A day after part of a missile fired by the United States hit their village, landing just meters from its only medical facility, the villagers of Jabo in northwest Nigeria are in a state of shock and confusion.

Emma Haworth, contemporary UK painter #WomensArt #BoxingDay

What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?

I’ll just note that the US didn’t do this to China, which outright bans US social media websites

Der US-Präsident erklärt das bedeutendste Medium des Landes zum „Volksfeind“ und verlangt, dass es „gestoppt“ wird. Aber Europa hat ein Problem mit Meinungsfreiheit… 🤯🤯🤯

The White House is now citing "national security" for everything it does. Seriously, check out these headlines. It's just the last few weeks. If you know authoritarian history, then you know how menacing this is.

Quixotic move

Sweden and Germany slash aid budgets to focus on Ukraine and defence spending

Weil einige Missverständnisse auftauchen über angebliche Eurobonds etc. - hier ein Erklärstück, was der EU-Gipfel WIRKLICH bei der Finanzierung der 90 Milliarden Euro für die #Ukraine beschlossen hat #euco … www.msn.com/de-de/finanz...

Das Problem an Figuren wie Claudia Plakolm ist: sie ruinieren den so wichtigen Diskurs über die Bekämpfung von Islamismus und Radikalisierung, indem sie undifferenzierten Müll gegen Muslime rausballern. Das kommt davon, wenn man solche Leute ohne jedes Rückrat in Ministerämter setzt.

one of four in a week www.nytimes.com/2025/12/19/n...

The EU never gets praise even when it acts. There is so much constant EU negging that commentators struggle to praise when it delivers. The EU did what it needed to do. Take the win. Last night was a big step for Ukraine and the European project. First, the EU got the money for Ukraine 1/

This is beautiful. The smiles! Bondi beach hero Ahmed Al-Ahmed with the doctors looking after him at the hospital in Sydney. And… The doctors are *also* Syrian! Tamer Al-Kahil from Homs. Anas Natfaji from Aleppo. *Three* heroes.

Labor markets weakness is all about uncertainty, not AI. www.richmondfed.org/research/nat...

Utterly classless.

Imagine OPEC, but instead of production caps they invade each other to produce more oil 🤪

Here's a quick hit on why Trump's obsession with Venezuela's oil is a bit heavy and crude in a world where the US is a net exporter and the concerns are a lot more about peak demand than peak supply. responsiblestatecraft.org/trump-venezu...

The fact that a train (!!!) can travel under ideal conditions at over 600km/h is unbelievably amazing to me. Also, I had no idea that Indonesia would pop up in the top 10 list!

💬 „Hinter den vielbemühten Floskeln von Bürokratieabbau & Vereinfachung verbirgt sich Deregulierung, die an europäischen Umwelt- & Sozialstandards rüttelt.“ sagt unsere Expertin für Weltwirtschaft & Menschenrechte, Simela Papatheophilou, im Aktuellen Kommentar der ÖFSE.

So impressive. Pollution begone. Fossil fuels begone. substack.com/@earthlyeduc...

See the piece below and also this week’s New Yorker podcast with these same three political scientists on the state of American democracy. I continue to learn a lot from them www.newyorker.com/podcast/poli...

New CGD podcast! In this ep., Anita Käppeli & @ianmitchell1.bsky.social discuss the 2025 Commitment to Development Index. They cover why countries have slipped in their contributions to dev., where progress is emerging, & how the CDI can guide better policymaking: https://go.cgdev.org/3MoUeJl

It has become received wisdom in Brussels and Washington that there is a new “euro-sclerosis”: that the EU economy is lagging the US This view is wrong A little primer on the measurement of productivity – and why reports of the economic death of Europe are greatly exaggerated🧵

I guess it's fitting that it's a reimagined, worse version of someone else's artwork

New from Dev Patel, @arvind2011.bsky.social & me: "We were wrong about convergence." A few years back, we wrote a paper pointing out that Solow convergence had finally arrived. The developing world was catching up. Alas, it seems all good things come to an end. 1/

25 years ago today, SCOTUS elected George W Bush president of the United States by blocking completion of a voting canvass in Florida. A subsequent canvass by the Associated Press showed that Bush's rival, Al Gore, had won the race in Florida—and thus the contest for the presidency—by 700 votes.

Don't miss this research opportunity! 📝 How can carbon pricing & fossil fuel subsidy reforms drive sustainability while promoting equity? Submit your proposals on green fiscal policies, climate change & just energy transition in the Global South by Dec 20, 2025! More info: go.unu.edu/70BRN

Medien müssen damit aufhören, Täter zu romantisieren oder von der eigentlichen Tragödie abzulenken. Ein Femizid ist ein Femizid, keine Kuriositätensammlung über "interessante" Täterpersönlichkeiten. Der Fokus sollte dem Opfer und den Gründen für die Tat gelten.

US proposes social media disclosure requirement for visitors from visa-free countries on.ft.com/3MrXdk9

'Skull of St. Thomas Aquinas being transported to Fossanova Abbey.' Photograph by Daniel Ibanez

Not being able to rely on the US is *not* the same as being alone. Europe could strengthen its connections with the rest of the world by ending its inward turn & by backing international law for all instead of double standards. The global south has said all this, now hear it?

Elon Musk’s X found a reason to disable the ad account of the EU Commission.

After Europe had a weekend to digest the confrontative new US National Security Strategy, time to ponder the questions raised by @maxbergmann.bsky.social in this excellent piece:

The news that #x has suspended the #eu's advertising account on the platform after it issued a 120m EUR fine against X for breaking the #DSA is beyond hilarious. And it might even be kind of good in the sense that politicians in Europe maybe finally realise how shitty it is to depend on such a […]

Die neue US Sicherheitsstrategie spricht vieles aus, was Beobachter schon wussten. Das heutige demokratische Europa, die EU als Institution wird offen zum Gegner erklärt, und ein Regimewandel angestrebt. Die Verharmlosung dieses Dokuments wäre fatal für Europa. Die Konsequenzen sind dramatisch.

Can it be any clearer?

The USA is officially removing itself from positive engagement in world affairs.

Thank God for Bluesky: A little love letter to the people who would not compromise with Nazis iandunt.substack.com/p/thank-god-...

1/ The new US National Security Strategy blames 'undemocratic' European governments for failing to make peace with Russia, takes a pro-Russian position on NATO, reflects white nationalist views on European demographics, and pledges overt support for far-right parties. ⬇️

The World Bank just published its International Debt Report for 2025. Some highlights: - 2022-2024 saw $741bn of net outflows (repayments and interest less new borrowing) from developing economies, a record - Highest average interest rate for the most vulnerable economies since just prior to GFC

On systemic and other challenges for civil disobedience today:

Today! 👇 Please share ;)

🪙 Gold is currently on everyone's lips. Tomorrow, we will be hosting a comprehensive webinar 💻 on the gold sector and analyzing what the gold boom means for the producing countries. You are very welcome to join us 🙂👉 www.oefse.at/veranstaltun...

Africa’s forests have shifted from absorbing to emitting carbon since 2010, primarily due to deforestation and degradation in tropical regions, highlighting the need for urgent forest protection.

“Network” premieres today in ‘76 “.. we thought we were making a satire,” said Lumet. “But the extraordinary and frightening thing is how quickly it stopped being satire .. When the truth becomes entertainment, when rage becomes a commodity, the culture begins to eat itself.” @ditzkoff.bsky.social

The Decolonial Atlas: "One of the many ironies of the anti-immigrant sentiment in Europe today is that it fails to acknowledge Europe’s own history of emigration. ... Europeans are the world’s largest diaspora, with an estimated population of over 480 million people."

Three things about the Witkoff tapes: 1) It appears Western intelligence services have decided to let Witkoff (and Trump) know they have recordings of their traitorous conversations w/Russia. 2) This Ukraine "deal" was all Witkoff's idea. 3) Congressional leaders should demand he be fired.

BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro begins serving 27-year prison sentence.

I wish I didn’t have to share this. But the BBC has decided to censor my first Reith Lecture. They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1