Photo by MW on Unsplash Today, the world faces mounting uncertainties and challenges from prolonged conflicts and democratic backsliding to economic coercion and disinformation campaigns. Authoritarian regimes increasingly employ gray-zone tactics that undermine the rules-based international order. In this fragile global environment, peace cannot be taken for granted. Democracies must unite to bolster resilience and…
UN Photo/Loey Felipe When a general tightens his grip, it seems more likely he is afraid of losing it. How else to interpret the three significant power plays General Abdel Fatteh Al-Burhan, commander of the Sudanese Armed Forces has attempted in the last month? In July he ordered all armed groups out of Khartoum, though…
Photo by Sébastien Goldberg on Unsplash The European Commission has announced that it has pushed forward the proposed EU-Mercosur agreement to the Council. The Mercosur deal has, it is said by some MEPs, been split into a political section and a trade section that will have to be adopted by a qualified majority of Member…
Photo by Andrea De Santis on Unsplash MEPs have warned the European Commission not to yield to the threats and to enforce the digital acquis as intended. As reported in the media, the European Commission reportedly pulled back a fine for Alphabet (Google) over the misuse of its powerful position in the online advertisement…
Photo by sander traa on Unsplash The conflict in Sudan, which has been raging for well over two years, is no closer to a peace deal, and the humanitarian crisis deepens on a weekly basis, with famine, disease and displacement. One name comes up, often as a stumbling block, in any article that speculates on…
According to the latest Public Health England report on gambling, 0.5% of the population (approximately 246,000 people) are problem gamblers, and 3.8% (2.2 million people) are ‘at-risk’ gamblers. The figures may seem relatively small, certainly compared with, say, 20 years ago, but the problems associated with gambling are multitude and serious. There is one self-confessed former…
Photo by Ben Wicks on Unsplash The European Commission has put forward two proposals paving the way for the implementation of the EU-US Joint Statement. These steps, says the EU, contribute to restoring stability and predictability in EU-US trade and investment relations, “to the benefit of business, workers and citizens on both sides of the Atlantic.” The…
Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash The European Green Party has called for the European Union to respond urgently to the ongoing Russian attacks on Ukraine with more sanctions, and the acceleration of negotiations for Ukraine’s integration into the EU. Vula Tsetsi, Co-chair of the European Green Party, condemned the attacks by Russia that killed…
Question? How many restaurants are still going strong four decades after opening? The answer, surely, is very few, especially after the recent twin ravages of the health pandemic and economic crisis. Both episodes have seen many eateries in Brussels, as elsewhere, sadly go to the wall. One very notable exception is Les Frères Romano which should not be…
Photo by the State Emergency Service of Ukraine On the night of 28 August, Russia launched another large-scale missile and drone attack on Ukraine’s capital. Several waves of strikes included drones, hypersonic weapons, ballistic and cruise missiles. Air defence systems intercepted many threats, but multiple direct hits struck Kyiv, causing fires, destruction, and civilian casualties….
