Briefly

GERMANY

Security meeting opens with Ukraine as focus

The Munich Security Conference opened on Friday, bringing politicians, military officers and diplomats together in the southern German city ahead of the first anniversary of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine as Kyiv steps up pleas for more weapons. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron were scheduled to speak at the opening event of the three-day gathering, which focused on Ukraine. Ukraine's Western backers, led by the United States, have given it a huge amount of weapons and pledged a barrage of others, including heavy battle tanks long sought by Kyiv.

UNITED STATES

Biden, 80, undergoes annual physical exam

Doctors declared US President Joe Biden, 80, healthy and "fit for duty" on Thursday after a physical examination that included removing a lesion from his chest and declaring him free of symptoms of long COVID after his bout last year with the virus. The exam was closely watched as Biden prepares for his expected run for a second term in 2024. Former US president Donald Trump and former US ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley have launched their campaigns for the Republican Party's nomination to challenge Biden.

Family: Actor Bruce Willis has dementia

Action legend Bruce Willis has been diagnosed with untreatable dementia, his family said on Thursday, less than a year after he retired from acting because of growing cognitive difficulties. The 67-year-old known for his role in the Die Hard franchise stepped away from Hollywood in March and has been out of the limelight since then. "Since we announced Bruce's diagnosis of aphasia in spring 2022, Bruce's condition has progressed and we now have a more specific diagnosis: frontotemporal dementia," a statement said. Frontotemporal dementia is an umbrella term for disorders affecting the areas of the brain that deal with personality, behavior and language.

UNITED KINGDOM

SNP set to choose new leader in six weeks

The Scottish National Party, or SNP, will choose a new leader within six weeks through a ballot of its members, it said late on Thursday after the surprise resignation of First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. The SNP said nominations for the role were now open and will close on Feb 24, while a ballot of its members, who will vote for the next party leader, will open on March 13 and close on March 27. Sturgeon will stay on until the selection of a new leader, who will face major challenges to unite the party on a strategy to find a way forward in its pursuit of independence for Scotland. Having lost a first independence vote in 2014 by 55 percent to 45 percent, a bid by nationalists to hold another one has been blocked by Britain's Conservative government, and polls show Scots remain divided on the issue.

China Daily - Agencies - Xinhua