September 10: AfD’s Saxony-Anhalt Win and Palawan Ferry Fire

In Germany The far-right AfD won 43.8% in Saxony-Anhalt’s regional election, a result CDU lawmaker Günter Krings called devastating and worse than expected. Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen said Moscow was likely pleased, while stressing that disinformation alone does not explain the vote, which also reflected real public dissatisfaction. Former government spokesman Béla Anda said Chancellor Friedrich Merz had communicated poorly in the aftermath, leaving him with a difficult task of regaining political control. In the Philippines At least five people have died and 86 remain missing after a fire broke out aboard a ferry near Palawan, according to the Philippine coast guard. Rescue operations are continuing. In the war in Ukraine Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces say they carried out their deepest strike inside Russia, using drones to target the Novy Urengoy and Purovsky gas condensate plants in the Yamalo-Nenets region, roughly 3,000 kilometres from Ukraine. The area is a major Russian oil and gas hub. In U.S. politics President Trump has promised $5,000 payments to every American if Republicans win November’s midterm elections. He has not explained how the payments would be funded or whether he would have the legal authority to deliver them. In Europe European Agriculture Commissioner Christophe Hansen says extreme summer conditions have caused severe harvest losses for many farmers. He acknowledged the pressure for support while warning that public funding is limited.