France threatens to block access to Shein site over sale of childlike sex dolls
French Minister of Economy Roland Lescure has threatened to block access in France to Chinese company Shein over the sale of childlike sex dolls on its French website.
Category
Politics
Latest reporting and analysis on politics.
Spain’s regional leader resigns, year after deadly floods
The heavily criticised leader of Spain's Valencia region said today he was stepping down, a year after the area was hit by floods in the country's deadliest natural…
Belgium did not shoot down unidentified drones over collateral damage concerns
Unidentified drones repeatedly flew over Belgian military sites but none were shot down as Belgian officials said they feared debris could hit civilians or damage…
Poland’s Ombudsman slams PM Tusk government’s ‘rule of law’ bill
The Polish Ombudsman, Marcin Wiącek, has criticised the “rule of law” bill proposed by the coalition government because it is based on a “false premise”.
Latvian parliament votes to quit Istanbul Convention on protecting women from violence
The Saeima, the Latvian parliament, has voted to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention, an international treaty intended to protect women from violence.
Farmers and MEPs lobby against latest agriculture reforms
Farmers and MEPs say the European Commission’s plan to return parts of European Union farming policy to national control is “a misstep”.
Hungary PM Orbán backs Polish ex-justice minister threatened with jail
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has slammed the Polish Government for pursuing a what he called a political vendetta and the European Commission for remaining…
EU to police open source software
The European Commission wants to make software "safer" for users via rules that would also apply to open source software.
Fresh immigration wave to hit the EU as Pakistan and Taliban set South Asia on fire
Peace talks between embattled Pakistan and Afghanistan collapsed earlier this week in Istanbul.
International Criminal Court ditches Microsoft Office ‘to remain autonomous’
The International Criminal Court (ICC) is to replace Microsoft software with the openDesk software offered by German company Zendis.
Historic low approval rating for French President Macron
French President Emmanuel Macron has cemented his status as one of the Fifth Republic’s most reviled leaders, with a new poll showing his approval rating collapsing…
Ex-Russian president Medvedev calls Belgian defence minister an ‘imbecile’
Dmitry Medvedev, Russia's former president turned hawkish deputy security council chairman, has unleashed tirade against Belgium's defence minister Theo Francken.
Left-wing MPs sued for alleging French police ‘kill’
French interior minister and former Paris Police Prefect Laurent Nunez has filed a defamation lawsuit against four members of the hard-left, accusing them of falsely…
EU importing record amount of Russian, US LNG
In the first half of 2025, the European Union imported more liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the US and from Russia than ever before.
Georgia’s ruling party wants to ban three main opposition groups
Georgia's ruling Georgian Dream party has lodged a constitutional lawsuit to ban the three largest opposition parties.
German right-wing activist applies for political asylum in the US
Naomi Seibt, a prominent right-wing influencer from Germany, has announced she is requesting asylum in the US over political persecution in her home country.
Unidentified drones fly over Belgian army base
Multiple drones have been spotted above the Belgian army base of Marche-en-Famenne in the south of the country.
The New Class War
Across the globe, a tectonic shift is underway — a groundswell of popular protest that, despite its size and significance, receives little more than a whisper…
EU softens tone on smoking products
Brussels has circulated a revised, less combative, compromise proposal for a unified EU position on the World Health Organisation's Framework Convention on Tobacco…
D66 party wins Dutch elections, ex-EU climate czar Timmermans resigns
In a dramatic comeback, the Liberal Democrats (D66) party has claimed a narrow but decisive win in the Netherlands' snap general election, eclipsing Geert Wilders'…
Brussels prosecutors launch criminal probe into multi-billion euro public transport debacle
Belgian prosecutors have launched a criminal investigation into the tendering process for Brussels’ Metro 3 line.
Stolen frying pan lands ‘inattentive’ Polish MP in hot water
Polish MP Konrad Berkowicz was caught by security leaving an IKEA store in Kraków, southern Poland with a frying pan and other items he had not paid for.
How the new Visegrad Group can surpass the old
In an interview with Politico Europe, Balázs Orbán, political director for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, revealed that Budapest would seek to reinvigorate…
Von der Leyens’ numbered days
European Union President Ursula von der Leyen has forged what is likely the strongest role for someone in her office in the EU’s history.
US AI firm defies EU with ‘massive facial recognition scraping operation’
A digital privacy advocacy is asking European authorities to arrest executives at US AI firm Clearview AI on grounds that the firm is allegedly flouting EU privacy…
EU could end up in an ‘economic cocoon’ says India minister
The European Union has too many regulations and meeting them all was “nearly impossible”, according to India's commerce minister.
European Commission denies Digital Services Act is behind Linkedin censorship
LinkedIn’s controversial decision to remove accurate Covid-19 content and suspend related user accounts was not based on the Digital Services Act (DSA) but on…
Corporate sustainability and the EU’s muddled energy mire
The economist Thomas Sowell once observed that there are no policies, only tradeoffs.
Polish PiS suspends former agriculture chiefs over alleged land sale
Poland's Conservative (PiS) opposition party has suspended two of its politicians over the alleged 2023 sale of public land intended for the Central Airport to a…
Ireland’s walls have been breached
History moves in cycles, sometimes brief ones.