- PSG held by Nice to leave Monaco clear at top of Ligue 1
- AC Milan fall at Fiorentina after De Gea's penalty heroics
- Lewandowski treble for leaders Barca as Atletico held
- Fresh Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Sucic stunner earns Real Sociedad draw against Atletico
- PSG draw with Nice, fail to reclaim top spot in Ligue 1
- Gudmundsson downs AC Milan after De Gea's penalty heroics for Fiorentina
- 'Yes' vote prevails in Kazakhstan nuclear plant vote: TV
- 'Difficult day': Oct 7 commemorations begin with festival memorial
- Commemorations begin for anniversary of attack on Israel
- Lewandowski hat-trick powers Liga leaders Barca to Alaves victory
- 'Nothing gets in way of team,' says Celtics' MVP hopeful Tatum
- India maintain Pakistan stranglehold as Windies cruise at Women's T20 World Cup
- 'We will win!': Mozambique's ruling party confident at final vote rally
- Tunisia voting ends as Saied eyes re-election with critics behind bars
- Florida braces for Milton, FEMA head slams 'dangerous' Helene misinformation
- Postecoglou slams 'unacceptable' Spurs after 'terrible' loss at Brighton
- Marmoush double denies Bayern outright Bundesliga top spot
- Rallies worldwide call for Gaza, Lebanon ceasefire
- Maresca hails Chelsea's 'fighting' spirit after draw with 10-man Forest
- New 'Joker' film, a dark musical, tops N.America box office
- Man Utd stalemate keeps Ten Hag in danger, Spurs rocked by Brighton
- Drowned by hurricane, remote N.Carolina towns now struggle for water
- Vikings hold off Jets in London to stay unbeaten
- Ahead of attack anniversary, Netanyahu says: 'We will win'
- West Indies cruise to T20 World Cup win over Scotland
- Arshdeep, Chakravarthy help India hammer Bangladesh in T20 opener
- Lewandowski's quickfire hat-trick powers Liga leaders Barca to Alaves victory
- Man Utd fire another blank in Aston Villa stalemate
- Lewandowski treble powers Liga leaders Barca to Alaves victory
- Russian activist killed on front line in Ukraine
- Openda strike briefly sends Leipzig top of Bundesliga
- Goal-shy Man Utd have to 'step up', says Ten Hag
- India bowl out Bangladesh for 127 in T20 opener
- Madueke rescues Chelsea in draw with 10-man Forest
- Beckett's belief rewarded as Bluestocking storms to Arc glory
- Trump on the stump, Harris hits airwaves in razor-edge US election
- Flash flooding kills three in northern Thailand
- Kaur leads India to victory over Pakistan in Women's T20 World Cup
- Juventus held by Cagliari after late penalty drama
- In France's Marseille, teen 'stabbed 50 times' then burned alive
- Ruthless Gauff beats Muchova in straight sets to win China Open
- India restrict Pakistan to 105-8 in Women's T20 World Cup
- England target repeat of Pakistan Test whitewash
- Penrith Panthers win fourth straight NRL title after downing Storm
- Weary Sinner happy for day off after battling into Shanghai last 16
- Pakistan's Masood warns England still a force without Stokes
- Madrid's Carvajal to miss several months after serious knee injury
- Israel pounds Lebanon ahead of Hamas attack anniversary
- Two elephants die in flash flooding in northern Thailand
Popular incumbent Steinmeier eyes new term as German president
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier is poised to be re-elected on Sunday for a second straight term, after gaining a reputation as a tireless defender of democratic values at a time when resurging far-right extremism and the coronavirus pandemic were putting them to the test.
The Social Democrat, 66, served twice as foreign minister in Angela Merkel's cabinet, stepping back from his duties as Germany's top diplomat to take on the ceremonial role as head of state in 2017.
With his snowy white hair, round glasses and dimpled smile, the trained lawyer has become one of Germany's most popular and trusted politicians.
The presidential role was an "honour" and an "enormous challenge" Steinmeier said in May last year when announcing his desire to stay in office until 2027.
The former foreign minister has cast himself as the conscience of the nation, occasionally stepping into political debates and speaking at memorials.
He has repeatedly warned against the rising threat of right-wing extremism in Germany and criticised scenes at Kabul airport after the city's fall as "shameful for the political West".
Steinmeier's time in office has been marked by the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in Germany at the start of 2020, with the president sometimes playing the role of a moral arbiter in public debates on health issues.
Earlier this year, Steinmeier held a public debate between health experts and coronavirus vaccine sceptics, a vocal minority in the country that has increasingly taken to the streets to protest against coronavirus rules.
- Second term -
The presidential election, normally held in the Bundestag building, will instead take place at Paul Loebe Haus, a post-modern office complex opposite the Chancellery in central Berlin, in order to meet pandemic distancing requirements.
The president is voted for by the Federal Convention, a one-off assembly made up of MPs and an equal number of state delegates, taking the total number close to 1,500.
Among the delegates are a number of public figures, including the Bayern Munich and German national team midfielder Leon Goretzka, selected by the Bavarian SPD.
With the backing of all the parties in the current coalition government, including Steinmeier's own Social Democrats, the Greens and the liberal FDP, as well as the support of the opposition conservatives (CDU-CSU), the incumbent is expected to win the vote comfortably.
Three other candidates have been nominated for the role by the far-right AfD, the far-left Linke party and the Freie Waehler, part of the ruling coalition in Bavaria.
Presidents can run for a maximum of two terms in Germany, though Steinmeier, who is expected to secure re-election, would be only the fourth person to do so.
The president's role in Germany is mostly symbolic, with the office holder acting as a constitutional counterpart to the head of government, currently Chancellor Olaf Scholz, a Social Democrat comrade.
L.Harper--AMWN