Plus: Female rugby players contend with smaller ball ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
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| | | Hello. Germany's far-right party needs allies to rule in Saxony-Anhalt after falling short of a majority - who might join them? In Ukraine's Odesa, plans to restrict the Russian language have sparked strong reactions. And finally, women's rugby gets to grips with a smaller ball. | | | | | | |
| TOP OF THE AGENDA | | Election results test German parties' resolve not to work with AfD | | |  | | The AfD in the state is assessed by domestic intelligence as "right-wing extremist", a description Siegmund rejects. Credit: Reuters | | Preliminary results show that the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) fell three seats short of a majority in Saxony-Anhalt. Most German parties refuse to work with the AfD. Its plans for the eastern state, which include segregating child refugees into special classes and setting up a task force to help detain and deport migrants who no longer have the right to be in the state, are highly controversial within Germany. Saxony-Anhalt's defeated premier, the conservative CDU's Sven Schulze, however said the mandate to govern "now lies with the AfD". AfD's leader in the state, Ulrich Siegmund, said discussions with other parties were initiated on Sunday night. | | | | | | | | |
| | | Man arrested in attempted attack on Ohio candidate | | An armed man charged towards Amy Acton, the Democratic politician campaigning for state governor. | | Read more > | | | | Nepal observes day of mourning for flood victims | | Flags were flown at half mast, but events were scaled back as rescue teams continued to search for survivors. | | What to know > | | | | Thousands attend war criminal's funeral in Serbia | | Widely known as the Butcher of Bosnia, Ratko Mladić died at 84 while serving a life sentence for genocide in a UN prison. | | What happened > | | | | OpenAI chief scientist warns of AI consequences | | Jakub Pachocki has called for "extreme caution" over AI's progress days after the release of the company's latest model. | | Read his remarks > | | | | King clarifies Harry and Meghan's status | | A letter makes clear that any engagements carried out by the Sussexes will be in a private capacity. | | More details > | | | | | | |
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| | | Odesa's Russian language controversy |  | | The proposal aims to add to existing restrictions at the national level. Credit: Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images | | Millions of Ukrainians, including many of the troops defending the country in the war against Russia, speak Russian as their first language. But Ukrainian is the only state language and spoken by the majority, and some see Russian as a tool of Moscow's influence. The city of Odesa, famous for Russian-language writers and musicians, is now considering a controversial plan to ban the language in the arts. | | | | | | Tim Whewell and Serhiy Solodko, BBC News | | | | | | Public playing of songs by Russian citizens is already illegal across Ukraine, with exceptions for some artists who have publicly condemned the war, but Russian-language songs composed or performed by Ukrainians are still allowed. Under the proposals they would also be banned in public places. "On the streets, [hearing] the Russian language can be a real trigger, for example to [former] prisoners of war and people who've come from occupied territories," said Odesa's state-appointed language ombudswoman, Anna Nerush. Many native Russian-speakers in Ukraine have switched to Ukrainian in recent years, particularly since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. | | | | | | |
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