Sweden’s first female prime minister, Social Democrat Magdalena Andersson, has resigned after less than 12 hours in the top job after the Green Party quit their two-party coalition, stoking political uncertainty. But Andersson said she had told the speaker of parliament she hoped to be appointed prime minister again as the head of a single-party government. “I have asked the speaker to be relieved of my duties as prime minister,” Andersson told a news conference. “I am ready to be prime minister in a single-party, Social Democrat government.” The Green…
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GERMANY’S EXOLAUNCH EXPANDS BUSINESS OPERATIONS IN NORTH AMERICA
Exolaunch, a provider of launch, deployment, and in-space transportation services, has expanded its business operations and sales in North America by opening offices in Denver, CO and Washington, DC. To lead its US operations (Exolaunch, Inc. doing business as Exolaunch USA), capture new market opportunities, and continue business growth in the region, Exolaunch USA has hired aerospace executive Chris Hearsey as its chief executive officer. Having doubled sales globally, compared to last year, in 2022 Exolaunch is expecting to further increase its sales and keep its high launch rate by…
Read MoreSwedish finance minister tipped to become country’s first female PM
Magdalena Andersson is favourite to become Sweden’s prime minister when her Social Democrat colleague Stefan Lofven steps down in November, but major challenges face the current finance minister if she is to keep the top job longer than a few months. If Andersson is picked to head her party in November, she is likely to become Sweden’s first female prime minister – 40 years after neighbour Norway got its first woman leader and more than 60 years behind Sri Lanka, which was the first country to do so. Yet staying…
Read MoreSpain’s PM Sanchez pledges 206 million euros for volcano-hit La Palma
Spain will provide 206 million euros ($239 million) to help the island of La Palma recover from its volcanic eruption, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Sunday. “Next Tuesday, the cabinet will approve a package of very powerful measures” to assist in areas such as infrastructure reconstruction, water supply, employment, agriculture and tourism, he told a news conference during a visit to the island. Red-hot lava exploded high into the air from La Palma’s volcano on Sunday night as the eruption gathered force, hours after Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said…
Read MoreFrance rules against tighter curbs on porn websites on legal technicality
A French court on Friday, citing a legal technicality, rejected a claim brought by two children’s associations that aimed to tighten access to some of the world’s biggest porn websites. Through their complaint against France’s top telecom firms, the groups had hoped to block or further restrict children’s access to nine top porn sites, including PornHub and Xvideo But the judge rejected the claim because the court had not been able to hear arguments from the sites’ publishers, according to the country’s telecoms trade body. “It was unfortunately a loss…
Read MoreItaly to start Covid-19 ‘green pass’ rule, irrespective of protests in Rome
What started off as a restless but peaceful demonstration against the looming measure in Rome’s Piazza del Popolo ended up sparking a tinderbox when an offshoot of protesters stormed the headquarters of CGIL, Italy’s oldest and biggest labor union. Thousands of protesters including members of far-right groups demonstrated in central Rome on Saturday against the extension of the Covid-19 health pass system to all workplaces. There were scuffles with police as the demonstrators took aim at the health pass, which has been a requirement to enter museums, sporting events, and…
Read MoreFrench EU presidency to push for worldwide end to death penalty, says Macron
France will launch a campaign for the worldwide abolition of the death penalty as part of its upcoming presidency of the European Union, President Emmanuel Macron said on Saturday. A conference will be held in Paris gathering civil society groups from countries where the death penalty is in use or suspended, Macron said in a speech to mark the 40th anniversary of France’s abolition of the punishment. France, which will hold the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU in the first half of 2022, will also work with…
Read MoreMass protests in Poland amid EU exit fears
Poles backing EU membership have taken part in protests across the country, amid fears it could leave the bloc. On Thursday Poland’s top court ruled that key articles of EU law were “incompatible” with the constitution. Organisers said protests took place in more than 100 towns and cities, with some 100,000 people turning out in the capital, Warsaw. The court’s decision effectively rejected the core principle that EU law has primacy over national legislation. Poland’s Prime Minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, has defended the ruling. “We have the same rights as other…
Read MoreBoris Johnson faces criticism for taking trip to Spain
It is the Tory leader’s second getaway this summer. In August, he was forced to cut short a break in Somerset when the Taliban captured Kabul following the withdrawal of Western troops from Afghanistan. However, he returned to his break when the last UK troops were evacuated. In August 2020, the Conservative leader, his then fiancée Carrie Symonds and their son Wilfred visited the Applecross peninsula on Scotland’s west coast. Johnson was reportedly swept out to sea and “nearly drowned” during the holiday. Shortly after winning a landslide victory in…
Read MoreFrance moves to end free Covid tests to promote vaccination campaign
France is to end subsidised Covid testing from mid-October in a bid to encourage the country’s vaccination drive. However people who have already been vaccinated will still be allowed to get tested free of charge. From 15 October, the date on which Covid-19 screening tests will no longer be systematically free, PCR tests will cost €44 for unvaccinated adults without a prescription. The antigenic tests will be charged €22 euros if they are carried out in a laboratory, with pharmacies charging €25 euros. Self-testing kits at €5.20 will no longer…
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