The shutdown proves it: We don’t need so much government after all

The government is “shut down.” Media call this a “crisis.” Reuters says it’s a “key risk to US stability.” But when I look around, I see business as usual — families raise children, workers work, people play music . . . The media act like...

German Chancellor Merz Hails Türkiye's Role in Gaza Ceasefire

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz expressed strong support for a new Gaza ceasefire plan, acknowledging the critical mediation efforts by the leaders of Türkiye, Egypt, and Qatar. In an address to the German parliament, Merz characterized the...

Germany-Afghanistan, deporting Afghans to Kabul

Germany–Afghanistan: Negotiations to send back Afghans to Kabul The European Union, through Germany, is pulling Afghanistan out of diplomatic isolation—after Syria, which has already managed quite the comeback. Germany is negotiating with the...

Top Meat and Dairy Companies Have Same Climate Impact as Biggest Oil and Gas Firms

By Joe Fassler on DeSmog Major meat and dairy producers emit more greenhouse gases than the nation of Saudi Arabia, the world’s number two oil producer — emissions that rival those of the world’s biggest fossil fuel companies, according to a new...

The Good Fight Club: Trump’s New Ballroom, a Looming Attack on Venezuela, and Why Social Media Explains the Rise of Populism

In this week’s conversation, Yascha Mounk, Francis Fukuyama and Mona Charen discuss Trump’s latest actions, from demolishing the East Wing of the White House to demanding compensation from the Justice Department; whether the Trump administration’s...

German firms keep faith in Philippines despite corruption woes

Cristina Chi - Philstar.com October 17, 2025 | 9:11am MANILA, Philippines — German businesses continue to view the Philippine market with "confidence" as a viable market for growth, officials from the German Embassy and the German-Philippine...

Ireland gambles on Catherine Connolly

Every seven years Ireland gets to elect a constitutional monarch – a nominally impotent figurehead who meets and greets the great and good; who makes the occasional statement of solidarity or condolence; and who shouldn’t freestyle on behalf of...

How This WWII Crew Escaped A Sunken Submarine

Serving on a submarine in World War II is up there with some of the most dangerous military jobs in history. Many World War II submarines went missing and were never found, with no survivors to supply information about what happened. Other times,...

Germany spearheads drive to legitimize Taliban in exchange for migrant deportations

“Afghan citizens who commit crimes in other countries are, of course, personally responsible for their actions, but they also represent the Afghan nation,” said Qani. Upon arriving in Afghanistan, he added, the deportees are dealt with by the...

France: Parliamentary report written by ‘pure’ Macronists decries special treatment given to Algerian migrants, says previous agreements must be denounced

In the wake of a report that has shed light on exactly how much Algerians benefit from the Franco-Algerian agreement of 1968, many are talking about revisiting and even tossing the decades-old agreement. Shockingly, the report was not written by...

How Russian mercenaries in Mali exploit military equipment

It's said that a picture is worth more than a thousand words; a photo posted on Telegram in December 2024 proves just how accurate that expression really is. The image in question shows a pair of legs lounging in the shade on a red carpet in the...

EU Steel Tariffs: How Brussels’ 50% Levy Could Reshape Global Mining Supply Chains

When the EU steel tariffs proposal was unveiled in October 2025, few in Brussels could have predicted how seismic its effects would be. The European Commission’s plan to double import duties on steel to 50% while slashing duty-free quotas by...

Catherine Connolly Leads in Early Vote Counts for Irish Presidency

DUBLIN, Ireland — Independent candidate Catherine Connolly is on track to win Ireland’s presidential election in a significant lead over her opponents. Early tallies on Saturday, as two-thirds of ballots were counted, indicated that Connolly, 68,...

Japan plans first visa fee hike in nearly five decades amid record visitor surge

Japan is preparing to revise its visa application fees for the first time since 1978, aligning them more closely with charges imposed by other major economies. The move comes as the country faces record inbound tourism and rising administrative...

German parliament opens debate on military service bill

Germany's Bundestag parliament began its first reading of the contentious bill seeking to reintroduce some form of military service, on a purely voluntary basis at first but with contested plans to add some kind of mandatory component in future if...

Fresh Labour chaos as new deputy leader Lucy Powell challenges Starmer and says he has let 'Farage 'run away with it'

Keir Starmer suffered another hammer blow today as Lucy Powell was named as his new Labour deputy - and warned that he is not being 'bold' enough. Ms Powell - who was sacked from the Cabinet by the PM just last month - saw off Education Secretary...

Who is Catherine Connolly, Ireland’s new president?

Veteran independent lawmaker Catherine Connolly is set to be Ireland's new president after Fine Gael's Heather Humphreys conceded in the election. It brings to an end the seven-year term of popular incumbent Michael D Higgins, a former Labour...

Shock in Germany: Hundreds of Hungarian citizens lose refugee status

German authorities have withdrawn the refugee status of 568 Hungarian citizens after it emerged that they had arrived in the country claiming to be fleeing the war in Ukraine, while also holding Hungarian passports. Citizens of the European Union,...

Germany greenlights €2,000 tax-free earnings for pensioners

Published on 15/10/2025 - 7:00 GMT+2 Germany will introduce an “active pension” from 1 January 2026 that lets people who choose to work past the statutory retirement age earn up to €2,000 per month tax-free. Labour Minister Bärbel Bas framed the...

Coloradans conflicted over promised immigration crackdowns, how they are carried out

Hundreds of residents react to Trump administration’s policies and tactics Protesters picket outside of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s office in Centennial as an unusually high number of people are summoned to appear for check-ins on...