Fertility rate of German women drops to 30-year-low
German women are having fewer children at the lowest rate since 1996.
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Society
Latest reporting and analysis on society.
Sweden cuts red tape for changing legal gender
As of July 1, Sweden has removed some of the restrictions for changing gender legally and how it appears on official documents.
Member states inch closer to social media age-limit for minors
Italy, France, Denmark, Spain and Greece said they would pilot an online age verification app prototype developed by the European Commission, making it easier for…
Polish President Duda pardons border movement leader
Poland’s opposition Conservative (PiS)-aligned President Andrzej Duda has pardoned Robert Bąkiewicz, leader of the Border Defence Movement (ROG), from having…
Polish minister Sikorski urges Vatican to sack bishops for opposing government
The Polish ministry of foreign affairs has called on the Vatican to take action against two Polish bishops accused of making “harmful and misleading” remarks…
Belgian soldiers to hide faces from AI on national parade
Belgian soldiers must hide their faces at the military parade during the country's national holiday over concerns about artificial intelligence and advanced video…
German Chancellor Merz wants to cut rent subsidies for welfare recipients
Germany’s new Conservative Chancellor Friedrich Merz has announced plans to reform the country’s burgeoning social welfare programme.
French court rules Palestinians in Gaza eligible for asylum in France
Palestinians can be recognised as asylum seekers in France following a landmark ruling by the country's National Asylum Court (CNDA).
BBC ‘breached guidelines’ with Gaza documentary narrated by Hamas official’s son
An internal report by the BBC concluded that the media giant breached its own editorial guidelines by failing to disclose that the narrator of a Gaza documentary…
‘Only yes means yes’: Austria plans to tighten sexual offences law
Austria’s justice minister has presented plans for a major tightening of the country’s sexual offences law.
Ethnic clashes in Spain after migrants allegedly beat up elderly man
Spain has seen several nights of ethnic violence between locals and migrant communities after an elderly Spaniard was attacked.
German comedian to stand trial over online comments on Trump assassination attempt
Sebastian Hotz, a German comedian performing under the stage name “El Hotzo”, has to stand trial for a series of comments he made on social media after the assassination…
French first lady appeals in gender rumours case: lawyer
France's first lady has taken her case against two women over claims she used to be a man to the highest appeals court after a lower court let them off, her lawyer…
Man behind UK police boycott amid Rotherham grooming scandal honoured for ‘chivalry’
Muhbeen Hussain, who led a Muslim community boycott of the UK's South Yorkshire Police following the Rotherham grooming scandal, has been awarded a a British order…
EU consumer waste now as big as food imports
European consumers now waste as much food as the EU imports, around 58 million tonnes a year, according to a new report.
Wife of Lufthansa CEO allegedly involved in fatal car incident in Sardinia
The wife of the CEO of German national airline Lufthansa, Carsten Spohr, has been accused of running over and killing a young woman in Porto Cervo, on Sardinia’s…
French appeals court clears two over first lady gender rumours
A French appeals court Thursday overturned convictions against two women accused of libel against French First Lady Brigitte Macron, after they spread false claims…
French police raid Nestlé over alleged bottled water fraud
French police raided the offices of Nestlé Waters as part of a widening judicial investigation into the food giant’s alleged use of illegal filtration systems…
Macron claims Brexit at heart of small boat crisis, says British ‘sold a lie’
French President Emmanuel Macron has blamed Brexit for the Channel-crossing migrant crisis, claiming the British people had been "sold a lie".
Berlin renames major road after 300 years for political correctness
The city government of Berlin has been given the go-ahead to put in place a long-held plan to rename the major central Mohrenstraße road.
Polish maverick right-wing MEP Braun says gas chambers were ‘fake’
Grzegorz Braun MEP has claimed in a radio interview that Jews engaged in ritual murders and that the gas chambers in Auschwitz were a “fake”.
South German public pools ban ‘burkinis’ in crackdown on ‘unhygienic’ swimwear
Several public swimming pools in southern Germany have tightened the rules on admissible swimwear.
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…
Will Portuguese Socialists listen to voters, or double-down on open borders?
The results of Portugal's May 2025 snap election sent a shockwave through the nation's political establishment.
German court slaps down library ‘warning labels’ on ‘controversial books’
Germany’s Higher Administrative Court in Münster has ruled that the city library must remove politically charged warning labels from two controversial books.
Suspected arson attack shuts major German high-speed rail links
A fire under a railway line in Hirschaid, Bavaria, caused the shut-down of the high-speed rail connection between the German capital Berlin and the South German…
Thank you, Elon: Conservatives owe Musk a lot
Elon Musk’s clash with Donald Trump has shaken conservatives. Yet, his defence of liberty and tradition remains unmatched.
German CDU follower allegedly assaulted outside EP for wearing MAGA hat
A student committed to the German Christian Democratic Union (CDU) was allegedly attacked in Brussels after showing support for US President Donald Trump.
Dutch war-hero escapes prosecution for tackling protester
Decorated Dutch war-hero Marco Kroon will not be prosecuted for blocking a pro-Palestinian protester during a Second World War remembrance event but did receive…
No decline in the US, it leads the West
As regular readers will have noticed, I have often dissented from the widespread view, generally uttered with a rather irritating attitude of resignation, that the…