‘I was there in 1962’: a reader remembers the start of the German economic miracle
In the early 1960s I had a stroke of luck. Through a Fulbright scholarship in mathematics, I was given the opportunity to study at the University of Freiburg.
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Society
Latest reporting and analysis on society.
El Salvador deemed safer than European countries by US Government
According to the US Department of State, El Salvador was now safer than France, Germany, Belgium, Sweden, Spain, the UK and several other European countries.
German ex-chancellor Merkel praises migration policies of new government
Former chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel has said she was "pleased" with the agreement between the Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union in Bavaria…
Poles first: PiS candidate pledges to ensure they are ‘not treated worse than migrants’
Karol Nawrocki, the presidential candidate of the Polish opposition Conservatives (PiS), has promised to submit legislation guaranteeing that “Poles cannot be…
Turkey: Give us a ‘fair’ shot at EU accession
Turkey should be given a "fair" shot at becoming a member of the European Union, according to its Brussels-based ambassador Faruk Kaymakci.
MEPs: Turkey’s accession progress to end over ‘deteriorating democracy’
Turkey was now no longer welcome to join the EU after its “continued deterioration of democratic standards”, members of the European Parliament's foreign affairs…
Germany’s CDU and SPD agree on ‘disastrous’ coalition pact
In Germany, the Conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Social Democratic Party (SPD) have agreed on a government coalition for the next four years.
Polish court cancels licences of two independent conservative broadcasters
A Warsaw court has revoked the licences of two independent conservative television channels, TV Republika and wPolsce24.
Smugglers who allegedly trafficked thousands of illegal migrants to EU arrested
In a co-ordinated European policing action, key figures of an alleged people-smuggling ring responsible for thousands of illegal migrant transfers have been arrested.
French presidential hopeful sparks outcry with idea to deport migrants to remote island
French presidential hopeful Laurent Wauquiez has caused an outcry in France, including within his conservative camp, for suggesting sending migrants awaiting deportation…
“Dictatorship”: German court sentences journalist for posting meme mocking minister
A German journalist has been handed a seven-month suspended prison sentence from a judge in Bamberg, Bavaria, for posting a meme mocking federal interior minister…
French court rules against ad ban on National Rally leader Bardella’s book
A French court has ruled against the advertising arm of France's national rail network SNCF after it banned posters promoting the autobiography of National Rally…
Judge in Le Pen case faces death threats, man arrested for post on X
A 70-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly issuing threats on X against Judge Bénédicte de Perthuis who ruled on the ineligibility sentence for French National…
Luxembourg decries ‘absurd’ German border controls on shared frontier
Germany's border controls on its frontier with Luxembourg, which Berlin said had been designed for security and migration, were "absurd", according to Luxembourg.
Germany blocks admission of particularly vulnerable refugees
Germany has imposed a temporary stop on the resettlement of particularly vulnerable refugees.
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.
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…
Libya bans 10 ‘hostile’ NGOs that offer ‘illegal’ support to migrants
Libya has closed down the headquarters of 10 NGOs active in the nation, forcing them to suspend their activities after accusing them of “settling illegal immigrants”…
How Europe is squeezing itself in a two-front war
In Europe, scary days are back again. The old continent is facing a two-front war, the most inconvenient position one can imagine.
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…
Opposition says Germany making covert relocations of migrants to Poland
Opposition figures from Poland's Conservatives (PiS) party visited towns on the country’s western border to call on Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s centre-left…
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…
Finnish Government seeks to extend ban on migrants seeking asylum on Russia border
Finland's right-wing government has asked parliament to extend until the end of 2026 a law that allows it to reject asylum applications from migrants crossing its…