Voters' expectations could not have been higher when Chancellor Friedrich Merz and his government coalition of center-right Christian Democrats (CDU), Christian Social Union (CSU) and the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) took office on May 6, 2025. Economic recovery was to be the top priority.
Skip next section US willing to mediate but not to waste time: Rubio May 8, 2026 US willing to mediate but not to waste time: Rubio US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington is still prepared to mediate between Russia and Ukraine to end the war between them if it can be productive.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday warned allies of Russia against attending its May 9 World War II victory parade, as Moscow and Kyiv have traded accusations ahead of the event. Russia had unilaterally declared a ceasefire from May 8 to 10, and Ukraine followed with a counter-truce that would start May 6.
It was a nightmarish start for the new mayor, Thorsten Grädler. The 61-year-old won the election in the small German town of Vilseck, which is situated near the border with the Czech Republic, in March. Monday, May 4, was his first official day on the job.
Shots were fired in Linz in Austria on Thursday. A police spokesman told the Reuters news agency that three people had been killed and the weapon used had been recovered by law enforcement. National public broadcaster ORF reported a large police presence in the Klausenbachstrasse area in the north of the city.
US President Donald Trump didn't like Chancellor Friedrich Merz's latest statements on the Iran war, that much was clear from Trump's recent rant on Truth Social, where he claimed the German leader "doesn't know what he's talking about!" So what happened?
With names like "Deutsche Jugend Voran" (German Youth Lead the Way ) or "Jung und Stark" (Young and Strong): far-right extremists are banding together across Germany to spread hatred and violence. For the past two years, security agencies and experts have been monitoring mounting acts of violence and far-right propaganda from within these circles.
Stephen Flynn, Westminster leader of the Scottish National Party, spoke with notable confidence: "There's going to be a constitutional shock on these isles," he told a British broadcaster, expressing hope that the SNP will prevail in Scotland and that Plaid Cymru will win in Wales.
Berliners lost 60 hours to traffic congestion last year, which is something Oliver Collmann is hoping to change. The engineer spent years working on software for self-driving cars before realizing he really wanted to use his skills for things "that are more in the general interest of humankind."
Romanian governments rarely stay in power for long. The last time a Romanian prime minister completed a full term was between 2004 and 2008. Since the constitutional crisis of 2012, the country has had no less than 11 elected prime ministers, seven interim leaders and 19 different cabinets.
Ukraine said on Wednesday that Russia had violated a unilateral ceasefire called by Kyiv by attacking Ukrainian cities overnight with more than 100 combat drones and three missiles.
Skip next section CDU, SPD sign coalition agreement in Rhineland-Palatinate May 6, 2026 CDU, SPD sign coalition agreement in Rhineland-Palatinate Lead negotiators Gordon Schnieder (r, CDU) and Alexander Schweitzer (SPD) agreed on an coalition last weekImage: Boris Roessler/dpa/picture alliance Germany's conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) and the center-left Social Democrats (SPD) in the western state of Rhineland-Palatinate