Traffic island against speeders on the state road: Will there be a €50,000 solution?
merkur.de/lokales/schongau/wildsteig-ort70387/verkehrsinsel-gegen-raser-auf-der-staatsstrasse-kommt-50-000-euro-loesung-94440914.html
Der jüngste Flop der Sussexes beweist, dass sie nur ein einziges Talent haben – Geschichten über die Royals zu erzählen
merkur.de/boulevard/zu-erzaehlen-der-juengste-flop-der-sussexes-beweist-dass-sie-nur-ein-einziges-talent-haben-geschichten-ueber-die-royals-zr-94439836.html
Those who plant peonies incorrectly wait in vain for blossoms: Peonies transform the garden into a sea of blossoms - | Provided they are planted correctly ...
merkur.de/leben/garten/video-pfingstrosen-pflanzen-so-finden-sie-den-perfekten-standort-boden-zr-94438283.html
She called a journalist a "puppet": Who will succeed Trump's mouthpiece Leavitt?
merkur.de/politik/wer-ersetzt-karoline-leavitt-als-trumps-angriffshuendin-zr-94442282.html
Key FactsReports link Karoline Leavitt’s exit to calls from Trump
2 hours ago · Reading time: ~45 sec.
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: fastcompany.com
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: fastcompany.com
- Sources familiar with the matter told CNN that Trump repeatedly contacted Leavitt during her leave and asked when she would return.
- Leavitt said on X that she could not adequately meet her two young children’s needs while handling the demands of the press secretary’s job.
- Trump said on Truth Social that Leavitt would become one of his leading outside advisers and an influential Republican voice during the midterm elections.
- Since January, 845,000 women have left the workforce; in July, women recorded a net loss of 32,000 jobs while men posted a net gain of 9,000.
I cannot be the best mom my two young children deserve while devoting the constant time, energy, and attention required of the White House Press Secretary.— Karoline Leavitt, in an X post announcing her resignation
"I'm a DJ, I'm a DJ!": 20-year-old Linda (Jule Hermann) lives as a farmer's daughter in the Munich area in the mid-90s ...
merkur.de/boulevard/ich-bin-dj-ich-bin-dj-zr-94440958.html
Reawakened crater fuels current Etna eruption - | "We will have consequences for years"
merkur.de/welt/aetna-ausbruch-vulkanologe-erklaert-dynamiken-im-inneren-des-vulkans-zr-94440359.html
Solar eclipse triggers wave of hospital visits - | what doctors have to say: After the solar eclipse, numerous people sought treatment at hospitals ...
merkur.de/welt/sonnenfinsternis-mit-folgen-kliniken-melden-dutzende-patienten-zr-94442926.html
“We are shocked” - | Forest fires in Hesse, thousands dead: Calls for heat protection to be enshrined in the Basic Law
merkur.de/politik/wir-sind-schockiert-rufe-nach-hitzeschutz-im-grundgesetz-zr-94438908.html
Back to the garden: The 'Garden Brothers' have a new assignment: On to the twelfth season of the garden makeover series: The first episode tackles the ...
merkur.de/boulevard/zurueck-ins-gruene-die-beet-brueder-haben-einen-neuen-auftrag-zr-94440947.html
Key FactsAfD reaches 43 percent in Saxony-Anhalt
5 hours ago · Reading time: ~45 sec.
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: fr.de
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: fr.de
- Pollytix conducted the Campact-commissioned survey among 2,604 eligible voters in Saxony-Anhalt by phone and online between August 3 and 8, 2026.
- The CDU is on 23 percent, the Left on 13, the SPD on 7 and the Greens on 5 percent, while the BSW and FDP would miss parliament with 4 and 2 percent respectively, and about 13 percent remain undecided.
- Despite the AfD’s 43-percent showing, the report says it would not be able to govern alone, while Campact points to possible gains for other parties among undecided voters.
- Minister-President Sven Schulze rejects both a CDU alliance with the AfD and one with the Left, although without AfD participation the only mathematical option would involve the Left.
You will not be able to bypass the AfD anymore – not only in Saxony-Anhalt!— Alice Weidel, AfD co-leader, commenting on the poll results on X.
Alois Neuschmid takes a break - | star is gone: The Michelin-starred chef is saying goodbye to his restaurant in Rottach-Egern and taking a break ...
merkur.de/lokales/region-tegernsee/rottach-egern-ort29359/alois-neuschmid-nimmt-auszeit-stern-ist-weg-94440884.html
Key FactsResearchers examine attack risks from manipulated SIM cards
8 hours ago · Reading time: ~45 sec.
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: fr.de
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: fr.de
- Researchers from the University of Birmingham and Fuzzware used the CATana tool to examine 26 devices, including 18 smartphones and eight cellular modules, and are presenting their findings at the USENIX WOOT 2026 security conference in Baltimore.
- The Proactive SIM function can allow a SIM card to send AT commands to the cellular modem, and several tested devices accepted such instructions, potentially activating disabled functions or exposing sensitive information.
- In testing, manipulated SIM cards could downgrade connections from 4G to the less protected 2G network and, on newer Android devices, open an attacker-controlled webpage without input even when smartphones were locked.
- The researchers notified the GSMA and affected chip and device manufacturers, after which several companies responded with software updates and stricter configurations.
The attacks we found scratch only the surface of what is possible with malicious SIM cards— Tomasz Piotr Lisowski, University of Birmingham, in relation to the SIM security study
Key FactsBanaszak seeks democratic alliance to block AfD government
6 hours ago · Reading time: ~45 sec.
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: fr.de
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: fr.de
- Felix Banaszak is calling for coordinated action by democratic parties so that the AfD cannot form a government after the state elections in September.
- He says all parties should be willing to hold talks and make compromises after the election despite their substantive differences.
- Current polls place the SPD in Saxony-Anhalt at six to seven percent and the Greens at four to five percent; Banaszak says both must clear the five-percent threshold to reliably prevent an AfD-only government.
- Saxony-Anhalt is due to hold its state election on September 6, while elections in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Berlin are scheduled for September 20.
When democrats face the decision to let anti-democratic constitutional enemies come to power or to form a broad democratic alliance across all differences, then democrats must choose democracy.— Felix Banaszak, Green Party leader, during a campaign tour in Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (August 2026)
“An international embarrassment”: Trump’s Kennedy Center takeover puts US orchestra in existential danger
merkur.de/politik/kennedy-center-trumps-uebernahme-stuerzt-orchester-in-krise-zr-94441395.html
Key FactsNo further tanker attacks reported after Vance call
8 hours ago · Reading time: ~45 sec.
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: fr.de
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: fr.de
- On July 31, JD Vance urged Volodymyr Zelenskyy to end drone attacks on oil tankers in the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk.
- The report says no further attacks on tankers near the CPC terminal have been reported since the call, after Kyiv agreed to suspend such strikes under certain conditions.
- Chevron and ExxonMobil hold stakes in the Caspian Pipeline Consortium and the western Kazakh oil fields, with Chevron owning about 50 percent of Tengiz and Exxon 25 percent.
- Kyiv reportedly hoped for a US license to produce Patriot interceptors, while Donald Trump had announced that it would receive one, although no formal agreement has yet been signed.
America can help strengthen our defense mainly through air defense and exert pressure on Russia so that its plans change—away from prolonging the war toward preparing for its end.— Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday evening that America can help strengthen Ukraine's defense and pressure Russia to change its plans.
Key FactsHöcke offers Wagenknecht Thuringia’s top office
9 hours ago · Reading time: ~45 sec.
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: taz.de
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: taz.de
- On Wednesday evening, August 12, Björn Höcke published a two-minute video urging Sahra Wagenknecht to become Thuringia’s minister president.
- The AfD and the Wagenknecht faction would theoretically hold a three-seat majority in the 88-member state parliament, with 32 and 15 lawmakers respectively, while the CDU-SPD-BSW coalition has 44 votes.
- Wagenknecht rejected the offer, saying that most BSW lawmakers in the state parliament oppose the party’s federal executive and would not vote for her.
- The proposal is linked to an announced constructive vote of no confidence by the AfD against Thuringia’s CDU Minister President Mario Voigt after Chemnitz University of Technology rejected his appeal against the revocation of his doctorate.
The office of Thuringia's Minister-President is not a trophy that Mr. Höcke can award at will.— Sahra Wagenknecht; stated in response to Björn Höcke's offer regarding the Thuringian Minister-President position, as reported in taz
Smoking negatively impacts the mental health of adolescents - | Girls are particularly affected
merkur.de/wissen/nikotin-belastet-die-psychische-gesundheit-von-jugendlichen-maedchen-sind-besonders-betroffen-zr-94439998.html
Up to 40 degrees: Is Germany facing the last major heat wave of the year?: Germany is once again facing days of extreme heat. Temperatures of up to 40 degrees ...
merkur.de/deutschland/bis-zu-40-grad-steht-deutschland-vor-der-letzten-grossen-hitzewelle-des-jahres-zr-94441815.html
Key FactsTrump plans at least $927 million in White House work
9 hours ago · Reading time: ~45 sec.
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: fr.de
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: fr.de
- Since Trump took office, public budget records show that $875 million was added to the White House Repair and Restoration account, after Congress had previously provided $2.5 million annually.
- The confidential contracts cover work on the East Wing and Lafayette Square, a helicopter landing site and a visitor security center, while contracts worth more than $100 million had been awarded by the end of June and further progress remained uncertain.
- Most of the $415 million in Secret Service funds was transferred in June after legislation providing $400 million for the East Wing and visitor security center failed, prompting concerns from lawmakers in both parties.
- A federal appeals court ruled Friday that continuing the ballroom construction requires congressional approval, and Trump announced an appeal that would lead to a dispute before the Supreme Court.
Whether or not a massive ballroom should be constructed is for Congress to decide and is not a matter for Executive self-help.— From the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, in the opinion written by Judges Patricia A. Millett and Bradley N. Garcia, on the East Wing White House ballroom case.
Key FactsJD Sports lists 60 stores in Germany
6 hours ago · Reading time: ~45 sec.
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: merkur.de
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: merkur.de
- According to Shoez.biz, closures have been confirmed in Krefeld, Herne, Wiesbaden, Zwickau, Kiel and Mülheim-Kärlich, while the Zwickau store has been closed since early August.
- The JD Sports store in Jena’s Goethe Galerie is reportedly due to close on August 22, with a clearance sale currently under way.
- JD Sports attributes the withdrawal to a strategic realignment of its European store network rather than insolvency.
- Shoez.biz reports that JD Sports expects an adjusted pretax profit of £750 million to £850 million for 2026/27, compared with £852 million the previous year, while comparable group-wide sales fell 2.3 percent in the first quarter.
As part of the worldwide strengthening of the JD brand, the group has completed a strategic review of its European store network, including France and Germany. This will lead to targeted store closures and a simplification of the operating model.— JD Sports Fashion – company website, official statement on network restructuring
Thousands enjoy the natural spectacle: Great enthusiasm for the solar eclipse: The solar eclipse on Wednesday evening captivated thousands of people in the ...
merkur.de/lokales/fuerstenfeldbruck/fuerstenfeldbruck-ort65548/tausende-geniessen-das-naturschauspiel-grosse-begeisterung-ueber-die-sonnenfinsternis-fuerstenfeldbruck-94441928.html
Mit 90 Jahren gestorben: Nachruf auf den Altstadt-Strategen – er prägte Bayerns Kommunalpolitik
merkur.de/bayern/abschied-vom-altstadt-strategen-josef-deimer-94442901.html
Key FactsAfD lawmaker Kever proposes sharp development-aid cut
10 hours ago · Reading time: ~45 sec.
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: fr.de
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: fr.de
- Of the proposed €2 billion, €800 million would move to the Foreign Office for humanitarian aid and €1.2 billion to the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs.
- For longer-term development projects, Kever wants private donors and crowdfunding to play a larger role instead of state funding, but he does not reject development cooperation outright.
- Kever justifies the policy by arguing that Germany’s existing development policy produces too few measurable successes and that too little money reaches its intended recipients.
- Kever distances himself from blanket cuts modeled on USAID and warns that essential medicines could be lacking in Zambia.
We have been providing development aid for 60 years, and in Africa, one state after another is tipping over again.— Rocco Kever (AfD), Member of the Bundestag, said this in the context of criticizing the effectiveness of Germany's development policy and the push to dissolve the BMZ.