Europe

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz indicated a possible government reshuffle following the resignation of CDU parliamentary leader Jens Spahn. Merz aims to announce Spahn’s successor by month-end, amid growing pressure from key state elections. Chancellery Minister Thorsten Frei is a leading candidate for the role.

Two significant wildfires are currently active in Spain, notably in Guadalajara and Zaragoza provinces, with emergency services combating a blaze near La Mierla that has scorched nearly 9,900 hectares. Evacuations have affected 16 villages as authorities report extreme conditions exacerbated by strong winds.

Much of northwestern Europe went on high alert Wednesday as a storm dubbed Ciaran threatened to bring gale force winds and extreme rainfall to the region. Three French departments — Finistere, Cotes-d’Armor and Manche — will be placed on red storm alert, the highest level, at midnight (2300 GMT), national weather agency Meteo-France said. Meanwhile thirty other departments including Paris and its surrounding regions are placed on orange alert.

French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne on Tuesday vowed a “merciless fight” against surging anti-Semitism after residents of the French capital discovered anti-Jewish graffiti on buildings in several districts. Paris prosecutors have launched a probe into the incident as a possible hate crime. “The Israel-Hamas conflict is clearly being imported into France,” representative council of French Jewish institutions Robert Ejnes said.

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