Friday, August 16, 2019

Print Edition

Focus

EU’s Budget Commissioner opens consulting firm in Hamburg

European Budget Commissioner Günther Oettinger will become an independent business and political consultant in Hamburg after the end of his term in office. Oettinger and his partner, the Hamburg event...
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BMW sponsorship of Finnish Council Presidency triggers EU probe

The European Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly is launching a probe on Finland’s BMW-sponsored six-month European Council Presidency. BMW will be providing 100 vehicles for EU delegations...

Brussels steps up its support for counter-terrorism activities in Sri Lanka

The European Commission, through its instrument for contributing to stability and peace, has allocated €8.5 million to support Sri Lanka in its efforts to...
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EU to help Greece fight wildfires with new rescEU system

With seasonal forest and brush fires raging on the Greek island of Evia, west of Athens, the European Union has mobilised water tanker aeroplanes...
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White House vows to stand with UK under no-deal Brexit scenario

The White House will place the UK "first in line" for a comprehensive new trade deal with the United States in the event of...
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Europe and UN want China to show restraint as Hong Kong crisis deepens

After local riot police engaged in fierce clashes with pro-democracy protesters at Hong Kong's international airport on Tuesday, the European Union and the United...
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NEWSROOM

Euro area international trade in goods surplus

Eurostat's first estimate for euro area exports of goods to the rest of the world in June was €189.9 billion, a decrease of 4.7%...
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UN calls for investment in education of Rohingya in Myanmar

The head of UNICEF, Henrietta Fore appealed on 16 August for urgent investment in education of Rohingya youth, as a conclusion of a report...
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EU’s Burian travels to Central Asia for regional cooperation talks

The EU's Special Representative for Central Asia Peter Burian was in Kazakhstan's capital Nur-Sultan to meet with the country's president Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev to discuss...
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Europe to boost rural development in Tajikistan

The European Commission has announced on 16 August a €59 million support programme to boost rural development in Tajikistan. Even though agriculture contributes to about...
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EU strengthens efforts to protect endangered species

The European Union is joining other parties at the 18th Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Trade in Endangered Species, in...
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British Airways faces record EU fine for major data-breach

The European Commission is ready to impose a £183.4 million fine on British Airways for its failure to protect the personal details of 500,000...
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Print Edition

Focus

Euro area international trade in goods surplus

Eurostat's first estimate for euro area exports of goods to the rest of the world in June was €189.9 billion, a decrease of 4.7%...
Read more

UN calls for investment in education of Rohingya in Myanmar

The head of UNICEF, Henrietta Fore appealed on 16 August for urgent investment in education of Rohingya youth, as a conclusion of a report...

EU Affairs

British Airways faces record EU fine for major data-breach

The European Commission is ready to impose a £183.4 million fine on British Airways for its failure to protect the personal details of 500,000...
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Markets signal global recession

Markets in Europe fell on Thursday, following a sell-off in Asian and US stock exchanges on Wednesday. The market downturn was triggered by negative...
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Tense encounter between Russian and Spanish jetfighters over the Baltic Sea

A Spanish F-18 fighter and a Russian Su-27 were involved in a tense encounter over the Baltic Sea on Tuesday, as seen in a...
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Gibraltar releases Iranian tanker despite US objections

A court in Gibraltar ruled on Thursday that the Iranian tanker Grace 1, seized by British Royal Marines on July 4. The Iranian supertanker...
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Johnson faces no-deal push-back by May’s cabinet

Prominent members of Theresa May’s cabinet are rising to block prime minister Boris Johnson from delivering a no-deal Brexit. Former Chancellor Philip Hammond warned on...
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Germany forced to rethink export-led growth model

Germany’s export-led economic model is called into question, forcing the government to rethink its fiscal policy. Slumping exports have brought Germany on the brink of...
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Amazon close to securing 10% of India’s second-biggest retailer

The Amazon corporation is nearing a deal to acquire 10% of India's Future Retail, Bloomberg reports, allowing the US behemoth to move in one...
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Leaders' Perspectives

Daron Acemoglu

Professor of Economics at MIT and co-author of Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty and The Narrow Corridor: States, Societies, and the Fate of Liberty.

Big tech’s harvest of sorrow?

Digital technology has transformed how we communicate, commute, shop, learn, and entertain ourselves. Soon enough, technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), Big Data, and the… Read More »

Nina L. Khrushcheva

Professor of International Affairs at The New School and a senior fellow at the World Policy Institute. She is the granddaughter of former Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev.

Women on top in the world’s democracies

US President Donald J. Trump’s recent declaration that four Democratic congresswomen of colour – Ayanna Pressley, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, and Rashida Tlaib – should “go back”… Read More »

KASSANDRA

Competition

When an independent competition authority becomes politicised – The troubling example of Greece

In recent months, the Greek Competition Authority (HCC) has been in turmoil over the appointment of Vassiliki Thanou at the helm of the Agency,...
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In an EPPO stalemate, the alternative for Kovesi to tackle corruption from within the EU’s center of power

There is no question that momentum is coming back into favour for the Candidate for European Chief Prosecutor,  Laura Codruta Kovesi. Kovesi, who comes from...
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That’s Life!

Summertime. The livin' is easy and while watching the deep blue of the Aegean, took the opportunity to review some of my files that...
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The name is Ambassador. EU Ambassador.

It's very cool to have a great twitter handle. Typically, for the European Commission politicians, and civil servants you would expect to find something...
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Cyprus, the island sinking in waste

Cyprus, the island of Aphrodite, as myth has it, is often described as the crown jewel of the Mediterranean, with pristine waters and year-round...
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Garbage in paradise

Last week, Kassandra looked at the overall disquieting situation of inefficient waste management practices in South-eastern Europe. Among the worst offenders are the two...
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Wasting waste and wasting an opportunity

The optics of it certainly look extraordinary: Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, aged 16, sat down with the European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker in...
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EUROPEAN COMMISSION

British Airways faces record EU fine for major data-breach

The European Commission is ready to impose a £183.4 million fine on British Airways for its failure to protect the personal details of 500,000...
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EIB finances 21 new wind farms in Spain

The European Investment Bank (EIB) is providing €385 million in financing to wind energy company Alfanar to support its plans to construct 21 new...

EU’s Copernicus satellite maps to assist Turkey’s Civil Protection Services after 5.7 earthquake

Following a request by Turkey after the 5.7 magnitude earthquake, the European Commission is providing Turkey with Copernicus emergency satellite maps, according to the...

Sweden’s Johansson tapped as ninth woman nominated for EU College of Commissioners

The Swedish government has decided to nominate its Labour Minister Ylva Johansson as the country's candidate to be a part of European Commission President-elect...

EU integrates geographic indication registry for food and alcohol products

The European Commission has launched eAmbrosia, the EU's Geographical Indication Register, which will give easy access to information on all geographically indicated products regardless...

EU expects from Turkey to prevent forced Syria returns against non-refoulement principle

The European Commission appeared “confident” on Tuesday, that Turkey will "take any appropriate action" if allegations are true that Syrian refugees had been sent...

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

Bosnia’s authorities draw cautious praise from Brussels after agreeing to form Council of Ministers

Nearly 10 months after Bosnia and Herzegovina's last round of elections, the leaders of country's three main ethnoreligious groups finally reached an agreement to...
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Hezbollah is a terrorist organisation and a threat to Europe

If Europe is serious about combating antisemitism, the Lebanon-based global terror group Hezbollah must be stopped in its tracks. As we marked on 18...

Ursula von der Leyen is the new president-elect of the European Commission

Ursula von der Leyen, Germany's current defence minister, has won the backing of enough Members of the European Parliament to be named the president-elect of...

EU could be in for a difficult summer if von der Leyen is not elected

Ahead of Tuesday’s crucial vote in Strasbourg, the EU may be left in the lurch as it will be caught in the mid-summer season...

Green deal emerges as a core policy for von der Leyen during latest hearing

Germany's defence minister, Ursula von der Leyen, the top candidate to become the next president of the European Commission promised on Tuesday a so-called "green deal”...

Von der Leyen’s future as European Commission president hangs in the balance

A day before the European Parliament votes on Ursula von der Leyen's candidacy for the European Commission presidency, the German defence minister is preparing a keynote...

EUROPEAN COUNCIL

World Bank CEO Georgieva picked as Europe’s nominee to lead IMF

After tapping IMF chief Christine Lagarde to head the European Central Bank, the EU has put forward another powerful woman's name to take the...
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BMW sponsorship of Finnish Council Presidency triggers EU probe

The European Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly is launching a probe on Finland’s BMW-sponsored six-month European Council Presidency. BMW will be providing 100 vehicles for EU delegations...

Finnish presidency sets August 26 as MFF deadline for budget priorities 

Informing the EU affairs ministers about plans for work on a multi-annual financial framework (MFF) for 2021-2027, the Finnish presidency has set a deadline...

Timmermans says EU Commission under von der Leyen will be tough on rule of law

European Commission First Vice-president Frans Timmermans said during a press conference following an EU affairs meeting in Brussels that he has no doubt that...

Hezbollah is a terrorist organisation and a threat to Europe

If Europe is serious about combating antisemitism, the Lebanon-based global terror group Hezbollah must be stopped in its tracks. As we marked on 18...

Mogherini says Brussels is not ready to trigger Iran nuclear deal dispute mechanism

The EU’s foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, has declared that the remaining parties to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, widely known as the Iran...

EU National News

British Airways faces record EU fine for major data-breach

The European Commission is ready to impose a £183.4 million fine on British Airways for its failure to protect the personal details of 500,000...
Read more

Markets signal global recession

Markets in Europe fell on Thursday, following a sell-off in Asian and US stock exchanges on Wednesday. The market downturn was triggered by negative...
Read more

Tense encounter between Russian and Spanish jetfighters over the Baltic Sea

A Spanish F-18 fighter and a Russian Su-27 were involved in a tense encounter over the Baltic Sea on Tuesday, as seen in a...

Gibraltar releases Iranian tanker despite US objections

A court in Gibraltar ruled on Thursday that the Iranian tanker Grace 1, seized by British Royal Marines on July 4. The Iranian supertanker...

Italian snap elections no longer certain

The Italian Senate on Tuesday postponed a vote on a no-confidence motion submitted by Lega, postponing snap elections. The Five Star Movement (MS5), Partito Democratico...

Johnson faces no-deal push-back by May’s cabinet

Prominent members of Theresa May’s cabinet are rising to block prime minister Boris Johnson from delivering a no-deal Brexit. Former Chancellor Philip Hammond warned on...

Gibraltar considers the release of Iranian tanker

British authorities remain in talks with Iran regarding the release of an oil tanker that was captured by Royal Marines in July after British...

White House vows to stand with UK under no-deal Brexit scenario

The White House will place the UK "first in line" for a comprehensive new trade deal with the United States in the event of...

US-Greece-Cyprus-Israel want oil, gas as much East Med peace

ATHENS - Meeting in Athens, the energy ministers of Greece, Cyprus, and Israel - Kostas Hatzidakis, Georgios Lakkotrypis, and Yuval Steinitz, as well as...

CDU alone in defending Germany’s zero-deficit policy

The German Christian Democrats (CDU) are under pressure both by their coalition partners, the Social Democrats (SPD), and by the opposition Greens to abandon...

World News

Ukraine’s new president must stop the cover-up of journalist’s murder

Three years after the murder of Belarusian-Ukrainian journalist Pavel Sheremet, time is up for Ukrainian law enforcers. It’s hard to imagine a more utter failure:...
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Kazakhstan upgrades diplomatic missions in Europe

NUR-SULTAN, Kazakhstan – Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev decided to transform the diplomatic missions in Belgrade, Bratislava, Lisbon, Riga and Sofia, Akorda reported. The consulate of...
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Iran escalates tensions in the Persian Gulf after seizing UK tanker

In the latest escalation in the Persian Gulf region, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard reportedly captured a British-flagged oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz...

Geoana named next NATO Deputy Secretary-General

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has tapped Romania's ex-Foreign Minister Mircea Geoana to take over the next Deputy Secretary-General in mid-October. Geoana will replace Rose Gottemoeller, an American, who has...

Hezbollah is a terrorist organisation and a threat to Europe

If Europe is serious about combating antisemitism, the Lebanon-based global terror group Hezbollah must be stopped in its tracks. As we marked on 18...

Ukraine’s creative youth reappraise the country’s Soviet aesthetics

Whether by choice or necessity, Ukraine’s new generation of creative professionals are rebelling against former President Petro Poroshenko’s draconian ‘de-Communisation’ policies by calling for...

The sky didn’t fall in Ukraine

What so many Ukrainian voters were afraid of simply did not happen. After being sworn in as president, Volodymyr Zelensky did not attempt to...

WTO ministerial conference to be held in Nur-Sultan in June 2020

NUR-SULTAN, Kazakhstan – The 12th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO) will be held in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, in June 2020, the deputy...

Europe can help restore Ukraine’s trust after PACE decision

The recent decision by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe – PACE – to return the Russian delegation to full parliamentary assembly...

Kazakhstan backs renewal of OPEC+ oil production cut deal

NUR-SULTAN, Kazakhstan - Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud phoned Kazakh President Kasym-Zhomart Tokayev on 2 July with the latter noting Kazakhstan’s support for the...

THE ENLARGEMENT MONITOR

Mitsotakis government’s foreign policy inevitably points to Washington

In view of ongoing tension between Turkey, the EU and Washington, it was completely reasonable for the new Greek government of Prime Minister Kyriakos...
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The Name Dispute after the July 7 Greek elections

The June 2018 Prespes Agreement, which settled the so-called Name Dispute with newly-renamed North Macedonia, Greece’s northern neighbor, was an important but not the...
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Western Balkan nations strengthen cooperation at Poland summit

Government officials from the Western Balkans and high-level EU representatives met from the 4-5 July in the Polish city of Poznań to discuss and...
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As enlargement discussions freeze, aspirants twist in the wind

Discussions in Luxembourg regarding EU enlargement in the Western Balkans made little headway this past week, despite the threat from North Macedonian Prime Minister...
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Enlargement, going back to square one

North Macedonia and Albania are inexorably tied by the delay in their long course to join Europe, yet for different reasons. Albania has the perpetual...
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Zaev hints at early elections

Prime Minister Zoran Zaev of North Macedonia hinted on 5 June, and again the next day, that he would consider calling early elections if...
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Kosovo-Serbia relations again disrupted

Raids by Kosovo police on 28 May in a large anti-corruption operation triggered a serious deterioration of already-strained Kosovo-Serbia relations in the following days,...
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Internet & ICT

Don’t squander the techno-revolution

Public discussion of the effects of automation and artificial intelligence (AI) often focuses on the productivity benefits for companies and the economy, on the...
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India to be fourth state to land a spacecraft on the moon

India's space agency has launched a lunar mission to the moon’s unexplored south pole on Monday; that makes India the fourth nation to land...
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Brussels to further scrutinise China’s intelligence law on 5G

The European Union must take China's national intelligence law into account when deciding on the construction of 5G networks in Europe, said EU Commissioner...
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Washington to ease restrictions on Huawei’s US suppliers

The U.S. is ready to ease restriction on Huawei, allowing US suppliers to continue trading with the Chinese company, Reuters reported on Monday. Since May,...
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Sweden joins the British Jet-fighter program

Sweden will join the British sixth-generation jet-fighter programme Tempest, to be completed by 2035. The Tempest programme is developed by BAE Systems, that is, a...
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Labour market shortages take their toll on Central Eastern European economies

The labour market in Central Eastern Europe is continuing to tighten despite a worldwide economic slowdown, with unemployment below 4% in the Czech Republic,...
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The EU, US, and 5G

On 13 June, New Europe took part in a media roundtable on 5G and telecommunications security with Jonathan Fritz, Director for Bilateral and Regional...
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Energy

Kashagan, Tengiz, Karachaganak top Kazakh oil production

NUR-SULTAN, Kazakhstan - The volume of oil production in Kazakhstan during the last seven months amounted to 52.23 million tonnes, meaning it has implemented...
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US-Greece-Cyprus-Israel want oil, gas as much East Med peace

ATHENS - Meeting in Athens, the energy ministers of Greece, Cyprus, and Israel - Kostas Hatzidakis, Georgios Lakkotrypis, and Yuval Steinitz, as well as...
Read more

EIB finances 21 new wind farms in Spain

The European Investment Bank (EIB) is providing €385 million in financing to wind energy company Alfanar to support its plans to construct 21 new...
Read more

ENI inks exploration contract in Caspian

Italian energy major ENI and Kazakhstan’s state oil and gas company KazMunayGas (KMG) have signed a contract for the exploration and production of hydrocarbons...
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East Med Gas Forum wants worldwide upgrade

Energy ministers of the East Med Gas Forum (EMGF) met in Egypt on 25 July, agreeing to access the possible upgrade of the forum...
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Total, KMG, Kazakh Energy Ministry sign MoU

NUR-SULTAN, Kazakhstan – France energy giant Total has signed a Memorandum of Understanding in the field of digitalization in the oil and gas industry...
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Nord Stream-2 calls on EU court to annul ‘discriminatory measures’

Nord Stream-2, the company building a controversial second pipeline from Russia to Germany under the Baltic Sea, brought an action on 25 July for...
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Faith and Religious Freedom

Civil society organisations urge Pakistan’s PM to end blasphemy laws

The Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) Roundtable Brussels-EU, a civil society initiative who gathers regularly to exchange ideas with the EU institutions to...
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Quebec ban on religious symbols causes international outcry

Two groups of Canadian activists have filed an appeal against a Quebec judge's decision to ban the wearing of religious symbols by public employees. The...
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Non-religious activists call for UK government to protect them from violence

As the world’s religious communities continue to fight for their rights, few, it seems, speak out for those who identify as being non-religious, which...
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Israel’s El Al hires first Druze flight attendant

Accounting for roughly 1.7% of Israel's overall population, the country's national flag carrier El Al hired its first flight attendant from the community in...
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Armenian minority scores rare win in Turkey’s top court over election of new patriarch

Turkey's Constitutional Court has ruled that a 2017 administrative decision that refused two initiatives to elect a new patriarch for the Armenian Orthodox Church was a...
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Europe attempts to step up its fight against antisemitism

European Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality Věra Jourová recently held the first meeting of the bloc's working group on antisemitism since Brussels formed a...
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South Sudan’s churches urge acceptance of sexual violence victims

A ray of hope for South Sudanese women and girls who have suffered brutal sexual violence during the country’s ongoing war received a much-needed...
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Supported by the  Faith and Freedom Summit Coalition

Columnist

Monnet Matters
By Editorial

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is one of the world’s main terror groups

For nearly 40 years, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has tormented Iranian society. Using their status as the so-called Army of the Guardians of...
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ICI Washington
By Alec Mally

Mitsotakis government’s foreign policy inevitably points to Washington

In view of ongoing tension between Turkey, the EU and Washington, it was completely reasonable for the new Greek government of Prime Minister Kyriakos...
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Energy Insider
By Kostis Geropoulos

US-Greece-Cyprus-Israel want oil, gas as much East Med peace

ATHENS - Meeting in Athens, the energy ministers of Greece, Cyprus, and Israel - Kostas Hatzidakis, Georgios Lakkotrypis, and Yuval Steinitz, as well as...
Read more
Eurasia Watch
By Nicholas Waller

Fire on Russian nuclear sub kills 14

A fire onboard a top secret nuclear powered Russian Navy submarine killed 14 sailors after an unexplained accident occurred in one of the submersible’s...
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NOVA COMPETITIVIDADE
By Francisco Jaime Quesado

The Europe of Vasconcelos

Diogo Vasconcelos, one of the most dynamic entrepreneurs and thinkers when it comes to social innovation, died 8 years ago. Vasconcelos was linked to...
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WELLNESS

BACK TO SCHOOL: TIPS FOR A SMOOTH TRANSITION FROM HOLIDAY MODE

The time is almost here for children to go back to school. Are you ready? Christine Cornet, Academy manager at Aspria Brussels Royal La...
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Sauna in Heat

HOW A SUMMER SAUNA CAN ACTUALLY COOL YOU DOWN Sauna in the middle of the summer? It may seem like a strange idea, but in...

The perfect water workout

So, you’re heading off on holiday and you’ve decided to take a break from full-on gym workouts, but you’d still like to keep in...

In partnership with  Aspria Bruxelles

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