Germany stands on the brink of a political earthquake as a hard-Right nationalist party looks set to take control of a regional parliament for the first time since the end of Nazi rule eight decades ago.

Last night an official exit poll showed that 44.5 per cent of voters in the sprawling eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt backed the xenophobic and anti-migration party Alternative for Germany (AfD).

The projected victory set alarm bells ringing in Berlin and Brussels as the AfD has pledged to ‘protect the homeland’ by deporting all illegal migrants, shutting the border, banning LGBTQ rainbow flags in state schools and halting the construction of new wind farms.

Its leader in the state, 35-year-old Ulrich Siegmund, also wants to reform the public broadcasters, end compulsory school attendance and rewrite school history books, which focus too much for his liking on the crimes of the Third Reich.

The AfD feeds on a sense of nostalgia for communist East Germany in Saxony-Anhalt and simmering resentment over the wealth gap between it and the former West Germany decades after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.

The prospect of a hard-Right state drew thousands of the AfD’s opponents to a rally on Saturday in Magdeburg, the regional capital, with banners saying ‘Life is better without Nazis’.

AfD has tapped into a sense of nostalgia for communist East Germany, using props like the Simson scooter Ulrich Siegmund and his wife arrived at the polling station in Tangermuende on

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‘No matter the outcome of tomorrow’s election, we have already made history,’ Siegmund told cheering supporters. ‘Because what we have started here in Saxony-Anhalt – that is currently sweeping across all of Germany – can no longer be stopped.’

The official result will be announced early today, but the German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, the CDU leader, is already tipped to cut state funds to Saxony-Anhalt if AfD does win.

He is expected to create a so-called ‘firewall’, in alliance with Left-wing parties, that would exclude the AfD’s politicians from sensitive government intelligence briefings due to alleged, but unproven, links to Russia.

But with the CDU expected to lose power in the region after its share of the vote, according to the exit poll, plunged from 36 per cent four years ago to 18 per cent, Merz has never been more at risk.

‘If the AfD wins in Saxony-Anhalt, Merz’s critics will become even more vocal and calls for better leadership will become impossible to ignore,’ said political scientist Wolfgang Schroeder of Kassel University.

The AfD’s star has risen as fast as the CDU’s has fallen in recent months, with Merz’s popularity rating at the lowest level ever recorded for a German Chancellor in post-war history.

It stems from his failure to control immigration, with 15million migrants entering the country, many illegally, since 2015 when the then Chancellor Angela Merkel, one of his predecessors as leader of the CDU, opened the border to Syrians fleeing civil war – a move that provoked a mass inrush from not just Syria but the Middle East, Africa and Balkans.

Germany has since been plagued by rapes and sexual assaults, often perpetrated by individuals who entered the country as part of the migrant surge, police figures show. Saxony-Anhalt has by no means been immune to this phenomenon.

Members and supporters of the hard-Hard Alternative for Germany (AfD) party react after the first exit poll results were announced at the AfD’s election party on September 6, 2026

The prospect of a hard-Right state drew thousands of the AfD’s opponents to a rally on Saturday in Magdeburg, the regional capital, with banners saying ‘Life is better without Nazis’ 

The result was a stinging rebuke to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (pictured), whose centre-Right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) finished far behind AfD on around 17 per cent

In 2024, a Saudi refugee ploughed a BMW 4X4 into crowds at the Christmas market in one of Magdeburg’s squares. Six were killed, including a nine-year-old boy, and hundreds injured.

Yesterday, in the same square, voters emerging from a polling booth told me they wanted no more atrocities.

Alexander von alten Blaskowitz, 76, said: ‘These attacks have happened way too often. Always ordinary people are the victims.’

Christian, 40, and Katharina, 37, said immigration had to stop: ‘Criminals should be kicked out and a person’s religion considered when deciding who to let in.’

The AfD has become the main opposition in German parliament, polling nationally at more than 20 per cent.

In Magdeburg, AfD supporters sang the national anthem and listened to leaders’ speeches at the final rallies before polling began.

But tensions were high with opponents watching nearby amid a huge police presence. When a German woman in a burka tried to enter the AfD zone to ‘talk to a politician’, she was refused entry by security and led away by police as she screamed: ‘I’m afraid they will expel all Muslims.’

When Hans-Thomas Tillschneider, the region’s AfD vice-chairman, was later asked about the confrontation, he said: ‘We would send back all who don’t have legal status. Saxony-Anhalt should think more German, be proud of their German identity. Even Elon Musk says it’s OK to be German.’

The 49-year-old is one of 15,000 people in the UK living with Polycythaemia vera, a disorder where your body produces too many red blood cells – she was diagnosed after a menopause blood test

A BBC News presenter has announced that she has incurable blood cancer.

Maryam Moshiri, 49, told The Times she is undergoing treatment for Polycythaemia vera, a disorder where bone marrow constantly produces red blood cells. If left untreated, blood clots, strokes, and heart attacks can all be caused by the disease.

Maryam has been undergoing immunotherapy since her diagnosis two years ago following a menopause-related blood test. Doctors say Maryam’s disorder is a chronic condition that can be managed, rather than being a rapidly deteriorating illness.

But treatment still takes a huge toll on Maryam and her family. She told The Times: “During my worst times when I was going through really quite gruelling treatment, I wasn’t there for my kids.

“I’d be lying on the sofa, and my son would say, “mummy, can you come play football with me in the garden?” And you just can’t. You’re too tired.”

Maryam has vowed to keep on working, even covering the death of Pope Francis and the ensuing conclave in April 2025, shortly after her diagnosis.

“I was working 14-hour days, constantly on air, constantly having to think on my feet, and holding it together, despite the fact that I had this chronic tiredness and fatigue,” she said.

Maryam is younger than most people who are diagnosed with Polycythaemia vera. The average age is 60-years-old, and 15,000 Brits have the condition.

Typically, over-60s can survive for another 14 years with the disease, while under-60s can survive another 24 years.

Maryam is now backing a new campaign called Here for This, by Blood Cancer UK, which aims to highlight how the disease impacts everyday life and family moments.

The plane from Puerto Rico is believed to have overrun the runway when coming in to land

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Five people are dead after an Amazon cargo plane reportedly veered off the runway and burst into flames while landing at a major Florida airport.

At least another five people were also injured during the incident.

The Boeing 767, which had travelled from Puerto Rico, is said to have overrun the runway at Miami International Airport before crashing into multiple vehicles. Thick black smoke and huge flames could be seen engulfing the scene as emergency services raced to the airport.

Mayor of Miami-Dave County, Daniella Levine Cava, said she was “closely monitoring the situation.”

Speaking at a press conference she said: “We can confirm that we have at least five deceased individuals”, adding it was an “incredibly difficult day”.

She also confirmed “Multiple individuals were transported to local hospitals with unknown injuries”.

Sean Duffy, the US Secretary of Transportation, said he had issued a “full ground stop at Miami International while first responders assess the scene”.

He warned passengers to expect “significant delays and potential cancellations”.

Kelly Nantel, Amazon’s director of corporate global media relations confirmed an Amazon Air plane “experienced an incident while attempting to land”.

“This is a fast-moving situation and we’re still gathering details. We’re working closely with local authorities and officials to understand exactly what happened,” she added.

“Right now, our absolute priority is the safety, well-being, and care of everyone involved. We’re doing everything we can to support those affected.”

The dramatic incident brought operations at Miami International Airport to a standstill, however, flights have since resumed.

In a statement, the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) said: “21 Air Flight 7598 overran the runway after landing at Miami International Airport around 2 pm local time on Sunday, September 6.

“The Boeing 767-300 cargo aircraft departed from Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The FAA will investigate.”

“Contact the airline for additional information”, it added in a post on X.

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In a statement, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said: “Over 60 Miami-Dade Fire Rescue units are on scene of an incident involving a plane that overran a runway and struck multiple vehicles near Miami International Airport.

“Units arrived to find an airplane that had caught on fire as a result of this crash, with heavy flames and smoke showing. Firefighters are working on extinguishing the fire and assessing patients.”

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Dr Mohammad Ryan Abumehdi, consultant interventional paediatric and congenital cardiologist for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde at the Royal Hospital for Children, said: “The introduction of self-expanding pulmonary valve technology is a significant step forward for children and young people with congenital heart disease in Scotland.

Officers from Greater Manchester Police conducted Operation Considerate on roads in the town on Tuesday.

The purpose of the operation, carried out on Spinning Jenny Way and Ellesmere Street, was to identify motorists committing driving offences.

Following 90 vehicles being stopped, 33 traffic offence reports were issued, including 11 for not wearing a seat belt and eight for number plate offences.

Five vehicles were flagged as having no insurance, four drivers were reported for using their mobile phone behind the wheel, and two cars had illegal window tinting.

Three drivers were also reported for issues relating to tyres, an insecure load, and not having a valid MOT certificate.

Moreover, one driver was summoned to court for driving without valid insurance, five vehicles were seized for the same reason, and one motorist was arrested for driving while disqualified.

The force’s Wigan and Leigh police team said: “On Tuesday, officers from our Leigh neighbourhood team, working alongside our roads policing team, were on Spinning Jenny Way and Ellesmere Street in Leigh as part of Operation Considerate.

“The operations aims to detect a range of driving offences, prosecute individuals where necessary, and raise awareness of how we can all be safer on the roads.

“We work tirelessly to keep the residents and road users in the district safe and will listen to what you have to say about what is going on in your area.

“Please carry on contacting us with all of your concerns.”

The Cardiff Capital Region is among the regions in the UK to enter into partnership with the fund which hopes to grow and develop financial opportunities.

A major Welsh region is to enter into a “strategic partnership” to help “accelerate major growth” in the area. The National Wealth Fund said the partnership will give the region investment knowledge, expertise and capital to help grow and develop financial opportunities in the area.

The Cardiff Capital Region is among the city regions to enter into partnerships with the National Wealth Fund, which hopes to grow project pipelines, attract public and private finance and deliver key infrastructure to support growth and create jobs.

A spokesperson from the National Wealth Fund said the partnership does not involve direct financing, but involves the fund working in an advisory capacity, to develop projects to the point where they can attract capital from private markets, or the fund itself if projects meet investment criteria.

Coun Mary Ann Brocklesby, Chair of Cardiff Capital Region (CCR), said: “This strategic partnership with the National Wealth Fund represents a significant opportunity for Cardiff Capital Region to accelerate the development of transformational projects that will drive sustainable economic growth across our region and to the benefit of the nation.

“By combining our deep understanding of local opportunities with the fund’s investment expertise and capital, we can strengthen our pipeline of investable projects, unlock private sector investment and deliver the infrastructure needed to support thriving communities, better connectivity and high-quality jobs.