Month: June 2023

After the Deluge: Dam Disaster Proves Devastating

Thousands dislocated, the threat of disease, renegade landmines, agricultural fields lost to the water: Three days after Ukraine’s Nova Kakhovka dam’s breach, the extent of the devastation is sinking in.

EU and U.S. Chide Kosovo Over Stalemate with Ethnic Serbs

The joint U.S. and EU shot across Pristina’s bow came after last week’s flare-up of violence, when dozens of NATO soldiers were injured during fierce scuffles with Serb protesters in northern Kosovo.

Annecy: Encore Une Fois

Stabbing innocent people is not cowardice; cowardice is sacrificing the nation’s children, rather than face the reality of your own lunatic immigration policies.

Fiscal Forecast: Should Hungary Join the Euro?

Judging from the comments by central bank president György Matolcsy, Hungary could join the euro in 2030 or soon thereafter. Would such a membership be good for Hungary?

Digging for Spanish Gold

Robbins’ study of the Golden Age might be called a work of skepticism in that it “refuses to create a unitary narrative, a single interpretive vision” of the period, but instead dissects it piecemeal under a microscope.

Canada Shatters State-Sponsored Suicide Record

Medical personnel “literally approach everyone who may qualify for MAiD and ask them if they want to die,” the director of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition said to explain the steep rise in numbers.

EU: Abraham Accords Initiative Launched in Parliament

EU: Abraham Accords Initiative Launched in Parliament

The Abraham Accords Network was launched with little fanfare by Roberta Metsola and urges the EU to support the landmark normalisation agreement between Israel and its Arab neighbours.

June 3, 2023
Metaphysics of Architecture: A Look at Gottfried Semper’s <em>Urkunst</em>

Metaphysics of Architecture: A Look at Gottfried Semper’s <em>Urkunst</em>

By locating the essence of traditional architecture in the primacy of character over concrete—the pattern we see over the material we don’t—Semper championed particularity over uniformity.

Conferencing With ‘Stop Brexit’ Bray and Co.

Conferencing With ‘Stop Brexit’ Bray and Co.

Their arguments on Brexit are, after more than half a decade, tired; but I would struggle to argue that some of the points being repeated over and over inside the conference were any less spent.

June 3, 2023
Metsola Answers Accusations About Bullying Probe

Metsola Answers Accusations About Bullying Probe

Metsola has been pushing for a reform of Parliament’s anti-harassment guidelines. Meanwhile, media reports allege that she has stalled a harassment probe into a Spanish MEP.

June 3, 2023
Macron Seeks Eastern Europe Support For Ukraine Plan

Macron Seeks Eastern Europe Support For Ukraine Plan

GLOBSEC delegates responded with “hearty” applause, though some wanted more details regarding the president’s support for Ukraine.

June 3, 2023
Spain Calls for Total EU Ban on Encrypted Messaging

Spain Calls for Total EU Ban on Encrypted Messaging

Fifteen member states are in favor of extending the EU’s upcoming surveillance law to end-to-end encryption, while Spain would outright ban it in the entire EU.

June 3, 2023
The 9th Art: Catholicism and Cultural Interplay in the Works of Gene Luen Yang

The 9th Art: Catholicism and Cultural Interplay in the Works of Gene Luen Yang

Much discussion of Yang’s work has focused on the ways that he expertly depicts the interplay (and clash) between East and West within the context of deeply human stories. However, far less ink has been spilled over the role that Christianity has in this interplay.

EPP Fightback Fails to Stop Human Rights Directive

EPP Fightback Fails to Stop Human Rights Directive

The directive is likely to come into effect before next year’s EU elections and facilitate decoupling from regimes such as China on human rights grounds.

June 2, 2023
EU Joins Forces With U.S. on AI ‘Code of Conduct’

EU Joins Forces With U.S. on AI ‘Code of Conduct’

So-called content-creating ‘generative AI’, spearheaded by the popular ChatGPT, is “a complete game-changer.”

Historic ‘ASAP’ Ammo Deal Approved by the European Parliament

Historic ‘ASAP’ Ammo Deal Approved by the European Parliament

The €500 million subsidy plan to boost domestic defense production—part of the wider €3 billion arms procurement scheme—can now be finalized during the Council’s upcoming July summit.

June 2, 2023
MEPs Clash Over Russian Disinformation Report

MEPs Clash Over Russian Disinformation Report

Right-wing populists and socialist anti-war MEPs spoke out against the anti-disinformation report.

June 2, 2023
EU Passes Crypto-Asset Regulation

EU Passes Crypto-Asset Regulation

Service providers using crypto-assets, for their part, must register as such and conform to certain security standards, including to do with the avoidance of money laundering.