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Social Democratic Party, the same combination of traditional rivals that ran Germany from 2005 to 2009 in Merkel's first term.
• That is unlikely to produce a radical change in government policies. However, it could signal a subtle shift in emphasizing economic growth over the austerity that Germany has insisted on in exchange for bailing out economically weak European countries such as Greece.
• ___

• BEIRUT (AP) -- For Syria's divided and beleaguered rebels, the creeping realization that there will not be a decisive Western military intervention on their behalf is a huge psychological blow.
• President Bashar Assad's regime has gained strength, largely because the world community is concerned that if he is toppled the result may be an Islamist Syria in the grip of al-Qaida.
• The immediate result has been an uptick this week in fighting between moderate and jihadi rebels.
• The long-term outcome is likely to be a prolonged war of attrition that continues the slow destruction of Syria as a coherent state and further fans the flames of sectarian hatred and extremism in a turbulent Middle East.
• Only two weeks ago, the Obama administration appeared poised to launch a U.S. military strike against the Syrian regime in response to the Aug 21 chemical weapons attack it says was launched by Assad's forces, killing hundreds of civilians in opposition-controlled areas near Damascus.
• ___

• LONDON (AP) -- British police have charged four men in connection with the theft of 1.3 million pounds ($2.1 million) from a Barclays Bank branch.
• The men -- aged between 26 and 47 -- were arrested Friday and accused of installing a device on the bank's computer system made it possible to carry out the cyber theft.
• Police said cash, jewels and thousands of credit cards were found in related searches of addresses in the greater London area.
• Police said Michael Victor Harper and Lewis James Murphy were charged with

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