Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa will visit Paris on Wednesday, his first trip to Europe since the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad in December, as he seeks international support for his efforts to bring greater stability to his war-shattered country.

Syria’s interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa is visiting Paris on Wednesday for talks with President Emmanuel Macron. Al-Sharaa took power after his Islamist group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), led a dayslong offensive that toppled former President Bashar Assad in December.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Wednesday meets France's Emmanuel Macron in Paris on his first visit to Europe since overthrowing longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad. The visit comes with Syria's new authorities,

Mr. Merz needed two rounds of voting to become chancellor after a surprising defeat in Parliament hours earlier that threatened to hobble his new government.

Friedrich Merz succeeded in his bid to become the next German chancellor during a second vote in parliament, hours after he suffered a historic defeat in the first round.

German conservative leader Friedrich Merz was elected chancellor by parliament on Tuesday in a second round of voting after his new alliance with the centre-left Social Democrats was dealt a surprise defeat in the first attempt.