German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Friday ordered parliament dissolved and set new elections for Feb. 23 in the wake of the collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's governing coalition. Scholzlost a confidence voteon Dec. 16 and leads a minority government after his unpopular and notoriously rancorous three-party coalitioncollapsed on Nov. 6when he fired his finance minister in a dispute over how to revitalizeGermany’s stagnant economy. Leaders of several major parties then agreed that a parliamentary election should be held on Feb. 23, seven months earlier than originally planned. Sinc

Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif ruled out any possibility of compromise on the country's nuclear program. Addressing a cabinet meeting in Islamabad on Tuesday, he emphasized that American sanctions hold no significance for Pakistan and reaffirmed the country's commitment to its nuclear program. Sharif's remarks followed sanctions imposed by President Joe Biden's administration on four companies allegedly linked to Pakistan's ballistic missile program last week. The US had expressed concerns that Pakistan was developing long-range missiles capable of reaching the US. In response, Pakist

An explosion at an armament factory in northwest Turkey left at least 12 dead and four injured Tuesday morning. The blast occurred in the capsule production facility of the factory located in the province of Balikesir, according to the state-run Anadolu Agency. Balikesir Governor Ismail Ustaoglu said the explosion collapsed the capsule production building and that the surrounding buildings sustained minor damage. Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc wrote on social media platform X that four public prosecutors have been assigned to investigate the cause of the explosion.

Incoming U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to take back control of the Panama Canal, which the U.S. controlled until 1999. Trump claims that Panama is charging the U.S. more for using the canal and that China is increasing its influence over the strategic waterway. Trump made these comments while addressing his supporters in Arizona on Sunday. He also shared an AI-generated image on his social media account, with a caption reading, "Welcome to the United States Canal." In response, Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino issued a recorded message, stating that every inch of land surr

Bangladesh’s interim government said on Monday that it has sent a diplomatic note to India to send back deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina to Dhaka. Hasina, 77, has been living in exile in India since August 5 when she fled the country amid the student-led protests that toppled her 16-year regime. Bangladesh-based International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) has issued arrest warrants for Hasina and several former Cabinet ministers, advisers, and military and civil officials for “crimes against humanity and genocide”. “We have sent a note verbale to the Indian government saying that Banglade

US President-elect Donald Trump has threatened the European Union with tariffs unless it buys more oil and gas from the US to reduce its trade deficit with the country. Trump issued this threat despite data from the US government showing that the European Union is already purchasing a significant share of American oil and gas exports. In a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump stated that he had told the European Union that they must address the large trade deficit by buying more US oil and gas. Otherwise, he warned, the alternative would be tariffs on all goods. The US had a

A speedboat carrying migrants capsized Friday morning off the eastern Greek island of Rhodes, leaving eight dead and 18 rescued, Greek authorities said. The coast guard said the incident occurred while the speedboat was carrying out “dangerous maneuvers” to try and evade a patrol vessel, causing migrants to fall into the sea. A rescue effort is underway involving coast guard vessels and a helicopter as it was unclear whether other passengers were missing, authorities said. Rhodes, one of several large Greek islands located near the coast of Turkey, is on a busy illegal smuggling route in t

A 7-year-old girl died and a teacher and five other students were wounded in a knife attack at a school in the Croatian capital, Zagreb, authorities said Friday. Police said the attack happened at 9:50 a.m. at the Precko Elementary School in the neighborhood of the same name. They described the attacker as a “young male” and said he had been detained. Health Minister Irena Hristic said the attacker was over 18, while media reported he was 19. Video footage published by Croatian media showed children running away from the school building.

The US has confirmed its first serious human case of bird flu in a patient from Louisiana. The US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) stated that the Louisiana patient was hospitalized after testing positive for bird flu on December 13. Meanwhile, California has declared a state of emergency to address the growing outbreak. The CDC also confirmed that this is the first serious human case of H5N1 bird flu in the US. However, a total of 61 human cases of bird flu have been reported in the US since April. The virus has spread to 16 states, primarily affecting poultry, since it was first detected i