World
Germany's Weber supports Macron’s call for European nuclear deterrent
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With fears over NATO’s credibility, the idea of a homegrown alternative is playing into Germany’s domestic political debate.
A French plan to offer a nuclear umbrella to Europe has met with support from the German MEP who heads the European People’s Party, Manfred Weber, playing into the domestic political debate ahead of June EU elections.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the prospect that a second Donald Trump presidency might weaken the transatlantic alliance, has raised the salience of having a homegrown alternative to NATO.
In a TV clip which issued on Thursday (9 May), Weber suggested he favoured plans put forward by French President Emmanuel Macron, and criticised left-wing Chancellor Olaf Scholz for his failure to engage.
“This is an offer of France which we must talk about,” Weber said on a panel hosted by Bavarian TV station BR24, after Macron proposed to extend security guarantees based on nuclear deterrence, adding: “I am disappointed that Olaf Scholz, the federal government, is voiceless, that there is absolutely no answer for this proposal.”
Macron “is broadening the conception of France’s national security from a purely territorial concept into a European one,” Weber said. “He is ready to say: the security order of France is attacked when Lithuania is attacked.”
In a wide-ranging speech on European policy in late April, Macron said France’s nuclear deterrent was an “indispensable element of the defence of the European continent”.
Fears over Europe’s ability to defend itself were raised after Trump suggested he wouldn’t leap to the rescue of allies who didn’t spend enough on their militaries, undermining the treaty commitments that underpin NATO.
France is the only remaining nuclear power within the EU, though it isn’t immediately clear what role Brussels, or MEPs such as Weber, might play in developing the idea.
The European Commission is attempting to coordinate military production by its members to help arm Ukraine, and its President Ursula von der Leyen has said she’ll make defence a central plank of a hoped-for second term in office.
But the EU also includes neutral members such as Ireland and Austria, and is precluded under its founding treaties from buying weapons directly.
In February, Scholz – a socialist who leads a coalition that also includes the green and liberal parties – told German newspaper the Süddeutsche Zeitung, “I don’t think much of this debate” concerning a European nuclear guarantee, citing NATO membership and the country’s decision not to seek its own atomic weapons.
Earlier this week, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered tests of tactical nuclear weapons, in an apparent warning to Ukraine’s allies to back off.
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World
Japan and Philippines agree to deepen defense ties due to their mutual alarm over Chinese aggression
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Japan and the Philippines agreed Monday to further deepen their defense collaboration and talk about protecting shared military information in the face of mutual alarm over China’s increasing aggressive actions in the region.
Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani and his Philippine counterpart, Gilberto Teodoro, forged the agreements in a meeting in Manila where their concern over China’s actions in the disputed South China Sea and East China Sea was high in the agenda.
Japan and the Philippines are treaty allies of the United States, and the three have been among the most vocal critics of China’s assertive actions in the region, including in the contested waters.
At the opening of his meeting with Nakatani, Teodoro said the Philippines was looking forward to boosting defense relations with Japan “against unilateral attempts by China and other countries to change the international order and the narrative.”
Nakatani said after the meeting that he agreed with Teodoro “to strengthen operational cooperation,” including joint and multinational defense trainings, port calls and information-sharing.
“We also agreed to commence discussion between defense authorities on military information protection mechanism,” Nakatani said.
The Philippines signed an agreement with the United States, its longtime treaty ally, last year to better secure the exchange of highly confidential military intelligence and technology in key weapons to allow the sale of such weaponry by the U.S. to the Philippines.
Then-Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Teodoro signed the legally binding General Security of Military Information Agreement in Manila at a time when the U.S. and the Philippines were boosting their defense and military engagements, including large-scale joint combat drills, largely in response to China’s increasingly aggressive actions in Asia.
Nakatani said that he and Teodoro “firmly concurred that the security environment surrounding us is becoming increasingly severe and that it is necessary for the two countries as strategic partners to further enhance defense cooperation and collaboration in order to maintain peace and stability in Indo-Pacific.”
Japan has had a longstanding territorial dispute with China over islands in the East China Sea. Chinese and Philippine coast guard and navy ships, meanwhile, have been involved in a series of increasingly hostile confrontations in the South China Sea in the last two years.
Also high in the agenda of Nakatani and Teodoro, a copy of which was seen by The Associated Press, was the “expansion of bilateral cooperation, especially in the context of the Reciprocal Access Agreement.”
Last year, Japan and the Philippines signed the agreement allowing the deployment of Japanese and Philippine forces for joint military and combat drills in each other’s territory. The Philippine Senate has ratified the agreement, and its expected ratification by Japan’s legislature would allow the agreement to take effect.
The agreement with the Philippines, which includes live-fire drills, is the first to be forged by Japan in Asia. Japan signed similar accords with Australia in 2022 and with Britain in 2023.
Japan has taken steps to boost its security and defensive firepower, including a counterstrike capability that breaks from the country’s postwar principle of focusing only on self-defense. It’s doubling defense spending in a five-year period to 2027 to bolster its military power.
Many of Japan’s Asian neighbors, including the Philippines, came under Japanese aggression until its defeat in World War II, and Tokyo’s efforts to strengthen its military role and spending could be a sensitive issue.
Japan and the Philippines, however, have steadily deepened defense and security ties largely due to concerns over Chinese aggression in the region.
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Associated Press journalists Joeal Calupitan and Aaron Favila contributed to this report.
World
Pope Francis suffering from early stage kidney failure, though condition remains 'under control': Vatican
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Pope Francis remained in critical condition in an Italian hospital on Sunday, as officials shared that he is suffering from early-stage kidney failure amid his treatment for bilateral pneumonia.
Francis, who is currently staying at the Gemelli University Hospital in Rome, remains alert and attended Mass on Sunday, according to the Vatican. The pope has been fighting pneumonia and a complex lung infection since being hospitalized on Feb. 14.
The Holy See Press Office published a detailed statement about the 88-year-old pope’s health on Sunday, noting that his condition “remains critical, but since [Saturday] evening, he has not experienced any further respiratory crises.”
“He received two units of concentrated red blood cells with benefit, and his hemoglobin levels have risen,” the report noted.
POPE FRANCIS’ MEDICAL CONDITION: WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT BILATERAL PNEUMONIA
Pope Francis holds his homily during the weekly General Audience at the Paul VI Hall on February 12, 2025, in Vatican City, Vatican. (Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images)
“The thrombocytopenia remains stable; however, some blood tests show early, mild renal insufficiency [kidney failure], which is currently under control.”
The Holy See also noted that Pope Francis is receiving oxygen and “remains alert and well-oriented.”
“The complexity of the clinical situation and the necessary time for the pharmacological treatments to show results require that the prognosis remain reserved,” the statement concluded. “This morning, in the apartment on the tenth floor, he participated in the Holy Mass, together with those who have been taking care of him during these days of hospitalization.”
POPE FRANCIS IS ‘FINE,’ CONDITION NOT LIFE-THREATENING, DOCTORS SAY
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Deacons take part in a mass for their jubilee in St. Peter’s Basilica at The Vatican, Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025, that was supposed to be presided over by Pope Francis who was admitted over a week ago at Rome’s Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic and is in critical condition. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
The statement came after Pope Francis published a message of his own on X, thanking the international Catholic community for their prayers. He had suffered a prolonged asthmatic respiratory crisis on Saturday, a condition worsened by the fact that he had part of one of his lungs removed when he was younger.
“I have recently received many messages of affection, and I have been particularly struck by the letters and drawings from children,” Pope Francis posted on X Sunday. “Thank you for your closeness, and for the consoling prayers I have received from all over the world!”
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Pope Francis holds his homily during the weekly General Audience at the Paul VI Hall on February 12, 2025 in Vatican City, Vatican. (REUTERS/Ciro De Luca/File Photo)
“I urge you to continue your apostolate with joy and to be a sign of a love that embraces everyone, as the #GospelOfTheDay suggests,” another post of his read. “May we transform evil into goodness and build a fraternal world. Do not be afraid to take risks for love!”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
World
German chancellor candidates react to exit polls in Sunday's election
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German chancellor candidates have spoken publicly to their supporters after exit polls came out indicating the results of the country’s snap federal election results.
Germans took to the polls on Sunday to elect their next parliament in an election that’s been dubbed as the most pivotal election in recent decades.
Four candidates were competing for the top chancellor job after the ruling coalition collapsed, triggering a snap election. Olaf Scholz of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) was fighting for re-election where he faced strong opposition in Friedrich Merz of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Alice Weidel of the far-right Alternative for Germany party (AfD) and Robert Habeck of the Greens.
In the weeks leading to the election, the CDU – in alliance with its sister Bavarian party the Christian Social Union (CSU) – were the frontrunners, projected to win around 30% of the vote.
Trailing behind in second place were the AfD, who’ve experienced a dramatic surge in popularity recently and were projected to win around 20% of the total vote.
Scholz’s SPD came in third with polls predicting a 16% result for them, and former Vice Chancellor Habeck’s Greens polling at 13%.
Tens of millions of Germans cast their ballots on Sunday in a turnout that exceeded 80% of the nearly 60 million eligible voters.
Early exit polls have indicated that the CDU/CSU union are in the lead to govern with around 28.5% of the votes. The AfD were standing at around 20%, the SPD were at just over 16% – their lowest-ever election result – and the Greens at around 11.5%.
Vote counting is still underway and official results are expected to be announced on Monday, but they aren’t expected to change significantly. This means that Germany is once again headed to a coalition government, as winning an absolute majority has never happened in the country’s modern history.
Here’s how the candidates reacted to early exit results.
Olaf Scholz – SPD
Scholz who led the last coalition government before it collapsed triggering this vote convened with supporters in the German capital, Berlin.
The outgoing German chancellor said he takes full responsibility for his party’s loss.
“This is a bitter election result for the Social Democratic Party. It is also an electoral defeat. I think that needs to be made clear at the outset in view of the result. And it is also very important for me to say that it is a result from which we must move forward together,” said Scholz.
The SPD chancellor candidate also commented on the significant gains of the far-right in the country, expressing concern over what this could mean for the future of the country.
“The fact that an extreme right-wing party like the AfD gets such election results in this country must never be something we will accept. I will not and will never accept this.”
Friedrich Merz – CDU/CSU
The union also held an event in Berlin, but unlike that of the SPD’s, this event was full of cheers and celebrations.
“We, the CDU and the CSU, the Union, we won this 2025 federal election!,” said Merz as he walked on stage to address supporters.
The CDU leader who’s tasked with forming a coalition to lead a new government thanked supporters for the trust they placed in him and the party and pledged to uphold this trust and advance the country.
“I am aware of the responsibility. I am also aware of the scale of the task that now lies ahead of us. I approach it with the utmost respect, and I know that it will not be easy.”
Merz added that his party will now prioritise speed in forming the next government, highlighting that it’s essential to get things started right away and work on reforming the country.
“The world out there isn’t waiting for us, and it isn’t waiting for long-drawn-out coalition talks and negotiations.”
“We must now become capable of acting quickly again so that we can do the right thing domestically, so that we are present in Europe again, so that the world sees: Germany is reliably governed again!,” continued Merz.
Alice Weidel – AfD
Far-right AfD leader Alice Weidel was also celebrating in the German capital following her hugely successful election result.
The AfD increased their share of the vote by 10%, doubling their result from the last federal election in 2021.
“We have doubled our votes, they wanted to cut them in half. The opposite has happened,” said Weidel.
The AfD candidate for chancellor also reiterated her willingness to participate in government despite the “firewall” against extremist parties.
“Our hand will always remain outstretched for participation in government, to implement the will of the people, the will of Germany. We are ready to participate in government,” continued Weidel.
Merz has already stated that he will not include the AfD in coalition considerations arguing that their policies do not represent or align with those of the union.
Robert Habeck – Greens
The Greens performed below expectation in Sunday’s federal election and both politicians and supporters knew it.
Speaking to supporters, the Greens candidate Robert Habeck acknowledged the poor performance and congratulated Merz on his victory.
He outlined some problems that he views as a major cause for concern for Germany.
“The election result itself is food for thought. Because the rise of right-wing populism, the lack of solidarity among many parties with Ukraine, which is fighting for its freedom, the unresolved relationship of many parties to a real European unity, that worries me, that worries us a lot.”
Habeck also reiterated his party’s willingness to join a coalition and take responsibility and contribute to the country, a decision that lies with Friedrich Merz, who will be given the mandate to govern once the election results are official.
The CDU/CSU will engage in talks with other parties over the coming days and weeks to form a new coalition and government.
One possible combinations could be the “Kenya” coalition. The Kenya coalition will bring together the red (SPD), black (CDU/CSU) and green (Greens), though experts say this would be a last resort as it is an unpopular alliance.
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