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This article is the first in a series about political systems that may be no longer fit for purpose, distorting ideological reality or yielding unworkable outcomes In the next British general election, voters will confront a political field more fractured than at any time in recent memory. In addition to Labour and the Conservatives you’ll have the far-right Reform UK,...

A pack of thieves have stolen priceless jewelry from Paris’ famous Louvre in what the French have called an “audacious” seven-minute raid.  Using an external freight elevator that was positioned on a truck, they were able to rob the Apollo Gallery, which houses the French Crown Jewels, and priceless treasures like Louis XIV’s hardstone vessel collection. The four, unarmed thieves targeted...

In Ukraine, the advance of Russian forces remains slow, unsustainable and bankrupt, compared to the human and material losses. The political risks are constantly increasing for the Kremlin, with the intensification of the fuel crisis reaching its most sensitive point, at the pump (following the bombings of half of Russia's refineries), and with the increase in VAT and other...

Being organized, active and helpful: these are the traits that a study has identified as being common characteristics of those who live longer. Perhaps unsurprisingly, being frequently stressed, anxious or moody could be linked to a shorter lifespan. This is a good reminder for many of us to work on mental equilibrium and a positive, easygoing attitude.  One distinction is important: it’s...

The Bulgarian transport minister said that having only two bridges over the 475 km Danube border its shares with Romania creates an “Iron Curtain” within the EU and called for at least one more crossing. Only two bridges connect Bulgaria and Romania along our 475 km of common river border - this is a transport deficit that functions as a...

Romania’s anti-corruption prosecutors’ office on Friday said it was pursuing criminal charges against the director and 18 employees of the "Dr. Carol Davila" Central Military Hospital, involving the misuse of European funds. Hospital director, Florentina Ioniță, has been placed under judicial control on a bail of 1 million lei. The National Anti-corruption Directorate (DNA) said Dr. Ionita is facing charges of...

Romania is reportedly considering launching a Golden Visa program offering temporary residence permits to non-EU nationals with a clean criminal record in exchange for an investment of at least 400,000 euros, Profit.ro reported. A draft law  analyzed by the outlet introduces the Residency by Investment Program, known as the "Golden Visa" Program which offers non-EU citizens (who are neither  members...

A powerful explosion ripped through two stories of an apartment building in the Romanian capital on Friday morning, killing three people including a 21-year-old pregnant woman and injuring at least 13 others. The explosion affected the fifth and sixth floors of the eight-story building in a residential district in southwest Bucharest, head of the capital’s Inspectorate for Emergency Situations, Raed...

The CRITICAL CONDITIONS podcast, Episode 13   This week on Critical Conditions, Claire and I found ourselves once again circling the same agonizing center of gravity — Gaza — where an ambitious ceasefire, described by ambitions American hyperbolizers as more like the end of a million-year war, shows signs of unraveling. Yet even as jubilant crowds in Tel Aviv celebrated the return...

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he would meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Budapest, Hungary, to discuss the war in Ukraine. He did not specify when that meeting may take place. Trump announced the plans on Truth Social following a lengthy phone call with Putin, which he said “was a very productive one.” “President Putin and I will...