Christmas LightShow at Planckendael Zoo

Fancy brightening up those upcoming dark winter nights? It is not so easy but one annual tradition promises to bring a bit of much needed cheer to the lives of Belgians; It is called “China Light Zoo”, a festival in  which the Planckendael Zoo at Mechelen is illuminated with a colourful light show. This year…

Hungary Adds Insult to Injury in Georgia

On October 28-29, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó visited Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia. This visit took place amid significant political tension in the country, as President Salome Zourabichvili and opposition parties publicly expressed their disagreement with the results of the recent parliamentary elections, which they deemed to be fraudulent. …

Autumn’s Comforting Food

Lisa Chee MBE

Autumn is the favourite time of the year for UK chef Lisa Chee, partly for the comforting food it means she can cook. At a time of ongoing great uncertainty for the horeca sector, she offers some enviable advice to would-be chefs and restaurateurs. In an interview with this website, Lisa, who runs a thriving…

China-Russia Cooperation Threat to EU Security

Photo by Christian Feng on Unsplash

  Photo by Christian Feng on Unsplash The collaboration between China and Russia has intensified significantly over the past two years during the ongoing war in Ukraine. Despite its feigned neutral position, China continues to support Russia, supplying it with arms and dual-use goods. In the light of these developments and China’s increased engagement in…

MEPs Support Taiwan’s Campaign to Join International Organisations

Photo by Tom Ritson on Unsplash

    Photo by Tom Ritson on Unsplash MEPs have adopted a resolution that condemns China’s continued military provocations against Taiwan and firmly rejects any unilateral change to the status-quo in the Taiwan Strait. These attempts, it says, particularly by means of force or coercion, will not be accepted and will incur a decisive and…

Sakharov Prize for Venezuelan Democratic Leaders

Photo by Jim Romero on Unsplash

The leader of Venezuela’s democratic forces and the opposition candidate in the July presidential elections has been awarded the 2024 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought. The EU Parliament’s President Roberta Metsola announced the winners of the 2024 prize in the chamber in Strasbourg on Thursday. This follows a meeting of the Conference of Presidents…

Support Taiwan’s Participation in Interpol

Photo by Sean Lee on Unsplash.com

  Photo by Sean Lee on Unsplash.com Timely intelligence sharing is key to combating transnational crime; join hands with Taiwan to build a safer global village, writes CHOU Yew-Woei. Taiwan enjoys strong law enforcement capabilities and cooperates with friendly partners in criminal investigations. Being able to exchange information in real time is crucial to combating…

The Night is Darkest Before Dawn

Georgia will be freed from Ivanishvili’s “Russian dream”, writes Viktor Sparov Sakartvelo is now at the most important juncture of its development, perhaps since the dissolution of the USSR. In less than a week, the country will hold parliamentary elections that will definitively determine the future course of this small but proud country. At stake is…

BRICS Summit: Russia’s Strategic Delusion

Photo by Alexey Ruban on Unsplash

  The BRICS summit, which kicked off on October 22 in Kazan Russia, has been labelled a Russian project, but its reality is more complex. While Russia leverages the BRICS bloc to project itself as a global power and counter Western sanctions, the organisation is struggling with internal contradictions and inefficiencies. Established as an alternative…

Moldova Looks to Anchor its Future in the EU

Photo by Sasha Pleshco on Unsplash

  Photo by Sasha Pleshco on Unsplash MEPs have greeted the outcome of elections in Moldova, saying that while the result was close they are happy its people didn’t succumb to Moscow’s poisoned messages. That was the blunt message from the ECR Group in the European Parliament which saluted the people of Moldova for enshrining…