Ukraine war briefing: Russian forces thwart another attempted cross-border incursion, official says

โ€˜Armed groupโ€™ tried to breach border between Ukraine and Bryansk, regionโ€™s governor says. What we know on day 978See all our Ukraine war coverageRussian forces thwarted an attempt at another cross-border incursion by Ukraine into south-western Russia, …

Itโ€™s too easy to claim Sara Wagenknecht is beyond the pale. Hereโ€™s what German voters see in her | Julian Coman

Progressives shouldnโ€™t dismiss the โ€˜left-conservativeโ€™ leader โ€“ her popularity is driven by her powerful critique of runaway capitalismOn a chilly autumnal evening last month, the Berliner Platz in the eastern German city of Cottbus was buzzing by the …

Votes with that? How the politics of McDonaldโ€™s went global

From Donald Trump and Kamala Harris to the U.K.โ€™s Kemi Badenoch, politicians are embracing the burger.

โ€˜The case became a witch huntโ€™: how โ€˜killer nurseโ€™ Daniela Poggiali fought to clear her name

Italyโ€™s โ€˜angel of deathโ€™ was imprisoned and demonised by the press before her convictions were overturned. Now the expert who came to her defence has turned his attention to Lucy Letbyโ€™s caseโ€˜It was a terrible sensation when I heard the sentence: life….

EU unites in pressing Israel to stop attacking UN forces

Austria says its troops will remain in the UN mission in Lebanon, asking Israel to stop the “unacceptable” attacks.

โ€˜More necessary than the sunโ€™

โ€œHere in Zenica we are all sick, only some donโ€™t know they are sick yet.โ€ Those were the words of an activist I met on my first trip to Bosnia in 2019.ย Two yearsย later, he died of lung cancer. That was when โ€” and largely why โ€” this project started. Zenica, a city of roughly 100,000 [โ€ฆ]

The EU is helping Turkey forcibly deport migrants to Syria and Afghanistan

European taxpayers finance ill-treatment and forced expulsion, an investigation found.

Meloniโ€™s street protest crackdown prompts concerns of growing repression in Italy

Beefed-up anti-protest laws take aim at climate activists and allow nonviolent protesters to be jailed.

Keir Starmerโ€™s victory party turns sour

Britain’s new prime minister has suffered a turbulent start to his premiership.

Rachel Reevesโ€™ 7 reasons to be cheerful

Britain’s strait-laced chancellor was sent out to cheer up the nation โ€” and insist there’s more to Labour than penny-pinching.

Rare polar bear shot dead by police in Iceland after being thought a threat

Environment agency advised that the animal posed a danger to elderly woman in remote summer house in WestfjordsA rare polar bear that was spotted in a remote village in Iceland was shot by police after being considered a threat, authorities have said.T…

Meet the commissioners: Class of 2024

Everything you need to know about Ursula von der Leyen’s team for her second term.

PMQs: Sunak wins by exploiting Labourโ€™s winter fuel divisions

Keir Starmer was pressed about taking payments from pensioners this winter โ€” but ducked the details.

Satire isnโ€™t a defense for antisemitism and hate

If you speak up against racism, Islamophobia, homophobia or misogyny, don’t turn a blind eye now.

โ€˜We were sure the Russian army would protect usโ€™: fury after Ukrainian incursion into Kursk

As tens of thousands flee their homes in border region, many say government downplayed threat of invasionโ€ข Russia-Ukraine war โ€“ latest news updatesLyubov Antipova last spoke to her elderly parents almost two weeks ago, when she first heard rumours of a…

Europeโ€™s southerners want Brussels to save them from climate change

Ursula von der Leyen faces pressure from the south over climate adaptation plans.

Alone and unwanted: Millions of displaced Ukrainians hope to go home as the war rages

The Kyiv government is strapped for cash, but millions depend on aid to survive.

Italy to jail babies and pregnant women, to campaignersโ€™ dismay

Parliament removed protections from time behind bars for pregnant women and mothers with newborns.

European Jewish Association accuses Belgian magazine of โ€˜incitement to murderโ€™ Jews

The Belgian author said he wants to
‘shove a knife down the throat of every Jew’ he meets. ย 

Spanish court sentences elderly man to 18 years in prison over letter bombs

Pompeyo Gonzรกlez Pascual, 76, sent explosive packages to Spainโ€™s prime minister and US and Ukrainian embassiesA Spanish court has sentenced an elderly man to 18 years in prison over letter bombs sent to Spainโ€™s prime minister and the US and Ukrainian e…

Russiaโ€™s new punching bag: Kamala Harris

While the Kremlin is playing it cool, its army of propagandists is rolling out its full racist and sexist arsenal.

โ€˜Poor son of a bitchโ€™: Biden once pitied an older politician reluctant to leave the stage

As a senator, Biden could see when it was time for an elder to pass the torch.

โ€˜Is that it?โ€™ UK Labourโ€™s cautious entry to government

Few surprises are expected when Keir Starmer sets out his program in the king’s speech.

The Trump-Vance ticket is a repudiation of free-market conservatism

The last time he chose a running mate, Donald Trump tried to reassure people with traditionally conservative economic views. Not this time.

Yvette Cooper to chair meeting of taskforce considering โ€˜alarming riseโ€™ in candidate intimidation โ€“ UK politics live

Home secretary to host meeting of governmentโ€™s Defending Democracy taskforce after reported rise in harassment during election campaignMore in Common, the group that campaigns to reduce polarisation in politics, published a good slideshow presentation …

Trumpโ€™s raised fist will make history โ€” and define his candidacy

In wake of shooting, GOP officials are quick to blame Democrats for demonizing the former president.

The Commandantโ€™s Shadow review โ€“ family of Auschwitz commander bring healing to death-camp survivor

The son and grandson of Auschwitz commandant Rudolf Hรถss appear in Daniela Volkerโ€™s engrossing documentary, a companion piece to Zone of InterestThe first shock delivered by this engrossing documentary is probably the queasy jolt of recognition. Hans J…

Letter from Ukraine: How will my mom survive if Iโ€™m drafted?

Itโ€™s undocumented โ€” or under-documented โ€” special needs folks like my mom whose lives are at risk because of Ukraineโ€™s new turbocharged mobilization law.

ErdoฤŸanโ€™s plan to cull Turkeyโ€™s street dogs will destroy far more than just animals | Alexander Christie-Miller

For centuries these strays have been looked after and respected as part of Turkish culture. Now theyโ€™ve been dragged into the presidentโ€™s culture warsWhen I first moved to Istanbul in 2010, knowing almost no one and grappling with an unfamiliar languag…

Liz Truss battles to save her skin at UK election

She struggled to defeat a lettuce and now Britain’s shortest serving prime minister is fighting for her political life in her Norfolk constituency.

โ€˜Itโ€™s going to be tightโ€™: Macronโ€™s centrists struggle to deter voters from backing far right

With the first round of Franceโ€™s snap election on Sunday, the presidentโ€™s allies are desperate to shore up supportStanding in a courtyard framed by the white walls of one of Marseilleโ€™s Armenian churches, Sabrina Agresti-Roubache โ€“ Franceโ€™s secretary o…

Ding dong drama: Video doorbells have UK election campaigners spooked

British political campaigners are being caught out on the doorstep โ€” and fear a new tech trend could usher in an era of abuse and scandal.

Keir Starmer lost the debate โ€” but heโ€™ll still win the UK election

Staring at defeat, Rishi Sunak refused to surrender in the last TV debate of the campaign. It won’t help him much.

EU leaders ditch call to prepare for โ€˜new realitiesโ€™ of warmer planet

The European Environmental Agency found Europe unprepared for climate change risks such as floods and heatwaves.

Ukraine war briefing: US and Russian defence chiefs speak amid recent rise in tensions

The conversation between Lloyd Austin and Andrei Belousov was the first such call in over a year. What we know on day 854The US and Russian defence chiefs spoke by telephone on Tuesday, in a rare conversation between the two powers and with tensions ri…

The crisis Britainโ€™s politicians are too scared to discuss

Voters may want social care to be on the ballot at the UK general election but no one seems to be listening.

How are you being affected by the heatwave in southern Europe?

We want to hear from people in parts of Europe that are experiencing high temperatures Though the summer has only just begun, parts of southern Europe are already experiencing scorching temperatures, with Greece recording its earliest ever heatwave las…

This Tory election campaign is all about the vibes

Rishi Sunak’s policy platform is unlikely to keep many Tories happy.

In the Baltics, the stateless who canโ€™t vote in the EU election

What if you want to vote in the European election, but you canโ€™t?

Rishi Sunakโ€™s D-Day snub shows heโ€™s horrible at politics

The prime minister has apologized after leaving Normandy early to return to the election trail

Dutch voters head to the polls as four-day, 27-country ballot to select MEPs begins โ€“ as it happened

Voting in the EU elections begins Thursday and ends on Sunday with turnout slightly up as polls open in the Netherlands. This live blog is closed Scholz hardens line on deportations after row with far-right as German election loomsTurnout in the Nether…

As the far right surges, Europe heads toward its Donald Trump momentย 

If the polls are correct, this weekโ€™s European Parliament election will reorder the Continentโ€™s political landscape.

Ukraine war briefing: Biden to meet Zelenskiy beside D-day shore of Normandy

Russia focused on Donetsk rather than Kharkiv, says Zelenskiy; Ukrainian president to meet Emmanuel Macron in Paris. What we know on day 833The US president, Joe Biden, will sit down for talks with Ukraineโ€™s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, after they a…

By the numbers: How politicians have advertised online for the European election

Among the biggest spenders is Hungarian PM Viktor Orbรกnโ€™s Fidesz party.

Washington, we need to talk about you and your pandas

The capital is giddy about getting a new pair of zoo animals. Itโ€™s a love affair that reveals a bunch about the city.

UK election: Conservatives ditch young to chase gray vote

National service for teenagers and generous pension promises comprise the party’s core voter strategy.

EU foreign ministers discuss sanctions against Israel

“For the first time at an EU meeting, in a real way, I’ve seen significant discussion on sanctions and ‘what if’,” Ireland’s foreign minister said.

โ€˜No longer justifiableโ€™: European leaders condemn Israelโ€™s strike on refugee camp

Israel’s actions are “incompatible with international law,” German Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck said.

Children and elderly people tortured at Syria military prison, Paris court told

Three top officers close to Bashar al-Assad are on trial in absentia over the deaths of a student and his fatherWitnesses have told a Paris court how children and elderly people considered enemies of the ruling Syrian regime were tortured in a notoriou…

Divided by migration, this tiny Italian community turned into a ghost town

Now the mayor who was responsible for the ‘Global Village’ is plotting for political redemption in the upcoming European election.

โ€˜Information can be bent. Emotions are always honestโ€™: the film at the heart of Ukraineโ€™s agonising evacuations

Ivan Sautkinโ€™s work as a volunteer helping people to safety gave him rare access to the trauma faced by people forced from their homes. The director relives the challenges of making the film as it screens in CannesThereโ€™s a moment in Ivan Sautkinโ€™s new…

Robert Ficoโ€™s allies warn of political war โ€“ they will use it to justify the dismantling of our democracy | Monika Kompanรญkovรก

In Slovakia, we know what โ€˜restoring orderโ€™ means. After the PMโ€™s shooting, it will be an excuse to suppress any oppositionMonika Kompanรญkovรก is a Slovakian writer and editorShortly after the shooting of Robert Fico, I received a phone call from my sis…

Israel-Hamas hostage deal talks paused amid Rafah fighting

Hamas has largely stepped back from the table because of Israelโ€™s operation in the city.

For some Russians, Putinโ€™s Victory Day is the darkest of the year

Russia’s autocrat leader kills his opponents and demands absolute loyalty. But he still has critics โ€” and they feel heโ€™s stolen their history.

Is Portugalโ€™s youth really falling for the far right?

Younger voters’ interest in extremist groups tends to be short-lived and driven by frustration with the present, not nostalgia for the past.

Boris Johnson barred from voting under his own voter ID rules

Former PM managed to vote in the end, but his error highlights the issue of disenfranchisement under recently introduced mandatory voter ID rules.

German far rightโ€™s eastern stronghold has clear view on spy allegation: โ€˜Itโ€™s a witch huntโ€™

Alternative for Germany’s core supporters are sticking with the party despite allegations of dodgy links to Russia and China.

Suspended Tory MP accused of misusing campaign funds to pay โ€˜bad peopleโ€™

Mark Menzies โ€” who ‘strongly’ disputes allegation โ€” joins a growing list of Tories now sitting as independents in the House of Commons.

Why Ukraine is losing the war with Russia

The Westโ€™s failure to send weapons to Kyiv is putting Putin on course for victory.ย 

How a group of elderly Swiss women could take the UK out of the European Court

Britain’s Conservatives are getting serious about leaving the ECHR.

Cidade Rabat review โ€“ elegant, subtle study of a daughterโ€™s grief

Portuguese director Susana Nobre explores the sadness of bereavement with deadpan obliqueness in this story about a womanโ€™s reaction to her motherโ€™s deathThereโ€™s a studied impassivity to this elegant Portuguese movie about grief from Susana Nobre. Itโ€™s…

Trump and Putin wage war on the British royal family

There’s been some unwelcome intrusion into Charles, Kate and Harry’s lives.

Putin โ€˜winsโ€™ rigged Russian electionย with 88% of the vote, early results show

Preliminary results indicate huge victory for Vladimir Putin but thousands protest at polling stations and Russian embassies worldwide.

Israel and Hamas set stage for new round of cease-fire talks

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calls militant group’s latest demands โ€œabsurd.โ€

Net zero meets the NIMBYs: Inside the battle for the UKโ€™s biggest solar farm

U.K. politicians have pledged to quadruple solar generation by 2035. There is one problem โ€” no one wants to live next door to acres of fields crammed with solar panels.

Israel: A never again moment โ€” again

Unequivocal condemnation without a qualifying โ€œbutโ€ is the only moral response to the barbaric crimes perpetrated on Oct. 7.

Gaza truce talks in Paris reportedly making โ€˜significant progressโ€™

Efforts to broker a truce appeared to regain momentum after a senior U.S. envoy for the Middle East met with Israeli leaders.

Hunt attempts to woo first-time buyers

SNEAK PEEK โ€” SCOOP: Hunt to court first-time buyers with lifetime ISA shake-up. โ€”ย Bim Afolami defends โ€œdamp squibโ€ Edinburgh reforms. โ€”King Charles III will be on your fivers from June 5. Good morning! Weโ€™re writing to you from our London HQ. Perhaps one day weโ€™ll write from the BT Tower, which is due to become [โ€ฆ]

Ukraineโ€™s health system is a symbol of resilience

“I marvel at the resilience of Ukraineโ€™s health system, battered by war and yet still standing.”

โ€˜Europe must defend itselfโ€™: shadow of war in Ukraine looms over security conference

With ongoing US support far from guaranteed, Ukraine urges Europe to back fight against Russia, for its own sakeOn the top floor of Literaturhaus in Munich, the Ukrainian veteran Yuliia Paievska was asked to speak to the elite of the transatlantic secu…

Putin says Biden would be better for Russia as president than Trump

Russian president also dismissed criticism of Joe Biden’s mental fitness.

Russia-Ukraine war at a glance: what we know on day 719

Starlink getting into Russian troopsโ€™ hands, says Ukraine; US Senate on brink of putting aid bill through to HouseSee all our Ukraine war coverageUkraine has said Russian forces are using terminals of Elon Muskโ€™s satellite internet service Starlink in …

Russia-Ukraine war at a glance: what we know on day 718

Russian drone strike in Kharkiv kills seven including children; Natoโ€™s Stoltenberg calls for increase in arms support to UkraineSee all our Russia-Ukraine war coverageA Russian drone strike on Kharkiv, Ukraineโ€™s second largest city, killed seven people…

Biden says โ€˜memory is fineโ€™ after report questions his mental capacity

A fiery president defended his mental capacity, hours after a special counsel report questioned his memory.

Israelโ€™s first responders struggling to heal 100 days onย from October 7

‘When we tried picking up the bones, the bones turned to ash,’ says an Israeli first responder recalling the Hamas attack a hundred days ago.

In Poland, coal is no longer king โ€” but its mark remains

The industryโ€™s legacy lives on in the culture, the economy and the European Unionโ€™s climate policies.

Against antisemitism: Belgian and European Jews need your solidarity

We cannot fight antisemitism alone. We shouldnโ€™t have to.

Keir Starmer breaks the great Labour taboo: Praising Margaret Thatcher

Starmer is just the latest Labour leader to attempt to tap into the Thatcher legacy in order to woo Tory voters.

Matt Hancock at the COVID inquiry: All the cringe-inducing moments

The ex-health secretary โ€” a divisive figure in Westminster โ€” is facing a two-day grilling on his pandemic response.

Which modern-day politician is most like Napoleon?

There’s a new movie about Napoleon, so we looked at today’s leaders to see if any match up to the French emperor.

Russia-Ukraine war at a glance: what we know on day 636

Moscow has not used โ€˜premierโ€™ cruise missiles in two months, allowing it to stockpile weapons, UK believesSee all our Russia-Ukraine war coverageRussia has not used its โ€œpremier air launched cruise missilesโ€ from its heavy bomber fleet for nearly two m…

Auroraโ€™s Sunrise review โ€“ remarkable story of genocide horror and survival

In archive interviews and painterly animated reconstrucions, Aurora Mardiganian recalls her experiences during the Armenian genocide โ€“ and how she escaped to the US and became a silent film starGiven the word โ€œgenocideโ€ is being flung every which way t…

Louvre acquires โ‚ฌ24m painting originally destined for rubbish tip

Christ Mocked by pre-Renaissance artist Cimabue subject to export ban after being found hanging in kitchenA 13th-century painting found hanging over the kitchen stove of an elderly French woman and later sold for โ‚ฌ24m (ยฃ21m) at auction has been acquire…

Calls for a Gaza cease-fire divide Europeโ€™s Socialistsย 

Berlin and Madrid clinch agreement to urge โ€˜humanitarian pausesโ€™ โ€” but other member parties refuse to sign up.

Israel, Hamas at critical juncture in negotiations for hostage deal

Humanitarian pauses in Gaza have helped the hostage talks via Qatar and Egypt, but a lot could still go wrong.

Cabinet of โ€˜fuckpigsโ€™ and a team with โ€˜no planโ€™: 9 Boris bombshells from the UKโ€™s COVID inquiry

Dominic Cummings and Lee Cain’s evidence rocked Westminster Tuesday.