World news in brief: Ford workers in Germany to down tools

Ford workers in Germany to strike over job cuts

Frankfurt — Ford workers at the US automaker’s two plants in Cologne, Germany, will go on strike on Wednesday, their works council head said on Monday, as tensions rise over planned job cuts across its European operations.

Ford said in November last year it would cut about 14% of its European workforce, mostly in Germany and Britain, blaming losses due to weak demand for electric vehicles and poor government support for the shift to the new technology.

The company declined to comment, citing ongoing negotiations with trade unions. Union IG Metall did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Automakers worldwide including Volkswagen, Nissan and GM are axing jobs as new competition from China, weak demand and the high cost of the transition to electrification weigh on their finances. Reuters

Global hunger monitor warns of famine in Gaza

Beirut — The entire population of Gaza faces a critical risk of famine, with half a million of them facing starvation, a global hunger monitor said on Monday, calling this a major deterioration since its last report in October.

The latest assessment by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysed a period from April 1 to May 10 and projected the situation until the end of September, according to a summary of its key findings.

Israel has sealed off the Gaza Strip since early March when it resumed its devastating military campaign against militant group Hamas after the collapse of a ceasefire deal, during which aid agencies had delivered thousands of trucks of aid.

The IPC analysis found that 1.95-million people, or 93% of the population in the Israeli-blockaded Palestinian enclave, are living through high levels of acute food insecurity, including 244,000 experiencing the most severe, or “catastrophic”, levels. Reuters

Pope Leo calls for journalists to report the truth

Vatican City — Pope Leo XIV, in his first address to the media, on Monday, urged journalists to focus on reporting the truth instead of engaging in partisan divisions and called for the release of reporters jailed for doing their jobs.

“The way we communicate is of fundamental importance: we must say ‘no’ to the war of words and images, we must reject the paradigm of war,” Leo told thousands of journalists who covered his election and the death of his predecessor Pope Francis.

He also spoke up for jailed journalists who, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, numbered 361 at the end of last year.

“The suffering of these imprisoned journalists challenges the conscience of nations and the international community, calling on all of us to safeguard the precious gift of free speech and of the press,” said the pope. Reuters

EU warns of resurgence of jihadist groups in Syria

Brussels — The situation in Syria could pose security risks for Europe, according to a draft internal EU counterterrorism document seen by Reuters which warned that the terror threat level in the bloc remains high.

“Terrorism and violent extremism continue to pose a significant threat to the EU and its member states. The overall threat level remains high,” the document said.

“Developments in the security situation in Syria could lead to the resurgence of jihadist groups in the region either with a risk of departure from Syrian territory, possibly to Europe, or through the remote activation of jihadists on the European continent,” it added. Reuters

Israel asks ICC to withdraw Netanyahu arrest warrant

The Hague — Israel has asked judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) to withdraw arrest warrants against its prime minister and defence minister while the ICC reviews Israeli challenges to its jurisdiction over the conduct of the Gaza war.

Documents published on the ICC website late on Sunday also show Israel has asked the court to order the prosecution to suspend its investigation into alleged atrocity crimes in the Palestinian Territories.

The documents are dated May 9 and signed by Israeli deputy attorney-general Gilad Noam.

The ICC issued arrest warrants on November 21 for Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence chief, as well as a Hamas leader Ibrahim al-Masri for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza conflict. Reuters

Growth in Germany ‘will be good news for Europe’

Berlin — More growth in Germany with the reforms of the new government will be good news for Europe, German finance minister Lars Klingbeil said on Monday.

All European partners welcome Germany taking on a bigger role in defence, Klingbeil added in Brussels ahead of a meeting of EU finance ministers.

Germany’s parliament approved in March plans for a massive spending surge, including the removal of defence investment from rules that cap borrowing.

The new government of conservative chancellor Friedrich Merz in coalition with the centre left Social Democrats (SPD) of Klingbeil has also announced policies such as tax cuts and raising the minimum wage to revive stalled growth in Europe’s biggest economy.

Germany was the only member of the Group of Seven advanced economies that failed to grow for the past two years, and the tariffs announced by US President Donald Trump would deal a major blow - possibly putting it on track for a third year of recession for the first time in post-war German history.  Reuters

Philippine president’s allies winning Senate seats

Manila — Allies of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr were on course to win at least half of the available Senate seats in a midterm election on Monday, an early unofficial tally showed, in a contest widely seen as a referendum on his administration.

Though 18,000 positions - including mayors, governors and legislators - were being contested on Monday, the main race is in the Senate, a high-profile chamber crucial for Marcos’ legislative agenda. With more than half of votes counted in the ongoing unofficial tally, six of the 12 candidates backed by the president were receiving the most votes.  Reuters

Qatar’s plane gift in compliance with law, says US

Washington — President Donald Trump’s administration will act according to the law on Qatar’s offer of a plane to the defence department and is not worried about what the Qataris might ask in return, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said on Monday.

“The Qatari government has graciously offered to donate a plane to the department of defence. The legal details of that are still being worked out,” Leavitt said in an interview with Fox News.

A source briefed on the matter said on Sunday that Trump’s administration intends to accept a Boeing 747-8 plane as a gift from the Qatari royal family that would be outfitted to serve as Air Force One.

“Any donation to this government is always done in full compliance with the law, and we commit ourselves to the utmost transparency, and we will continue to do that,” Leavitt said.

Asked if the White House was worried the Qatar might want something in return, Leavitt said: “Absolutely not. Because they know President Trump, and they know he only works with the interests of the American public in mind.” Reuters

BoE deputy governor remains cautious on inflation

London - Bank of England (BoE) deputy governor Clare Lombardelli said on Monday that there were signs that inflation pressures in Britain would continue to weaken but she was still cautious and was waiting for evidence of the slowdown.

“Caution remains appropriate. I’ll be more comfortable when I see material deceleration in the data over a longer period,” Lombardelli said in a speech at King’s Business School.

She said she had initially been undecided about the need to cut interest rates this month before being persuaded by signs of progress on disinflation and the intensification of global trade tensions.

Last week, the BoE cut interest rates for the fourth time since last August as US President Donald Trump’s trade war loomed over the global economy. Reuters