66 h. ago After a torrid 100 days, Germany’s Friedrich Merz is mocked as a ‘dead man walking’. He must fight back | John Kampfner

With the AfD surging, it could soon be the largest party here. But, if he acts now, that dark scenario need not come to passJohn Kampfner is the author of In Search of Berlin and Why the Germans Do It BetterThe passing of the 100-day milestone for any world leader usually denotes the end of their honeymoon period. Friedrich Merz has not been able to enjoy even a single day of grace, beginning with the very moment he was supposed to be elected Germany’s chancellor but wasn’t. On 6 May, as Angela Merkel watched from the visitors’ balcony, the Bundestag voted and declined to approve its new leader. For a few hours, chaos ensued, until the second round of voting saw his chancellorship approved, so the swearing in could proceed.It was a symbolic act of defiance, and because it was a secret ballot, it wasn’t clear how many of the 18 dissenters came from Merz’s Christian Democrats (CDU) or from their new coalition partners, the Social Democrats (SPD). But it cast a shadow over the new admi...

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7 d. ago Deadly London fight had 'knives, sledgehammers, golf clubs' — witness

Deadly London fight had 'knives, sledgehammers, golf clubs' — witness  Windsor Star

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8 d. ago ‘Jeffrey Epstein is dead. Ghislaine Maxwell is not’: Sex trafficker fights DOJ move to unseal grand jury records

Maxwell’s attorneys say she wants to keep grand jury transcripts from public view as she continues her appeal to the Supreme Court and to the Trump administration to toss her prison sentence.

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1 week ago Former military fighter pilot and his son feared dead after Majorca plane crash into the sea

Police confirmed divers were continuing to search for the occupants after locating the wreckage of the two-seat Team Rocket F-4 Raider sport plane capable of doing speeds of more than 250mph

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3 w. ago At least one dead after fighter jet crashes into Bangladesh college campus

Training jet crashed onto campus where hundreds of students were present at the time

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3 w. ago In photos: Bedouin clans in Syria say they have withdrawn from Sweida following deadly fighting

Syria’s armed Bedouin clans announced Sunday they had withdrawn from the Druze-majority city of Sweida following weeklong clashes and a U.S.-brokered ceasefire, as humanitarian aid convoys started to enter the battered southern city.

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3 w. ago Scots babies to get ‘suit of armour’ jab to fight deadly winter virus

NHS Scotland will offer the new drug to protect babies born before 32 weeks against respiratory syncytial virus.

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4 w. ago Israel strikes Syria’s defence ministry in third day of attacks on the country

Intervention comes as clashes between the Syrian army and Druze militias in the south of the country escalateMiddle East crisis – live updatesThe Israeli military struck the Syrian defence ministry in Damascus twice on Wednesday as it intervened in the clashes between the Syrian army and Druze fighters in southern Syria in the country’s deadliest violence in months.The strikes collapsed four floors of the ministry and ruined its facade. Syrian state media said that at least two officers had been wounded and staff were reportedly sheltering in the building’s basement. Continue reading...

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4 w. ago Israel strikes Syria’s defence ministry in third day of attacks

Intervention comes as clashes between the Syrian army and Druze militias in the south of the country escalateMiddle East crisis – live updatesThe Israeli military struck the Syrian defence ministry in Damascus twice on Wednesday as it intervened in the clashes between the Syrian army and Druze fighters in southern Syria in the country’s deadliest violence in months.The strikes collapsed four floors of the ministry and ruined its facade. Syrian state media said at least two officers had been wounded and staff were reportedly sheltering in the building’s basement. Continue reading...

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4 w. ago Campaigners fighting Dumfries and Galloway windfarm urge people to object as deadline looms

The Glengap Community Group is opposing Wind 2 Energy’s plans for a nine-turbine project at Lairdmannoch.

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4 w. ago Omari Hutchinson: Brentford face fight to sign Bryan Mbeumo replacement after missing deadline

The £35m clause in the player’s Ipswich contract has now expired

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