germany chancellor friedrich merz

Germany’s leader under huge pressure as far-right AfD gains steam, but could he be forced out?

Berlin — German leader Friedrich Merz’s position is under threat as the far-right surges in popularity and support for his own center-right party tanks. The situation is so serious that he canceled a planned trip to New York next week to represent his country at the United Nations General Assembly.  Merz, a conservative, is facing tremendous…

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Coast Guard and FBI boarded 2 energy tankers due to cyberattacks. How big is the risk?

U.S. Coast Guard personnel and FBI agents boarded two Texas-bound energy tankers last month after cyberattacks struck the vessels while they were traveling toward the United States, according to U.S. officials. One of the vessels was the VL Prosperity, a 1,093-foot Liberian-flagged crude oil tanker headed to Galveston, Texas. Iranian state media identified the ship…

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Germany’s AfD won a state election in a landslide, sounding an alarm for centrist politics

Berlin — Sunday’s election results did not give Germany’s controversial AfD party automatic control of the state of Saxony-Anhalt, but what the far-right party achieved wasn’t just an election victory. It was a political landslide. Alternative for Germany (AfD) won 43.8% of the vote in the legislative election, and while that may not be enough to…

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AfD wins big in German regional election, falls short of bid to become first far-right party to lead a state since WWII

The far-right Alternative for Germany party surged to a resounding victory in a regional election Sunday, but fell a little short of winning a majority in its quest to form the country’s first far-right state government since World War II. The party of Germany’s unpopular leader, Chancellor Friedrich Merz, slumped to a disastrous result in…

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