Elon Musk, George Orwell, and the abuse of language: what the tech billionaire can learn about the cisgender wars from the novelist’s essay
On June 21 Elon Musk tweeted that the words cis and cisgender “are considered slurs on this platform”.
Society
Latest reporting and analysis on society.
EU leaders accused of putting media freedom at risk
The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) claims European leaders are putting journalists ‘at risk’ through their apparent willingness to allow the deployment…
No more news on Facebook and Instagram for Canadians
US billionaire Mark Zuckerberg's Meta Platforms, the mother company of social media giants Facebook and Instagram, is set to cut off access to news for all users…
Green groups put brakes on Germany’s biggest classic-car rally
It looks like the end of the road for Germany's biggest vintage-car rally, which has been cancelled just days before it was due to take place, amid environmental…
Twitter boss Musk folds on free speech in India, claiming he has ‘no choice’
US billionaire and Twitter owner, Elon Musk, seems less of a free-speech advocate than he would like the world’s public to think.
As much as Europe’s liberal elites abhor America’s divisive abortion fights, they are here already
Abortion has been a hugely divisive issue in the United States ever since the 1973 Roe v Wade judgment fifty years ago.
EU climate chief fears green deal risks hit from ‘culture wars’
The European Union’s landmark green deal is at risk of being dragged into the “culture wars,” said the bloc’s climate chief Frans Timmermans as he warned…
Trump has much to learn from Berlusconi’s successes
Comparisons have long-been made between former US President Donald Trump and former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.
Institutional bias: the European Parliament has failed to tackle the real issues raised by Covid-19 and its lockdowns
After 15 months of considering the EU’s management of the Covid-19 pandemic, an EU Parliament special committee has released its 56-page report.
Belgian Socialist leader says he’s bisexual in controversial YouTube video
Conner Rousseau, the leader of Vooruit, Belgium's Dutch-speaking socialist party, announced publicly on June 15 that he is sexually attracted to men and women.
Private cars of German police officers sabotaged during far-Left riots
Riots involving hundreds of far-Left radicals in Leipzig, Germany, protesting at the conviction of the activist known as 'Lina E', resulted in what a German police…
European Commission attacks Poland in European Parliament over ‘violation of democracy’
The European Parliament on June 14 debated controversial Polish legislation that according to the European Commissioner for Justice “violates the principle of…
Prince Harry, Sebastian Vettel, Greta Thunberg – practice what you preach before lecturing the rest of us
You cannot go far these days in Europe, indeed throughout the West, without being harangued by some celebrity about climate change or social justice.
Brussels City receives Tehran’s hardline mayor weeks after EU banned a group he led
Politicians and Iranian refugees have criticised the city of Brussels for inviting Tehran's hardline mayor to City Hall, just weeks after the EU sanctioned a group…
Swedish police wrong to ban Quran burning, judges rule
Swedish police were wrong to ban two gatherings earlier this year during which protesters intended to burn the Quran, an appeals court has ruled.
Poles’ support for Ukrainian refugees slumps
Support among Poles for their Ukrainian guests has slumped dramatically, with many now opposing benefits.
Presidentialism: What Giorgia Meloni has, and other Right-wing leaders would do well to emulate
Many Right-wing populists in the West, from Donald Trump in the US, to Matteo Salvini in Italy, and Marine Le Pen in France, are known for their abrasive and direct…
French Right-wingers alarmed about ‘Islamist’ participation at European youth-event
The European Youth Event (EYE), organised by the European Parliament in Strasbourg over the weekend of June 9 and 10, has sparked controversy after it included an…
Meloni’s party seeks to ban mosques in warehouses and garages
The Brothers of Italy party of Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, has proposed a new law to ban mosques set up on sites such as industrial warehouses and garages…
Learn to live with rats, says Paris city council
In what late film star James Cagney might refer to as a case of, “You dirty rats!
Challenges to Poland’s abortion law rejected by European Court of Human Rights
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on June 8 rejected a series of applications challenging legislation on the abolition of eugenic abortions in Poland, on…
EU’s Breton threatens Instagram owner with sanctions after damning article on child porn
Paedophiles have been given free rein on Instagram, it has been revealed. Horrified European Union officials are demanding action.
EP internal newsletter deflects harassment accusations
The European Parliament has denied taking no action to combat harassment, in an internal newsletter circulated on June 7.
Brussels bar covers up ‘sexist’ wall illustration
An “offensive” cartoon on the wall of a bar in Brussels has been covered with a large canvas sheet by the pub’s new owners who regard it as “sexist” and…
New EU bank account powers worry privacy advocates
New EU powers over bank accounts could be abused, privacy advocates warn.
Fifty police wounded after weekend of far-left rioting in Germany
German police say 50 officers have been wounded after violent rioting erupted in Leipzig at the weekend.
EXCLUSIVE Top EU research university sees explosion in anti-EU students
Europe’s top research university for European Union affairs is struggling with an unprecedented wave of students who no longer believe in “ever closer union”.
EU to fund ‘Queer Camp’ in Berlin
The European Union is heavily subsidising a summer camp in Berlin focused on sexual orientation.
Only woman in new government of Turkey is Belgian-born hardliner
The Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has announced his new cabinet, where the only female will be Mahinur Özdemir Göktas.
Moldovan accession ‘possible despite Transnistria’
The Russia-backed breakaway region of Transnistria, still internationally recognised as part of Moldova, will not be an obstacle to Moldova's European Union membership,…