João
@euroconcern.bsky.social
International relations with an EU angle, videogames, space and other musings. Posts in EN, PT, FR, plus other languages if I feel brave enough.
Pinned
"...for in the heart of Birmingham, in the fires of 1969, another kind of Rock was made."
www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoYj...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoYj...
From Mordor to Metal: Tolkien's Legacy in Modern Music
YouTube video by GirlNextGondor
www.youtube.com
November 16, 2025 at 10:46 PM
"...for in the heart of Birmingham, in the fires of 1969, another kind of Rock was made."
www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoYj...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoYj...
Norway scored 3 goals in 15 minutes and thrashed Italy 4-1 in Milan. This... is incredible
www.bbc.com/sport/footba...
www.bbc.com/sport/footba...
Italy vs Norway: UEFA World Cup Qualifiers stats & head-to-head
Follow live text commentary, score updates and match stats from Italy vs Norway in the UEFA World Cup Qualifiers
www.bbc.com
November 16, 2025 at 9:48 PM
Norway scored 3 goals in 15 minutes and thrashed Italy 4-1 in Milan. This... is incredible
www.bbc.com/sport/footba...
www.bbc.com/sport/footba...
Face a esta situação, talvez não seja má ideia alertar as pessoas em Lisboa para evitarem o Colombo até estas falhas terem sido corrigidas.
poligrafo.sapo.pt/fact-check/v...
poligrafo.sapo.pt/fact-check/v...
Vídeo de coluna fraturada no interior de centro comercial foi gravado no Colombo, em Lisboa? — Polígrafo
Vídeo que mostra a fratura tem circulado em várias redes sociais desde o Instagram ao TikTok. Mas será que foi mesmo gravado no centro comercial lisboeta?
poligrafo.sapo.pt
November 15, 2025 at 7:33 PM
Face a esta situação, talvez não seja má ideia alertar as pessoas em Lisboa para evitarem o Colombo até estas falhas terem sido corrigidas.
poligrafo.sapo.pt/fact-check/v...
poligrafo.sapo.pt/fact-check/v...
Reposted by João
This might be a good moment for Europeans to quickly start thinking about how much we care about international law banning offensive warfare when
it doesn't happen in our immediate neighbourhood, and the affected country is not a democracy.
it doesn't happen in our immediate neighbourhood, and the affected country is not a democracy.
Reading headlines about the US massing forces to Venezuela and ”what is Trump’s aim with the troops ?” reminds me of a certain other country that massed troops at a neighbour’s border 4 years ago and headlines were wondering what Putin’s aim could possibly be
November 15, 2025 at 2:35 PM
This might be a good moment for Europeans to quickly start thinking about how much we care about international law banning offensive warfare when
it doesn't happen in our immediate neighbourhood, and the affected country is not a democracy.
it doesn't happen in our immediate neighbourhood, and the affected country is not a democracy.
Reposted by João
Looks like it’s time to break out Old Reliable again.
November 13, 2025 at 11:01 PM
Looks like it’s time to break out Old Reliable again.
Reposted by João
Yes- @profpech.bsky.social & @onethuthree.bsky.social - earlier Weber tried to work with the far right inside EPP, now he tries to work with the right as partners to EPP. He is consistent in always being willing to work with the far right
Old enough to remember Weber sacrificing EPP values *for years* before being forced to confront Orban’s EPP membership and only earlier this week, he was lecturing us on importance of rule of law and EU values more generally…
www.euronews.com/2019/03/08/e...
@rdanielkelemen.bsky.social
www.euronews.com/2019/03/08/e...
@rdanielkelemen.bsky.social
November 13, 2025 at 4:40 PM
Yes- @profpech.bsky.social & @onethuthree.bsky.social - earlier Weber tried to work with the far right inside EPP, now he tries to work with the right as partners to EPP. He is consistent in always being willing to work with the far right
Reposted by João
And here is the second, 'Mr. Hyde' part of today's votes - where the EPP sides with the far-right, ranging from the ECR, to Orban & Le Pen's 'Patriots for Europe' and the AfD's 'Europe of Sovereign Nations' for a centre-right to far-right majority on the Omnibus 'deregulation':
November 13, 2025 at 11:02 AM
And here is the second, 'Mr. Hyde' part of today's votes - where the EPP sides with the far-right, ranging from the ECR, to Orban & Le Pen's 'Patriots for Europe' and the AfD's 'Europe of Sovereign Nations' for a centre-right to far-right majority on the Omnibus 'deregulation':
Reposted by João
Watch Manfred Weber and other CDU/CSU MEPs flush the German coalition agreement down the toilet tomorrow - with no reaction from the SPD at national level.
All of this just to free some companies from reporting human rights abuses.
All of this just to free some companies from reporting human rights abuses.
November 12, 2025 at 2:09 PM
Watch Manfred Weber and other CDU/CSU MEPs flush the German coalition agreement down the toilet tomorrow - with no reaction from the SPD at national level.
All of this just to free some companies from reporting human rights abuses.
All of this just to free some companies from reporting human rights abuses.
There's a big advantage in supporting Tottenham from overseas: you are very unlikely to ever spend a fortune doing the 9000 km trip from South Korea to London to celebrate Spurs winning the Premier League.
Son Heung-min’s legacy: Asian fans are Tottenham for life after trailblazing impact
Son Heung-min’s legacy: Asian fans are Tottenham for life after trailblazing impact
South Korean may have moved on after a decade at Spurs but the Asian fans he drew to the club are staying put
www.theguardian.com
November 12, 2025 at 7:37 PM
There's a big advantage in supporting Tottenham from overseas: you are very unlikely to ever spend a fortune doing the 9000 km trip from South Korea to London to celebrate Spurs winning the Premier League.
While I don't want to be perceived as a flag waver for Eire's 21st century Hobbit-like pacifism, there's a non-negligeable chance those older Portuguese F-16s reek of salted cod fish.
“A token air defense squadron of gently used Portuguese F-16s or something like that as a symbolic gesture of sovereignty that can ward off the rare airspace violation being stood up by the 2030s is an likely achievable but nonessential policy option“ doesn’t mean I want a thousand year shamreich.
November 12, 2025 at 6:59 PM
While I don't want to be perceived as a flag waver for Eire's 21st century Hobbit-like pacifism, there's a non-negligeable chance those older Portuguese F-16s reek of salted cod fish.
Reposted by João
How long can Keir Starmer and other European leaders keep up the fawning rhetoric towards Trump before journalists and voters start asking tougher questions about how to deal with an American President who maintained close dealings with Epstein?
November 12, 2025 at 2:36 PM
How long can Keir Starmer and other European leaders keep up the fawning rhetoric towards Trump before journalists and voters start asking tougher questions about how to deal with an American President who maintained close dealings with Epstein?
Reposted by João
National leaders have been blocking an EU anti-discrimination law for seventeen years. You read that right: for SEVENTEEN YEARS they cannot agree that EU citizens should have equal rights.
Progress report on negotiations on a general EU anti-discrimination directive (outside employment) - still no unanimity on this - data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document...
data.consilium.europa.eu
November 11, 2025 at 5:49 PM
National leaders have been blocking an EU anti-discrimination law for seventeen years. You read that right: for SEVENTEEN YEARS they cannot agree that EU citizens should have equal rights.
Reposted by João
That’s a lot.
67% of Germans say that “When in doubt, we can and should no longer rely on military assistance from the US.”
Study: www.moreincommon.de/wp-content/u...
67% of Germans say that “When in doubt, we can and should no longer rely on military assistance from the US.”
Study: www.moreincommon.de/wp-content/u...
November 11, 2025 at 6:39 AM
That’s a lot.
67% of Germans say that “When in doubt, we can and should no longer rely on military assistance from the US.”
Study: www.moreincommon.de/wp-content/u...
67% of Germans say that “When in doubt, we can and should no longer rely on military assistance from the US.”
Study: www.moreincommon.de/wp-content/u...
Reposted by João
So here's the first part of something that I've been working on for the last twelve months.
Not every day I get to say that.
www.rand.org/randeurope/r...
Not every day I get to say that.
www.rand.org/randeurope/r...
Innovation and adaptation at war: Supporting Ukraine’s digital transformation
RAND Europe authored a series of reports on how to optimize Kyiv’s technological and policy advantages as Ukraine defends its sovereignty.
www.rand.org
November 10, 2025 at 6:10 PM
So here's the first part of something that I've been working on for the last twelve months.
Not every day I get to say that.
www.rand.org/randeurope/r...
Not every day I get to say that.
www.rand.org/randeurope/r...
Yet more attempts at transnational repression and political interference.
The BBC says it received a letter from President Trump threatening legal action over the editing of his Jan. 6, 2021, speech.
BBC faces leadership crisis after news bosses quit over Trump speech edit and bias claims
Britain’s biggest and most important media organization, the BBC, is facing turmoil after its top executive and head of news resigned.
bit.ly
November 10, 2025 at 4:09 PM
Yet more attempts at transnational repression and political interference.
Reposted by João
The blogfather @armscontrolwonk.bsky.social and I sat down to talk about the potential for a return to nuclear testing and what we think it may mean -
www.armscontrolwonk.com/archive/1220...
www.armscontrolwonk.com/archive/1220...
A Return to Nuclear Testing
Donald Trump directed “the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis” with other countries. The Department [...]
www.armscontrolwonk.com
November 4, 2025 at 1:12 AM
The blogfather @armscontrolwonk.bsky.social and I sat down to talk about the potential for a return to nuclear testing and what we think it may mean -
www.armscontrolwonk.com/archive/1220...
www.armscontrolwonk.com/archive/1220...
Reposted by João
Pour ce nouvel épisode du "Fil de l'épée" #LeCollimateur se penche sur les relations entre Staline, Roosevelt et Churchill à travers le contenu des trois grandes conférences de la Seconde guerre mondiale, avec Guillaume Piketty (@sciencespo.bsky.social) préfacier de "Verbatim" aux BellesLettresEd
Vodka, frontières et mauvaise foi : les discussions Staline-Roosevelt-Churchill (1943-1945) [Le Fil de l'épée #43]
Pour ce nouvel épisode du "Fil de l'épée" le Collimateur se penche sur les relations entre Staline, Roosevelt et Churchill à travers le contenu des trois grandes conférences de la Seconde guerre mondi...
lerubicon.org
November 9, 2025 at 5:26 PM
Pour ce nouvel épisode du "Fil de l'épée" #LeCollimateur se penche sur les relations entre Staline, Roosevelt et Churchill à travers le contenu des trois grandes conférences de la Seconde guerre mondiale, avec Guillaume Piketty (@sciencespo.bsky.social) préfacier de "Verbatim" aux BellesLettresEd
36th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, and of the uninformed answer by an East German official that potentially started the human wave which led to the dismantling of GDR's authoritarian regime.
November 9, 2025 at 5:03 PM
36th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, and of the uninformed answer by an East German official that potentially started the human wave which led to the dismantling of GDR's authoritarian regime.
Reposted by João
November 9, 2025 at 12:11 AM
In such troubled times, this feels heart warming. Like eating an ice-cream that was discontinued 20 years ago and brings you back to *that* summer.
Half-Life fans believe they've worked out a possible announcement date for Half-Life 3 - and it's very, very soon
www.eurogamer.net/half-life-fa...
www.eurogamer.net/half-life-fa...
November 8, 2025 at 10:12 PM
In such troubled times, this feels heart warming. Like eating an ice-cream that was discontinued 20 years ago and brings you back to *that* summer.
Look away, arachnophobes!
An extraordinary spider colony was found in a cave on the Albania-Greece border. Comprising over 100,000 spiders, the network spans a surface area of over 100 m².
This discovery was published in our journal Subterranean Biology: doi.org/10.3897/subt...
Video by @vrenozina.bsky.social
This discovery was published in our journal Subterranean Biology: doi.org/10.3897/subt...
Video by @vrenozina.bsky.social
November 8, 2025 at 1:01 PM
Look away, arachnophobes!