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The Guardian view on the rise of Germany’s AfD: mainstream parties must deliver a bolder response | Editorial
The far right is close to winning a state election for the first time since the second world war. A different economic approach is needed to combat it The early autumn has become a time of foreboding and angst in German politics. In the eastern states that have become strongholds for the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party, it has regularly made headline-grabbing advances in September elections. Only the refusal of mainstream politicians to form coalitions with one of Europe’s most extreme movements has kept it out of power.This year, the lights are flashing red. Next weekend, when voters in Saxony-Anhalt cast their ballots, the signs are that the traditional firewall may not be enough. In polling, the AfD is currently scoring above 40% in the state, which could win it enough seats to govern on its own. Compared with the last election in 2021, its support has doubled; backing for the closest challenger, the centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), has tumbled by almost 15%. Continue reading...
The Guardian
5 hours ago
The Guardian view on rare earths: it’s common sense to secure essential supply chains | Editorial
Outsourcing the industry to China cannot continue, but Europe knows it can no longer count on the US for a solutionThe alarm sounded 16 years ago. In 2010, China blocked exports of key rare earths to Japan in a row over disputed islands in the East China Sea. The critical minerals are essential to everything from advanced weaponry and iPhones to electric vehicle batteries and wind turbines, so the rest of the world took note. But it didn’t take much action. China still accounts for about 70% of rare-earth mining globally and 90% of separation and processing.Then, last year, Beijing forced Donald Trump to back away from his trade war – not with its retaliatory tariffs, but the curbing of rare-earth exports. A scramble for new supplies began in earnest. The year-long trade truce is due to expire in November. The price of erbium, an element essential to communications infrastructure, has already jumped because of fears that export controls will soon be renewed. Continue reading...
The Guardian
5 hours ago
Jason Arday accuser given three-month teaching ban but can continue research
Nathan Cofnas told by Ghent University to work remotely as US ambassador claims credit for lifting of suspension Prof Jason Arday’s accuser Nathan Cofnas has been barred from teaching on Ghent University campus for three months but has been allowed to continue his research position.Cofnas, an American academic, was suspended from his postdoctoral research position at the Belgian institution earlier this month pending a “preliminary investigation” launched after Arday’s death. Continue reading...
The Guardian
6 hours ago
At least eight dead and 18 missing after ferry capsizes off northern Cyprus
Authorities say 237 people rescued and search under way for those who remain unaccounted forAt least eight people have died and 18 people are missing after a ferry carrying nearly 270 passengers and crew capsized off the coast of Turkish-occupied northern Cyprus, local authorities said.The territory’s prime minister, Ünal Üstel, told the state-run TRT news channel on Sunday that 237 people had been rescued. A search was under way for those who remained unaccounted for. Continue reading...
The Guardian
6 hours ago
Woman, 22, killed and five injured in shooting at Swiss rave
Manhunt under way after Italian dies from her injuries in the town of Aarau in the early hours of Sunday A manhunt is under way in Switzerland after a 22-year-old woman was killed and five people were injured, some seriously, in a shooting at a rave in the northern town of Aarau, local police have said.In the attack in the early hours of Sunday at a techno party at a covered horse-racing track, an Italian woman died from her injuries at the scene, authorities said. All those caught up in the shooting were residents of Switzerland and in their 20s. Continue reading...
The Guardian
6 hours ago
Iceland rejects EU accession talks after divisive referendum campaign
Well-funded no camp prevails, winning 52.8% of votes and gaining plaudits from Eurosceptic figures across EuropeAnalysis: Definitely no or maybe yes – what tipped the Icelandic referendumVoters in Iceland have rejected a government proposal to reopen accession talks with the EU after a closely fought referendum campaign that divided the country against a backdrop of global volatility.After a long and anxious night for those on both sides of the debate, the no camp ended up with 52.8% of votes on Sunday morning and the yes camp with 47.2%. Voter turnout was high at 82.5%. Continue reading...
The Guardian
6 hours ago
Man arrested over fatal stabbing of British woman in Germany
Rosenheim police detain 27-year-old German man after woman, 31, killed outside train station early on SundayA man has been detained in Germany on suspicion of the fatal stabbing of a 31-year-old British woman in Rosenheim early on Sunday morning, local authorities said.According to Rosenheim police, the woman, who was attacked at the city’s train station, was taken to a nearby hospital where she died from serious injuries. Continue reading...
The Guardian
8 hours ago
Ratko Mladić, the ‘Butcher of Bosnia’, could not escape death. But his fascist ideas and ideology live on | Ed Vulliamy
When I testified against Mladić at his trial in The Hague, I saw the unrepentant face of a mass murderer. That face and his legacy still haunt Serbia todayMen age and die, but in the Balkans, time stands still and is stuck. General Ratko Mladić, who died in prison in The Hague on Thursday aged 84, remains a hero in the Republika Srpska statelet – the Serbian half of dismembered Bosnia that he carved out with a hurricane of violence between 1992 and 1995 – and in Serbia itself.Too many Serbs in whose name Mladić carried out his mass murder of other ethnicities – mainly Muslim Bošniak and Roman Catholic Croats – adore him and mourn his passing.Ed Vulliamy is an author who reported on the Balkan war for the Guardian and ObserverDo you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...
The Guardian
8 hours ago
Italy may ban staring at your phone while crossing the street. Why stop there? | Dave Schilling
The move sends the right signal. While we’re at it, can we ban using ringtones and scooting on the sidewalk?Imagine driving in Italy, with its narrow, cobblestone streets and scooter enthusiasts. I find it hard enough to drive in Los Angeles, a city designed specifically with the automobile in mind. I’d probably squash a pedestrian or two trying to navigate Italian roads.The modern world is just too hectic for the ancient streets of Europe, so Italy is considering doing the only sensible thing it can: outlawing texting in crosswalks. The Italian government’s updated draft of its highway code proposes fines of €75 or more for anyone caught sending a DM, updating their LinkedIn, finishing Wordle on the fifth guess, or anything else phone-related that might make them miss an oncoming metal projectile. I’m sure most people will risk the slap on wrist to get that message off, but it at least sends a signal to the Italian people that paying attention to traffic is actually kind of important.Dave Schilling is a Los Angeles-based writer and humorist Continue reading...
The Guardian
10 hours ago
The week around the world in 20 pictures
The Nepal-Tibet flood disaster, Russian strikes in Kyiv, Israeli settlers in the West Bank and tributes to Dolly Parton – the past seven days as captured by the world’s leading photojournalists Continue reading...
The Guardian
2 days ago
Norwegians pay tribute to 'grandfather figure' King Harald V – video
Norwegians mourning King Harald V outside the Royal Palace in Oslo on Friday described the late monarch as a beloved grandfather figure who made all citizens feel at home. Mourners gathered to lay floral tributes after news of his death. Norway’s prime minister, Jonas Gahr Støre, also paid tribute to King Harald, saying the 'entire nation is in mourning'. Harald's 53-year-old son will become Norway's new king, Haakon VIII, while Haakon's 22-year-old daughter, Ingrid Alexandra, becomes crown princessNorway’s King Harald dies aged 89 Continue reading...
The Guardian
2 days ago
UK urged to ban imports of Brazilian meat over health concerns
Brazil has failed to prove compliance with EU rules on use of antibiotics in cattle and poultry farmingThe UK’s leading farming organisations and animal health experts have called for an urgent ban on imports of Brazilian meat, in light of concerns over the safety of imports.The National Farmers’ Union in England and its sister organisations in the devolved administrations wrote to the government on Friday warning that public health was at risk. Continue reading...
The Guardian
2 days ago
Burnham hands secret missile technology to Ukraine in first foreign trip - The Latest
Andy Burnham is making his first foreign visit as prime minister to Ukraine, marking the country’s independence day. Burnham will use the trip to announce that the UK government will declassify information about missiles to help Ukraine build its own. Lucy Hough speaks to senior international correspondent Luke Harding – watch on YouTube Continue reading...
The Guardian
6 days ago
Woman stranded in Spain after UK’s eVisa system mistakes her for twin sister
Nidia Webb, who is legally settled in UK, falls foul of ‘known issue’ with Home Office’s digitised immigration processA woman who is legally settled in the UK was left stranded at a Spanish airport after the Home Office’s post-Brexit visa system mixed her up with her twin sister.Nidia Webb fell foul of what she was told was a “known issue” with the eVisa, which was brought in as part of the government’s drive to digitise the UK’s immigration system but has faced problems that have caused concern for thousands of people. Continue reading...
The Guardian
6 days ago
Swedish MP intervenes in ‘damaging’ Brexit row over elderly Britons ordered to leave
Migration minister asked how he intends to stop deportations of people ‘who had lived in Sweden for decades’The deportation and removal of British citizens from Sweden over Brexit residency rights is damaging relations with the UK amid efforts to improve links with London, a Swedish MP has said.Håkan Svenneling, representative for Värmland, where a 78-year-old British widow, Joyce Thomas, has been given four weeks to leave Sweden after 21 years of residency, has written to the migration minister, Johan Forssell, asking what he “intends to do to stop the deportations”. Continue reading...
The Guardian
1 week ago
‘This is hell’: British widow ‘sick’ with worry after losing Brexit deportation appeal
Joyce Thomas, 78, faces being forced to leave Sweden after 21 years in growing row over country’s approach to EU withdrawalBritish widow, 78, told to leave Sweden under Brexit rulesThe 78-year-old British widow threatened with removal from Sweden after 21 years has said she has been left feeling sick with worry after being told she had lost an appeal against deportation in a growing row over the country’s handling of Brexit.“I am in shock. I feel sick. An individual’s life is at stake at my age. It is hell. I have done nothing wrong. I don’t take anything from this country. I am self sufficient, I put money in this country, have no criminal record,” said Joyce Thomas from her home in Sweden on Thursday. Continue reading...
The Guardian
2 weeks ago
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