Month: September 2021

Germany Votes for New Leader

Germany’s 60 million eligible voters will set their country on a new course in Sunday’s parliamentary elections. The winning lawmakers will decide who will replace the country’s outgoing and popular chancellor, Angela Merkle. The newly elected politicians will likely have to form a coalition government, meaning it may take some weeks before Merkle’s replacement is announced. Merkle, the driving force behind Germany’s position as Europe’s leading economy, is stepping down after 16 years in Germany’s top job, in a government led by Merkle’s center-right Christian Democratic Union. Merkle has been reluctant to throw her support behind any of the leaders …

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Iceland Government Poised to Win Majority, but Future Uncertain

Iceland’s government was poised to win a majority in Saturday’s election, early results showed, though it remained to be seen if Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir’s left-right coalition would agree to continue in power together. The three-party coalition has brought Iceland four years of stability after a decade of crises. Jakobsdottir’s Left-Green Movement, the conservative Independence Party and the center-right Progressive Party were together credited with 38 of 63 seats in parliament, with more than a third of votes counted. But the Left-Green Movement was seen losing crucial ground to its right-wing partners, putting Jakobsdottir’s future as prime minister — and …

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World Recognition of Taliban ‘Not on Table,’ Russia Says at UN

International recognition of the Taliban “at the present juncture is not on the table,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Saturday at the United Nations. Among the Taliban’s promises are ensuring an inclusive government; respecting human rights, especially for women; and preventing Afghanistan from becoming a haven for terrorists. But the interim Taliban government, Lavrov said, fails to reflect “the whole gamut of Afghan society — ethno-religious and political forces — so we are engaging in contacts, they are ongoing.” Russia, the United States, China and Pakistan, he said, are working to hold the Taliban to the promises they made when …

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Icelanders Vote in Volatile Election With Climate in Mind 

Icelanders were voting Saturday in a general election dominated by climate change, with an unprecedented number of political parties likely to win parliamentary seats.   Polls suggested there wouldn’t be an outright winner, triggering complex negotiations to build a coalition government.   A record nine parties could cross the 5% threshold needed to qualify for seats in Iceland’s parliament, the Althing. Upstart parties include the Socialist Party, which is promising to shorten the workweek and nationalize Iceland’s fishing industry.    High turnout was expected, as one-fifth of eligible voters have already cast absentee ballots.   Climate change is high among …

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Long Queues, Fuel Rationing Occur as Britain Faces Truck Driver Shortage

Lengthy queues of vehicles snaked their way to gas stations in Britain on Saturday where an acute shortage of truck drivers has led to fuel rationing, some empty pumps, and government consideration of issuing temporary work visas.  Across the country, motorists waited in long lines to fill up their vehicles. One big distributor said it was rationing sales, and a number of operators said they were having to close some pump sites, provoking panic-buying.  Government ministers and oil companies said there were ample stocks of petrol or diesel and there was no cause for alarm, but the lack of truck …

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Merkel Makes Final Push for Successor in Germany’s Knife-Edge Polls

Chancellor Angela Merkel urged Germans Saturday to give her would-be successor Armin Laschet their vote to shape Germany’s future, in a last-ditch push to shore up his beleaguered campaign 24 hours before Germans vote.   Laschet, 60, has been trailing his Social Democrat challenger Olaf Scholz in the race for the chancellery, although final polls put the gap between them within the margin of error, making the vote one of the most unpredictable in recent years.   Merkel had planned to keep a low profile in the election battle as she prepares to bow out of politics after 16 years …

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‘A Lot of Impatience’: Youth Climate Protesters Return to the Streets

Young climate activists from Greta Thunberg’s Friday for Future movement resumed mass street protests on Friday for the first time since the pandemic began, demanding drastic action from global leaders ahead of U.N. climate talks in November. From Nairobi to Washington, marchers — including Thunberg, who joined protests in Berlin — carried placards and homemade banners during the demonstrations, which drew fewer protesters than before COVID-19 in most cities. “It’s slightly disappointing there are less people than there used to be, but people will come back. The problem is not going away,” said Erin Brodrick, 17, one of about 250 …

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Refugees in Turkey Fearful as Sentiment Turns Against Them

Fatima Alzahra Shon thinks neighbors attacked her and her son in their Istanbul apartment building because she is Syrian.     The 32-year-old refugee from Aleppo was confronted on Sept. 1 by a Turkish woman who asked her what she was doing in “our” country. Shon replied, “Who are you to say that to me?” The situation quickly escalated.   A man came out of the Turkish woman’s apartment half-dressed, threatening to cut Shon and her family “into pieces,” she recalled. Another neighbor, a woman, joined in, shouting and hitting Shon. The group then pushed her down a flight of …

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Goodbye Merkel: Germany’s ‘Crisis Chancellor’ to Step Down After 16 Years

Germany is preparing to bid farewell to Chancellor Angela Merkel, who is stepping down after elections scheduled for Sunday. She has led Europe’s biggest economy for the past 16 years and has played a major role in Europe and on the global stage.  Merkel was Germany’s first female chancellor and its first leader to have been raised in the former East Germany.  Her political career began as the Iron Curtain was falling in Europe. After German reunification in 1990, she was appointed minister for women and youth by her mentor, former Chancellor Helmut Köhl. German media dubbed her ‘Köhl’s girl’ …

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US Cautions Mali About Using Russian Mercenaries

A potential deal to bring as many as 1,000 Russian mercenaries to Mali is likely to further destabilize the country, according to senior U.S. officials who are urging the interim government to instead focus on elections. Word of the not-yet-finalized deal, with Russia’s Wagner Group, has already rankled some French and European officials. And it now appears to be drawing increased attention from the United States, itself wary of Russian efforts across Africa. “We continue to be concerned about the rise … of malign influences on the continent,” a senior administration official said Friday in response to a question from …

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Flights Scrapped as New Volcanic Eruptions Hit Canaries

Fresh volcanic eruptions in Spain’s Canary Islands prompted the cancellation of flights, airport authorities said Friday, the first since the Cumbre Vieja volcano came to life again. New evacuations were also ordered as large explosions and new openings were reported at the volcano on La Palma island on Friday. A large cloud of thick, black ash spewed into the air, forcing several airlines to call off flights. La Palma had six inter-island flights scheduled for Friday operated by Binter, Canaryfly and Air Europa, while the national carrier Iberia had a single service from Madrid to the mainland. All were scrapped. …

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