Germany Votes, Pope Francis in Critical Condition, and Global Crises Unfold
Germany heads to the polls in snap elections, the Vatican updates on Pope Francis' health, and the UN demands Rwanda withdraw from Congo amid rising tensions.
Germany entered its last day of campaigning on Saturday ahead of snap parliamentary elections. The conservative CDU/CSU alliance under Friedrich Merz has been consistently polling at first place, with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) at second place and the ruling Social Democrats (SPD) under current Chancellor Olaf Scholz coming in third. CDU leader and frontrunner for chancellor Friedrich Merz held a final rally ahead of Sunday's elections, where he promised to be a "strong voice in the European Union. He told supporters: "Europe must become stronger again and Germany must become more involved in the European Union. He said that US President Donald Trump back, Europe must "sit at the main table and safeguard our interests vis-a-vis Russia and China."
The Holy See press office issued the following statement Saturday regarding the deteriorating health of Pope Francis, describing it as “critical” and the pontiff “not out of danger.” It said: “The condition of the Holy Father continues to be critical. Therefore, as explained yesterday, the Pope is not out of danger. This morning, Pope Francis experienced an asthma-like respiratory crisis of prolonged intensity, which required the administration of high-flow oxygen. Today's blood tests also revealed thrombocytopenia, associated with anemia, which required the administration of blood transfusions. The Holy Father remains alert and spent the day in an armchair, although he is more uncomfortable than yesterday. At the moment, the prognosis remains guarded.”
Recently fired US Agency for International Development (USAID) staff scrawled messages on boxes full of their personal belongings Friday — and several ex-employees were seen beaming as they were cheered on by supporters on their last day in the office. “You can take the humanitarians out of USAID but you can’t take the humanity out of the humanitarians,” read one upbeat message on a former worker’s box that held a large plant among other items. “We are abandoning the world,” read another note on the container of a different ex-federal employee’s belongings - NY Post
The United Nations Security Council on Friday called on Rwanda's military to stop supporting the M23 rebel group in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and immediately withdraw all troops from Congolese territory "without preconditions." The 15-member council unanimously adopted a French-drafted resolution urging the DRC and Rwanda to return to diplomatic talks to achieve a lasting peaceful resolution. The M23 has captured the two largest cities in eastern Congo, stoking fears of a wider war. Rwanda denies allegations from Congo and the U.N. that it supports the M23 with arms and troops. It says it is defending itself against Hutu militias which it accuses of fighting alongside the Congolese military - France 24