Austria's ex-Chancellor Sebastian Kurz announced he is stepping back from politics. His successor, Alexander Schallenberg, has also announced his resignation.

The new German parliament has elected Olaf Scholz as chancellor as Angela Merkel departs after 16 years at the helm of Europe's largest economy. He is now scheduled to be sworn in, along with a new Cabinet.

New German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has given his first formal government briefing to parliament since taking office last week, touching on issues ranging from the pandemic to climate change, and even some foreign policy.

Kurz will work as a "global strategist" at the California-based venture capitalist firm after resigning amid graft allegations. The former chancellor is under investigation for suspected bribery and breach of trust.

The Omicron variant of Covid-19 has brought a "tidal wave" of new cases, according to the WHO. France has seen record numbers of positive cases – as have several other EU states. This week, President Emmanuel Macron said he wanted to "piss off" the unvaccinated, limiting their access to certain social spaces like restaurants and cinemas as a means of convincing more of them to get their jabs. Meanwhile, more and more EU member states seem to be moving towards making vaccination mandatory. Austria is set to become the first EU country to make the jabs obligatory, as of February – with the measure valid until 2024.

Austria raises alarm over pandemic's impact on children

The traffic light coalition is holding its first closed Cabinet session, with an already packed agenda including Germany's G7 presidency. Pressing issues include Ukraine and Germany's rising coronavirus case numbers.

Diplomacy continues in a bid to resolve the Ukraine crisis. This Monday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz went to Kiev to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksy. This as a ring of Russian troops tightens around Ukraine.

Germany has announced a plan to prioritize military spending in light of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. A "special fund" will be set up to better equip the Bundeswehr.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is set to visit Israel on Wednesday, with the war between Russia and Ukraine expected to be a major item on the agenda. So far, Israel’s stance on the conflict is a delicate balancing act.

The EU is proposing to put nuclear power on its list of sustainable energy sources. But Austria is threatening to file a case with the Court of Justice of the European Union to get that text annulled. The country has never embraced nuclear energy and is even home to the world's only power station to have been built but never fired up. Austria produces more than 75 percent of its electricity from renewable energy and is a leader of anti-nuclear advocacy in Europe. Our correspondents report.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz reiterated a plan to bolster defense spending while pledging to take on more refugees. "We are standing before a monumental challenge," he said.