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When Friedrich Merz came to office in May 2025, corporate boardrooms were abuzz with hope. As he ascended to the chancellorship, the leader of the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) promised nothing less than an "economic turning point." With him at the helm, he declared, every political decision would be preceded by the question: Will this

Hollywood won't be making it to Cannes this year. The world's most important film festival kicks off on May 12 with a lineup of new movies from some of the most acclaimed filmmakers in global arthouse cinema — Pedro Almodovar, Asghar Farhadi, Pawel Pawlikowski, Cristian Mungiu — but not a single film from a US major studio.

Thailand's former Prime ‌Minister ⁠Thaksin ⁠Shinawatra was released from prison on parole ‌on Monday. In September 2025, the Supreme Court had ordered the 76-year-old telecommunications billionaire to serve one year in prison for a past corruption conviction. Thaksin walked free from Klong Prem Central Prison in Bangkok around 7:40 a.m. local time (00:40 UCT). He

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi has been transferred to a hospital in Iran's capital Tehran for medical treatment, a foundation run by her family said Sunday. Mohammadi has been granted a temporary suspension of her sentence in exchange for the payment of a substantial bail, the foundation said in a statement. She has now

As head of the center-left Social Democrats, Gerhard Schröder was chancellor of Germany between 1998 and 2005. Now Russian President Vladimir Putin says he would like Schröder as a possible European mediator in peace talks to end the Ukraine war. During his tenure as chancellor, Schröder's Russia-friendly foreign policy attitude was not that different from other German

A trial has begun against five activists accused of attacking a German branch of Israeli arms maker Elbit Systems in September 2025. The first hearing opened in a high-security court in Stuttgart on April 27, but was aborted within minutes after defense attorneys objected to the fact that they were unable to communicate confidentially with

Dietzenbach is a small German town with a population of around 35,000. Locally, it is best known for its open-air forest swimming pool and an architecturally unusual observation tower from which, on a clear day, you can see Frankfurt, some 12 kilometers (7 miles) away. Its location is probably one of the main reasons why the

US-Iran Responses, Trump's Trip To China Amid Iran War, Congress To Do List Good morning. You're reading the Up First newsletter.  Subscribe  here to get it delivered to your inbox, and  listen  to the Up First podcast for all the news you need to start your day. Today's top stories President Trump yesterday rejected Iran's

J. Schuberth, who is running for Oregon governor as Pencil, speaks with voters and curious passersby as they walk around downtown Portland, Ore., to campaign on April 23. Schuberth is an advocate for reforming the state's K-12 school system. Eli Imadali/OPB hide caption toggle caption Eli Imadali/OPB PORTLAND, Ore. — The downtown Saturday farmer's market

Cori Roberts of St. Cloud, Minnesota, incurred more than $8,000 in medical bills after she was diagnosed at CentraCare with early-stage cervical cancer. She says the health system told her she made too much — about $41,000 a year — to qualify for financial aid. Anthony Souffle/The Minnesota Star Tribune hide caption toggle caption Anthony