Ahead of Germany’s vote, Deborah Cole looked in depth at the rise of the AfD, as well as the position of the far-left party, successor to the East German communists, which appears to be gaining support from women and young voters. Kate Connolly and photographer Sean Smith took a train ride across Germany to gauge the mood ahead of polling day, finding voters who feared for their nation’s democracy and direction. For our Today in Focus podcast, Helen Pidd took a road trip through Germany’s industrial heartland to gauge just how strong support for the far right is.
A long-term project by Alex Clark to map out the population crisis in Europe provided a clear way for readers to see how anti-migrant, far-right policies could accelerate their country’s (and continent’s) economic decline. An accompanying piece by Ashifa Kassam was a useful case study, showing how Spain’s economy is outperforming major western countries, in large part through boosting migration.
Bethan McKernan reported from Jerusalem as the remains of an elderly man, a woman and two young children were returned to Israel in what onlookers described as one of the “hardest days” for Israelis since the 7 October attacks. Israel later said the woman’s body was that of an anonymous, unidentified person, and not a hostage. A week before that, Jonathan Freedland, on a trip to Tel Aviv, wrote that Benjamin Netanyahu was exploiting Israel’s rage. Meanwhile, Trump’s plan for Gaza has left Arab nations facing an impossible choice, wrote Nesrine Malik.
Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party is level with Labour and the Conservatives in some polls, in part bolstered by Trump’s victory. In this deeply reported piece, Ben Quinn and Rowena Mason got under the skin of the party, from its infighting and attempts to professionalise, to the role of Tucker Carlson’s nephew and a dog called Maverick.
We also spent time this week at the rightwing Alliance for Responsible Citizenship conference in London, where “reindustrialisation”, birthrates and a focus on so-called “Judeo-Christian values” dominated. Ben Quinn reported on a meeting that is “part political conference, part evangelical rally and … an increasingly influential gathering of libertarian and populist forces, promoting climate scepticism and social conservatism.” John Crace sketched the event, in a darkly funny piece.
While global politics is taking centre stage, the climate doesn’t notice: Ajit Niranjan reported that two-thirds of the Earth’s surface experienced record heat in 2024. This fact is even more shocking when you can see it visualised, thanks to our data and visuals team of Pablo Gutiérrez, Tural Ahmedzade, Ashley Kirk, and Niels de Hoog.
Powerful reporting this week included an Observer investigation by Siân Boyle that revealed that Google has cooperated with autocratic regimes around the world, including the Kremlin and the Chinese Communist party, to facilitate censorship requests; how an internal investigation at Vivienne Westwood upheld homophobic bullying allegations against its CEO, written by Rob Davies; how the company behind the proposed giant Rosebank oilfield in the North Sea has asked for special treatment on emissions rules, by Helena Horton; how the murder of Robbie Robson in 2022 was a shocking insight into life on an oil rig, by Will Coldwell; and how a rogue lettings agency destroyed countless homes by renting them out to cannabis farmers, by Sirin Kale.
Hannah Devlin and Sally Weale reported that more than 44,000 children in England were hospitalised with constipation last year, up 60% in a decade, a rise caused by poor diets and dehydration. Sally spoke to teachers bringing laxatives into school to help pupils suffering with the miserable condition.
Three months after Manchester United predicted an annual profit of up to £160m, the club is laying off staff and slashing costs. Finance expert Kieran Maguire tried to answer the conundrum of why United appear to be rich and poor at the same time.
I enjoyed Ella Archibald-Binge’s piece speaking to Australia’s freedom riders and their descendants 60 years on from the bus journey that changed the way the nation thought about race; Lisa Allardice’s rare interview with the much-loved novelist Anne Tyler, who shared the secret to a good marriage; Charlotte Edwardes’s interview with Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie at her home in Baltimore, as she published her first novel in over a decade; Donna Lu on why we can’t remember our lives as babies; and our photographer Sarah Lee behind the scenes at the Baftas.
One more thing … Before attending the writer Charlotte Raven’s funeral last week, I read her memoir, Patient 1 – it’s a funny, sad, moving reflection on being diagnosed with Huntington’s disease and enrolling in a drugs trial.
