French diplomats saw the agreement as win-win: a way to extend the country’s soft power through cultural diplomacy while also opening up possible new revenue streams for French businesses. They pointed to the Louvre Abu Dhabi as an example, a museum for which the Emiratis paid €400 million for the rights to use the Louvre … Read more
With parliamentary elections set for late October, and EU membership negotiations due to start shortly thereafter, the timing of this behavior was largely puzzling. However, an even greater riddle was the ruling party’s 12-year reign: If Georgians were so passionate about Western integration, why did they keep reelecting the anti-EU Georgian Dream (GD) for more … Read more
Brewers have integrated environmentally friendly practices into every aspect of the production cycle and supply chain. Breweries use energy-efficient technologies, invest in the circular economy and reduce waste. For example, they’ve reduced the volume of water needed to produce each liter of beer. As for energy, breweries invest heavily in renewable sources like solar panels … Read more
In France, Marine Le Pen’s National Rally party garnered about 30 percent of the youth vote in the European election — a 10-point rise compared to 2019. And in the Austrian national election last Sunday, the far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) came in first not only in the general population — but also among voters aged … Read more
“The law that I am signing does not reflect current, temporary, changing ideas and ideologies, but is based on common sense, historical experience and centuries-old Christian, Georgian and European values,” Papuashvili wrote on social media. He added that he expected the law to “cause criticism from some foreign partners” but said Georgians “have never been … Read more
Henke went on to claim that the AfD has won the support of most Russian speakers in his area, largely, he said, because they did not understand German well enough to read the lies promoted by mainstream news outlets and German public broadcasters. “They do not become victims of the official propaganda to the extent … Read more
The European Court of Human Rights referred the case in which two women complained about the ban on wearing the burkini in a municipal swimming pool in Antwerp back to Belgium. The drawn-out court case dates back to 2017, when the two women were not allowed to enter the pool in their burkinis, a full-body … Read more
1. Farewell to friendship groups Back in the day (read: 2022), you could show your enthusiasm for a country without having to deal with the hassle of sitting on the foreign affairs committee or joining a formal delegation — by becoming a member of a “friendship group.” That provided all the fancy embassy dinners without any … Read more
Slovak government plans to increase the country’s value-added tax (VAT) rate on books from 10 percent to 23 percent have drawn criticism from the country’s publishers, political opposition and university students. “Books, according to our analysis, are mostly purchased by wealthier segments of the population, so they will be taxed at the [highest VAT] rate,” … Read more
By 2050, the direct cost of myopia is projected to be $870 billion globally The WHO has spotlighted the urgency of global policy review to ensure the needs of children with myopia are met with the launch of the SPECS 2030 initiative, aiming to tackle the main causes of vision impairment through developing advocacy, raising … Read more
