A Thai man has been given a 50-year prison sentence for criticising the monarchy in social media posts. The man, identified as 30-year-old Mongkol Thirakot, was initially given a 28-year sentence by a lower criminal court for a Facebook post made three years ago. He was later found guilty on 11 more counts by an … Read more
BRUSSELS — The Brits are making a comeback in the EU capital. Exhibit A: Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s international policy shop is wrapping up a hiring spree in Brussels. In just a year, the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change (TBI) went from virtually non-existent in the Brussels bubble to recruiting some half-dozen … Read more
PARIS — Four migrants died in French waters overnight on Saturday as they tried to reach a small boat setting off from the beach in the northern French town of Wimereux. Dozens were also rescued in the freezing waters by French rescue teams, according to local French media reports. One migrant was in critical condition … Read more
This story was originally published in German by WELT, a sister publication of POLITICO in the Axel Springer Group. Nate Lin wants to be prepared for war. On a Saturday morning in November, Lin, a 35-year-old Taiwanese man, practices how to apply a tourniquet to his right arm. In this fictive scenario, he’s been shot and … Read more
BEIJING — You stay out of our politics, we’ll stay out of yours: that’s the message delivered by Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo to Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Friday. In a statement to the press ahead of his meeting with President Xi Jinping’s No. 2, De Croo told Beijing not to meddle in … Read more
The Taliban has been arresting women for not wearing a hijab “properly”, according to its Vice and Virtue Ministry. However, it is not yet clear how many women have been put behind bars for the same. They reportedly began arresting women soon after they took over Afghanistan in August 2021 for not following the strict … Read more
TAIPEI, Taiwan — Europe should deepen exchanges on peace and security as well as trade with Taiwan, the frontrunner in the island’s upcoming presidential election said Tuesday. William Lai, of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, also called on China to play its role in ensuring stability in the Taiwan Strait, as Beijing continues to cast … Read more
EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders is hoping to become the next secretary-general of the Council of Europe, the international human rights organization, which would mark a hiatus in his career in EU politics. The news, which was first reported by Belgian media outlets Le Soir and De Tijd, was confirmed to POLITICO by a Belgian official … Read more
The United Arab Emirates has launched a trial of 84 people on charges of establishing a “clandestine organization for the purpose of committing acts of violence and terrorism,” the UAE’s WAM news agency reported on Saturday, with human rights organizations warning that many political prisoners are among the accused. According to WAM, Dr. Hamad … Read more
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak previously expressed doubts on a controversial program to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda, the BBC reported on Saturday. Sunak when he was Chancellor of the Exchequer attempted to convince then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson to scale back a migration scheme before a deal was signed with Rwanda in April 2022, the … Read more
