Europe’s centre fears nationalist wave after far-right AfD wins state in Germany

• Social media platforms have changed how governments, diplomats, and citizens communicate and share information during international relations events. • During a conflict in West Asia that began in February 2026, several accounts circulated old video clips and falsely presented them as current footage.

Hamza Chowdhury says most of his fellow Green Camden councillors back him to contest 8 October byelectionUK politics live – latest updatesZack Polanski is facing unexpected opposition from his own party in his attempt to fight the Holborn and St Pancras byelection for the Greens, with a local councillor saying he is also seeking the nomination, and that the seat does not need “a politician you’ll only see on a leaflet”.The intervention by Hamza Chowdhury, a Green representative on Camden council in north London, came as the date for the byelection was confirmed for 8 October, after Keir Starmer’s formal resignation as an MP. Continue reading...

Chief of nuclear watchdog says secret Assad-era facility would have been able to produce fissile material A nearly complete nuclear reactor built secretly during the rule of the toppled Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad would have been able to produce fissile material for possible use in nuclear weapons, the chief of the UN nuclear watchdog has revealed.Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) last month visited two sites, one in Deir ez-Zor and a second undisclosed location identified to them by Syrian authorities. Continue reading...

Indigenous Australians forcibly removed under government policies more likely to have severe or profound disability, report findsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe tens of thousands of Indigenous Australians and their descendents who were forcibly removed under government assimilation policies have far greater physical and health challenges when compared to the wider Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations, according to a new report.The report by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) was commissioned by peak advocacy body the Healing Foundation, which supports Stolen Generations survivors and their families, and builds on existing data released in 2023. Continue reading...

Estimates suggest drop in production with vineyards also concerned ‘smoke taint’ from wildfires may affect qualityFrench vineyards hit by severe drought and heatwaves are expected to report a 30-year low in wine production after the country’s hottest ever recorded summer, according to the agriculture ministry.Initial estimates suggest winemakers will produce just under 34m hectolitres from this year’s harvest: a drop of 6% on last year, and 17% less than ‌the 2021-2025 average. Continue reading...

Predicted hot and dry weather in growing areas in eastern Australia identified as ‘one of the key issues’ that will affect food prices over next 12 monthsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe most severe El Niño weather event on record threatens to push food prices higher this year, experts say, piling pressure on households already struggling with the post-pandemic spike in grocery bills and complicating the Reserve Bank’s efforts to bring inflation back under control.The Bureau of Meteorology has forecast El Niño will peak in late spring or summer and “reach levels above the warmest observed since reliable records began in 1950”. Continue reading...

Pressure follows revelations US military and weapons manufacturers control or have access to more than 100 bases across Australian continentWhy can the US access so many Australian military bases? – podcastGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe US has “led Australia into wars of aggression” for 50 years, internal party campaign group Labor Against War has argued, urging the government to chart a foreign policy independent “from the American war machine”.The Australian government has defended the growing presence of the US military on the Australian continent, insisting the defence sites “are Australian bases under Australian control”, despite evidence the US military controls more than a dozen bases on Australian territory. Continue reading...

Creators Damon Beesley and Iain Morris return as writers and directors, with the original cast reprising their rolesNetflix has announced that production has begun on a new Inbetweeners film, with the original cast members reprising their roles.It will be a continuation of the popular Channel 4 sitcom, which aired on E4 from 2008 to 2010, followed by two films in 2011 and 2014. Continue reading...

Aftershocks of party’s win in Saxony-Anhalt will ripple across Germany, with two more state elections this monthEurope live – latest updatesGermany is reeling from the biggest far-right victory in a state election since the Nazi period after voters in Saxony-Anhalt in the former communist east gave the anti-immigration, pro-Kremlin Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party a thumping first-place finish of 44%, just short of an absolute majority. Continue reading...

Matt Clifford forced to stand down amid disquiet from senior MPs over his new full-time job at AI company The chair of the UK government’s “moonshot” science and technology research unit has been forced to stand down after taking a job with the San Francisco AI firm Anthropic, after warnings from senior MPs that the move created a “clear conflict of interest”.Matt Clifford announced last week that he was taking a full-time job working for the company behind the Claude chatbot, “leading its engagement” with governments outside the US – including the UK. But he retained his leadership at Aria, the UK’s Advanced Research and Invention Agency, which funds frontier science and tech projects. Continue reading...

Theories begin to emerge that plane may have landed too fast and too far down the runway to be able to stop in timeFederal investigators got plans under way on Monday for determining what caused an Amazon cargo jet to barrel off a runway at Miami international airport on Sunday afternoon and crash, killing five people and injuring five others.Video footage showed the jet wobbling a little and coming in fast and far along the runway, with storm clouds clearly visible in the sky behind, as expert theories began to emerge that the Boeing 767 may have landed too fast and too far down the runway to be able to stop in time.The Associated Press contributed reporting Continue reading...