Germany’s Christian Democrats (CDU) will meet to approve a coalition deal with the Social Democrats (SPD) that will take their leader, Angela Merkel, a step closer to a fourth term as chancellor in Europe’s biggest economy. The last major hurdle to end the five-month political impasse that followed the September election, however, comes next week. On 4 March, the results of a postal vote by SPD members will be announced, and that result is far less certain.

The party conference on Monday follows Merkel’s announcement of her CDU choices for a new, younger cabinet intended to revive the party, which has descended into rows about how to respond to the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD). Merkel is to address CDU delegates at the meeting before the vote on the deal, which is expected to go through easily. The conference will also vote on the appointment of her close ally Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer as CDU general secretary. Dubbed “mini-Merkel” by some media, the 55-year-old Saarland state premier is widely seen as her preferred successor and shares many of Merkel’s views – but not all.(theguardian)…[+]

At least 29 people have been killed in the besieged Syrian enclave of eastern Ghouta since the UN security council passed a resolution demanding an end to the fighting, as Bashar al-Assad’s forces continue to defy international pleas for a ceasefire.

Local doctors and monitors said a suspected chlorine attack in the rebel-held area outside Damascus also left 18 people injured on Sunday evening, as residents condemned the international community’s inability to put an end to the fighting. “I am embarrassed for the UN security council,” said Ghanem Tayara, the chairman of the Union of Medical Care and Relief Organisations (UOSSM), which helps run dozens of hospitals in Syria. “The mightiest nations on the planet cannot enforce the most basic standards of human rights and decency.”(theguardian)…[+]

Harvey Weinstein’s film and TV production company is to file for bankruptcy after the sexual harassment scandal that has engulfed the beleaguered firm scuppered a last-ditch $500m (£356m) deal to save the business. The company’s board said it had been forced to file for bankruptcy protection following the collapse of revived talks to sell to an investor group led by Maria Contreras-Sweet, a former official in Barack Obama’s administration. It branded the takeover proposal as “illusory”.

“While we recognise that this is an extremely unfortunate outcome for our employees, our creditors and any victims, the board has no choice but to pursue the only viable option to maximise the company’s remaining value: an orderly bankruptcy process,” the board said in a statement. The Weinstein Company has been seeking a buyer for the business, which has backed films including The King’s Speech, The Artist and Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained, since a wave of sexual harassment and assault allegations against co-founder Harvey Weinstein emerged last year.(theguardian)…[+]

Children are increasingly finding it hard to hold pens and pencils because of an excessive use of technology, senior paediatric doctors have warned. An overuse of touchscreen phones and tablets is preventing children’s finger muscles from developing sufficiently to enable them to hold a pencil correctly, they say.“Children are not coming into school with the hand strength and dexterity they had 10 years ago,” said Sally Payne, the head paediatric occupational therapist at the Heart of England foundation NHS Trust. “Children coming into school are being given a pencil but are increasingly not be able to hold it because they don’t have the fundamental movement skills. “To be able to grip a pencil and move it, you need strong control of the fine muscles in your fingers,. Children need lots of opportunity to develop those skills.”(theguardian)…[+]

Syrian regime forces have launched a fresh ground and air offensive against rebel positions in the besieged and battered enclave of eastern Ghouta in defiance of a nationwide ceasefire ordered by the UN security council. Witnesses said fighting erupted on several fronts on Sunday in what was seen as a possible last-ditch bid by Bashar al-Assad, Syria’s president, to eliminate opposition resistance in Ghouta, near Damascus, before the 30-day ceasefire can be enforced. Renewed airstrikes and artillery shelling killed nine people and injured 31 in the eastern suburbs, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring group. It said the bombing was less intense than attacks over the past week.(theguardian)…[+]

The former US first lady Michelle Obama has announced the name of her anticipated memoir. Becoming will be published globally in 24 languages on 13 November by Penguin Random House, which acquired world publishing rights to both Michelle and Barack Obama’s memoirs in a deal rumoured to be worth $65m.Obama described writing her memoir as a “deeply personal experience”, and saidshe hoped her story would encourage others to become who they want to be. The memoir will chronicle her life from a childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her years as an executive balancing the demands of motherhood and work, as well as her time in the White House.

In a statement, she said: “Writing Becoming has been a deeply personal experience. It has allowed me, for the very first time, the space to honestly reflect on the unexpected trajectory of my life. “In this book, I talk about my roots and how a little girl from the South Side of Chicago found her voice and developed the strength to use it to empower others. I hope my journey inspires readers to find the courage to become whoever they aspire to be. I can’t wait to share my story.”(theguardian)…[+]