In Germany, parliament boosts defense spending
The German parliament approved a historical $546 billion investment fund on Tuesday to boost its infrastructure and defense spending in response to shifting U.S. attitudes toward European nations under President Donald Trump.
Chancellor of Germany-elect Friedrich Merz led the plan, which received a two-thirds majority vote in the lower house of parliament, Bundestag. In order for it to become law, the bill must also pass a two-thirds majority vote in the upper house, Bundesrat, which is scheduled to take place on Friday.
Germany’s Christian Democratic Union, Social Democratic Party and the Greens are pushing to pass the legislation during the current Bundestag term, where the fund is expected to receive majority funding. Legislators fear that any delays might block the plan long-term due to a new parliament of more polarized lawmakers slated to take office March 25.
“We have for at least a decade felt a false sense of security,” Merz told lawmakers before the vote. “The decision we are taking today on defense readiness can be nothing less than the first major step towards a new European defence community.”
Merz, set to take office early next month, has campaigned for increased defense spending and support for European security. In the wake of the Trump administration’s shortened support for Ukraine, Europe has scaled its militarization efforts to brace for other security losses.
In Italy, six dead and dozens go missing after migrant boat capsizes
Six migrants died and 40 more went missing on Tuesday after the small boat carrying them capsized and flipped near the Italian island Lampedusa, according to United Nations Refugee Agency representative Chiara Cardoletti.
The boat — an inflatable dinghy that carried about 56 people — had left Tunisia with migrants from Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Guinea and Mali. The Italian coastguard rescued 10 people during the initial search, who are currently receiving care in a reception center on the island. No additional people have been found since.
“The deaths in the Mediterranean of those who set out in search of a more dignified future point a finger towards our own inability to imagine a future capable of giving hope and horizons of life,” said Father Marco Pagniello, the director of the Italian unit for the Catholic church-run charity Caritas. “We cannot get used to these events as if they are business as usual.”
That same day, another group of 40 people landed on the island after departing from Tunisia on a metal boat. An article detailed that four other boats had arrived in Lampedusa throughout the day carrying a total of 213 migrants.
According to Italy’s interior ministry, nearly 8,743 migrants have arrived in Italy since the start of this year. Last year, the right-wing Italian government attempted to detain 12 migrants in Albania for asylum processing under a controversial deal. However, the attempts were blocked because judges believed that the migrants’ home countries –– Bangladesh and Egypt –– were not “safe enough.”
In Australia, gov’t sends radar system to Canada
Australia announced a $4.2 billion radar system deal with Canada on Tuesday, supporting its improved long-distance militia detection in the wake of President Donald Trump’s threats to annex Greenland and claim Canada as a 51st state.
The Over-the-Horizon radar, set to be delivered by 2029, is designed to help better recognize hypersonic missiles. The radar will be deployed under the North American Aerospace Defense Command –– an agreement established in the 1950s between Canada and the United States to defend against prospective Soviet missiles in the Arctic.
“Arctic sovereignty is a strategic priority of our government,” Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said at a military base where the deal was announced. “Canada is, and forever will be, an Arctic nation.”
The technology is from Australia’s Jindalee Operational Radar Network, a conglomerate of radars that can oversee movement across over 1,800 square miles of air and sea. There are currently three radars across Australia, managed by its military.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese reaffirmed the deal — also supported by the U.S. military — with Canada at a Wednesday press conference, citing a close relationship between the two countries. He said that he hopes Canada is one of a “diverse series of relationships” that can benefit from the technology, and that his government is also working on large-scale exports to China.
Contact Amanda Chen at [email protected].
