Jimmy Carter: The last progressive evangelical
The former president embodied a strain of Christianity that emphasized caring for those on the margins — but was eclipsed by the Religious Right.
traditions
Georgia’s new pro-Russia president inaugurated amid protests
The ruling Georgian Dream party has halted talks on joining the EU.
Westminster’s tips for a perfect Christmas lunch
Before you face the biggest feast of the year, check out how U.K. politicians prepare for the big day.
French Christmas traditions: festivities that continue into the New Year
Christmas in France would not be complete without free-flowing champagne, oysters or a bûche de Noël. And the French holiday season is longer than most – stretching into the New Year with Epiphany (January 6) and its traditional galettes des rois into…
Democrats don’t blame Harris. In fact, many want her back in 2028.
Top officials gathered in Washington suggested an openness to backing the vice president again next time.
Europe’s Syrians shaken by debate over repatriation to their war-ravaged homeland
For many Syrian refugees in Europe, joy at the fall of Assad has been tempered by immediate calls for them to go home.
Ending harmful subsidies will benefit small-scale fishers
WTO members are negotiating new rules that would limit damaging fisheries subsidies. Finalizing these is essential for protecting the health of the fish stocks on which many coastal communities rely.
Christmas’ most endangered species: The Gävle goat
All cultures have their quirky Christmas traditions, but no one builds Yule goats to celebrate the holidays like the Swedish.
Defenders of the Romanian nation and all Europeans
A strong European Union is built on protecting each of its members’
interests equally. The AUR is ready to collaborate.
Brussels is bursting out of its borders. That’s helping the rise of the right.
Multilingualism is coming for Flanders — though not everyone likes that idea.
Britain’s new MPs rage at parliament’s old traditions
Newly elected lawmakers set their sights on archaic customs like “bobbing” to win the Commons speaker’s attention.
The man who bought a country
Georgia’s richest man, Bidzina Ivanishvili is tilting his country toward Moscow ahead of an election on Oct. 26.
As possible Trump return looms, EU’s Lagarde urges US to avoid trade wars
Fears are growing that a victorious Trump will deploy the tariff weapon, just as he did against the EU and China in his first term.
Elon Musk pushes for an American technopoly
Stumping for Trump, the tycoon is embracing a progress-for-its-own-sake vision of the future. Guess who benefits?
EU strips Georgia of €121M in funding over ‘democratic backsliding’
Foreign funding has supported the South Caucasus country’s economy for years.
Kyiv slams Georgian electoral ads depicting bombed-out Ukraine
Georgian people “need not to be afraid of a new war as long Ukraine resists Russian aggression,” Kyiv said.
What just happened? A beginner’s guide to von der Leyen’s European Commission
Confused by goings on in Brussels? We can explain.
Rare and ornate 14th-century Bible sells at auction for £5.3m
New owners of Shem Tov Bible, which has survived countless wars and upheavals, plan to put it on public displayA rare, ornate, talismanic and mystical Hebrew Bible that was written by an illustrious rabbi in 14th century Spain, and whose gilded and col…
In Russia, denunciation is making a comeback
Opponents of the war in Ukraine and anyone who seems to challenge Russian values and traditions are likely to become targets of ‘patriots’ determined to expose the country’s ‘enemies.’ Cultural circles are particularly targeted.
Bird research in Malta has reached the EU courts [Promoted content]
In order to combine deep socio-cultural traditions with scientific research, Malta hasestablished a ‘Catch-and-Release’ programme, which draws upon the centuries-oldexperience of live-finch trappers. Nevertheless, the outcome of a forthcoming ruling by…
Von der Leyen 2.0 Commission takes shape: Gender parity under scrutiny amid big political in-tray
It hasn’t been smooth sailing this summer for Ursula von der Leyen, who was voted in as EU Commission president for a second term in July. She had asked national capitals to put forward two candidates for her new Commission, one female and one male, …
‘Not our tradition’: calls in Sweden to ban fathers walking brides down the aisle
Popularised by Hollywood and the wedding of the crown princess, the patriarchal ‘handover’ is catching on. Now Lutherans want to stop itFrom equal parental leave and an almost gender-balanced parliament to pole position in the EU’s gender equality inde…
Is Germany’s rising superstar so far left she’s far right?
Sahra Wagenknecht’s brand of “left conservatism” is upending German politics ahead of critical elections in the east.
Send Snoop to the Convention: What political media can learn from the Olympics
Bringing more celebrities into political coverage could make it livelier — and perhaps even more informative.
Bharti Kher, Yorkshire Sculpture Park — magical transformations of glass into gold
The British-Indian artist draws on politics, religious traditions and her cultural heritage to make works of subtle power
Scoop! Where to get the best ice cream in Brussels
Not on holiday? Don’t worry, you can still enjoy some glorious gelato.
Hungarian presidency launches offensive against ‘novel’ food to defend EU’s ‘culinary tradition’
At Budapest’s initiative, EU agriculture ministers will discuss on Monday (15 July) whether insects, plant-based foods or lab-grown meat could jeopardise Europe’s culinary traditions.
Von der Leyen’s charm offensive ahead of secret, knife-edge vote on her future
Secret ballot poses extra challenge as European Commission president seeks a second term.
No more Kanye East? Russian orthodox group wants US rapper banned
Far-right activists say Hitler-endorsing rapper should be permanently barred from Russia for “supporting Ukraine.”
‘Build a wall’ in the English Channel to deal with migrants, says Conservative darling
Uber-Tory Jacob Rees-Mogg takes page from Donald Trump’s playbook.
Why is British politics so unfailingly funny?
Rishi Sunak, Keir Starmer and Nigel Farage walk into a bar. Ouch. Ouch. Ouch.
Let’s be a bit more honest about what a ‘European identity’ looks like
Emphasizing Europe’s “Judeo-Christian” heritage and looking only to antiquity betrays the European project, excluding the various peoples and entities that shaped the Continent.
Far right charts irresistible rise in France’s conservative heartlands
Political boundaries are shifting in Sarthe, a traditional bastion of the French conservatives.
The secret, unwritten rules of the EU’s top jobs carve-up
Millions of people vote in a European election and then six people work out a deal on the EU’s next leadership.
The Hutsul Provody: the comfort of centuries-old traditions during war in Ukraine
In the Ukrainian Carpathians the Provody – a communal commemoration of the dead – takes on a new dimension during the war, to become a way of working through group mourning The afternoon sun falls on a small wooden hut in a green orchard. People are ha…
A Further Step to Gender-Sensitive EU Asylum Law: The Case of ‘Westernised Women’
Türkan Ertuna Lagrand, Assistant Professor, and Salvo Nicolosi, Senior Assistant
Professor, University of Utrecht
Photo credit: Mystslav Chernov, via Wikimedia
Commons
Gender-based asylum
claims have been gaining momentum in EU law. O…
Sunak and Starmer’s first UK election debate was a battle of the nerds
They’re both robotic technocrats — but real differences were exposed in the first TV debate of the 2024 general election campaign.
Sunak and Starmer’s first UK election debate was a battle of the nerds
They’re both robotic technocrats — but real differences were exposed in the first TV debate of the 2024 general election campaign.
By the numbers: How politicians have advertised online for the European election
Among the biggest spenders is Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party.
Serbia reels at UN resolution on Srebrenica massacre
Decades later, Belgrade is still determined to control the narrative over the slaughter of over 8,000 Bosniaks in 1995 during the Yugoslav war and mold it to its own interests.
In Italy, we live to eat. But tasty NHS fare puts our boring hospital food to shame | Viola Di Grano
I was brought up to think sick people must do dietary penance. Then I tasted the delicious tikka masalas of a London hospitalI was born into a family with little love for food, and therefore scarcely Italian: I grew up with salads and overcooked pasta …
Europe’s cultural identity — that’s what we’re fighting for
In the last three decades, we’ve enjoyed the luxury of not having to ask ourselves what it is we stand for. But those times have passed.
Which of your fave Taylor Swift, Drake and Beyoncé songs has Chechnya banned in culture crackdown?
The Eras Tour won’t be coming to Grozny anytime soon.
From cutting off men’s ties to throwing dried herrings, can traditions help build a more open Europe? | Alexander Hurst
As an outsider, I’m delighted by the continent’s local rituals – and their sense of a collective identity that’s more complex than we assumeEvery time I go to Germany I seem to stumble into a festival or tradition I wasn’t aware of – and no, I’m not ju…
In the EU, continued rule of law backsliding keeps weakening our democracies
Even in countries with strong democratic traditions, there are serious threats to the institutions, processes and freedoms that underpin free and open societies. And if left unchecked, the damage to democracy may be all but impossible to reverse, Elean…
Biden slams Trump-Orbán meeting in Florida
The Hungarian leader has become an icon to some conservative populists for advocating “illiberal democracy.”
French PM Attal outshines Macron with warm welcome at farmer fair
PM chatted with farmers and unionists in a relaxed setting, unlike the hostile reception the president faced a few days ago.
Why Rishi Sunak’s Tories can’t stop beefing with bishops
The British prime minister is on a collision course with England’s clergy, who are no longer ‘the Conservative Party at prayer.’
In Northern Ireland, ‘a Protestant state’ finally has a Catholic leader
Sinn Féin’s Michelle O’Neill vows to be ‘a first minister for all’ in a divided society where stable government has been a casualty of Brexit.
The Guardian view on strikes and protests in Germany: this is no time for austerity
Olaf Scholz needs a new economic approach to heal divisions in a country renowned for its consensual politicsFor several decades, German politics and society have been shaped by two fundamental features – both of which have contributed to an enviable a…
London’s Big Ben marks 100 years of New Year ‘bongs’ on BBC radio
London’s Big Ben on Sunday marks the 100th anniversary of its “bongs” to ring in the New Year being broadcast live across the world.
Take this job and shove it: the revised EU law on non-EU migrant workers
Professor Steve Peers, Royal Holloway University of
London*Text updated Dec 22 2023, to add a link to the agreed text of the Directive, and April 12 2024, on its final adoption
Photo credit: Lasse Fuss, via Wikimedia
commons
Overshadowe…