A former German environment minister on Tuesday became the first prominent figure to officially declare his candidacy for the leadership of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s center-right party.

Farmers in fluorescent yellow vests have begun blocking highways in southwestern Spain with tractors and other vehicles in the latest mass protest over what they say are plummeting incomes for agricultural workers.

A 24-hour strike in Greece halted ferries, public transport, and municipal services in Athens and other parts of the country Tuesday as unions mounted protests against pension reforms by the center-right government.

Billionaire Mike Bloomberg has qualified for the upcoming Democratic presidential debate, marking the first time he?ll stand alongside the rivals he has so far avoided by bypassing the early voting states and using his personal fortune to define himself through television ads.

Italian bank Intesa SanPaolo announced Tuesday a 4.9 billion-euro ($5.3 billion) takeover offer for smaller rival UBI Banca – an unexpected move, even if experts have long called for consolidation in the sector.

Ukraine and Russia-backed separatists blamed each other for an outbreak of fighting in the country’s rebel-held east on Tuesday.

Residents in central England and Wales braced Monday for more flooding as rivers peaked in the wake of a weekend storm that brought up to 6 inches (150 mm) of rain to an already waterlogged region.

Japanese health authorities said Tuesday they have confirmed 88 more cases of the new virus on a quarantined cruise ship near Tokyo.

Iran sentenced eight environmental activists, including an Iranian who reportedly also has British and American citizenship, to prison sentences ranging from four to 10 years on charges of spying for the United States and acting against Iran’s national security, the judiciary said Tuesday.

The European Union has added four countries and jurisdictions to its blacklist of tax havens.