Angela Merkel’s popularity has dropped abruptly over her handling of Europe’s refugee crisis, a poll for ARD television network showed. Merkel, who was criticized for being slow to condemn violent protests against refugees in an east German town last month, saw her ratings slip by 4 points from the previous month to 63%. Source: Reuters
here will be no analogs of Russian weapons in the world in the foreseeable future, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday at the Grand Kremlin Palace ahead of the concert in celebration of the Defender of the Fatherland Day. “You know that we prioritize equipping our army with the most modern weapons, control and communication systems. Our prospective weapons do not have any analogs in the world, at least for now, and I think that they won’t for a long time,” Source Tass
After years of people fleeing Syria and its civil war, there are now long queues to enter the country each day. Jordan opened its Jaber border crossing last October after Syrian government troops defeated rebels who had controlled the other side. Source BBC
Protests are continuing tonight in Barcelona against the ongoing trial of a dozen Catalan separatist leaders in Madrid. They are in the dock over a 2017 referendum and subsequent declaration of independence deemed illegal by the Spanish government. If found guilty, the group could each face up to 25 years in jail. Source Euronews
