France
EUROPE
French Speech Laws Allow Rivals to Attack Opponents
France detained a sitting MEP and opened a hate-speech probe against its top news channel in the same week; French law, it turned out, had room for everyone.
EUROPE
Guardians Go Radical: France’s Masonic TrialÂ
Inside a quiet Parisian suburb, men pledged to secrecy and brotherhood allegedly ran hit squads, murdered a racing driver, and tried to kill business rivals.
LIFESTYLE
Sephora Kids: Beauty Brands Sell Children Anxiety
As Italy's competition watchdog opened an investigation into LVMH-owned Sephora this week, the "Sephora kids" trend stopped looking like a fad and started looking like a governance failure.
EUROPE
France: The End of Macron’s Middle Ground
The tallies from the municipal ballots gave the political fringes a triumph that the French establishment had not planned for.
LIFESTYLE
Perfume Capitals: Grasse Fields and Dubai Malls Compete for Status
One town grows the flowers. One city sells the dream. Both claim the title.
Popular
Armenia’s EU Turn is Russia’s Own Making
Armenia's parliament has embraced a European future which Russia's own inertia made almost inevitable.
Ukraine Postpones Elections as Brussels Holds the Line
Zelenskyy brands snap wartime elections a tsunami that would split Ukraine apart, leaving Brussels holding the sharpest check left on Kyiv's power.
Macron Deepens France’s Strategic Partnership with Saudi Arabia
France's embrace of Saudi Arabia argues that strategic and economic interests now outweigh the human-rights concerns that once made the relationship toxic.
Como Bans Bicycles After Mayor Hit
A mayor's collision with an electric bicycle produced a citywide ban. Can personal misfortune justify policy for everyone else?
EU Cybersecurity Rules Create a New Kind of Cyber Slop
EU cybersecurity rules are expanding just as artificial intelligence multiplies digital threats, leaving companies with more alerts and obligations to process.
