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German chancellor clinging to power after another loss to far-right AfD

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Germany’s Merz ‘grateful’ centre-left SPD wants to stay in coalition after CDU’s heavy losses – Europe live
CDU suffered heavy losses in two regional elections, including in home state of former leader Angela Merkel, where it polled just 4.9% Staying in Germany, tens of thousands of automotive workers at Volkswagen, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and other car brands are protesting on factory floors across the country today for government and management help to save their jobs. Volkswagen has announced plans to cut 100,000 jobs in the next three years and BMW and Mercedes are also slashing their workforce. The problem is a near-existential one: the rise of Chinese EV carmakers with their cheaper, and in some cases more advanced models, has thrown the German car industry into crisis. The Germans, who have been far slower to transition to electric vehicles, simply aren’t selling as many cars anymore and need to retool to keep up. The fears are reflective of wider concerns over Europe’s industrial base being

Putin consolidates grip on Russia as 49 Ukraine war veterans elected to parliament
United Russia party’s record victory in tightly controlled vote likely to be used as evidence of support for war against Ukraine Russia’s new parliament will include 49 deputies who have taken part in the war against Ukraine, officials have said after a landslide victory by the ruling United Russia party in widely criticised elections. The pro-Kremlin party won a record 355 seats in the country’s 450-seat Duma lower house of parliament, according to preliminary figures. The result further consolidates Vladimir Putin’s grip on power and gives United Russia a super-majority bigger than its previous 2016 record of 343 seats. Continue reading...

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