Greta Thunberg to appear in court over oil terminal protest
World-renowned Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg is to appear in court after being charged with a criminal offence, according to media reports on July 5.
Society
Latest reporting and analysis on society.
French policeman claims he shot teen to save colleague
The French police officer accused of shooting teenager Nahel M, 17, sparking violent riots in many parts of France, has reportedly claimed he did so to save his…
Sweden: rise in requests to burn holy texts
After contentious protests in Sweden, where copies of the Islamic religious text the Quran were set on fire, three new applications have apparently been lodged with…
Why is France so bad at assimilating migrants?
France's riots have sparked debate about the integration of communities from North and Sub-Saharan Africa into French society.
German food banks plead for state support amid ‘frightening’ demand spike
German food banks claim they are in the midst of a crisis amid a "frightening" spike in demand, with some officials now calling for the German Government to step…
Ireland to delay talks on proposed hate-speech law
The Irish Government will postpone discussions over the country’s proposed legislation on hate speech.
The age of American power has barely begun – that’s what the history of Rome suggests
Comparisons of the United States with Rome often make the implicit mistake of assuming that America’s founding – 247 years ago this week – aligns with that…
French Senate discusses tightening censorship laws after riots
France's Senate considered giving police new powers to make social media firms remove content within two hours, after widespread rioting gripped the country.
Macron suggests ‘financial punishment’ for rioters’ families
In response to the violent riots that erupted in France, where large numbers of youths have rampaged in a spree of country-wide destruction, French President Emmanuel…
Don’t just blame the USA for culture wars in Europe: America absorbed trendy left-wing European theories and sent them back to us with interest
Europeans love to criticise and blame the US. This is especially true with the culture war.
Bulgarian parties face potential Euro referendum
Bulgaria's main political parties are due to discuss a possible referendum on its use of the Euro currency this week.
‘Funded by the EU’ signs should clarify cash came from citizens, MEP says
"Funded by the European Union" signs dotted around the EU should clarify that the cash ultimately came from the bloc's citizens, according to one MEP.
Call for protests across France after attack on family home of mayor
French mayors have urged citizens and elected representatives to convene at town halls nationwide on July 3 to express collective outrage at the riots that have…
Who does France memorialise? Macron is about to discover that historical narratives are more complex than political communication plans
It will be Emmanuel Macron’s next grand “Republican Ceremony”.
Alcohol should carry cigarette-style graphic warnings, say Left-wing parties
Eurocare, a network of around 50 voluntary and non-governmental organisations working on the prevention and reduction of alcohol-related harm across Europe, wants…
European Sex Workers group ‘disgusted’ at EU’s ‘Prostitution Report’
The European Parliament’s latest proposal for the regulation of prostitution has sparked outrage from the European Sex Workers Association (ESWA) and organisations…
Violence spreads across France after teenager shot by police in Paris
Violent riots erupted in Paris and other cities across France on the night of June 27 following the shooting of a North African teenager by a policeman in the French…
Peaceful prayer cannot be banned outside abortion centres, rules top German court
Germany’s Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig has ruled that blanket bans on peaceful prayer groups outside abortion centres are not permissible.
Violence stalks Brussels
Brussels is becoming an increasingly dangerous place to live with shootings in the Belgian capital having more than doubled in five years, according to local media.
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”.
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…