Polish minister ponders X ban after expletive-ridden posts by Musk’s Grok chatbot
Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot Grok has caused offence with a series of vulgar messages about Polish politicians on the US billionaire's X platform.
From the capitals
Hot TopicLatest reporting and analysis on from the capitals.
Fiscal reversal: Italy can access cheaper loans than France
For the first time in two decades, Italy was now able to secure cheaper loans than France.
German Social Democrats veer further Left, hit new survey lows
Just two months after being sworn in, the German Government coalition under Chancellor Friedrich Merz does not have a majority with voters, according to latest polls.
French MP Olivier Marleix found dead at home, apparent suicide
French Republican MP, Olivier Marleix, has been found dead at his home.
Polish PM Tusk’s coalition rocked by claims Speaker held talks with opposition
Poland's ruling centre-left government led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk was left reeling after revelations about negotiations on the formation of an alternative…
Flip-flops, dead mink and fake Russia panic: Denmark’s Frederiksen takes over Council
Denmark took over the rotating presidency of the European Council on July 1.
Berlin Greens want to force landlords to rent flats to welfare recipients
Berlin's local Greens party has proposed a new rental law which would sharply curtail landlords' freedom to rent out their properties.
Spain: with no public funding, The Party is definitely Over now
Spain's populist insurgent Se Acabó la Fiesta party will now lose its public funding, despite receiving three MEPs in European Parliament elections and 2 per cent…
Western civilisation inching Mecca-wards: Muslims govern London, soon NY
In November, the world will learn whether its second great Anglophone city is to be governed by a Muslim, following the decade-long triumph of Saddiq Khan in London.
Catalan politicians delighted, Spanish amnesty law declared legally constitutional
Spain’s Constitutional Court ruled that the controversial amnesty law, key to Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's coalition deal, was constitutional.
Berlin court allows petition that would limit private car use to 12 rides per year
The constitutional court of Berlin has green lighted a planned citizens’ petition to limit drastically the use of private cars in the German capital, including…
EU’s defence chemicals shortage ‘exposes further dependency on China’
Europe's shifting ties with Asia have aggravated its growing defence production crisis, as shortages of key chemical inputs including nitrocellulose threaten to…
The Left resorting to dirty tricks to sabotage the will of right-wing governments
Italy held five referendums on labour rights and migration policy on June 8th and 9th.
Czech Government survives no-confidence vote over bitcoin scandal
The Czech Government, led by Prime Minister Petr Fial, has survived a no-confidence vote over the so-called bitcoin scandal.
Polish divorce: PM Tusk’s allies part company but stay in government
Poland's Third Way electoral alliance partners, the centre-right Polish People’s Party (PSL) and the centrist Poland 2050 party, have announced their electoral…
EU position on Iran-Israel war excludes regime change
The European Union insisted diplomacy, not regime change, was its only strategy for dealing with Iran, even while Washington signalled it wanted Tehran to surrender.
French ex-PM Fillon gets suspended jail term over wife’s fake job
Former French prime minister François Fillon was given a four-year suspended prison sentence over his wife's fake jobs scandal, which torpedoed his 2017 presidential…
Macron ‘misusing the EU to advance own foreign policy’
French President Emmanuel Macron is facing criticism in Brussels and beyond for repeatedly speaking in the name of the European Union to advance what opponents call…
China’s EV trap: Preach Green, get a cheap car, lose your job
Buckle up, China’s electric vehicle market is a wild brawl. Prices plummet fast, and executives sling insults like playground bullies.
China’s structural slump may fuel flood of cheap goods to EU
China's factories have been producing more than its domestic market can absorb, and those goods are headed to Europe.
Polish PM Tusk wins confidence vote in parliament
Poland's pro-European Union government won a confidence vote in parliament on June 11, securing its hold on power.
Germany’s SPD revolts against Merz’s rearmament blitz
A revolt has been brewing within the German government's coalition partner the Social Democratic Party (SPD), as prominent figures openly criticised Chancellor Friedrich…
ECB signs co-operation pact with China, pushing for policy reforms
The European Central Bank (ECB) signed a non-binding co-operation agreement with the People’s Bank of China and ECB President Christine Lagarde used the occasion…
Farage’s Reform doesn’t collapse, it mutates, surprises and grows claws
Reform UK’s saga is a kaleidoscope of ambition, chaos, and sheer bloody-mindedness.
Polish PM Tusk’s coalition partner polls members on joining opposition
The Polish People's Party (PSL), Poland's ruling centre-left coalition member, has polled its members on whether it should consider teaming up with the current opposition…
Black Hawks down: Poland back-pedals on purchase of US helicopters
Poland has cancelled the procurement procedure for the purchase of 32 Lockheed Martin S-70i Black Hawk helicopters for the Polish Army.
Catalonia launches parallel diplomatic corps to Madrid
The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE)-led government has continued its strategy of concessions to Catalan separatist-minded parties in exchange for parliamentary…
Poland’s top conservative lawyer tells us: ‘The left-liberal’s plan has failed in Poland’
Sunday’s election in Poland was important not only for the Poles themselves but also for Europe, and it is no wonder it attracted widespread comment in the international…
Portuguese former naval admiral, now pollsters’ favourite, sets out stall for president
Ex-admiral Henrique Gouveia e Melo has given his first interview as an official candidate for the Portuguese presidency, presenting himself as pro-life and, as president,…
US defends Polish president-elect over Israeli paper’s ‘Holocaust revisionist’ attack
The incoming US ambassador to Poland, Thomas Rose, has criticised the Times of Israel for calling Polish president-elect Karol Nawrocki a “Holocaust revisionist”.