Realpolitik meets jihadism – Syrian President al-Sharaa in Berlin
Germany has received former jihadist Ahmed al-Sharaa as a state guest – in the name of a promised shift in migration policy. Yet f…
Pope: God rejects the prayers of leaders who start wars
Speaking to tens of thousands of people in St. Peter's Square in Rome, Pope Leo XIV stressed that Jesus cannot be used to justify …
Decolonising Shakespeare: a job for Monty Python
A left-wing cultural elite seeks to diminish a great artist. William Shakespeare, who lived and wrote long before Britain’s coloni…
Breaches at arms manufacturers expose Czech–Slovak security gaps
An arson attack on LPP Holding’s premises caused damage worth hundreds of millions of Czech crowns. The company told Statement tha…
Hungary’s foreign minister confirms contacts with Lavrov
The Hungarian foreign minister was responding to a report by the Washington Post that the two politicians had spoken by phone duri…
Celebrity row over deepfakes – a scandal used to push new rules
A serious allegation of virtual sexual violence comes at a convenient moment for activists and the German government seeking broad…
Hungary rocked by Russia leak claims and wiretapping allegations
The Washington Post reported that Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto regularly briefed his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavr…
Adoption instead of abortion? An idea meets reality
After the overturning of Roe v. Wade, a familiar question has returned: does adoption offer an alternative to abortion? Behind the…
Correctiv, fake news and the state: how journalism became a political instrument
An alleged ‘right-wing secret plan’ to ‘deport’ foreigners drove thousands onto the streets and shaped political debate in Germany…
Slovenian election ends in stalemate among main contenders
The ruling Freedom Movement and the opposition Slovenian Democratic Party finished neck and neck in Sunday’s parliamentary electio…
Mass protest in Prague against Babiš
Around 250,000 people gathered on Prague’s Letná Plain for the largest anti-government protest since 2019, criticising cuts in def…
Narvian People’s Republic: is Estonia at risk of a Ukraine-style scenario?
Since February, Russian-language narratives have circulated on social media calling for the creation of a pro-Russian ‘People’s Re…
House of Lords votes to allow abortion up to birth
The upper house has voted to decriminalise self-induced abortion up to birth and to maintain access to pills by post. The shift to…
Iran divides allies and unites rivals
The US’s closest allies are keeping their distance from a war they see as uncertain and risky. From Berlin to Madrid, criticism of…
‘We need more energy now – not only in 2040’
The U-turn by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on nuclear energy raises questions as Germany insists its nuclear…