A crackdown on political dissent is well under way in Germany. Over the past two years, institutions and authorities have cancelled events, exhibitions and awards over statements about Palestine or Israel. There are many examples: the Frankfurt book fair indefinitely postponing an award ceremony for Adania Shibli; the Heinrich Böll Foundation withdrawing the Hannah Arendt … Read more
The verdict is in: the National Rally (NR) and its leader, Marine Le Pen, have been found to have employed fictitious European parliament assistants between 2004 and 2016. The fraudulent scheme enabled the misappropriation of around €2.9m in European funds, and Le Pen has now been barred from holding public office for five years. Could … Read more
new video loaded: SpaceX Launches First Crewed Flight Over Earth’s Poles transcript Back transcript SpaceX Launches First Crewed Flight Over Earth’s Poles Four private astronauts lifted off from Florida on Monday on the Fram2 mission to orbit Earth from pole to pole. “3, 2, 1, ignition — and liftoff.” “T-plus 35 seconds into the Fram2 … Read more
A turquoise Koenigsegg Jesko, the world’s fastest car and worth about £2.3m, zipped through central Bucharest at nearly 100mph on Monday 24 March. At the wheel, the self-proclaimed “misogynist” influencer Andrew Tate, exuding an air of invincibility as he sped past the imposing Palace of the Parliament. To the surprise of many Romanians – and … Read more
A spiral of light illuminating the night sky captivated observers in Britain and much of Europe on Monday. Its cause: a SpaceX rocket, experts said, after the glowing spectacle ignited widespread curiosity and speculation about its origin. The ethereal display, seen from England to Eastern Europe, resembled a glowing celestial whirlpool in images posted on … Read more
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/picture/2025/mar/31/rebecca-hendin-donald-trump-vladimir-putin-us-president-russia-ukraine-ceasefire-cartoon
Emmanuel Macron’s troubled second presidential term was already set to go down as one of the most turbulent in the history of France’s Fifth Republic. A succession of prime ministers have come and gone at dizzying speed. A snap election last July, foolishly called by Mr Macron in the hope of seeing off Marine Le Pen’s far right … Read more
The French justice system chose courage over surrender. The law was clear, and so was the court in its sentencing: no special treatment for Marine Le Pen, no deference to the powerful, no using a candidacy for office as an excuse to break the law with impunity. For more than a decade, from 2004 to … Read more
The court ruling barring Marine Le Pen from running for president has recast a spotlight on her right-hand man, Jordan Bardella, as debate swirls over who may end up representing the far right in France’s 2027 presidential race. While Le Pen’s lawyer has said she will appeal Monday’s court ruling, the process could drag on … Read more
No one would allow that he could not see these much-admired clothes; because, in doing so, he would have declared himself either a simpleton or unfit of his office.” – Hans Christian Andersen, The Emperor’s New Clothes Elon Musk and Donald Trump inherited a state with unprecedented power and functionality, and are taking it apart. … Read more