New Zealand opens door for euthanasia referendum

The European Union should intensify efforts to phase out the use of animals in scientific research, lawmakers have said in a resolution.

On tonight's show: lawmakers in Namibia are debating whether to accept a compensation deal from Germany. Berlin has offered to fund €1.1 billion worth of projects to atone for a four-year-long genocide that began in 1904. In Uganda, President Yoweri Museveni sets the Covid-19 vaccination goal at 10 percent of the population by the end of the year. Finally, films return to the big screen in Somalia as the National Theatre in Mogadishu hosts its first public screening in three decades.

RT's German YouTube channels have been blocked over alleged COVID-19 misinformation. What does the German government make of the move? And what do other observers think?

In recent days, two former African presidents have been the targets of fake news. In DR Congo, a photo of Joseph Kabila has been circulating with the claim he stood alongside the former head of the rebel group ADF, which has links with the Islamic State group. Another video, meanwhile, purports to show a crowd of supporters of Alpha Condé gathering in Paris... although the man they are shouting in support of is not the ousted Guinean president and it wasn't filmed in Paris at all.

Following revelations by whistleblower Frances Haugen and a global outage, the US company faces renewed scrutiny. It could mark a tipping point and prompt lawmakers to get tough on the tech giant.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announces a comprehensive in-principle free trade agreement with the UK, arrived at after 16 months of talks. London said the deal ends tariffs on British exports such as clothing, footwear, ships and bulldozers. It estimated that trade between the two countries last year was worth £2.3 billion ($3.2 billion, 2.7 billion euros).

It is the first time a budget has been rejected in Portugal since the country's transition to democracy in 1974. The move ends six years of relative stability under Prime Minister Antonio Costa.

Billionaires only have to pay tax on appreciated assets when they sell them, but a new legislative proposal could change this. The tax revenues could then be used to fund President Joe Biden's social spending plans.

The two countries join the ASEAN nations, China, South Korea, and Japan. The pact will cover 30% of the world's population and 53% of last year's exports.

The Pakistani parliament has approved the law against sexual assault to allow courts to order chemical castrations — a punishment rights groups and lawyers called cruel.

New Zealand will reopen its borders in stages over time. Meanwhile, the WHO warned that the Europe would see many more deaths during the winter. Follow DW for the latest.

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.