Farmers have clogged Berlin streets with their tractors, honking their horns in protest at a plan to scrap tax breaks on thediesel they use. It's the climax of a week of protests that has tapped into wider discontent with Germany's government. Columns of tractors rolled into the capital ahead of the demonstration Monday at the landmark Brandenburg Gate. Over the past week, farmers have blocked highway entrances and slowed traffic across Germany with their protests, intent on pushing Chancellor Olaf Scholz's government to abandon the planned cuts entirely. They're not satisfied with concessi

The Pacific Island nation of Nauru says it is switching diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China. The move on Monday leaves Taiwan with 12 diplomatic allies around the world. Taiwan now has official ties with 11 countries and the Vatican. Seven are in Latin America and the Caribbean, three are in the Pacific Islands and one is in Africa.

The air strikes on Yemen by America and Britain have been criticized by the leaders of Yemen's Houthi movement. According to a report published on a houthi-backed website, bombs were dropped on Yemen's capital Sana'a, the coastal province of Al-Hudaydah, the northern province of Saada, Hajja, Dhamar and Taez. According to the report, apart from Dilmi Air Base, Hudaydah and Hajjah airports were also targeted in the attack. This morning, a faction of Houthi fighters released a statement on Al-Masriha TV broadcast by their spokesman Yahya Yaha Sariya. This statement is also posted on X.

U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is visiting Kyiv on Friday to announce a new package of support, including an increase in military funding, a statement from his office said. Sunak is expected to announce an increase in military funding for Ukraine for the next financial year to 2.5 billion pounds ($3.2 billion), the statement said.

Amalija Knavs, the mother of former first lady Melania Trump, has died. Trump announced the death late Tuesday without disclosing the cause. Melania Trump sponsored her parents' immigration to the United States, and they took the oath of office to become citizens at a New York City courthouse in 2018. The Slovenian immigrants, a former car dealer and textile factory worker, had been living in the U.S. as permanent residents.

Spain's government says face masks will be mandatory in hospitals and healthcare centers starting Wednesday due to a surge in respiratory illnesses. Health Minister Monica Garcia said late Monday that it was a simple and necessary measure. Spain's hospitals have come under immense pressure in recent weeks following a spike in cases of flu, COVID-19 and other bronchial problems. Garcia's ministry decided to impose the measure after failing to reach an agreement with regional health authorities, many of whom argued that mask use should be recommended but not obligatory. Six regions have alre

Earth shattered global annual heat records last year and it's flirting with the warming threshold that nations wanted to stay within to avoid the worst consequences of climate change. That's according to Copernicus, the European climate agency, which reported Tuesday that 2023 was 1.48 degrees Celsius (2.66 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial times. That's just a whisker below the 1.5-degree threshold nations agreed to try to stay within at the Paris climate talks in 2015. And Copernicus said this January is on track to be so warm that the world will go past that 1.5-degree threshold f

Gabriel Attal was named Tuesday as France’s youngest-ever prime minister, as President Emmanuel Macron seeks a fresh start for the rest of his term amid growing political pressure from the far right. Macron’s office announced the appointment in a statement. Attal, 34, rose to prominence as the government spokesman and education minister. He is France’s first openly gay prime minister. His predecessor Elisabeth Borne resigned Monday following recent political turmoil over animmigrationlaw that strengthens the government’s ability to deport foreigners. Macron, a 46-year-old centrist whos

Pakistan's Supreme Court has scrapped a lifetime ban on politicians with convictions from contesting elections, paving the way for former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to run for the fourth time. The lifetime ban on convicted politicians was imposed in 2018.Under a new court order passed on Monday, convicted politicians would be barred from running only for five years. Sharif's party said he will seek a fourth term after returning in October from a four-year self-exile in London to avoid serving prison sentences on corruption charges. They were overturned on appeal after his return. Sh