Mahamadou Issoufou has blamed Niger's explosive birth rate on a misreading of Islam which has led people to believe girls as young as 12 can be married instead of continuing education.

HENRY DEEDES: The very people who only recently were insisting no new Brexit deal was available, were now queuing to touch Johnson's cloak as if he was a latter-day prophet.

Emmanuel Macron on Friday night led EU leaders in warning that they might block any further Brexit extension, while Merkel is understood to have argued the EU can not push out the UK without a deal.

CRAIG BROWN: As his girth attested, Helmut Kohl liked his food. In fact, he could be called something of a glutton. His favourite dish was Saumagen, which literally means 'sow's stomach'.

While popular premier far-left Die Linke party easily retained the top spot with about 30 per cent, the Alternative for Germany scored at least 23 percent - more than doubling its result in 2014.

Authorities in New Delhi have declared a public health emergency Friday as air pollution in the city hit its worst level this year. It comes as German Chancellor Angela Merkel visits the region.

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier urged the United States to be a 'mutually respectful partner' and reject nationalism as Germany marks 30 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall.

President Donald Trump sat down with Turkish President Recep Erdogan at NATO meetings Wednesday shortly before cancelling his own scheduled press conference.

President Trump defended his lawyer Rudy Giuliani between NATO meetings for his contacts with the White House as revealed in phone records, saying: 'What difference does that make?'

Yale Medical School Professor Dr Bandy Lee, George Washington University Professor Dr John Zinner, and former CIA profiler Dr Jerrold Post sent off their letter on Thursday.

Ursula von der Leyen was under investigation for doling out millions of euros on consultants for defence contracts. The German defence ministry has been accused of sabotaging investigation attempts.

EXCLUSIVE: John Baird, who steered Canada's foreign policy from 2011 to 2015, believes the Prime Minister can spearhead the Western push-back against Iran.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel was presented with a mirror as she met with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul on Friday.

ALEXANDER VON SCHOENBURG (Editor at large for BILD): For years, EU leaders insisted Brexit would be a disaster. But that narrative is starting to look like a delusion.

MARK ALMOND: Turkey's president announced that his country would no longer enforce the deal struck with the EU in 2016 to prevent millions of refugees from leaving for Western shores.

It came as Erdogan jetted into Brussels for a high-level meeting aimed at shoring up the 2016 migrant deal, where the EU agreed to hand over €6bn in exchange for migrants being held back.

Angela Merkel urged Germans to heed the stringent confinement measures imposed this week as the number of infections soared over 11,000 today, including 28 deaths.

Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel will quarantine herself at home after being treated by a doctor who has since tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

Chancellor Angela Merkel's government has ordered people not leave their homes unless they have an exceptional reason. A distance of at least five feet must be kept from others at all times.

The league's chief Christian Seifert did suggest last week that the current plan is for games to return to all 36 grounds in the top two divisions by the start of May.

Clubs in the German top flight have returned to training in the hope that the rest of the season can be finished off - providing Chancellor Angela Merkel gives the green light for action to resume.

A restart of the Bundesliga could be pushed back a week to May 16 as clubs nervously wait for Chancellor Angela Merkel's verdict. 

The German head of state, accompanied by Chancellor Angela Merkel, stuck to social distancing guidelines at they laid down their wreaths yesterday at the Neue Wache Memorial in Berlin.

The Premier League are watching closely as they try to push ahead with Project Restart, which would see the campaign come back on June 12.

A Las Vegas newspaper has unearthed documents relating to a speaking engagement Hillary Clinton will undertake at a University of Nevada Las Vegas Foundation fundraiser.

Hillary Clinton pushed back on the idea Republicans have been floating since Justice Scalia's death – that the winner of the election should decide his successor.

'Right now I'm not worried about the Russians. The biggest threat to America I see right now is Donald Trump's candidacy and what that will do to our country,' Corey Booker morning on Today.

'Together, my friends, we have begun a political revolution to transform America and that revolution – our revolution – continues,' Sanders said.

Donald Trump had wanted his convention to have 'showbiz' appeal, but Hillary Clinton's will have some real star power. The DNC has attracted a number of big-name music acts and Hollywood talent.

Delegates shouted 'Bernie, Bernie' and booed every mention of Hillary Clinton in the opening session of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. Even the gavelling was a fiasco.

Some of Sen. Bernie Sanders' progressive supporters want to pull Sen. Tim Kaine from the vice presidential slot and insert someone to the left of him instead.

The former vice president, who refused to back Clinton during the recent Democratic primary, announced today he will vote for Clinton in the November race against Donald Trump.

Disgusted Sanders supporter Yolanda Gonzalez, pictured, screamed 'lock her up' at the Philadelphia convention as party leaders preached party unity.

Comedian Sarah Silverman exposed the fissures in the Democratic Party by telling the raucous crowd that while she felt the Bern it was time to support Hillary Clnton.

The 30-year-old showed off her long legs in tiny denim shorts as she sported a loose white T-shirt and dark sunglasses.

Susan Sarandon is a staunch supporter of defeated candidate Bernie Sanders, and was unable to hide her rage during speeches at the Democratic convention in Philadelphia yesterday.

Bernie Sanders' speech in Philadelphia was too much to take for his most ardent fans, who were seen weeping as he praised them for joining him on his 'political revolution'.

Democrats managed to find some flags for the main stage at the Democratic convention after the lack of an old fashioned Stars and Stripes was noticeably absent from the stage.

Jerry Emmett, 102, was given the honor of reading out Arizona's votes for Hillary Clinton at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.

The Australian computer programmer and publisher told Britain's ITV that he obtained 'emails related to Hillary Clinton which are pending publication' during an interview on June 12.

The Pitch Perfect-inspired a cappella cover of Rachel Platten's Fight Song was unveiled at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia last night. Elizabetrh Banks is pictured.

Portia Boulger, of Chillicothe, Ohio, was filmed speaking after Sanders’ speech at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia on Monday.

Since his first appearance as a presidential candidate in 2008, Obama's looks have changed dramatically - and he isn't embarrassed to admit it.

The actress and director, 42, looked effortlessly elegant as she stepped out after delivering her passionate speech in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday.

'I was elected as an independent. I’ll stay two years more as an independent,' Bernie Sanders said after losing the race for the Democratic nomination to Hillary Clinton.

Wasserman Schultz, who was forced to resign from her position at the weekend, looked unhappy as she watched the president during his speech in Philadelphia on Wednesday evening.

Former first daughter Chelsea Clinton told childhood tales in an effort to humanize the Democratic nominee who would soon come onstage at tonight's Democratic National Convention.

The 31-year-old pop singer belted out her hits Roar and Rise to a packed audience including her 39-year-old hunky Lord of the Rings star at the Democratic National Convention on Thursday

Hillary Clinton made history last night standing next to her husband 8,778 days after fresh-faced Bill received the Democratic nomination at the party's 1992 convention in New York.

Trump himself has turned name-calling into a high art form, deploying derogatory nicknames for his opponents including 'Lyin' Ted' Cruz, 'Liddle Marco' Rubio and 'Crooked Hillary' Clinton.