Assange was ‘political prisoner’, says Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
A few months after his release from prison, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has recognised Julian Assange as a political prisoner.
Society
Latest reporting and analysis on society.
Georgia defies EU, signs ‘anti-LGBTQ bill’
Shalva Papuashvili, the Speaker of Parliament in Georgia, has signed a controversial bill into law that opponents have described as "curbing LGBTQ rights", despite…
‘Incompetent’ WHO says alcohol ‘too cheap’, demands EU clampdown
As part of the campaign, the WHO detailed the tale of Yolanda, a Swedish poet and "trans-activists" who fights for so-called "queer spaces" free from harm due to…
Berlin police raid homes of five men on suspicion of ‘pro-Palestinian’ crimes
German authorities have raided the homes of five men suspected of involvement in "pro-Palestinian-motivated crimes" as part of a broader effort to crack down on…
EU demands info from YouTube, Snapchat, TikTok on content algorithms
The European Commission requested information on October 2 from YouTube, Snapchat and TikTok on the parameters used by their algorithms to recommend content to users…
AfD representatives most likely targets of political violence
More than half of all recorded physical attacks on politicians in Germany have been against those from the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, newly released data…
‘Some Dutch police refuse to protect Jewish targets,’ officers claim
"There are colleagues who no longer want to protect Jewish targets or events. They talk about 'moral dilemmas' and I see a tendency emerging to give in to that.
Tusk calls it ‘militant democracy’ as he rejects and violates decisions by the courts
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has now made it official: he and his government are applying the principles of “militant democracy” to defend liberal democracy…
Pope’s visit to Belgium overshadowed by history of clerical abuse of children
The Pope's three-day visit to Belgium over the weekend was overshadowed by historical sexual abuse by members of the clergy.
Thuringia’s Interior Minister wants to ban AfD after parliamentary chaos
The interior minister of Germany's state of Thuringia has called for banning the Alternative for Germany (AfD), after a tumultuous opening session of the state parliament.
German court rules teacher’s dismissal legal over ‘loyalty’ to constitution
A German court has upheld the dismissal of a trainee teacher for failing to prove her "loyalty" to the country's constitution.
Thousands of illegal streaming services broadcasting French football games blocked
France’s digital regulator has said it was blocking thousands of illegal streaming services broadcasting French professional football league games.
‘Free Speech absolutist’ X suspended over 5 million accounts in first half of 2024
The first transparency report X published since its takeover by Elon Musk shows the platform still moderates its users heavily.
Big apes, but not small humans, come under protection of Spanish law
The Spanish government is planning a law to give the “hominid family of primates” – that is, to you and me, big apes – protection from experimentation and…
All Irish parties must push for reunification, EPP’s Varadkar says
All parties in Ireland must promise to push actively for the reunification of the island, the country's former European People's Party-aligned Taoiseach (Prime Minister),…
Brussels bookshop axes conservatives to protect ‘inclusive space’
A Brussels bookshop has reversed its decision to host a Conservative event, in the hope of preserving its status as an "inclusive space", organisers of the gathering…
EU policy on Iran ‘expected to get tougher’
Alejo Vidal-Quadras visited the Brussels Signal studio to discuss the report 'Europe’s Failed Policy Towards Iran'.
Meloni outlines plan to avoid ‘inevitable decline of the West’
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has outlined her plan to save the West from "inevitable decline" at the Atlantic Council Global Citizen Awards in New York.
Ireland drops controversial new ‘hate-speech’ laws
The Irish Government has announced it will drop its highly controversial plans to introduce new prohibitions on so-called "hate speech".
South Asia in deep water as Bangladesh falls for Islamist propaganda
While the world's eyes have been elsewhere, on Gaza, Ukraine, or developments in the South China Sea, tensions have been rising in South Asia.
Telegram update to let authorities access users’ data
Messaging app Telegram has updated its terms of service and privacy, indicating that the application is set to provide users' data to authorities.
Irish President accuses Israeli embassy of ‘leaking letter’ to Iranian counterpart
Irish President Michael D Higgins has claimed that a letter he wrote sending the incoming Iranian President "best wishes" was leaked by the Israeli embassy.
France’s new right-wing government faces immediate turmoil
France's new Prime Minister Michel Barnier has revealed the new government's political orientation.
Kyiv bans the use of Telegram for Ukraine officials, citing security concerns
Ukraine's National Cyber Security Coordination Centre (NCC) has decided to ban the use of social media platform Telegram for officials, citing security concerns.
European Parliament finds right-wing majority on Venezuela vote as ‘cordon sanitaire’ cracks
The first cracks in the European Parliament's "cordon sanitaire," the refusal to work with hard-right parties, appeared on September 19 after a vote on democracy…
Austria’s ÖVP ‘accidentally’ votes to abolish biological sex definition under federal law
The Conservative Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) has said it inadvertently voted into force a change of a federal law that has replaced the definition of biological…
German police try to strong-arm US media company’s freedom of speech
Political correctness in its original sense is a notion used in the early 20th century by totalitarian regimes in order to describe what was in tune with the party…
Partial curfew imposed on French island of Martinique amid unrest at high cost of living
A partial renewable curfew has been established in France's overseas region of Martinique in the Caribbean amid protests about the high cost of living there.
Estonian professor stripped of ‘Emeritus’ status for attending Russian conference
Estonia's Tallinn University has revoked the Emeritus status of Rein Müllerson, an internationally recognised expert in international law, following his participation…
German State TV said actor who turned against AfD during show was ‘ordinary citizen’
An amateur actor who underwent a radical change of heart regarding the hard-right Alternative for Germany party (AfD) during a TV show was described as a "clerk"…