German magazine attacks rival for publishing Musk op-ed
A major German news website has attacked one of its main rivals over its competitor's decision to publish an article written by Elon Musk.
Society
Latest reporting and analysis on society.
EU threatens Meta with fines after Zuckerberg backs Trump
The European Union has threatened Facebook and Instagram parent company Meta with fines of up to six per cent of the global turnover of the platform.
Left-wing German anti-discrimination commissioner calls for government to quit X
German Federal Anti-Discrimination Commissioner Ferda Ataman has called on her government to leave social media platform X.
EC forces ‘gender balance’ on companies, despite missing its own goals
The European Commission has announced that private companies will now have to respect so-called gender balance norms.
France’s Retailleau targets ‘political Islam’, calls for university ban on Islamic veil
French Minister of Interior Bruno Retailleau has targeted what he referred to as "political Islam", calling for a ban the Islamic veil in French higher-education.
The mass rape of young girls, British establishment says, ‘So what?’
The grooming gang scandal in Britain has been a long time coming and while aspects of it and some allegations may be excessive (or not), it lifts the rock on the…
Meta’s Zuckerberg vows to ‘restore free speech’ as ‘EU is institutionalising censorship’
Meta, the parent company of social media giants including Instagram and Facebook, has said it planned to "restore free speech".
Right mourns ‘courageous’ Jean-Marie Le Pen as Left mocks him online
France's Right is in mourning after the death of "courageous" National Rally (RN) founder, Jean-Marie Le Pen, on January 7.
Swiss Attorney General warns of spiralling crime ‘like in Belgium or Sweden’
Swiss Federal Prosecutor Stefan Blättler has called for decisive action against gang crime in his country, citing what he called conditions in Belgium and Sweden,…
Vulgarity, crime, rapes, coarsening of public life, liberal England is gone
This year sees the ninetieth anniversary of the publication of a book called The Strange Death of Liberal England by the Anglo-American historian George Dangerfield.
German Christian Democrats pledge tougher line on migration as elections loom
Germany's Christian Democrats (the CDU party) have been toughening their stance on migration in the run-up to national elections in February, including calls for…
Gang rape: Starmer did not stand across the scandal and yell ‘Stop!’
The grooming gangs in Rotherham -- let us just say Rotherham and let it also cover Rochdale, Manchester, Telford, Oldham and dozens of other British cities and towns…
Italy PM Meloni lauds ‘beautiful’ meeting with Donald Trump
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has boasted that she had a "beautiful" meeting with US President-elect Donald Trump.
Spain’s Canary Islands reports record number of migrants for 2024
Annual numbers released by Spain's Interior Ministry have shown that 46,843 migrants reached Europe via the Canary Islands in 2024, marking a new record.
Germany sees ‘100 gender change applications daily’ under new law
Around 100 people apply to change their legal gender each day in Germany under federal-level legislation passed late last year.
German minister wants EC to clamp down on X
German Greens MP and Minister of State for Culture, Claudia Roth, says X must be "regulated" to "protect democracy". Speaking to Table.
Sweden announces potential EU immigrant ‘return hub’ proposal for March
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has said the European Union could submit a proposal on creating so-called “return hubs” to expedite the removal of illegal…
TikTok ‘influencer’ Zazouyoucef arrested after alleged calls for killing of Algerian opposition in France
A so-called social media influencer who goes by the pseudonym 'Zazouyoucef' on TikTok has been accused of calling for the shooting of opponents of the Algerian regime…
EU leads to the Molenbeek Fallacy: luscious benefits but no national pride
The good secular rationalists who founded the European project after the horrors of the Second World War believed that political stability could be restored by meeting…
Poland assumes Council of EU presidency with focus on security and migration
Poland has assumed the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union, marking the end of Hungary's six-month tenure.
Romanian election annulment ‘to go to ECHR’, says victor’s lawyer
The issue of Romania's annulled presidential election is to be heard at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), media in the country has reported.
Illegal migration to Italy drops by almost 60 per cent in 2024
There was a sharp decline in illegal migration to Italy in 2024, with almost 60 per cent fewer illegitimate migrants reaching the country than in 2023.
Riots mar New Year’s Eve celebrations in Belgium
Serious unrest erupted over the New Year festivities in parts of Belgium, with migrant youngsters being blamed for outbreaks of rioting, arson and attacks on security…
Romania and Bulgaria join Schengen Zone – with border checks remaining
Romania and Bulgaria will both join the Schengen Zone, it has been announced.
Germany says Magdeburg hit-and-run suspect is ‘psychologically disturbed’
The German government has announced that the suspect in the deadly hit-and-run at Magdeburg's Christmas market exhibits "symptoms" of mental disorders, describing…
In the Middle East this time, it is all different: Trump is back
Just twenty years ago this week, the world’s greatest scholar of Islam, Sir Martin Gilbert, wrote of George W Bush and Tony Blair that they “may well, with the…
Vienna to keep plaque commemorating Stalin
A plaque on a house in Vienna’s 12th district commemorating Soviet dictator Josef Stalin will not be removed for the time being, the local council has announced.
‘Progressive democracy’ means destroying the power of the people’s vote
If you listen to establishmentarians in Washington and Brussels, liberal democracy is under threat from anti-democratic populist movements.
Israel slams Poland for refusing Netanyahu safe passage to Auschwitz event
The centre-left Polish government of prime minister Donald Tusk has said that it respects all International Criminal Court (ICC) decisions and warrants, making it…
German President brands Musk’s X a ‘threat to democracy’
Germany's President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has branded Elon Musk's X social media platform a potential "threat to democracy".