Berlin’s Federal Ministry of Defense has opted to purchase three Bombardier Global 6000 jets and abandon its plan to buy four US-made MQ-4C Triton aerial surveillance drones.

The first German case was confirmed late on Monday in the state of Bavaria, with a patient reportedly infected by a Chinese woman. According to Bavaria's infectious diseases task force, the patient was placed under quarantine and medical supervision.

The French firefighters have staged regular strikes in the past few months, demanding an improvement of working conditions.

In September 2019, the EU extended sanctions against Russian individuals and entities over the Ukraine crisis for another six months, until 15 March 2020. The bloc has been prolonging such sanctions since 2014, when it first slapped its restritive measures on Russia.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - On 27 January, the synagogue in the Finnish southwestern city of Turku — one of just two in the country — was targeted by vandals. The same day, neo-Nazi group Towards Freedom burned the Israeli flag in Tampere during a demonstration in the city centre unrelated to the Holocaust Remembrance Day.

The United Kingdom is set to formally leave the European Union on 31 January after UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Brexit Withdrawal Agreement Bill passed its second reading in the House of Commons.

January 27 marked the 75th anniversary of the liberation by the Soviet Red Army of the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp, where about 1.5 million people, predominantly Jews, were killed by Nazi forces between 1940 and 1945.

Supermodel Heidi Klum turned heads at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards in LA on 26 January, as she rocked the red carpet in a sheer nude sequin dress with a plunging V-neckline and thigh-high slit, accompanied by her hubby Tom Kaulitz.

BERLIN (Sputnik) - The first case of the new strain of coronavirus has been registered in southern Germany, the Health Ministry of the state of Bavaria said in a statement.

Earlier this month, the Church held prayers throughout the country for migrants who are in the midst of the asylum process in the hope that God would stop the expulsions, sparking accusations of political activism and “left-wing liberal propaganda”.

An earlier study established that 51 percent of anti-Semitic incidents in Sweden were linked to Muslim extremists, a dynamic described as “importing a conflict originating in the Middle East”.

Finnish President Sauli Niinistö has suggested that the vandalism on Holocaust Remembrance Day was a token of broader racism, and pledged to take action.

On Monday, the World Health Organization changed the global risk degree of the deadly coronavirus from "moderate" to "high," as the total number of 2019-nCoV confirmed cases globally as of Sunday reached 2,014, including 1,985 in China.

Following a six-year court fight by Delphine Boel to be recognized as the biological daughter of former King Albert II of Belgium, the latter has finally admitted his paternity, despite his earlier rejection of her allegations.

Despite Germany's published chances of seeing its economy thrive, analysts increasingly point out fresh data suggesting that a revival is not in the cards, especially given on-off trade talks with the Trump administration.

The US in December 2019 rushed counter-measures against the Russian-European gas pipeline, and although one contractor, Swiss-based Allseas Group S.A., suspended its work following the move, the pipeline will nonetheless be operational in 2021 at the latest, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated.

LONDON (Sputnik) - The passage of the withdrawal bill does not guarantee a clean Brexit as "remainers" will try to sabotage it by forcing the United Kingdom to rejoin the European Union, a senior member with the UK Independence Party said.

After years of talk, debate, and delays, the UK is set to become the first nation to leave the EU on Friday. However, the transition period, during which London and Brussels are to agree on new game rules for trade, security, and other fields, will last until 31 December 2020, meaning the Brexit saga is still not over.

Concerns that a previous EU-US trade deal was anti-democratic and would lower food safety, labour and environmental standards resulted in in mass protests in Germany, Austria and France in 2015.

As the United Kingdom is finally set to leave the EU on 31 January, millions of British citizens residing in the bloc’s remaining 27 member states continue to raise concerns over their future and rights following Brexit.