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German lawmakers in the Bundestag on Thursday voted in favor of a proposal to cut aviation tax, raising hopes the move could make flying slightly cheaper in the country. If it’s approved by the upper house of parliament, the Bundesrat, the tax will be lowered from July 1 to the level it was at before the

Are we living in an era where traditional diplomacy has little influence? Is the world moving toward a time when individual states increasingly use military force to assert their interests? If so, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul made a conscious effort this week to set a different tone. The German chief diplomat was unusually busy. 

Global health authorities have warned that the number of deadly Ebola virus infections reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC) most recent outbreak of the disease represents just a fraction of actual cases, adding that cases spread to regions far from the outbreak's origin. So far, some 600 suspected cases have been confirmed, resulting in

US President Donald Trump will hold a swearing‑in ceremony on Friday for the new Federal Reserve chair, Kevin Warsh — an unusual step, since Fed chairs are not normally sworn in at the White House, and presidents usually don't attend, given that the Fed is meant to be politically independent.  But some, particularly Democrats, question

A court in Ankara on Thursday opened proceedings against Deutsche Welle reporter Alican Uludag, and released Uludag from detention while the case against him continued. The next court date is scheduled for September 18.  Abbas Yalcin, one of Uludag's lawyers, welcomed his client's release after months in detention, but also argued that even if Uludag were convicted

When a cybersecurity researcher known by the pseudonym NetAskari recently clicked on a tab labeled "Inquiry for journalist files" on an unsecured Chinese web dashboard, he expected to see a jumble of auto-generated mock data. Instead, familiar faces popped up on the screen. It was a comprehensive database of almost every foreign journalist based in

Elon Musk has a habit of turning science fiction into reality. From reusable rockets to autonomous vehicles and humanoid robots, the billionaire's ventures often achieve what was once thought impossible. With SpaceX's initial public offering (IPO), he's aiming for even bigger milestones. The company, which has stayed fiercely private for 24 years, is now preparing to go public.

Latvia's military on Thursday reported at least one drone flying in the country's airspace, saying that NATO aircraft were activated to combat the apparent threat.  An alert to people in Latvia was lifted hours after being issued, but it was the latest of a series of such incidents in the Baltic, and came less than a month

Joint airstrikes by the US and Nigeria have killed at least 175 fighters of the so-called Islamic State (IS) terror group in Nigeria's northeast. The jihadist group's global second-in-command was among those killed, according to the US Africa Command (AFRICOM). Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu was quick to thank US President Donald Trump for his leadership and unwavering support, saying he looked

A French court on Wednesday delivered a dramatic verdict against Airbus and Air ‌France over France's worst air disaster, ruling that both companies were guilty of corporate manslaughter in the 2009 Rio-Paris plane crash off Brazil. Both companies have been ordered to pay the maximum fine of €225,000 ($260,971) each. While the amount is symbolic, it