Briefly

EUROPE

Allies to hold talks on Ukraine in Berlin

The leaders of France, Germany and Poland will hold urgent talks on Ukraine in Berlin on Friday, as they seek to scrape together additional support for Kyiv. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said it was "of great importance" that the three countries of the so-called Weimar Triangle meet to discuss the conflict in Ukraine. The "Weimar Triangle", a diplomatic format for French, German and Polish cooperation established in 1991, was "an important format for political exchange", he said. Relations among the allies have been strained by Germany's refusal to send long-range Taurus missiles to Ukraine, despite urgent calls from Kyiv. The issue has been a particular source of tension between Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron, who has pointedly urged allies not to be "cowards" in supporting Ukraine.

JAPAN

PM grilled over 'go-go dancers' at party meet

Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was grilled by lawmakers on Wednesday about a November gathering of a regional chapter of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party at which scantily clad female dancers were reportedly told to use their mouths to receive bank notes hanging from those of the participants. One of the organizers, Tetsuya Kawabata, later sought to defend the event by saying the presence of the "go-go dancers" was intended to ensure "diversity". Grilled by opposition MPs about the scandal, Kishida said the event "doesn't match the cabinet's goal of diversity".

UNITED STATES

SpaceX confirms loss of starship after test flight

SpaceX's Starship rocket, designed to eventually send astronauts to the moon and beyond, nearly completed a test flight on its third try on Thursday, taking it farther than before on a cruise in low orbit. However, the rocket was destroyed during atmospheric reentry, the company said. SpaceX had intended for the mega rocket to make it halfway around the world this time. Starship, the biggest and most powerful rocket ever built, soared from the southern tip of Texas on an uncrewed flight to space. The first two flights last year lasted only a few minutes before the rockets blew up over the Gulf of Mexico.

Agencies Via Xinhua