German police are hunting suspect after serious assault at site that commemorates the deaths of 6 million JewsA man has been stabbed and seriously injured at Berlin’s Holocaust memorial, two days before a watershed national election.Police said they did not know the identity of the male attacker, who was still at large late on Friday, or motive and were investigating. Continue reading...

Politics

Germany is experiencing a political shift that is alarming many citizens. The photographer Fabian Ritter has spent years documenting the rise of the far-right AfD party and more extreme groups. Recent events illustrate the growing tensionIn the run-up to Sunday’s election in Germany the political climate has become more heated. There have been attacks on politicians and campaign workers, and election posters have been destroyed. Many felt unsettled or even threatened after Friedrich Merz, the leader of the centre-right CDU, proposed a bill to tighten immigration control that had the backing of the far-right Alternative für Deutschland.Björn Höcke, the AfD’s leader in Thuringia and head of its nationalist wing, speaks at the Domplatz in Erfurt during the party’s final campaign event before state elections, 31 August 2024. Continue reading...

Culture

In George Orwell's classic, the proles swallowed up all the newspeak ­propaganda from Big Brother, and Brian Reade fears too many people today are falling for the US president's blatant reality twisting

Politics

Community grapples with fear over ‘proliferation and normalisation of anti-queer and anti-trans sentiment in politics and the media’They poured on to streets across Germany by the thousands, waving rainbow flags and signs that read “Choose Love”. Days before an election that is expected to see the far right catapulted into second place in Germany’s parliament, the simultaneous rallies in 50 municipalities were billed as a show of strength by an LGBTQ+ community as people braced for what might lie ahead.“Many queer people are unsettled by the social and political situation,” the organisers of the mid-February, cross-country initiative wrote on their website. “The tone against us is getting harsher, and liberal democracy is under pressure.” Continue reading...

Politics

Russian president expected to make the claims on the third anniversary of his Ukraine war on February 24

Events

Brad Sigmon, 67, chooses to be shot dead amid concerns that lethal injections have caused ‘excruciating’ painA South Carolina man on death row has chosen to be killed by firing squad, and if his execution goes forward next month, it would be the first time in 15 years that capital punishment in the US is carried out by gunfire.Brad Sigmon, 67, is scheduled to be shot to death on 7 March, part of a spate of rapid killings the state has pursued in the last six months as it revives executions after a 13-year pause. South Carolina now directs those on death row to choose how they will be killed – electric chair, lethal injection or shooting. If they decline to make a selection, the state electrocutes them. Continue reading...

Events

Donald Trump on Friday said he doesn't consider it essential for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to be present at negotiations aimed at ending Russia's war in Ukraine.

Politics

The US President lashed out at Sir Keir Starmer and France 's Emmanuel Macron amid a transatlantic spat over Mr Trump branding Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky a 'dictator'.

Politics

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has previously rejected an agreement for American control of much of his country’s rare earth minerals

Politics

President invited to row back on criticism of Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky but instead doubles down, declaring: ‘He makes it very hard to make deals’

Politics

Pep Guardiola is still getting used to facing Liverpool without having Jurgen Klopp in the opposite dugout and the Manchester City boss is reluctant to compare his old rival to new foe Arne Slot

Politics

Labour was told to do more to save the hundreds of jobs at risk in Falkirk or face the consequences at the 2026 Holyrood elections.

Events

Roundup of fact checks from the last week compiled by Full Fact.

Politics

National security adviser Mike Waltz tells CPAC agreement is expected imminently as part of ceasefire negotiationsThe White House national security adviser, Mike Waltz, said on Friday that the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, was expected to sign a minerals agreement with the United States imminently, as part of broader negotiations to end the war with Russia.“Here’s the bottom line: President Zelenskyy is going to sign that deal, and you will see that in the very short term,” Waltz said during remarks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). Continue reading...

Politics

Sir Keir Starmer is due to meet Donald Trump in Washington next week amid growing concern about US support for Ukraine.

Politics

The Scottish Labour leader has declared his ambition ahead of the Holyrood election next year.

Politics

Germany heads to the polls for the fourth snap election in its history

Politics

Anas Sarwar used his keynote speech at the Scottish Labour conference to promise he would make schools "safe, calm places for learning again"

Politics

Mobile phone experts, Compare and Recycle, surveyed 2,000 Brits to pinpoint the top ten digital red flags that can indicate a partner is cheating - with 'owning two phones' topping the list.

Politics

Watch as Vladimir Putin speaks at an AI and technology forum in Moscow on Friday, 21 February.

Politics