US Central Command Confirms Sixth Military Aircraft Crash in Iraq Killing Six Amid Iran Operations

• Italian authorities launched investigations into at least 23 medical professionals suspected of helping irregular migrants avoid detention centers. • The doctors are accused of falsely certifying migrants as ill to prevent their transfer to holding facilities.

• Chancellor Friedrich Merz described recent German state election results as a disaster after exit polls showed his Christian Democratic Union party losing ground. • The CDU is facing a squeeze from both left-wing parties and the surging far-right Alternative for Germany party.

• German Chancellor Friedrich Merz met with Christian Democratic Union leadership in Berlin on Monday to secure support following losses in two state elections. • The CDU was ousted from a state parliament for the first time this month as far-right and far-left parties gained ground.

• Friedrich Merz’s centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) is projected to suffer heavy losses in two German state elections according to exit polls. • The CDU is expected to fall to 5.5% in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, which would be the party's worst result in that region since World War II.

• German voters head to the polls this Sunday for state elections as the right-wing AfD party seeks to build on recent momentum. • The AfD enters the vote following a successful election performance in Saxony-Anhalt earlier this month.

• German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is facing increasing political pressure following a series of election defeats. • Merz has struggled to implement promised economic and social welfare reforms alongside his coalition partners in the Social Democratic Party (SPD).

• France is facing a severe higher education funding crisis involving a proposal to increase tuition fees fivefold and a national mobilization of students and staff. • Sector warnings indicate that the French university system risks hitting a wall within the next three to four years due to current financial pressures.

• German Chancellor Freidrich Merz pledged to continue his federal agenda after his party lost recent state elections. • Merz described the election results as a "disaster" for the political center.

• David Barnes is currently imprisoned in Russia after traveling there to recover his sons who were abducted by his ex-wife. • A Russian judge ruled the country has "vicarious jurisdiction" over the case because the ex-wife holds Russian citizenship.

• The Trump administration converted a refugee bureau into a $410 million operation to deport migrants to third-party countries. • The U.S. paid $5.1 million to the kingdom of Eswatini to accept up to 150 deportees, with 19 migrants already sent.

• The Russian defense ministry announced on Monday that its forces attacked multiple targets in Ukraine, including two cargo vessels and the Izmail port. • The strikes targeted military-use ships, a gas distribution station, and a logistics center.

• President Trump announced he will appoint a new artificial intelligence adviser and establish a specialized "AI force." • The decision was reported by Reuters as part of the administration's strategy to manage emerging technology.