TOP NEWS

EU-China relations
Merz: Has spoken to Xi about the Ukraine war

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has spoken to Chinese leader Xi Jinping about the Ukraine war during the meeting in Beijing, he says, according to Reuters.

– I have spoken to Xi about ending the war in Ukraine, and I hope I was able to convey the importance of putting an end to the war, he says.

China is a close ally of Russia, and before the meeting Merz said that China could not be left out of efforts to resolve global conflicts.

Merz is also said to have raised Taiwan during the meeting with Xi.

The verdict against Le Pen
Le Pen: Will not run in shackles

Marine Le Pen will not run in the presidential election if a court forces her to wear shackles, even if the decision to ban her from holding public office is lifted. The French far-right leader says this according to Politico.

– You cannot run in such circumstances. Can you run without going out at night and meeting voters?, she told French news channel BFMTV.

Le Pen and her supporters are still waiting for a decision from the Paris appeals court, which will decide whether the ban will be lifted. Recently, Le Pen has been increasingly pessimistic about attempts to appeal the ban.

– I am not giving up

Hong Kong political situation
Jimmy Lai conviction overturned – long prison sentence remains

A Hong Kong appeals court has overturned a fraud conviction against media mogul Jimmy Lai, several media outlets report.

Lai was sentenced to five years and nine months in prison for two counts of fraud in 2022. The case concerned the rental conditions of Lai’s newspaper Apple Daily, and his defense lawyers argue that it should have been a civil case rather than a criminal one.

Earlier in February, Lai was also sentenced to 20 years in prison for violating Hong Kong's national security law and collaborating with a foreign power. With the fraud conviction overturned, the prison sentence will be slightly shorter, but Lai is 78 years old and his family believes he will die behind bars. 

Political situation in Denmark
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen calls elections in Denmark

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen is calling elections to the Folketing on March 24, Danish media reports.

- It is now up to you voters to decide which direction you will take, she says.

Frederiksen says she is not ruling out any government formations in advance. During her speech, she also says that her party, the Social Democrats, wants to reintroduce the wealth tax.

A parliamentary election must be held no later than four years after the previous election, but it is the Prime Minister who calls the election day.