Sep 21, 2026, 03:00 PM UTC

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz canceled a planned telephone conversation with US President Donald Trump following public comments from the American leader celebrating electoral gains by the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).

The diplomatic rift occurred after the AfD secured strong performances in regional elections, taking first place in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and achieving major wins in Saxony-Anhalt. The results marked the worst state election showing for Merz's conservative party since 1949, leading the chancellor to describe the outcome as a "disaster."

In response to the tension, Merz stated that the post-World War II era of "unconditional" trans-Atlantic ties between Germany and the United States is "probably over" for now. State intelligence agencies continue to monitor the AfD in several regions where the party is classified as far-right extremist due to its anti-immigration platform.

Sources: Bloomberg, Cyprus Mail, France24, Sweden Herald, The Guardian

Flight operations across Scotland, Northern Ireland, and northern England faced severe disruption on Monday following a technical failure at the National Air Traffic Services (NATS) Prestwick control centre. Major hubs including Edinburgh, Glasgow, Belfast, and Manchester reported delays and cancellations, with airlines such as easyJet, Loganair, and British Airways impacted.

NATS confirmed engineers resolved the glitch and stated the incident was "unrelated" to a major system failure that occurred two weeks earlier. The UK Secretary of State for Transport also confirmed the resolution. However, airport officials warned that knock-on delays would likely persist into Tuesday. Airline operators expressed frustration over the repeated system failures, with easyJet stating the incident "once again calls into question the resilience" of the service, while Wizz Air cited a "national confidence crisis" in NATS.

Sources: BBC News, Cyprus Mail, STV News, The Guardian, The Scotsman

Authorities in Japan have advised nearly two million people to evacuate as Typhoon Dujuan impacts the country's eastern coastline, including the greater Tokyo region. The Japanese Meteorological Agency warned of severe rainfall, destructive winds, flash flooding, and potential landslides.

The storm has caused widespread transport disruptions, forcing major domestic airlines to cancel hundreds of flights, although select international operations continue. Tens of thousands of homes suffered power outages as the weather system passed near Katsura and surrounding prefectures. While officials downgraded several emergency levels, high-risk warnings remain active in targeted locations such as Oshima Town.

Sources: BBC News, NOS, ORF