"The London wine merchant Philglas & Swiggot has been a stalwart of the UK wine scene since 1991, having successfully navigated all manner of challenges for 34 years. It is now closing after struggling with the ‘increasingly challenging trading conditions and the additional complexities of Brexit’."

RFK JR on Measles Outbreaks just now: "It is not unusual. There are measles outbreaks every year." It is actually very unusual. This is the first Measles death in the US in 10 years.

Prime Minister of Italy Giorgia Meloni said that it is not possible to have just, lasting peace in Ukraine unless Kyiv gets guarantees that it will not be invaded again by Russia. She sees NATO as the best such guarantee

The EU’s Kaja Kallas flew in to DC for talks with Marco Rubio and he decided to cancel the meeting the moment her flight touched down. The biggest assholes in the world are now in one government.

"The good news is that there’s growing clarity about what needs to be done. Europe has to save Ukraine. We must rapidly build a stronger common European defence, including Britain. All of us have to restore economic dynamism." Very good by @fromtga.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

#Trump’s actions and rhetoric are a direct threat to the economic and security interests of the US’s European partners – including the UK. @centreeuropeanref.bsky.social insight by @cerianbond.bsky.social Read here: https://buff.ly/4aTo0hk

"President Carter appointed more women and people of color to the federal judiciary than all previous presidents combined" civilrights.org/blog/preside...

Jimmy Carter was a very good man. RIP

I love learning about various human societies' legends and beliefs surrounding the Milky Way. Recently I learned about some Australian Aboriginal people who believed the galaxy was a river that souls crossed in a canoe, and the stars were their campfires along the river. Beautiful.

Good for Denmark. 🇩🇰 🇪🇺 The Danish government has announced a huge boost (at least £1.2bn) in defence spending for Greenland, hours after Donald Trump repeated his desire to control the Danish territory.

Why do Russians not want the development of their country in the interests of the Russian people-prosperity & health.

⚡️ Russian proxies sentence 9 Azovstal defenders to 24 years, life in prison. Russian occupation authorities in Donetsk jailed nine Ukrainian soldiers captured after defending Mariupol to between 24 years and a life sentence, the city's exiled authorities reported on Dec. 11.

Shane Timmons opening the 17th annual workshop on economics, psychology, & policy in Ireland. bsp.ucd.ie/annual-econo... Packed schedule today across a wide range of applications in health, climate, finance and others.

Macron ponders political truce as he struggles to find new French premier https://www.ft.com/content/edabd39a-fdc6-4609-a34e-252af1c7fbc6

I spent this morning inside Assad’s infamous #Damascus slaughterhouse prison, Sednaya. I’ve spent much of my career investigating what was being done to defenceless human beings in this place. Now we know everything. It’s worse than you could possibly imagine.

The European University Institute, one of Europe’s leading academic institutions has landed here. Our X now frozen. Please help us rebuild our community @simonhix.bsky.social @filipkostelka.bsky.social @maartenpvink.bsky.social @tomaashby.bsky.social @valentimvicente.bsky.social #Academicsky #Polsky

In advance of tomorrow’ debate in the Northern Ireland Assembly on whether to grant ‘democratic consent’ to the continued application of Articles 5-10 of the Protocol/Windsor Framework… www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/courts/...

This is disgraceful. Patrick Devaney: “Brigid, you should receive the same fate as Brian Thompson.” Brian Thompson was shot dead. Offensive discourse on X is not new. But this is a dangerous threat to University of Limerick Chancellor @brigidlaffan.bsky.social and should be taken seriously by Gardaí

Meanwhile…

Reportedly, the rebels have approached close to a Russian airbase and are near a Russian Navy port in coastal Syria. Separate groups of Russian Armed Forces troops may be cut off in remote provinces. Syrian journalist Rami Jarrah posted a video of the fighters in the city. 📹: fighters in Tartus

Absolute goosebumps ! 👇 One of man's greatest creations, Beethoven's 5th rattling the core foundations of God's millennial cathedral It's primal - sound on LOUD ! #NotreDameDeParis

These four men were going to be executed today by the Assad regime. “Our executions were going to be half an hour ago.”

Rachel Reeves will become on Monday the first British chancellor to attend a meeting of European finance ministers since Brexit. She will lay the ground for an “ambitious” new economic partnership with the EU fully honouring post-Brexit deals - @financialtimes.com.

🕵️The Hungarian secret service has been monitoring #OLAF inspectors in #Hungary as they investigated suspicious business dealings by Viktor Orbán's son-in-law, @direkt36.bsky.social and @tijd.be have discovered

EU and Mercosur agree free trade agreement: ec.europa.eu/commission/p... Qs and As: ec.europa.eu/commission/p... Still needs to go through ratification process, of course

The end of negotiations but also the start of a new process leading to the formal signature and conclusion of the agreement #EU #Mercosur #externalrelations #Article218TFEU

Warnings for #stormdarragh have been upgraded by #meteireann met.ie/warnings

Koyo Kouoh, one of Africa's leading curatorial voices, has been selected to curate the 2026 edition of the Venice Biennale, the world’s foremost contemporary art exhibition.

If you want to understand why Labour redlines on “no single market or customs union” mean Brexit won’t be fixed for traders, speak to a SME in chemicals: ++££ on regulation, cash-flow and logistics. SEE: UK chemicals sector doubts Starmer ‘reset’ will end Brexit blues on.ft.com/41fl8bG

Finally got my hands on a copy 😊

The new Brexit time bomb A refresh of EU product safety standards, GPSR, will be a disaster for the UK’s small exporters, with the government little help @theneweuropean.bsky.social www.theneweuropean.co.uk/the-new-brex...

On Nov. 18, hours after two communication cables were severed in the Baltic Sea, 30 NATO vessels and 4,000 military staff took to the same body of water for one of northern Europe's largest naval exercises reut.rs/49l2rWn

Credit to the Irish pollsters for absolutely nailing #GE24 FF: 21.5% (polls) vs 21.9% (result) FG: 21% vs 20.8% SF: 19.5% vs 19% Polling averages via @irishpollingind.bsky.social

At one point during the night, the public didn’t run when the regime police advanced because there was an automatic sense of superiority in numbers, and they counter-attacked the police. The police ran. As in other revolts, we learn tactics as the process goes. #GeorgiaProtests

Latest: still big gaps between EU and UK on youth mobility. Details here via @financialtimes.com with @andybounds.bsky.social EU digs in on student fees as UK youth mobility talks near on.ft.com/3Zfj7JZ

Delighted to say my book has arrived (& ‘only’ took me 8 yrs!). Thx to my colleagues in TCD & to @conorjkelly.bsky.social @alanrenwick.bsky.social @alanwhysall.bsky.social Brendan O’Leary, Cathy-Gormley-Heenan, Chris McCrudden, for providing much to ponder @conunitucl.bsky.social refs working group.

Department of Finance needs to wise up on this. Ireland doing itself no favours with anyone in band wagoning with an outgoing German government in its opposition to defence bonds.

For non-Irish followers-Irish election bucks trends-FF/FG in pole position to form Gov with small left party/parties or independents. Sinn Fein down 5.5% on 2020 in opposition & Greens lost all but 1 seat while in Government-the losers of election

Danish PM Mette Frederiksen is looking for a way out of the EU Frugals Club it seems - now ready to talk common debt to pay for Draghi style boost in EU competitiveness: ‘I don’t see how we could finance all this with the usual funding,’ she says to DK media. nyheder.tv2.dk/politik/2024...

Official Ireland sighs in relief when the embarrassment of a notorious gangland criminal getting elected is narrowly avoided.

Frugal no more? Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederisken says the EU has to look at state aid, joint debt and the common budget “with new eyes.” “I don’t see how we are going to finance it all with well-known funds,” she says about the new priorities on defence and competitiveness.

11 years ago today. Euromaidan. Kyiv, Ukraine. 🇺🇦

In Ukraine, we have one wish - peace and end of war. Our cities are dark, Russia attacks us every day, our Warriors fight a heroic battle against an army of orcs. We don't know what the future holds. But I have faith in Ukraine. I'm grateful to everyone with us. May the force be with us!

🗳️ #GE24 Exit Poll: Irish Times/RTE/Ipsos/TG4/TCD (MoE ~1.4%) Sinn Féin 21.1% Fine Gael 21% Fianna Fáil 19.5% Soc Dems 5.8% Greens 4% Labour 5% PBP 3.1% Aontú 3.6% Ind Ireland 2.2% Independents 12.7% Others 1.9%

Exit poll from Irish General Election. Two main parties of current Government will be back in power but unclear which of the small party or parties that will form Government

Irish exit poll looks like Ireland is about to buck the global trend of punishing the incumbent. Few differences from last election #ge24

#GE24 EXIT POLL

Following Luf, the town of Sheikh Idris is reported as captured by rebel forces. They continue to move east towards Abu al-Duhur

The bravery and determination of President Salome Zourabichvili 🇬🇪