Telegram update to let authorities access users’ data
Messaging app Telegram has updated its terms of service and privacy, indicating that the application is set to provide users' data to authorities.
Society
Latest reporting and analysis on society.
Irish President accuses Israeli embassy of ‘leaking letter’ to Iranian counterpart
Irish President Michael D Higgins has claimed that a letter he wrote sending the incoming Iranian President "best wishes" was leaked by the Israeli embassy.
France’s new right-wing government faces immediate turmoil
France's new Prime Minister Michel Barnier has revealed the new government's political orientation.
Kyiv bans the use of Telegram for Ukraine officials, citing security concerns
Ukraine's National Cyber Security Coordination Centre (NCC) has decided to ban the use of social media platform Telegram for officials, citing security concerns.
European Parliament finds right-wing majority on Venezuela vote as ‘cordon sanitaire’ cracks
The first cracks in the European Parliament's "cordon sanitaire," the refusal to work with hard-right parties, appeared on September 19 after a vote on democracy…
Austria’s ÖVP ‘accidentally’ votes to abolish biological sex definition under federal law
The Conservative Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) has said it inadvertently voted into force a change of a federal law that has replaced the definition of biological…
German police try to strong-arm US media company’s freedom of speech
Political correctness in its original sense is a notion used in the early 20th century by totalitarian regimes in order to describe what was in tune with the party…
Partial curfew imposed on French island of Martinique amid unrest at high cost of living
A partial renewable curfew has been established in France's overseas region of Martinique in the Caribbean amid protests about the high cost of living there.
Estonian professor stripped of ‘Emeritus’ status for attending Russian conference
Estonia's Tallinn University has revoked the Emeritus status of Rein Müllerson, an internationally recognised expert in international law, following his participation…
German State TV said actor who turned against AfD during show was ‘ordinary citizen’
An amateur actor who underwent a radical change of heart regarding the hard-right Alternative for Germany party (AfD) during a TV show was described as a "clerk"…
Meta bans Russian state media networks over ‘foreign interference’
Meta has announced it will bar Russian state media outlets including RT and Rossiya Segodnya from using its Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp services.
Tusk admits to legal shortcuts designed to reform judiciary ‘in order to avoid EU intervention’
Poland's PM Donald Tusk has admitted to taking legal "short cuts" in his battle to reform the country's judiciary.
Spaniards in Venezuela held over alleged ‘plot to murder’ President Maduro
Authorities in Venezuela have detained two Spanish nationals on charges of alleged “terrorism” and attempting to assassinate President Nicolás Maduro.
Greece to give homeowners incentives to ditch short-term rentals
The Greek Government has said it would give a three-year tax break to homeowners who converted their short-term rentals to long-term ones.
France’s Court of Audit slams Macron’s SNU over ‘chaotic management and underestimated costs’
The French Court of Audit has published a critical report on the Universal National Service (SNU), President Emmanuel Macron's civic-military programme, highlighting…
UK’s Farage tells government to ‘Have a go!’, over bid to ban second jobs for MPs
The UK's Labour Government has been accused by former arch-Brexiteer and now MP Nigel Farage of trying to bully him and a colleague and silence TV and radio outlet…
Undeterred by parliament vote, Polish Government gives women access to abortion
The Polish Government, undeterred by losing a parliamentary vote on abortion in July, has issued guidelines allowing terminations to be performed on demand at any…
EU consumer groups slam video-games companies for ‘tricking’ players into overspending
The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) and 22 other organisations across Europe have accused the world's biggest video-games companies of misleading gamers into…
Elite are cracking down on free speech to stop true democracy
Although this might seem counterintuitive given the current political culture, but there is a realistic chance that voting for what the media calls the “far Right”…
Socialists threaten to reject Ursula von der Leyen’s EC team
Socialists in the European Parliament have warned they may withhold support for the next European Commission unless their key demands are addressed.
Slovakia’s Fico accuses West of ‘tolerating Ukrainian extremists’
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has accused the West of "tolerating" extremist elements within the Ukrainian military, prompting a backlash from Kyiv.
EXCLUSIVE: US Congressman makes fresh attack on Breton, warns ‘digital enforcer’ not to censor Americans
A leading US Congressman has accused the European Union's self-styled digital enforcer, Thierry Breton, of failing to alleviate the concerns held by US lawmakers…
Left MEP Pappas blasts colleagues over ‘vulgar’ complaint
Greek Syriza MEP Nikos Pappas has hit back at the European People's Party (EPP) after it sent a letter of complaint about him to European Parliament President Roberta…
Tusk government proposes ‘self-criticism’ for Polish judges facing disciplinary proceedings
Justice minister Adam Bodnar and Prime Minister Donald Tusk have proposed that judges undertake a process of "self-criticism" as part of an assessment as to whether…
Polish journalists guilty of defamation over TV satire
Three Polish journalists have been found guilty of defamation, a criminal offence in Poland, for their part in a Polish TVP programme in which a well known charity…
Brussels told to act against alleged Tusk admin media restrictions
A Polish MEP has demanded action from Brussels over alleged attempts by his country's government to restrict independent media.
Police raid organisers of Polish independence day march in alleged hate-speech case
Polish police have raided the premises of the organisers of the annual independence day march following allegations of hate speech during the 2018 edition of the…
In Thuringia two ‘extremist’ parties took half the vote, so where is the centre now?
Every time a populist-Right party is elected, the headlines are predictable.
Peace requires strength, but also diplomacy
When Ronald Reagan ran for president of the United States in 1980, he put “peace through strength” at the heart of his foreign policy vision.
Netflix wants to degrade Western culture by insulting classical history
Netflix strikes again. Its new series "KAOS" has already stirred controversy and caused reactions.