The political damage to Merz and his conservatives appears substantial. Two-thirds of Germans oppose the proposal of his Christian Democratic Union (CDU) to make it harder to work part-time, according to Germany’s benchmark ARD-DeutschlandTrend survey. More consequentially for Merz, his conservatives are losing points on their core issue: the economy. Only 31 percent of Germans […]
Continue ReadingIn September 2016, for their first gathering after the U.K. voted to leave the European Union, leaders headed to the dramatic hilltop castle of Bratislava overlooking the Danube. In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, the European Council met in December 2001 at Château de Laeken, the official residence of the Belgian royal family. The […]
Continue ReadingYes, wars are raging across continents, alliances are being tested, and tensions are escalating across borders and oceans. However, I would wager that if von Kleist-Schmenzin were alive today, he would agree that the most consequential struggle of our time may not be unfolding on traditional battlefields at all. Instead, it’s unfolding in the digital […]
Continue ReadingBut in practice, “the threat hasn’t changed since the Cold War,” said Friis, the professor. The U.S. can easily upgrade its early-warning missile radar system in Greenland, he argued, while melting ice will only boost the very marginal commercial shipping route in the Northern Sea Route near Russia — nowhere near Greenland. Icebreakers have few […]
Continue ReadingAllies believe the public will have some sympathy for Rayner over the circumstances of her resignation, as her ambition had been to keep her son out of the public eye. A second MP allied to Rayner said her team “don’t seem at all fazed or panicked” by what HMRC will uncover. “The mood is that […]
Continue ReadingBusiness News A greater focus on lower-priced menu offerings in the U.S. helped McDonald’s accelerate growth last quarter. 02/12/2026, 03:5602/12/2026, 03:56 In the US market, like-for-like sales increased 6.8 percent year-on-year. Analysts on average had expected an increase of 5.4 percent. At the same time, US business was slowed by an outbreak of coliform bacteria […]
Continue ReadingScientists are urging European allies to take quick steps to expand nuclear deterrence. 02/12/2026, 03:4902/12/2026, 03:49 In a report to be presented at the Munich Security Conference beginning on Friday, they warn of a “gap”. “The Europeans cannot continue to outsource thinking about nuclear deterrence to the USA. The era in which Europe could afford […]
Continue ReadingIn France, a lot of meat is eaten compared to the EU. The government is now calling on the population to limit their consumption of meat and sausage products. 02/12/2026, 03:3502/12/2026, 03:35 The new national strategy for nutrition and climate protection recommends increased consumption of fruit and vegetables, legumes, nuts and whole grain products. People […]
Continue ReadingShe was a victim and became an icon: Gisèle Pelicot tells publicly for the first time how she experienced the spectacular rape affair from her perspective. And what she advises other women. 02/12/2026, 03:3002/12/2026, 05:42 Stefan Brändle, Paris / ch media It’s Gisèle Pelicot’s turn. For almost ten years, the French woman had been drugged […]
Continue ReadingKosovo‘s parliament elected Albin Kurti as prime minister on Wednesday, securing the leader a third term and ending a year-long political gridlock in the country. Following 12 months in a caretaker position, Kurti was confirmed as the Balkan nation’s new prime minister after his Vetevendosje (Self-determination) party topped the results in a snap election in […]
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