It’s too early to jump to conclusions about US foreign policy
The advent of Donald Trump’s second presidency has brought a considerable level of disruption to US foreign policy in a very short space of time.
Society
Latest reporting and analysis on society.
New EU digital driving licence ‘will erode personal freedoms’
"A digital EU driving licence is on its way!" the European Commission has trumpeted - but experts said national variations in licence rules would cause confusion.
AFP journalist jailed as protests against Istanbul Mayor’s incarceration hit sixth day
A Turkish court has detained Agence France-Presse (AFP) photojournalist Yasin Akgul as part of an investigation into protests over the jailing of Istanbul's Mayor…
Turkey’s Erdogan says protests at Istanbul Mayor’s jailing a ‘movement of violence’
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said protests over the jailing of Istanbul's Mayor had become a "movement of violence" and that the main opposition party would…
German pharma giant Bayer must pay US cancer patient almost €2bn
Bayer, Germany’s biggest pharmaceuticals and biotech company, has been ordered to pay a record almost $2.1 billion (€1.
Turkey’s turmoil and the taboo question: is Islam compatible with democracy?
Turkey’s democratic façade collapsed on March 19, when Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu - the West’s secular poster boy - was snatched from his bed in the middle…
Antifa extremists destroy climbing route put up by FPÖ chief Kickl in Austrian Alps
Unknown perpetrators have sabotaged a climbing route first explored by Herbert Kickl, leader of the right-wing Austrian Freedom Party (FPÖ), in the Styrian alps.
Turkey detains 37 people over social media posts on detained Istanbul mayor
Turkey detained 37 people accused of "provocative" social media posts over the detention of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, the government said on March…
German left-wing extremist ‘Lina E’ given five-year jail sentence
A final verdict has been given in Germany against "Lina E", a violent left-wing extremist.
Belgian Flanders region slammed over ‘housing policy failures’
The Belgian region of Flanders was not doing enough to address the affordability of housing for vulnerable groups, according to a ruling by the European Committee…
Where is democracy? Unelected establishment judges now stand against elected populists
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: a right-populist walks into office. The unelected judiciary says, “We’re investigating you!”
Hungary passes law to ban Pride march, sparking protests
Hungary's parliament has passed a law to ban the annual Pride march by LGBTQ+ communities, triggering the blockade of a bridge in central Budapest in protest against…
Austrian court orders public health insurance to pay for trans woman’s beard removal
A court in Vienna, Austria, has ruled that the country’s public health insurance must pay for the removal of facial hair from a trans woman who was born as a biological…
Anti-abortion protest in Poland shut down because of picture of a foetus
A Polish court has upheld a decision by the Mayor of Toruń to stop an anti-abortion protest over the display of a picture of a foetus.
EU and Soros-funded NGO accuses Italy of ‘undermining democracy’
According to the Civil Liberties Union for Europe, Italy, along with Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania and Slovakia, have been contributing to a "democratic race to the…
Armies that do real fighting do not employ women as infantry or submariners
The recent inquest into the suicide of a young female soldier in the British Army nearly four years ago has generated vast amounts of adverse-publicity for the army.
‘Give us back the Statue of Liberty,’ demands French MEP
French MEP Raphaël Glucksmann has called on the US to return the Statue of Liberty to his home country over dissatisfaction with the policies of the administration…
Telegram founder Durov allowed to temporarily leave France
Pavel Durov, the owner of social media platform Telegram, has been allowed to temporarily leave France where he has been charged over alleged failures in content…
Irish family ejected from Washington event after protest over ‘transgender ideology’
Three members of a well-known Irish evangelical Christian family were forcibly ejected from a St Patrick's Day gala dinner in Washington, which Ireland's Taoiseach,…
Romania targets ‘illegal online content’ ahead of re-run elections
The Romanian Government has stated it will step up its efforts to "combat illegal content online".
German high school accused of requiring pupils to attend Ramadan ceremony
A public high school in Berlin has come under fire for allegedly requiring its pupils to attend a Muslim celebration on the occasion of Ramadan.
French TV host sues left-wing LFI party over alleged anti-Semitic poster of him
French right-wing host Cyril Hanouna has announced he would sue left-wing party La France Insoumise (LFI) over an alleged anti-Semitic poster of him used to advertise…
Pro-abortion activists set up Warsaw clinic in defiance of Polish law
A non-governmental organisation has opened Poland’s first ever abortion clinic despite Polish legislation that severely restricts abortion rights and protests…
ECJ Advocate General rules Polish Constitutional court ‘not independent’
Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal, or court, (TK) cannot be considered impartial and independent, according to the Advocate General of the European Court of Justice…
Let’s take the EU ‘back to basics’, Conservative think-tanks’ report says
Two European Conservative think-tanks, Polish Ordo Iuris and the Hungarian Mathias Corvinus Collegium (MCC) have published proposals on institutional reform of the…
Russian-linked group ‘behind attack on X’, cybersecurity expert tells Brussels Signal
The large-scale cyberattack that brought down Elon Musk's X platform was carried out by Dark Storm, a Russian-linked hacker group whose "targets are high-profile…
Dutch newspaper to appeal against judge’s editorial ruling
De Telegraaf, the Netherlands’ largest newspaper, has announced it would appeal a controversial ruling from a judge who ordered it to clarify a comment piece about…
French publisher halts book criticising ‘woke ideology’ amid political backlash
A prestigious French academic publisher, Presses Universitaires de France (PUF), has halted the release of a book criticising "woke ideology" in Western higher education,…
Vienna teachers sound alarm as ever-younger children fast for Ramadan
Teachers in Austria’s capital Vienna have become alarmed at the growing number of young schoolchildren observing the Muslim fasting period of Ramadan.
Italian whippet proves top dog at UK’s Crufts
A whippet from Venice in Italy has been named best in show at the 2025 Crufts international dog show in the UK.