In a meeting between Chancellor Scholz and President Putin, both sides affirmed their willingness to find diplomatic solutions for the Ukraine conflict. While Scholz raised concerns over civil liberties in Russia, Putin emphasized the attractiveness of Russian gas for Germany.
While many European nations are loosening their COVID-restrictions, Germany and Austria have been holding on to their mandates. But calls for loosening the grip on freedom might finally be heard.
Marking the beginning of his reelection campaign, Viktor Orbán focused his annual state of the nation address on the shortcomings of the opposition, the economical and social achievements of his administration, and his diplomatic, but clear, stance on foreign politics.
After discovering the Omicron variant last November, Dr. Angelique Coetzee faced heavy criticism from scientists and politicians in Europe for calling the variant a “mild disease.” Some three months later she is proven right and refuses to be silenced.
After appointing the head of Greenpeace International as the new climate envoy of Germany, members of the Green party expect to have greater influence over global climate policies.
The president of Germany primarily has a representative function, but the gravitas of the office lends importance to his statements. With 4 out of the 6 parties in Parliament endorsing Frank-Walter Steinmeier for another term, the election might just turn into a show of vanities.
Church scandals are once again the talk of the media, and this time Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI is in the
Opinions on the effectiveness of vitamin D in preventing severe infections of COVID have been divided for a long time. A new study from Israel, however, delivers overwhelming data to support a correlation theory.
A COVID law proposed by Poland’s ruling PiS party has been rejected by the Polish Parliament. While opponents of COVID restrictions celebrate, some members of the opposition predict the downfall of the PiS.
The state-affiliated newspaper Ta Kung Pao accused Hong Kong Cardinal Joseph Zen of inciting student riots in 2019. A crackdown on religious liberties by the CCP might be on the horizon.
As other European countries reduce their COVID regulations, Austria has gone the other way. As of February 5th, Austria became Europe’s first country with mandatory COVID vaccination rules for all adults. But the implementation of the rule remains a challenge.
For the first time in two years, the presidents of China and Russia met in person and used the occasion to reaffirm their shared vision of the future in a joint statement covering multilateralism, restriction of NATO expansion, and moving away from the U.S. dollar.
