East Germany's feared intelligence service and secret police (1950–1990)
Scottish Labour candidates have pledged to rebuild and unite the party after its worst Holyrood defeat. Monica Lennon, Joe Fagan and Michael Marra are campaigning to become leader, promising to change the party’s culture, seek local coalitions, and place working people at the heart of budget decisions.
The Scottish Labour leadership contest is intensifying as candidates lay out policy directions and leadership styles. Joe Fagan is seen as challenging the frontrunner with a focus on unity, governance, and new ideas for Holyrood, while Michael Marra’s longer track record signals a readiness to interrogate party strategy.
The AfD has topped voting in Saxony-Anhalt and is forming talks to lead the state government, while about 150,000 demonstrators across 20 cities protest calls to ban the party. Berlin hosts a counter-rally as mainstream parties face pressure over the rise of Germany’s far right.
Hungary’s new government has released state-security agent files from 1945-1989, enabling online searching for names. The move aims to confront the past and rebuild public trust, with tens of thousands of informants named and a portion alive today. Critics warn families will face difficult discoveries.
Germany has approved a sweeping reform expanding the mandate of the BND abroad and the BfV domestically, enabling disruptions against threats and more aggressive cyber operations. The changes follow a drone incident linked to Russia and face privacy concerns from opposition parties.