Europe’s biggest economy faces multiple difficulties at home and abroad. There could be difficult times for Germany’s next government after Sunday’s elections. An economic crisis at home, war in Ukraine and transatlantic turbulence with the US under Donald Trump. So, how will Europe’s biggest economy deal with the challenges ahead? Presenter: Adrian Finighan Guests: Cathryn … Read more
The UN-recognised government condemns assassination attempt targeting Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Adel Jumaa. Libya’s Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Adel Jumaa has been injured following a gun attack in the capital. The Libya Observer and Anadolu Agency reported on Wednesday that unknown gunmen opened fire on Jumaa’s vehicle in Tripoli, leaving him … Read more
Coalition talks between De Wever’s right-wing New Flemish Alliance (N-VA), the Francophone center-right Reformist Movement (MR), the Francophone centrist Les Engagés, the centrist Christian Democrat and Flemish Party and the center-left Flemish Vooruit party — dubbed the “Arizona” coalition after the colors of the American state’s flag — hit multiple bumps in the road. Belgium’s … Read more
Rachel Reeves’s first few months as Britain’s top finance official have been marked by a steady drumbeat of bad news: a “black hole” in the public finances, higher taxes and low growth. On Wednesday, Ms. Reeves sought to change Britain’s prospects by laying out plans to strengthen the economy, including supporting another runway at Heathrow … Read more
Herbert Kickle first far-right leader since World War II to be invited to form a government. Austria could soon join a growing number of European Union countries led by the far right. Months of negotiation led by the conservative Austrian People’s Party ended with no coalition and the president, a left-wing former Greens leader, has … Read more
After being named prime minister in early September, Barnier said his priority was to bring down France’s budget deficit and get the country’s finances in order. To do so, he proposed a budget with €60 billion in combined tax hikes and spending cuts. Barnier attempted to pass part of the French budget using a constitutional … Read more
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet approves proposal to sanction the country’s oldest newspaper. Israel’s cabinet has approved a proposal to cut all government links with Haaretz – a move that could cripple the 105-year-old newspaper financially and force it to shut down. Haaretz has condemned the action, describing it as “another step in [Prime Minister … Read more
Germany’s ruling coalition collapsed after the chancellor, Olaf Scholz, sacked his finance minister and paved the way for a snap election – triggering political chaos in Europe’s largest economy just hours after Donald Trump won the US presidential election. Christian Lindner, the sacked minister, said: ‘The chancellor gave me an ultimatum to suspend the constitutional … Read more
Crisis talks in the coalition of Scholz’s Social Democratic Party, the Greens and Lindner’s Free Democratic Party came to a head after the FDP issued a paper with demands for liberal economic reforms that were difficult for the other two parties to accept. Lindner’s recent policy paper, leaked to the media last week, called for tax cuts and … Read more
The Lindner paper is just another step in an almost endless list of ever growing tensions within the German government. Up to now, the risk of snap elections had been relatively low as none of the three coalition parties had an interest in earlier elections, given their weak polling results. It now increasingly looks as … Read more