Sitting in Brussels, or one of the EU’s 27 chancelleries, one could be forgiven for tuning out the latest psychodramas in Britain’s Conservative party. After all, the country has a new Labour prime minister who is a pro-European keen to build upon the “reset” begun by Keir Starmer. Who cares what a party in opposition … Read more
Andy Burnham is unknown in Brussels, but that will soon change. In his schedule for the autumn is an EU-UK summit that may underscore the same dilemmas that have confronted previous British prime ministers in the relationship with Europe. EU leaders were quick to offer congratulations to Britain’s prime minister, the seventh since the 2016 … Read more
“Can we reschedule?” Over the years of working with western colleagues, I had learned to accept that they don’t fully understand what war feels like from the inside. They would ask me to find someone in occupied Mariupol for an interview, or seem genuinely puzzled that I couldn’t just log on at a time that … Read more
What will European leaders make of Andy Burnham, the seventh UK prime minister they have had to deal with in a decade of chronic political instability in London unleashed by the fateful 2016 referendum vote to leave the European Union? The “king of the north” is largely an unknown quantity in continental Europe and has … Read more
Just past midnight, the cheers erupted from blocks of lit flats in my neighbourhood in central Madrid. Hours later, people of all generations were still out in the streets in the middle of another tropical night, and not only because it was warm, with temperatures hovering close to 30C. In the big pedestrianised square Plaza … Read more
Feckless and clueless, Donald Trump is lost in Iran, unable to find a way out of the disastrous war he started. Once again, the US military is pummelling the country and, increasingly, its civilian infrastructure. As before, this unlawful bludgeoning strengthens the resistance of a hardline regime that cares little for its people’s suffering. How … Read more
Parisian waiters are professionals, providing an excellent service – they are not rude or unfriendly, just sometimes slightly misunderstood. No, really, hear me out. We’re all familiar with the trope of the rude Parisian waiter, looking down their nose at your inferior wine choice. They have been called “brusque and unwelcoming”, “snooty and rude” by … Read more
The abrupt dismissal of Ukraine’s youthful and innovative defence minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, by Volodomyr Zelenskyy at precisely the moment Kyiv appeared to be gaining advantages in several spheres of its war with Russia has exposed, not for the first time, a troubling flaw in the president’s leadership. The move, which has startled senior European officials … Read more
Rare Pair of Improbably Light ‘Super-Puff’ Planets Is Discovered
Hailstones the size of golf balls have been seen in French villages as, on top of the exceptional European heatwave, thunderstorms struck across certain parts of Europe. While thunderstorms are typical during and after a period of extreme heat, the storms across countries like France, Germany and Poland have been particularly severe and have brought … Read more