The AfD qualified for three mayoral run-offs in cities in North Rhine-Westphalia today, and lost all by big margins. The lesson is not that we have overdone the AfD's rise, but that we do perhaps sometimes underestimate the counter-mobilisation effects - including in east Germany, incidentally.

A historic 400-year-old castle in the south-west of Scotland with views of Northern Ireland has gone up for sale

Der australische Provider Optus macht schon wieder mit Problemen auf sich aufmerksam. Diesmal steht der Ausfall des Notrufs mit vier Todesfällen in Verbindung. #Notruf

Premierminister Starmer hatte Israel eine Frist gesetzt: Bis Montag sollte ein Waffenstillstand herrschen. Vergeblich. Großbritannien zieht nun Konsequenzen und erkennt Palästina als Staat an – mit Kanada und Australien.

A grotesque display of opulence from the world's elite. Billionaires feast on taxpayer funded banquets while they back a genocide and burn the world. But sure, migrants are the problem.

Look at this pitiful reporting in Der Spiegel. Claiming wriggle room where the UN presents none.

Australia, Newspoll poll: Two-Party Preferred ALP (Centre-left): 58% (+2) L/NP (Centre-right|Conservative): 42% (-2) +/- vs. 11-14 August 2025 Fieldwork: 08-11 September 2025 Sample size: 1,283 ➤ oceaniaelects.com/australia

Last night in Poland we saw the most serious European airspace violation by Russia since the war began, and indications suggest it was intentional, not accidental. I am in contact with NATO Secretary General Rutte and Poland FM Sikorski. The EU stands in full solidarity with Poland. (1/2)

Hugh Bonneville started his live ITV London News interview on Downton Abbey by talking about Gaza.

Daniel Andrews at the Chinese military pararde with Putin and Kim is one of the dumbest things I've seen. It raises questions about why he signed Victoria up to Belt & Road and must be condemned by the Allan Govt. Is Andrews now Australia's Gerhard Schröder? www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09...

Die niedlichen Plastikfischchen stehen in Südaustralien vor dem Aus. Die Form der Sojasoßen-Fläschchen macht sie für Meereslebewesen besonders gefährlich.

BREAKING: Four journalists, including a freelancer who worked with AP, are among eight killed by an Israeli strike on southern Gaza's Nasser Hospital.

A free, democratic and independent Ukraine. That's what you are fighting for. That's what our efforts are all about. We are with you, for as long as it takes. Because a free Ukraine is a free Europe. Happy Independence Day, Ukraine!

We can imagine that 'foreign news' happens to people we have no connection to. I just learned that a friend and colleage had known Awda Hathaleen, who was murdered by a sanctioned Israeli settler on the West Bank a few days ago www.amnesty.org/en/latest/ne...

Joint statement on Gaza from AFP, AP, BBC News and Reuters

The Federal Court recently found it is not inherently antisemitic to condemn the state of Israel or the Israel Defense Forces. 👉 Read the full story: theconversation.com/austral...

Australian journalists traveling with the Prime Minister stopped in a public area and hassled while trying to film in #Beijing... welcome to the life of a reporter in #China. www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07...

🇺🇦#Ukraine, President Zelenskyy approval rating poll: ⏫Approve: 74 % (+5) ⏬Disapprove: 22 % (-6) KIIS, 12/05/25

Nearly three in four Germans think Israel's military actions in Gaza are unjustified, the latest Deutschland Trend survey shows. 74% also disagreed that Germany should stand by Israel's side unconditionally. @dwnews

The ongoing loss of life, starvation and human suffering in Gaza is unconscionable and I do not accept that Australia's influence is limited. I have written to the Prime Minister asking him to use the authority of his office in a stand against the actions of Israel. #gaza #auspol bit.ly/4mz81ut

After nearly 12 weeks of siege by Israeli authorities, only a trickle of supplies has entered #Gaza. But what made it through falls far short of people’s massive needs. Unimpeded access for all humanitarian partners, including UNRWA, is urgently needed. www.unrwa.org/newsroom/off...

Australian Embassy in Paris r/brutalism

‼️Es reicht‼️ Orbán demontiert den Rechtsstaat und verletzt die Grundrechte von EU-Bürgerinnen und -Bürgern. Es ist inakzeptabel, dass weiterhin EU-Gelder an sein korruptes Regime fließen. Es ist Zeit, alle Zahlungen auszusetzen! Unser Brief (26 EU-Abgeordnete) an Haushaltskommissar Serafin ⤵️

14,000 babies could die in 48 hours without aid. That’s the warning from the UN. This is genocide in real time and Keir Starmer's government is complicit. Still arming Israel and running surveillance flights. No sanctions or expulsion of the Israeli Ambassador. Shame on them.

Be proud. Proud of whom you love. Proud of who you are. Proud of who you are becoming. Because your journey is your power. Always remember: Europe is your ally. I am your ally. This week and every week. Be proud. Always.

Opinion from the FT's Editorial Board: 'The US and European countries that tout Israel as an ally that shares their values have issued barely a word of condemnation. They should be ashamed of their silence, and stop enabling Netanyahu to act with impunity.' www.ft.com/content/f5fd...

TANK vs TESLA "We've crushed fascism before and we'll crush it again" - ⁠WW2 veteran Ken, 98, in the tank

Imagine living in Goldstein and being responsible for putting someone as low calibre as Wilson back into parliament.

Congratulations to @albomp.bsky.social and his party on their victory in the Australian federal election. Europeans and Australians are not just friends – we’re mates.

Our PBS is a national treasure. Our research shows the prices Australians would pay if the US had its way and dismantled our Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. Heart disease/cholesterol medicine: $25 v $968 Depression medicine: $32 v $2,244 Female contraception: $28 v $621

My friend @bwolpe is a national treasure. Here, he performs a national service, reminding us of the boundless cruelty of Trump’s America and the shameless hypocrisy of MAGA Christians who manage to look the other way.

Pope Francis’ Children Ask For Privacy Following Father’s Death

Solidarity with our trans siblings 🏳️‍⚧️❤️✊ Now the UK courts have given the gender criticals what they wanted, they'll presumably stop protesting every visible expression of trans identity. To do otherwise would reveal them to be the anti-trans activists that we always believed they to be

As many people made their way to prayer on Palm Sunday, Russia launched rockets at #Sumy. It shows once again: Putin underscores with blood that he seeks not peace but destruction. In the heart of Europe, he continues to bomb civilians. We stand firmly with #Ukraine. @abaerbock.diplo.de

Yesterday: our video on the 15 emergency workers killed in Gaza by the IDF and how footage recovered from a medic’s phone forced the Israeli army to change its initial account. www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/...

One I did earlier for @theshot.net.au

This week Peter Dutton made it clear he wants to interfere in schools, and tell teachers what to teach and how to teach it. We've seen ideological attacks on the teaching profession before. So where is the Opposition Leader getting his ideas from? #DontRiskDutton #ausvotes #auspol

Heute ist wieder EU-Gipfel und das bedeutet wieder die Frage, ob Viktor Orbán bei der Ukraine blockiert. Warum die autoritäre und Russland-nahe Regierung in Budapest ist ein Problem, das die EU endlich lösen muss, und wie das geht - mein Gastbeitrag heute bei @zeit.de: www.zeit.de/wirtschaft/2...

Ukraine is Europe! We stand by Ukraine. We will step up our support to Ukraine so that they can continue to fight back the agressor. Today, it became clear that the free world needs a new leader. It’s up to us, Europeans, to take this challenge.

Dear Volodymyr Zelenskyy, dear Ukrainian friends, you are not alone.

to clarify: Trump is refusing to take sides over a war in which North Korea and Iran are backing one side and all of NATO has been backing the other

What he [Putin] didn't get through the war, we shouldn't let him get through the peace talks. 📺 See the full @munsecconf.bsky.social Youtube Studio interview with Latvia’s Foreign Minister @baibabraze.bsky.social: youtube.com/watch?v=Ac2YBR…#MSC20252#MSCreportrt

It should surprise no one to learn that these jokers don’t give a shit about free speech

Everyone who quotes the words of John Paul II “BE NOT AFRAID”, should remember that they were meant to strengthen the Polish nation in its resistance against the Russian domination.

Wir sind fassungslos und erschüttert angesichts der Nachricht vom Tod einer Mutter und ihres zweijährigen Kindes, die am Donnerstag beide Opfer des Anschlags auf eine ver.di-Demonstration in München wurden. Wir trauern mit den Angehörigen und der gesamten Familie.

Dear Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Europe stands with you for a just and lasting peace, with strong security guarantees. We will keep providing continued and stable support to Ukraine. And speed up work on your EU accession. Joint read-out with @eucopresident.consilium.europa.eu ↓ europa.eu/!MfPPPC

Regime change is back in US policy, at home and abroad. Vice-President J.D. Vance wants the fire wall to be torn down and the far right to be part of the German government. Extraordinary meddling just a week before German elections. (WSJ report)

My essay for the @guardian on a momentous week in Germany, a spectacular miscalculation by Friedrich Merz — and why the CDU is not just like any other conservative party, but a pillar of European stability (so far) www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Alice Weidel hört „Gedenkstunde für die Opfer des Nationsozialismus“ und verdreht direkt die Augen. 🙄 Und leugnet es dann live. Was für eine Szene. #miosga