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Elected councillors are accountable for council decisions, but how much control do they really have over the officials and information behind them? Nick Clark argues that councillors can be denied crucial legal and operational advice by their own bureaucracies. A proposed law would clarify that chief executives are subject to elected councils and give councillors greater access to independent advice, strengthening democratic accountability at…

Had former Chancellor Angela Merkel and her successors remained true to Helmut Kohl’s vision, then the AfD might never have become Germany’s most popular party, so its astronomical rise is entirely their fault. Putin was asked about the AfD’s recent landslide victory in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt on the sidelines of this year’s BRICS Summit in Delhi. While politely declining to address the topic directly, he nevertheless said that “all…

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz says the era of Germany's “unconditional transatlantic friendship” with the United States is probably over for the foreseeable future. His comments point to a changing relationship rather than a German break with Washington, with Merz simultaneously arguing for greater European independence and continued cooperation INR Report: Based on reporting by RT HERE, with Chancellor Friedrich Merz's wider position on…

By just about every metric, Ukraine is on the ropes. From the lack of adequate air defenses, growing budget holes, and crippling corruption, to the shortage of manpower on the front, the Kiev regime’s prospects are grim. At the very least, this is the end of the beginning. In the meantime, Europe wants Ukraine to fight to the last Ukrainian. · CrossTalking with James Jatras, Mats Nilsson, and Marko Gasic.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry accuses the UN Secretary-General of siding with Ukraine and its Western allies over Bucha. India reiterates that Russian oil imports serve its national interests as the US Congress approves a bill proposing 100% tariffs on buyers of Russian fuel. Russia’s election chief highlights this week’s parliamentary vote amid heightened tensions, while RT interviews the leader of the Rodina party on his approach to Ukraine’s…

A West Coast-Tasman candidate debate has sparked controversy after organisers excluded Sue Grey from the podium under a reported 5% party-vote threshold rule. Supporters argue the decision denies local voters the opportunity to hear from all candidates contesting the electorate. Critics are calling on the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union to open the Greymouth debate to every official candidate on the ballot. GREYMOUTH, NZ Serious concerns over…

An RT investigation has traced €1.5 million in Dresden property purchases to a German company controlled by the family of one of Vladimir Zelensky’s longtime business associates. Corporate records establish connections to Boris Shefir and his wife, but RT’s further suggestion that the property may have been intended for Zelensky or his family relies on circumstantial evidence and an anonymous lawyer’s assessment. INR Report: Based on an…

Scientists have identified the largest newly formed impact crater yet discovered in the solar system, after comparing images captured by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. The 222-metre-wide McGetchin crater appears to have formed during a rare collision in 2024, providing researchers with an unusually fresh laboratory for studying how major impacts transform the lunar surface. INR Report: Based on reporting by RT, with findings cross-checked…

Forget the campaign ads. Susan traces two coordinated fronts against Trump’s midterms: a pain machine of diesel prices, Iran, Canada’s tariffs and bond attacks and an AI-apocalypse panic whose paper trail runs straight to London. By Susan Kokinda · This midweek update argues that the midterm elections are being shaped less by campaign ads than by coordinated economic and political pressure: rising diesel prices tied to Ukrainian strikes on…

Russia’s Sergey Lavrov warns that any European attack on Russia would trigger a fundamentally different conflict, while insisting Moscow has no intention of starting one. Ahead of parliamentary elections, RT also examines Russia’s response to Western pressure and speaks with LDPR figure Viktor Bout about the party’s vision. In the Philippines, former President Rodrigo Duterte makes his first public appearance in 18 months as he faces ICC…