Educare interruptus: Tusk pulls out of sex education reform after coalition split
New sex education classes for Polish school children will be optional rather than compulsory, Donald Tusk's government declared January 16.
Society
Latest reporting and analysis on society.
ECHR upholds criminal conviction for malicious obstruction of traffic by unions
The European Court of Human Rights has unanimously upheld a Belgian court decision convicting the Belgian Socialist Union on a charge of blocking roads during a…
France’s first trans mayor resigns, citing “toxic” environment
France's first transgender mayor Marie Cau, who was elected in 2020, has resigned from office citing a "toxic" environment and transphobia.
French drug usage higher than ever: over 1m people used cocaine in 2023
France's 'high society' has apparently grown, as experimenting with drugs has soared. Cocaine consumption in the country exploded, with 1.
German army withdraws from Twitter/X
Germany's defence ministry and army announced they were ending their activities on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
What did European liberals ever get from trusting Joe Biden?
Next week American President-elect Donald Trump will drop the “elect,” and President Joe Biden will pick up "former” before his name.
Incidents across Italy’s rail network lead to suspicions of sabotage
Magistrates of the Rome Public Prosecutor's Office are investigating a series of incidents on the Italian railways suspecting potential sabotage.
Police officers who join Alternative for Germany face ‘termination’
Members of Germany's federal police active in the hard-right "Alternative for Germany" (AfD) party risk disciplinary procedures and an end to their employment, leaked…
Falling birth rates? More than just technocratic, it is a cultural question
Last week Turkey announced that it was introducing a series of incentives designed to increase the Turkish birth rate.
Swedish government tightens naturalisation requirements with focus on ‘honest living’
Sweden's government has called for toughening the country's citizenship requirements by increasing the necessary time in the country to eight years and introducing…
Breton: EU censorship just a ‘buzzword’ pushed by ‘conspiracy theorists’
Former EU Commissioner Thierry Breton has decried recent allegations of censorship within the European Union as just a "buzzword" pushed by "conspiracy theorists".
German hospital introduces employee bodycams after rising violence
A German hospital announced plans to issue bodycams to all its employees, after a rise in violent attacks on staff by patients and their relatives.
Irregular migration into EU drops sharply in 2024, EU border agency says
The number of migrants entering the European Union by irregular routes dropped overall by 38 per cent in 2024, reaching the lowest level since 2021, the EU border…
Birth rate continues dropping in France, lowest since end of WWI
France's fertility rate has dropped to the lowest level since 1918, with only 663,000 babies born in France in 2024. This was 21.
German state spy agency head says his agency is too neutral on AfD
The head of Germany's domestic intelligence agency in Thuringia has criticised his own service for staying too neutral on the right-wing Alternative for Germany…
Brussels fears Musk, he fights the ancient fight for free speech
The Brussels elite have contended they are defending liberal democracy against authoritarianism at home and abroad.
Pension protests pressure Belgian government talks
Belgian political parties currently negotiating over forming a government faced a new challenge with protests and strike action in Brussels on January 13 over pension…
Violence erupts in Italy over police death of Italian-Egyptian teenager
Italy has seen violent unrest break out, largely attributed to immigrant communities over the death of 19-year-old Italian-Egyptian Rami El Gamal during a police…
A director sees only racism in Britain when history offers more
The often overrated Hanna Arendt was bang on the money when she declared that, “Under normal circumstances, the liar is defeated by reality, for which there is…
Polish Government aims for power to block social media content
The Polish centre-left coalition government led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk has proposed legislation that would grant a state agency the power to block social…
German hard-right AfD party dissolves ‘radical’ youth branch
At its party conference, the hard-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has decided to drop its youth organisation and create a new one.
Holocaust and ritual slaughter increasingly sensitive topics in Belgium
This story was edited following a reaction from one of the mentioned schools
Belgian film crew ‘threatened by thugs demanding protection money’
Belgian film producer Bert Hamelinck has revealed on national TV that his crew was told they had to pay protection money to local thugs in order not to be harassed.
Algeria sends deported Algerian straight back to France
Algeria has immediately returned an Algerian influencer who was deported by France back to where he came from, aggravating diplomatic tensions between both countries.
EC and European Council chiefs target Trump and Musk
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa have sent a joint statement to the US President-elect Donald Trump…
Danish Socialists want donation cap to prevent ‘Musk-Style’ influence in politics
The Danish eco-socialist party, Enhedslisten, is pushing for a 20,000 kroner (€2.
German inquiry into whether Musk-AfD podcast would be an ‘illegal donation’
Germany's parliament is reported to be investigating whether an upcoming online conversation between US tech guru Elon Musk and the head of the Alternative for Germany…
Greenland, Canada, Panama: Trump wants them, but can he take them?
This is the kind of news that makes a journalist shiver in excitement. What a story.
Scores of migrants arrested on Greek island
The Greek Coast Guard has arrested 124 migrants on the island of Karpathos after spotting speedboats without identification markers.
EU court orders EC to compensate citizen for violating its own protection laws
The General Court of the Court of Justice of the European Union has directed the European Commission to compensate an individual who alleged his personal data was…