French interior minister turns on Macron, eyes presidency
French interior minister Bruno Retailleau has publicly turned on President Emmanuel Macron, attacking his party political ideology.
From the capitals
Latest reporting and analysis on from the capitals.
Polish PM Tusk sacks a third of his cabinet in push to counter ‘defeatism’
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has sacked a third of his cabinet and promoted foreign minister Radosław Sikorski to Deputy Prime Minister.
Conservatives must do more than take office, they must take power
I have to admit, sometimes it becomes tiresome: Every time I attend a supposedly “grand summit” of (mostly Anglosphere) conservatism like Jordan Peterson’s…
Terrorist Hamas applauds call by 28 western governments for end to Gaza conflict
Islamic terrorist organisation Hamas has welcomed a joint statement by 28 foreign ministers, including those of 17 European Union member states and the UK, calling…
Ukraine announces new talks with Russia as French minister Barrot visits Kyiv
Russia and Ukraine will hold new peace talks in Turkey as a follow-up to two rounds in Istanbul that made little progress on ending their war, President Volodymyr…
Europe still has the power of… what, exactly?
President Donald Trump abruptly reversed course earlier this month when he decided to send Patriot missiles, along with other possibly offensive weaponry, to Ukraine,…
Poland downgrades diplomatic relations with Hungary, withdraws ambassador
The Polish foreign ministry has permanently withdrawn representation at ambassadorial level to Hungary.
Could Israel target Pakistan’s nukes? A ticking geopolitical bomb
Israel’s relentless strikes have crushed a series of nuclear ambitions: Egypt’s missiles in the ‘60s, Iraq’s Osiraq nuclear reactor in ’81, Syria’s al-Kibar…
Iran reveals arrest of teenage French-German cyclist missing since June
Iran has arrested and detained a teenage French-German national on a Europe-to-Asia cycle trip who disappeared in the country on June 16, Iran's foreign minister…
Embattled Spanish PM Sánchez refuses to throw in towel
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez told the parliament during a heated extraordinary plenary session he was not planning to resign over the corruption scandals…
Polish minister ponders X ban after expletive-ridden posts by Musk’s Grok chatbot
Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot Grok has caused offence with a series of vulgar messages about Polish politicians on the US billionaire's X platform.
Fiscal reversal: Italy can access cheaper loans than France
For the first time in two decades, Italy was now able to secure cheaper loans than France.
German Social Democrats veer further Left, hit new survey lows
Just two months after being sworn in, the German Government coalition under Chancellor Friedrich Merz does not have a majority with voters, according to latest polls.
French MP Olivier Marleix found dead at home, apparent suicide
French Republican MP, Olivier Marleix, has been found dead at his home.
Polish PM Tusk’s coalition rocked by claims Speaker held talks with opposition
Poland's ruling centre-left government led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk was left reeling after revelations about negotiations on the formation of an alternative…
Flip-flops, dead mink and fake Russia panic: Denmark’s Frederiksen takes over Council
Denmark took over the rotating presidency of the European Council on July 1.
Berlin Greens want to force landlords to rent flats to welfare recipients
Berlin's local Greens party has proposed a new rental law which would sharply curtail landlords' freedom to rent out their properties.
Spain: with no public funding, The Party is definitely Over now
Spain's populist insurgent Se Acabó la Fiesta party will now lose its public funding, despite receiving three MEPs in European Parliament elections and 2 per cent…
Western civilisation inching Mecca-wards: Muslims govern London, soon NY
In November, the world will learn whether its second great Anglophone city is to be governed by a Muslim, following the decade-long triumph of Saddiq Khan in London.
Catalan politicians delighted, Spanish amnesty law declared legally constitutional
Spain’s Constitutional Court ruled that the controversial amnesty law, key to Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's coalition deal, was constitutional.
Berlin court allows petition that would limit private car use to 12 rides per year
The constitutional court of Berlin has green lighted a planned citizens’ petition to limit drastically the use of private cars in the German capital, including…
EU’s defence chemicals shortage ‘exposes further dependency on China’
Europe's shifting ties with Asia have aggravated its growing defence production crisis, as shortages of key chemical inputs including nitrocellulose threaten to…
The Left resorting to dirty tricks to sabotage the will of right-wing governments
Italy held five referendums on labour rights and migration policy on June 8th and 9th.
Czech Government survives no-confidence vote over bitcoin scandal
The Czech Government, led by Prime Minister Petr Fial, has survived a no-confidence vote over the so-called bitcoin scandal.
Wilders’ plan: Voters will have to choose him or left-tinged chaos
Many observers think Dutch populist politician Geert Wilders was crazy to dissolve the government he had spent so many years trying to be a part of.
Polish divorce: PM Tusk’s allies part company but stay in government
Poland's Third Way electoral alliance partners, the centre-right Polish People’s Party (PSL) and the centrist Poland 2050 party, have announced their electoral…
EU position on Iran-Israel war excludes regime change
The European Union insisted diplomacy, not regime change, was its only strategy for dealing with Iran, even while Washington signalled it wanted Tehran to surrender.
US allies uttering platitudes on Iran which would just prolong the crisis
Once again, America's European allies and Canada are floundering around the Middle East crisis, flapping their arms ineffectively and uttering platitudes of moral…
French ex-PM Fillon gets suspended jail term over wife’s fake job
Former French prime minister François Fillon was given a four-year suspended prison sentence over his wife's fake jobs scandal, which torpedoed his 2017 presidential…
Macron ‘misusing the EU to advance own foreign policy’
French President Emmanuel Macron is facing criticism in Brussels and beyond for repeatedly speaking in the name of the European Union to advance what opponents call…