Queen Letizia looked distressed as the royals came under intense pressure from civilians impacted by flooding. | Manaure Quintero/AFP via Getty Images Although the royal household initially said that the monarchs’ visit to the devastated area would continue, it later announced that a scheduled visit to the town of Chiva was cancelled “by joint agreement … Read more
Oscar Soria with the Common Initiative called it a “unique funding mechanism,” but said its voluntary status could be a problem. “The mechanism’s effectiveness will likely depend on the global community’s willingness to support it and on corporate recognition of the value in participating for reputational gain,” he said. Other highlights included the creation of … Read more
But the intensity of the rainfall that hit areas around Spain’s third-largest city, Valencia — in some places, roughly a year’s worth of rain in a single day — exposed the country’s unreadiness and led the Socialist-led national government to slam the center-right regional authorities for failing to pass on early warnings to people in … Read more
An online booking system for Mount Fuji’s most popular trail was announced on Monday by Japanese authorities trying to fight overtourism on the active volcano. Japan’s highest mountain has become increasingly crowded during the summer hiking season, raising concerns over safety and environmental damage. To ease congestion on the Yoshida Trail, the preferred route for … Read more
Elisabeth Braw is a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, the author of the award-winning “Goodbye Globalization” and a regular columnist for POLITICO. An ever-growing headache, Russia’s shadow fleet, which operates outside the official maritime sector and features obscure ownership as well as virtually non-existent insurance, is now menacing Gotland — and thus Sweden. Because … Read more
Salvini is pushing to launch the project by June, when European elections will be held that could make or break his leadership of the League. The timing will be critical. As electoral support for the League shrinks, Salvini’s party colleagues are running out of patience. All 15 members of one local party association in Lombardy, … Read more
