Closing summary
… and on that note, it’s a wrap from me, Jakub Krupa.
Here are the three things to take away from today’s blog:
The German parliament has narrowly passed a motion calling for radical tightening of the country’s immigration and asylum rules (16:45 and 16:59) after a series of recent knife attacks. The non-binding motion (17:11), proposed by the main opposition party CDU/CSU which is on course to win the next month’s parliamentary election, was backed by the far-right Alternative für Deutschland party. It was the first time in the history of the federal German parliament that a motion backed by the far-right was adopted, breaking a longstanding taboo (“firewall”) on cooperation with the anti-immigration party. AfD leader Alice Weidel called it a “historic day for Germany” (18:47).
Serbian president Aleksandar Vučić pardoned 13 people arrested during a string of recent mass demonstrations over the fatal collapse of a train station roof in November. The move comes a day after the resignation of prime minister Miloš Vučević, and amid speculations about a potential snap election to find a way out of the current political crisis (18:31).
Greenlanders are overwhelmingly against the idea of coming under US control, despite increasingly assertive rhetoric from US president Donald Trump that he would want to “get” the island (9:59).
That’s all from me, Jakub Krupa, for today. See you tomorrow.
If you have any tips, comments or suggestions, email me at [email protected].
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Updated
‘Historic day for Germany,’ far-right AfD leader Alice Weidel says
Alternative für Deutschland leader Alice Weidel posted her reaction to the vote on social media, calling it “a historic day for Germany, a victory for democracy,” after a non-binding motion calling for radical overhaul and tightening of the immigration rules passed in the Bundestag.
Deutsche Welle notes that it was the first time in the history of the federal German parliament that an AfD-supported motion was passed.
