The Papers: 'Test of strength' as Starmer to meet Trump over Ukraine

German frontrunner Friedrich Merz is confident of victory in Sunday's election, vowing to lead in Europe and marginalize the far-right AfD. Migration and security are key campaign issues, with the AfD gaining support with its anti-immigration stance. Mainstream parties rule out working with the AfD, as coalition-building will be necessary to form a government in the aftermath of the election. Full Article

Bybit, a major cryptocurrency exchange, was hacked for $1.5 billion in digital assets, the largest crypto heist in history, compromising its cold wallet security. CEO Ben Zhou assured users that all other cold wallets are secure, with withdrawals operating normally. The theft, primarily in ether, was traced by blockchain analysis firms to North Korea's Lazarus Group, a state-sponsored hacker collective known for laundering funds and targeting crypto platforms, prompting a rush of withdrawals from Bybit....

As Ukraine faced the three-year mark of Russia's invasion, President Trump's sudden shift in policy towards Russia disrupted Kyiv's path to peace, causing concern among allies. Trump's phone call with Putin led to negotiations excluding Ukraine, prompting fears of lost territory and vulnerability. Despite European support, U.S.-Russia talks in Riyadh excluded Ukraine, leading to escalating tensions and doubts about the future of the conflict. Full Article

Israeli forces shot and killed two Palestinian children, Ayman Nasser al-Haymouny, 12, in Hebron and Rimas al-Amouri, 13, in the Jenin governorate. The children were targeted in the back by soldiers from armored vehicles, with Ayman dying from his injuries in the hospital and Rimas pronounced dead shortly after being shot in the abdomen. The killings occurred amidst ongoing Israeli military raids in the occupied West Bank, leading to condemnation from organizations and calls for...

A South Carolina death row inmate, Brad Sigmon, has opted to be executed by firing squad, becoming the fourth inmate in the U.S. to die by this method. Sigmon, convicted of the 2001 baseball bat killings of his ex-girlfriend's parents, chose firing squad over lethal injection or the electric chair due to concerns over prolonged suffering. He has one final appeal pending before the state Supreme Court, with his lawyers arguing his trial lawyers were...

German voters head to the polls for a national parliamentary election amidst economic struggles, an immigration crisis, and changing global security dynamics. Chancellor Olaf Scholz called for a snap election after his coalition government collapsed. The CDU, led by Friedrich Merz, is expected to win the most votes but may struggle to form a coalition government due to the refusal of mainstream parties to work with the far-right AfD. Merz, a conservative with strong convictions,...