BBC World News

1. German Chancellor Merz calls state election a 'disaster' for his party but vows to stay on

   Exit polls show damaging losses for Merz's centre-right CDU party in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Berlin.

2. Russia's elections had few surprises - but how the Kremlin uses the results will be crucial

   Vladimir Putin will likely use the result to claim most Russians back the so-called special military operation in Ukraine, writes the BBC's Steve Rosenberg.

3. Seven Ethiopian rebel groups form new alliance

   The groups have been active in Ethiopia's most populous regions for years and now say they will work together.

4. CNN, MS NOW and Politico to file lawsuit against Trump's White House ban

   The US media outlets say they are defending "the principle that the government does not decide what the press reports or publishes".

5. Three arrested in South Africa over one of nine women's bodies

   The body of Jabulile Ntimba was the ninth to be found recently in an area east of Johannesburg.