Nobody wants her: Paris mayor fails in bid for UN High Commissioner for Refugees
Anne Hidalgo, the outgoing mayor of Paris, has lost her bid for an international top job at the UN.
Society
Latest reporting and analysis on society.
Polish doctor’s late abortion case dropped, right-wing MEP on trial instead
Poland’s prosecution service has dropped a criminal investigation of a doctor who carried out an abortion on a woman who was in the ninth month of pregnancy.
Germany stops return of asylum seekers to Greece until June 2026
Germany will stop deporting asylum seekers to Greece until June 2026 when new European Union asylum rules enter into force.
European human rights system ‘near breaking point over migration’
After Council of Europe ministers signed off on the first step toward reforming the European Union’s top human rights convention on December 10, observers warn…
Starmer and Frederiksen call for Europe-wide overhaul of asylum rules
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his Danish counterpart Mette Frederiksen have jointly called for a substantial tightening of Europe’s approach to irregular…
Kosovo takes in migrants deported by US
Kosovo has started accepting migrants that the United States wants to deport, under an accord with President Donald Trump's administration, Prime Minister Albin…
Swiss Eurovision winner Nemo to return trophy in protest at Israel’s participation next year
Nemo, Switzerland's triumphant entry in last year's Eurovision Song Contest, said he is returning his trophy in protest over Israel's continued participation.
EU’s migration policy: Centralise power and erode national sovereignty
The sharp migration crisis that has gripped the European Union for more than a decade has devastated the security of tens of millions of Europeans.
EU tightens migration policies with JHA Council deal
For the first time, right-wing parties are playing a central role in managing migration at the European Union level, adopting a more restrictive approach.
General strike hits planes, trains and services in Portugal
Widespread disruption hit Portuguese air travel and trains, hospitals and schools today as the unions called the biggest nationwide strike action for more than a…
Ex-PMs Verhofstadt and Renzi call for regime change in Iran
Former Belgian prime minister Guy Verhofstadt and former Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi said they support regime change in Iran, endorsing the National Council…
Exclusive: Brothers of Italy seeks to bridge diverging US and EU interests
Despite speculation that Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni -- a politician with a famously close relationship with US President Trump -- is now adopting a more…
Conservative gatherings spark fierce debate in Italy’s culture war
In Italy, the cultural war is no longer just a metaphor.
Foreigners in Germany much less worried about right-wing extremism than ethnic Germans
Germans without a migrant history are considerably more afraid of right-wing extremism than migrants and foreigners living in the country.
‘Curb your enthusiasm’ Polish opposition tells PM Tusk over EU Migration Pact
Poland’s opposition has reacted with scepticism to the European Union’s decision to allow the country not to have to receive migrants redistributed as part of…
Water leak at Paris Louvre Museum soaks valuable books on ancient Egypt
A water leak at the Louvre Museum damaged several hundred books held in the library of the Department of Egyptian Antiquities.
Italy’s Left splits over anti-Semitism bill, exposing deep ideological fault lines
A legislative push against anti-Semitism has blown up into a fierce internal fight within the Italian Left.
Poland’s Sikorski tells Musk ‘Go to Mars’ after he calls for end of EU
Poland’s foreign minister Radosław Sikorski told Elon Musk to “Go to Mars” after the US billionaire called for the European Union to be abolished.
EU’s crackdown on X shows desperation not strength
The recent rabid, full-on attack on Elon Musk's X by the European Commission represents a new chapter in Brussels’ attempts to purge the public square of inconvenient…
Is Europe kaput? Washington says this is Europe’s last chance to choose
The Trump administration's 2025 National Security Strategy dropped last week, and if you are in Brussels or Berlin, you might want to pour yourself a stiff drink…
Blasphemy law victim thanks God — and European Parliament — for release
Pakistani blasphemy law victim Shagufta Kausar thanked both God and the European parliament for her release from a Punjabi prison while in Brussels yesterday.
Attempt to censor a right-wing publisher sparks cultural firestorm in Italy
Italy has once again become the epicentre of a culture clash — this time over the attempted exclusion of a right-wing publisher with clear ties to the ruling party,…
Most German welfare recipients ‘not looking for work’, study finds
Most recipients of the German Bürgergeld (citizen’s stipend) are not actively looking for work.
Top brands suspected in Italy sweatshop probe
Gucci, Prada, Versace and Yves Saint Laurent are among 13 luxury brands suspected of using subcontractors who exploited Chinese workers in Italy, according to documents…
Swiss man jailed for Facebook comment criticising trans ideology
A man from Switzerland has been handed a prison sentence for posting a comment on Facebook that supposedly denigrated trans people.
Poland’s Supreme Court rejects EU attempts to regulate judicial system
A joint session of two chambers of the Polish Supreme Court has adopted a resolution that rejects the right of the European Union to regulate Poland’s judicial…
Defiant conservatives gather to ‘battle for soul of Europe’
The Brussels Mathias Corvinus Collegium’s (MCC) two-day Battle for the Soul of Europe conference attendees gathered in Brussels yesterday to challenge what they…
German church spends €100,000 from collections to help Afghans sue for immigration
Germany’s Protestant Church will donate €100,000 to support Afghan citizens who want to sue for the right to immigrate to Germany.
A Baby Jesus without a face, a continent that will not look the divine in the eye
For God’s sake, those maniacs now simply did away with the face of Jesus.
Dutch ‘green transition hurts working class while rich reap subsidies’
In the Netherlands, low-income and vulnerable citizens are disproportionately shouldering the financial and health burdens of climate policies, whilst wealthier…