Germany's "The Left" (Die Linke) party has made a 180 degree turn by suddenly rejecting SYRIZA's demand for repayment of a forced loan extended to Nazi occupation forces during WWII.
Pegged as a dress rehearsal in the run up to next week's general elections, Sunday's local election in Bavaria saw conservatives allied with chancellor Angela Merkel gain an absolute majority of seats in the local parliament, according to first results.
A week of mass mobilizations against staff mobility and availability in the public sector began with tension, as school guards besieging the government reform ministry clashed with riot police. Police used tear gas to drive away the protesters, resulting in two people being taken to hospital with respiratory complications.