Briefly

GERMANY

Scholz to face vote of confidence on Dec 16

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will face a confidence vote on Dec 16, paving the way for an early general election in February, Rolf Muetzenich, leader of Scholz's Social Democrats in parliament, said on Tuesday. Germany is set to hold fresh elections on Feb 23, 11 weeks after the collapse of Scholz's governing coalition, with sources on Tuesday saying parties had reached a compromise on timing. Scholz, who wants to run again, initially suggested an election in late March but came under pressure from the conservative opposition CDU, as well as his own Greens coalition partners to speed up the process.

UNITED STATES

Trump picks national security adviser

US President-elect Donald Trump has picked Republican Representative Mike Waltz, a retired Army National Guard officer and war veteran, to be his national security adviser, sources familiar with the matter said on Monday. Waltz will be responsible for briefing Trump on key national security issues and coordinating with different agencies. Waltz is an ardent Trump advocate who backed efforts to overturn the 2020 election. While slamming the Biden administration for a disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, he has publicly praised Trump's foreign policy views.

DPRK

Partnership treaty with Russia ratified

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea has ratified the Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the DPRK and Russia under a decree of the president of the State Affairs of the DPRK, the official Korean Central News Agency reported on Tuesday. The report said that the DPRK head of state signed the decree on Monday and the treaty will take effect from the day when the two sides exchange ratification instruments. In June, the top leaders of the two countries signed the treaty following their summit in Pyongyang.

Agencies - Xinhua