Strasbourg mayor says city finances in ruins after one term of Green rule
City debt is put at about €494 million in 2026, against €241 million in 2020. The Eurométropole's is put at €911 million, against €579 million.
From the capitals
Hot TopicLatest reporting and analysis on from the capitals.
Călin Georgescu arrested in early hours with huge police force
Officers of the organised-crime and terrorism directorate and the national police executed five home-search warrants in Bucharest, Mogoșoaia, Ciolpani and Buftea.
CDU crisis: Party leadership closes ranks behind Merz after state election rout
Senior Christian Democrats have backed the Chancellor at a crisis meeting in Berlin while conceding the party must change as Alternative for Germany surges in the…
French debt heads for highest level in nearly half a century
The finance ministry has forecast public debt close to 120 per cent of GDP this year as Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu struggles to get an austerity budget through…
Premium
Meloni announces foreign student cap and burqa ban in Italian schools
Rome says newcomers must learn the national language, understand local culture and follow its rules, as demographic shifts reshape classrooms and the wider population.
Berlin crime boss appears at Die Linke election party after party’s city-wide win
Issa Remmo was “pleased about Die Linke,” that he felt supported by a German party for the first time.
Merz refuses to change course after CDU is wiped out in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
The Christian Democrats have failed to win seats in a German State parliament for the first time in their history.
Premium
Moody’s downgrades Poland’s credit rating as rearmament-fired debt mounts
Fears of imminent armed conflict are on the rise, while the country is hampered by political gridlock between a government and President engaged in an uneasy cohabitation.
Die Linke wins Berlin election as CDU vote collapses
The far-left party has doubled its support in the German capital and could lead a new city government with the Greens and the Social Democrats.
AfD wins Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania as Merz’s CDU crashes out of parliament
The right-wing party has topped the poll in the northeastern German state for the first time, ending almost three decades of Social Democrat dominance.
Macron orders infrastructure shield against Russian attacks and calls G7 energy meeting
"The Russian hybrid threat against Europeans and against France has intensified," he said.
Austrian Social Democrats sink to record low in polls
A string of recent surveys place the SPÖ well below its result at the September 2024 National Council election, when it took 21.1 per cent.
French TV channel apologises after documentary shows French nuclear missile hitting Tel Aviv
The clip ran in Rafale, drones et canons : la révolution des armes françaises, a documentary on modern French weaponry first broadcast on September 1.
Romanian president nominates MEP Mureșan as prime minister
Siegfried Mureșan accepted at once, stating: Romania needed “a credible government as soon as possible”.
Hungarian government accused of erasing 1956 as House of Terror closure is branded ‘a crime against remembrance’
Culture minister Zoltán Tarr dismissed the museum's founding director and locked its doors on September 15, then promised a free reopening 24 hours later.
Two thirds of French voters back Le Pen’s ‘national priority’
A large majority of those questioned by Ipsos said the National Rally is right to want certain benefits reserved for French citizens.
Premium
Polish right-wing MPs call for Independence Day march in Ukraine’s Lviv
The idea has been slammed by members of Prime Minister Donald Tusk's ruling coalition and called "madness" and "gross stupidity".
Trump hails ‘major progress’ towards permanent US base in Poland
The US President credited Karol Nawrocki as Warsaw said two sites remained in contention and a decision was expected within weeks.
Left bloc officially wins Swedish elections, PM resigns
About 50,000 votes separated the two blocs in a country of 10.6 million. Turnout was 84.8 per cent.
Ghent students walk out after honorary vice-rector condemns Cofnas ‘lynching’
Professor Freddy Mortier, a honorary vice-rector and professor in ethics , used the platform to call out colleagues who had ganged up on Cofnas.
Netanyahu’s Likud Party calls Kickl’s FPÖ ‘friend of Israel’
The conference, titled “Islamism and Antisemitism: Threats to Europe’s Freedom”, was staged in Strasbourg on Wednesday by Harald Vilimsky, the FPÖ’s delegation…
Union Saint-Gilloise shops for a Dutch or German pitch after cities refuse to host Israeli team
Celtic, Real Sociedad and Lech Poznań, Union's three other home opponents in the league phase, may still play there.
Angela Merkel admits Bill Gates used massive pressure on vaccination programmes
Gate's money was not only used for silent donations, but also to wield political power and influence.
Meloni scraps road tax for one year due to high fuel prices
The exemption covers petrol, diesel and hybrid cars of up to 80 kW (109hp) and all motorbikes and mopeds.
Premium
Nawrocki wants French-style presidential system in Poland
The 47-member advisory body tasked with coming up with a new constitution includes constitutional lawyers, judges, academics and politicians.
Dutch man in centre of alleged police brutality turns out to have had drugs on him
Prosecutors say he ran when an officer tried to search him, was caught, resisted and then collapsed. He died at the scene.
Spanish police union warns Sánchez’s regularisation could hand papers to four million
Jupol's estimate is that those grants could multiply by four through family reunification under Spain's aliens law, taking the total to four million over the coming…
UK migrant return deal with France is costing about €65,500 for each person sent back
About 1,400 people have been removed to France since the pilot began in August 2025.
Italy eyes end of Schengen suspension on border with Slovenia
The present controls on the land border with Slovenia run from June 19 to December 18, 2026.
Eritrea terror group wanted to kill German police officers
According to the Karlsruhe office, the internationally networked group’s declared aim is the overthrow of the government in Eritrea.