easy to install, and knock chunks off electricity bil…[Read more]

Germany and France are in crisis – is the next global financial crash brewing?

The eurozone’s flaws and a lack of growth in the EU have combined to malign effect. ‘More Europe’ is not the solution

Things are not quite going according to plan for Rachel Reeves. The economy has contracted for the past two months and inflation is proving hard to…[Read more]

German health system grapples with potential returns of Syrian doctors

As thousands of Syrian doctors work in Germany, the fall of Bashar Assad is raising concern over the potential consequences for the health sector if many of them were to return home.

Germany became a leading destination for Syrian refugees over the past decade, and some…[Read more]

‘It just keeps coming and coming’: Heavy lake-effect snow dumps more than 4 feet over parts of Great Lakes region

As biting cold temperatures sweep across a large swath of the US, parts of the Great Lakes face up to two feet of additional lake-effect snow through Tuesday – the latest complication for cities already blanketed by snowfall amid…[Read more]

American people pay dearly for selecting fake politician

What is your “hopium”? What is the unreasonable and unfounded hope that you cling to? (Whoever invented that term should go to Paradise!)

It is like the opium of the masses: Israeli and American people believed that the military could solve the “Palestinian Problem,” and so Israel would b…[Read more]

Biden Pardons His Son Hunter Despite Previous Pledges Not To

President Joe Biden pardoned his son, Hunter, on Sunday night, sparing the younger Biden a possible prison sentence for federal felony gun and tax convictions and reversing his past promises not to use the extraordinary powers of the presidency for the benefit of his family.

The…[Read more]

Barack Obama to present Merkel’s book ‘Freedom’ in the US

Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and former US President Barack Obama were allies in office. But not from day one.

Both left office years ago, but they have left their mark on global politics. Angela Merkel was once the most powerful woman in the world, while Barack Obama was the…[Read more]

Germany’s Scholz announces Ukraine military aid in visit to Kyiv

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz made an unexpected visit to Kyiv on Monday, vowing his country would remain Ukraine’s biggest supporter in Europe and promising delivery this month of military aid worth 650 million euros ($683 million).
The visit, his second since Russia’s full-scale…[Read more]

Syria: US, Germany, France, UK call for de-escalation

The four NATO nations urged the “protection and civilians and infrastructure.” Meanwhile, the opposition-run White Helmets said Syrian and Russian airstrikes killed 25 people in Idlib on Sunday.

The United States, Germany, France and the United Kingdom have all called for de-escalation in…[Read more]

Volkswagen workers in Germany to strike over plan to cut jobs and pay

Employees take action over plans to axe at least three plants in first domestic closures in company’s 87-year history

Workers at Volkswagen factories in Germany will strike from Monday over the carmaker’s plans to lay off thousands of people, cut pay and close plants for the…[Read more]

Five Democratic US lawmakers receive bomb threats at home

Five Democratic U.S. lawmakers from Connecticut on Thursday said they were targeted with bomb threats at their homes, but no explosive devices had been found, according to social media and local media.
U.S. Representatives Jim Himes, Jahana Hayes, John Larson and Joe Courtney, all from…[Read more]

Thanksgiving Day storm batters Northeast with rain and snow, delaying travel

Winter storm warnings are in effect from eastern New York through central and northern New England, with over a foot of fresh snow possible, forecasters said.

Travelers already at their holiday destinations have much to be thankful for as a Thanksgiving Day storm dumps…[Read more]

Elon Musk publicized the names of government employees he wants to cut. It’s terrifying federal workers

When President-elect Donald Trump said Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy would recommend major cuts to the federal government in his administration, many public employees knew that their jobs could be on the line.

Now they have a new fear: b…[Read more]