French media regulator probes TV channels over Le Pen’s conviction coverage
French Conservative news channels CNews and Europe 1 are under investigation for their critical coverage of Marine Le Pen's conviction.
Society
Latest reporting and analysis on society.
100,000 march in Rome against EU rearmament plans
As many as 100,000 protestors have marched in Rome against European Union rearmament plans, which polls have indicated were unusually unpopular in Italy.
‘You steal, you pay’: Former French PM Attal attacks Le Pen
Former French prime minister Gabriel Attal, now leading President Emmanuel Macron’s Renaissance party, has criticised National Rally (RN) and its de facto leader…
Polish university lecturer indicted for allegedly dissecting non-stunned carp
Prosecutors have filed an indictment against a Polish veterinarian and university lecturer who, during classes with students, was alleged to have killed carp without…
Polish PM Tusk’s clampdown on hate crimes to ‘include memes’
The Polish justice ministry has published guidelines on hate-motivated crimes recommending close examination of online activity, including visual content such as…
German institutions may violate neutrality mandate to attack AfD, Constitutional Court finds
A German court has ruled that State officials and governments may use official communication channels to defame the right-wing Alternative for Germany party (AfD).
Spain still scrabbling around for meaning and values in dust of Civil War secularism
The template for the conduct and outcome of all public controversy, both in Spain and elsewhere, should be the YouTube footage of the “notorious” kiss by the…
Greece bans surrogacy for homosexual male couples and single men
Greek justice minister Giorgos Floridis has announced that single men and male couples in same-sex relationships will no longer be allowed to have children through…
America’s Hemispheric Turn?
Donald Trump’s real foreign policy vision in his second term remains an intriguing puzzle.
Vox spokesperson charged with hate speech for naming crime suspects
José Antonio Fúster, official spokesman of the Spanish right-wing Vox Party and deputy in the Madrid Assembly, is being investigated by the Catalan police force…
Swedish journalist jailed in Istanbul amid protests at city Mayor’s incarceration
Swedish journalist Kaj Joakim Medin, who was in Turkey to cover protests against Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu's arrest, has been jailed pending trial on terrorism…
‘Private data and passwords of top US security officials found online,’ says German magazine
US top officials have continued being hit with security leaks: German news outlet Der Spiegel has found that private contact details of US President Donald Trump's…
It’s too early to jump to conclusions about US foreign policy
The advent of Donald Trump’s second presidency has brought a considerable level of disruption to US foreign policy in a very short space of time.
New EU digital driving licence ‘will erode personal freedoms’
"A digital EU driving licence is on its way!" the European Commission has trumpeted - but experts said national variations in licence rules would cause confusion.
AFP journalist jailed as protests against Istanbul Mayor’s incarceration hit sixth day
A Turkish court has detained Agence France-Presse (AFP) photojournalist Yasin Akgul as part of an investigation into protests over the jailing of Istanbul's Mayor…
Turkey’s Erdogan says protests at Istanbul Mayor’s jailing a ‘movement of violence’
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said protests over the jailing of Istanbul's Mayor had become a "movement of violence" and that the main opposition party would…
German pharma giant Bayer must pay US cancer patient almost €2bn
Bayer, Germany’s biggest pharmaceuticals and biotech company, has been ordered to pay a record almost $2.1 billion (€1.
Turkey’s turmoil and the taboo question: is Islam compatible with democracy?
Turkey’s democratic façade collapsed on March 19, when Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu - the West’s secular poster boy - was snatched from his bed in the middle…
Antifa extremists destroy climbing route put up by FPÖ chief Kickl in Austrian Alps
Unknown perpetrators have sabotaged a climbing route first explored by Herbert Kickl, leader of the right-wing Austrian Freedom Party (FPÖ), in the Styrian alps.
Turkey detains 37 people over social media posts on detained Istanbul mayor
Turkey detained 37 people accused of "provocative" social media posts over the detention of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, the government said on March…
German left-wing extremist ‘Lina E’ given five-year jail sentence
A final verdict has been given in Germany against "Lina E", a violent left-wing extremist.
Belgian Flanders region slammed over ‘housing policy failures’
The Belgian region of Flanders was not doing enough to address the affordability of housing for vulnerable groups, according to a ruling by the European Committee…
Where is democracy? Unelected establishment judges now stand against elected populists
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: a right-populist walks into office. The unelected judiciary says, “We’re investigating you!”
Hungary passes law to ban Pride march, sparking protests
Hungary's parliament has passed a law to ban the annual Pride march by LGBTQ+ communities, triggering the blockade of a bridge in central Budapest in protest against…
Austrian court orders public health insurance to pay for trans woman’s beard removal
A court in Vienna, Austria, has ruled that the country’s public health insurance must pay for the removal of facial hair from a trans woman who was born as a biological…
Anti-abortion protest in Poland shut down because of picture of a foetus
A Polish court has upheld a decision by the Mayor of Toruń to stop an anti-abortion protest over the display of a picture of a foetus.
EU and Soros-funded NGO accuses Italy of ‘undermining democracy’
According to the Civil Liberties Union for Europe, Italy, along with Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania and Slovakia, have been contributing to a "democratic race to the…
Armies that do real fighting do not employ women as infantry or submariners
The recent inquest into the suicide of a young female soldier in the British Army nearly four years ago has generated vast amounts of adverse-publicity for the army.
‘Give us back the Statue of Liberty,’ demands French MEP
French MEP Raphaël Glucksmann has called on the US to return the Statue of Liberty to his home country over dissatisfaction with the policies of the administration…
Telegram founder Durov allowed to temporarily leave France
Pavel Durov, the owner of social media platform Telegram, has been allowed to temporarily leave France where he has been charged over alleged failures in content…