Briefly

GERMANY

Parties agree for coalition discussions

Germany's conservative Union bloc of CDU and CSU and the Social Democratic Party on Saturday announced their intention to enter formal coalition negotiations, following the conclusion of exploratory talks. The talks, which lasted for over a week after the federal election on Feb 23, produced a paper outlining the basis for the two parties to form a coalition government. CDU leader and the likely next Chancellor Friedrich Merz said at a news conference that agreements had been reached in a number of key policy areas.

SOUTH KOREA

President released from detention

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol was released on Saturday as the prosecution decided not to appeal against a court's release approval. Yoon got off a black vehicle and walked out of the Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, about 20 kilometers south of Seoul, waving hands and bowing to his supporters who were standing along the road, TV footage showed. The Seoul Central District Court approved the release of the arrested president on Friday, accepting Yoon's request to cancel his detention that was made by his legal team on Feb 4.

FRANCE

Military bases' handover to Senegal commences

France on Friday began handing over military bases in Senegal, as part of a withdrawal of troops from the west African nation where it has had a presence since 1960. The withdrawal follows the departure of French forces from Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad and Cote d'Ivoire in recent years. The French embassy in Dakar announced that facilities and housing in the Marechal and Saint-Exupery districts of the capital had been transferred to Senegalese control.

Xinhua - Agencies