Urgent.News

What's breaking now, across thousands of outlets.

World

Essay: Friedrich Merz and the Courage of a Desperate Man

His chancellorship will likely go down in history books as a major misunderstanding. Friedrich Merz has little to lose, but perhaps there is still something to be gained.

Translated from German Read in German

Essay: Friedrich Merz and the Courage of a Desperate Man

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has spoken out about the recent election of a far-right politician as president of the state parliament in Saxony-Anhalt, describing it as incompatible with the values of his party, the CDU. Merz suggested that the election may have been aided by CDU members who defected to support the AfD, but also raised the possibility that it was a sabotage operation by left-wing groups. He has been trying to rally support and defend his party's position amid growing criticism and declining popularity.

Written by urgent.news from Handelsblatt's report — not a translation of it. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.

Read the original at handelsblatt.com →

More in World

Big Powers Plagued by Low-Cost, Asymmetric Attacks

The war between Russia and Ukraine has been going on for more than 4½ years. There’s no telling when the war that the United States and Israel started with Iran will end. Both Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump are likely thinking, “This isn’t how things were supposed to go.”

  • Ukraine uses low-cost drones and AI for asymmetric attacks on enemy targets.
  • Iran targets Gulf Arab states and vessels in Strait of Hormuz with missiles and drones.
  • Asymmetric warfare exploits minimal attacker costs for significant enemy burden.

More from Friday 9 October →