Pledging stability, German SPD seeks three-way alliance

German Social Democrat Olaf Scholz has vowed to strengthen the European Union and keep up the transatlantic partnership in a three-way coalition government he hopes to form by Christmas to take over from Angela Merkel’s conservatives. “Germany always has coalition governments and it was always stable,” he said. Scholz’s Social Democrats (SPD), Germany’s oldest party, won 25.7% of the vote, up five percentage points from the 2017 federal election, ahead of Merkel’s CDU/CSU conservative bloc on 24.1%. The Greens came in with 14.8% and the FDP won 11.5%.

N.Korea accuses US of ‘hostilities’

North Korea has accused the United States of hostilities and demanded that the Biden administration put an end to joint military exercises with South Korea. The Pyongyang ambassador Kim Song was addressing the UN General Assembly in New York as his country conducted another weapon’s test firing a short-range missile into the Sea of Japan. He said North Korea has a “legitimate right” to test weapons and “strengthen defense capabilities”. Meanwhile, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has also accused the US of “effectively creating NATO bases in Ukraine disguised as training centres”.

British fuel crises puts army on alert

Britain has placed its army on alert with a view to using tankers and military drivers to remedy the fuel crisis in the country caused by the lack of sufficient civilian drivers and the consequent rush to distributors that has left many dry. Ministers have blamed scenes of queues at petrol stations and pumps running dry on people buying fuel when they do not need it. The price of a litre of unleaded petrol has risen by a penny since Friday and a small number of retailers were hiking prices amid the soaring demand.

Over 600 migrants land in Lampedusa

Over five hundred migrants, on an old iron fishing boat have landed in Lampedusa after being intercepted four miles from the coast. Among the migrants – from Morocco, Syria, Bangladesh and Egypt – were also women and children. In the hours immediately preceding there were another fivelandings on the island with a combined total of 119 people.

‘CIA wanted to kidnap, kill Assange’

The CIA wanted to kidnap and possibly assassinate Julian Assange. The plans were discussed within the Trump administration in 2017, when the Wikileaks founder was a refugee at Ecuador’s embassy in London. This emerges from new papers revealed by Yahoo! News and relaunched by the international media. Wanting a total war against Assange would be then Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, former head of the CIA, that due to Wikileaks had suffered the most serious loss of data in its history.

China moves to halt abortions

China has decided to reduce the number of abortions not performed for “therapeutic purposes”, as part of the new lines that aim to improve the reproductive health of women and encourage families to have more children. China has already taken measures against sex-selective abortions.

1. Kelly found guilty in sex trafficking trial

US singer R Kelly has been found guilty of exploiting his superstar status to run a scheme to sexually abuse women and children over two decades. After two days of deliberation, the jury found Kelly guilty of all charges. Sentencing is due on May 4 and he could spend the rest of his life behind bars.

Macron pelted with egg

A man threw an egg at Emmanuel Macron, during a visit by the French president to the international restaurant show. The egg bounced off Macron’s shoulder without breaking. The perpetrator was immediately arrested. “If he has something to tell me, come on,” said the president, asking to speak with the individual. “I’ll see him later. Go get him,” he added.