Photo by Wesley Tingey on Unsplash On 9 July the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled that Russia is fully responsible for the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine in July 2014, which resulted in the deaths of all 298 onboard, most of them Dutch citizens. The ruling was part of a…
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EU has Responsibility to Hold SAF to Account
Photo Credit: UN Photo/Manuel Elías Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, leader of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), made a legitimacy dash to Seville in Spain last week, to attend a UN international development summit, the first of its kind in a decade. Addressing the conference, he made sweeping claims about Sudan’s important steps toward ‘civilian-led democratic transition’, claims…
Icebreakers Hide Deadly Nuclear Threat
Photo by Hao Zhang on Unsplash By all appearances, Russia is positioning itself as a global leader in nuclear technology, promoting innovations like the RITM-200 small modular reactor (SMR) as a key element of energy independence for remote regions and developing nations alike. Sleek promotional campaigns by Rosatom promise high-tech, compact, and safe nuclear solutions…
Why Climate Action Matters
Photo by Javier Miranda on Unsplash Politicians who deny the obvious climate emergency put our children and grand-children at risk. That is the claim of European Greens and comes in the wake of a major announcement by the EU on climate change. After years of deliberation, the European Commission has now presented the EU’s 2040…
Russia and Iran Coordinate Chaos
Photo by Vladimir Fedotov on Unsplash The events of the past 48 hours and the Iranian missile strikes on U.S. bases in Qatar, Iraq, and Syria should be seen not just as a regional flare-up, but as part of a broader and more worrying geopolitical pattern: the increasing military-strategic cooperation between Russia and Iran. This…
Belgian Cocktail Championship
They came from far and wide…..all seeking to be crowned the best bar person in Belgium. Bartenders, who come from all over the world, converged on a horeca training centre in Anderlecht for their gold standard event of the year: the national cocktail championships. This writer was among the judges who joined an elite group…
Darcey Harry Wins Hulencourt Womens’ Open
Welshwoman Darcey Harry, 22, won the inaugural Hulencourt Women’s Open, a Ladies European Tour tournament with €300,000 in prize money, held on the prestigious Belgian course “Le Vallon” de Hulencourt, in Vieux-Genappe. After four rounds, the Cardiff rookie won with a total score of -13 under par (cards of 71, 68, 68, and 68). It…
Listen to the Ocean Before it Falls Silent
Photo Credit Relais and Chateaux A major hospitality group is calling on chefs at all of its 580 properties, including those in the UK and Benelux, to remove threatened seafood species from their menus. The move by Relais & Châteaux is part of its stated mission to contribute to the protection and development of biodiversity….
Can US Sanctions, and an End to Double Standards over Sudan Prevent more Extreme Violence?
Photo by Mohamed Tohami on Unsplash The US State Department’s imposition of sanctions against the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) over their use of chemical weapons suggests the beginnings of a shift in the international community’s engagement with the crisis in Sudan. Along with concerns over Iran and other nations supplying the arms that enabled the…
Pegasus Bridge
Spare a thought tonight for the selfless courage of the young men of the air landing brigade of the 6th Airborne Division of the British Parachute Regiment who spearheaded the D-Day allied forces 81 years ago. In a daring surprise attack, they landed by parachute and gliders behind enemy lines shortly after midnight east of…










