Articles archive
Seven days - a week in the life of Francesco Calazzo
The communications officer for the European Parliament's petitions committee engages with citizens via social media, puts together a quasi-monthly newsletter, thinks up ideas for an exciting new project – then heads off for a week's holiday
'Finger pointing' prompts Annan to quit Syria role
Kofi Annan has announced he is to quit his role as the joint United Nations and Arab League envoy to Syria at the end of August
Draghi says ECB will act to protect 'irreversible' euro
Mario Draghi has signalled that the ECB is ready to take action to bring down high borrowing costs in struggling eurozone countries – but only if governments keep their side of the bargain
Pussy Riot 'show trial' is just another Russian state misdeed
A decision by the Russian authorities to put three members of the music-art collective Pussy Riot on trial over an anti-Vladimir Putin protest stunt will be sending shockwaves of concern right across European capitals - says John Dalhuisen
Germany retains stable outlook with S&P's
Standard & Poor's has maintained its stable outlook on Germany's prized AAA credit rating – just over a week after fellow rating agency Moody's warned the country's top notch score was under threat
Stealth DNA database would be 'dangerous'
A new genetic research centre at London's Olympic park could pave the way for the creation by stealth of a DNA database of the whole population – which would be a dangerous infringement of everyone's rights, argues Helen Wallace
Turkmenistan holds key to EU's grand energy plan
Brussels' grand plan to reduce Europe's over-reliance on Russian gas faces a serious setback if Turkmenistan refuses to channel its huge resources through the Caspian Sea, Francesco Guarascio reports from Baku
What next for the UN arms trade treaty?
Commonwealth countries are finally pulling in the same direction on the UN arms trade treaty – now the secretary-general should appoint a special envoy to help clinch the deal, writes Daisy Cooper
Referendum result 'the worst' for Romania
There were no winners or losers in Romania's referendum – and the country has more important things to do than paralyse itself with domestic in-fighting, writes Hannes Swoboda
Opening ceremony changed public opinion on London 2012
A successful opening ceremony and weekend of sporting events have helped to turn the tide of public opinion, with many people now forgetting their concerns about the cost of staging the Olympics – writes Coralie Pring
Decision by committee - the Brussels way
Brussels works, drinks and sleeps in committees to the extent that they are an accepted part of the landscape – as our secret columnist explains
Twitter joke trial shows UK law 'not fit for purpose'
Common sense may have finally prevailed in the 'Twitter joke trial', but it does nothing to tackle the root problem that for the last decade personal liberties and free expression have been trampled in the name of security, writes Andy Halsall
EU 'buries head in sand' over Hezbollah
The EU's decision to reject Israel's request that Hezbollah be listed as a terrorist organisation after the attack in Bulgaria for which it was blamed was ludicrous, writes Jacob Campbell
Britain dreams of a Swiss-style relationship with the EU
The bilateral agreement between Switzerland and the EU is just what British Eurosceptics have been asking for. But would Brussels offer such favourable terms if the UK wanted to renegotiate its membership? Justin Stares has his doubts
Draghi investigated over alleged ethics breach
An investigation has been launched into Mario Draghi, president of the European Central Bank, over allegations that his membership of a group of leading financial sector figures constitutes a conflict of interest