Italy sees ‘beach-umbrella protest’ as licence row resurfaces
Italy's balneari (beach managers) closed their umbrellas for a few hours on August 9 in a symbolic protest against the government's failure to resolve a dispute…
Politics
Latest reporting and analysis on politics.
Ukraine has ‘right to hit targets in Russian territory’, says Brussels
Peter Stano, the European Commission's lead spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security, has confirmed the bureaucracy's support for Ukraine's strikes within Russia.
Spain fumes after Puigdemont pulls off ‘disappearing act’
Authorities in Spain have been demanding answers after Catalan independence leader and political outlaw Carles Puigdemont successfully pulled off a disappearing…
X slams ‘draconian’ Irish demand to cease Grok AI data processing
Social media platform X has slammed an Irish request for it to stop processing user data for its Grok AI as "draconian", according to national broadcaster RTE.
Apple loosens AppStore rules amid Brussels pressure
Apple has once again adjusted its App Store rules amid ongoing pressure from the European Union.
Estonian journalist accused of treason over book ‘designed to divide society’
Estonian journalist Svetlana Burceva has been charged with treason after writing and publishing a book in Russia entitled 'Hybrid war for peace.
Oh, really? Starmer says online free speech causes riots
Last week, as much of the world now knows, three young girls were murdered and eight others were seriously injured in a knife attack at a children’s dance class…
EC gives nod to Green Deal architect’s top job with Dutch gas major
One of the architects of the European Green Deal has received permission from the European Commission to take up the role of Chairman with Gasunie, a Dutch gas company.
Puigdemont’s return to Spain sparks Barcelona police ‘cage’ operation
Mossos d'Esquadra, Catalonia’s regional police, on August 8 activated a "cage" operation lasting more than three hours to capture the region’s former president…
EC and NGOs left smarting over attacks on Poland for jailing Russian spy
NGOs and the European Commission have egg on their faces after they lambasted Poland over the imprisonment of Pavel Rubtsov, a Russian spy who was part of the recent…
Irish regulator takes X to court over Grok AI
Ireland's Data Protection Commissioner (DPC) is taking the Twitter International Unlimited Company to the country's High Court over its "Grok" artificial intelligence,…
After the summer, an awkward menu of decisions waits for European leaders
The traditional August vacation means a likely slow month for European political news.
Now youth frisbee gets political: Israeli team forced out over ‘security threat’
Israeli teens in Belgium to take part in an international frisbee tournament have been forced out after pro-Palestine activists campaigned against their presence…
Pharmacy chain Rossmann axes Tesla purchases citing Musk’s ‘support for Trump’
Rossmann, one of Europe's largest chains of chemists, has announced it will no longer buy Tesla electric vehicles (EVs) for its company fleet because of the support…
The Spy Who Loved Me? German State bans agents from having sex with targets
A German State has banned its intelligence agents from having sex with their targets.
Arab and Israeli civilisation gaining ground against Iran
Perhaps my perception from North America of European official attitudes is incomplete, but a reasonably thorough hunt around the internet has given me the impression…
French imports of Russian LNG soar in first-half 2024
French imports of Russian liquified natural gas (LNG) are surging and feeding into an increase in exports of Russian LNG to the rest of Europe.
Polish man to stand trial over assault on Denmark’s prime minister
A Polish man will stand trial in Denmark on Tuesday over an attack on Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in central Copenhagen in early June, facing charges of assaulting…
Conservative Dutch broadcaster ON suspends its own chief
Ongehoord Nederland (ON), a Conservative Dutch public broadcaster, has ousted its own president and founder, Arnold Karskens, citing serious complaints about his…
A mother, a widow, cut off her head and French culture finds it amusing
The opening of the Paris Olympic Games turned the state-murder of Marie Antoinette in 1793 into a comic opera and marked another milestone in the cultural death…
EC torpedoes TikTok rewards programme in latest DSA purge
The European Commission has taken down a TikTok rewards programme amid fears it could have been operating in violation of the bloc's Digital Services Act (DSA).
Poland releases Russian spy as its own journalist remains in Belarusian jail
Poland was lavished with praise by the US administration after it consented to the release of a Russian spy from a Polish prison, helping broker the biggest prisoner…
Brussels ‘co-ordinating’ oil embargo on Hungary and Slovakia, claims minister Szijjártó
Brussels is behind Ukraine's attempt to block oil from entering Hungary and Slovakia, Budapest's foreign minister, Péter Szijjártó, has claimed.
‘EU values economic interests over rule of law and democracy,’ claims Balkans expert
The EU-Serbia lithium deal, aimed at reducing Chinese influence, faces sharp criticism over Serbia's rule of law issues and the EU's perceived prioritisation of…
Tusk Government accused of push to sell-off State rail assets to Germany
The centre-left Polish Government led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk has been accused by the opposition Conservatives (PiS) of attempting to sell-off the assets of…
EU’s ‘degrowth’ means rich stay rich, the poor are made even poorer
It is hard to distinguish whether an action is driven by malice or incompetence when the results are the same.
German politicians uneasy after Biden’s Russia-West prisoner swap
Politicians in Germany have been left uneasy by a prisoner exchange spearheaded by US President Joe Biden in which a convicted Russian killer was released.
Who’s who in Russia-West prisoner exchange
An exchange involving 24 prisoners has taken place in Turkey - the first since the last major swap between the West and Russia in 2010 of 14 prisoners.
Turkey blocks public access to Instagram
Turkey has blocked access to social media platform Instagram.
Italy misses own deadline to open migrant camps in Albania
Italy's plans to set up detention camps in Albania for migrants picked up at sea has been delayed.