This week on my newsletter: why has France become the global capital of crypto-related kidnappings?
There’s been an average of one every 2.5 days in France this year. Absolutely wild
open.substack.com/pub/millefeu...
I am so nerdily excited about this
This week in our newsletter: three Hungarian bangers, in celebration of Viktor Orbán's defeat
europeanspodcast.substack.com/p/three-anth...
Even better than this typically diverse offering from The Europeans: you get to hear @ninaism.bsky.social’s dulcet tones this week instead of mine. And she has an alarmingly good time with @dominicinamsterdam.bsky.social. I think my job is under threat
I swear no other podcast has this much fun talking about the workings of European democracy
Hilarious how for years serious people have said that you can't rely on renewables because they are prone to disruptions in supply www.ft.com/content/19f1...
This week in my newsletter: PSG opens a café.
A post about the two PSGs: the local team, whose stars have included boys from the banlieues like Kylian Mbappé; and the soulless global brand, fuelled by Qatari petrodollars
millefeuilleparis.substack.com/p/psg-sells-...
This week in our newsletter: a European journalistic juggernaut felled by ChatGPT, Czechia's massive pro-democracy protests, and every NATO country saying no to Trump
europeanspodcast.substack.com/p/gwbw-gets-...
This isn't the first time @szabolcspanyi.bsky.social has been targeted by the government. Listen to this episode from 2022 in which we speak to him about the discovery that his phone had been hacked using Pegasus software.
www.europeanspodcast.com/all-episodes...
This is pretty much as good as it gets for French PM Sébastien Lecornu
Hungary’s crackdown on press freedom escalates: @szabolcspanyi.bsky.social, one of Hungary's most prominent investigative journos and a former guest of ours, faces criminal espionage charges - a blatant attack by Orbán’s government. We stand in full solidarity with Panyi.
ipi.media/hungary-ipi-...
NEW EPISODE
Europe’s been buzzing with elections lately - but this week, we’re focusing on arguably the most monumental election of 2026: On April 12th, Hungarians could choose to end Orbán’s 16-year reign.
Is Europe’s most illiberal leader on his way out?
www.europeanspodcast.com/all-episodes...
Sure, he cycled to his victory speech on a hire bike, but who is the new mayor of Paris really?
A quick sketch in the form of three interesting things to know about Emmanuel Grégoire
millefeuilleparis.substack.com/p/three-thin...
Here's new Paris mayor Emmanuel Grégoire expertly combining cycling with giving a press conference, while on his way to his victory party. He remained on-brand by taking the Metro home
Thanks for sharing!
Background article from January: The Paris electoral system, explained (the Mayor is not a directly elected position)
millefeuilleparis.substack.com/p/the-paris-... by @katyinparis.bsky.social
also see
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Pa...
More than anything this vote shows wide support for Anne Hidalgo’s legacy as mayor. Grégoire was the continuity candidate and her anointed successor (even though they can’t stand each other).
Parisians may complain about Hidalgo, but they broadly approve of how she has transformed this city
Exit polls are indicating a resounding win for Emmanuel Grégoire, a Socialist representing the united left, as mayor of Paris.
This is still a progressive city
This week on my newsletter, I wrote about how rightwinger Rachida Dati could very easily be elected mayor of Paris on Sunday, despite this city’s progressive leanings.
Surprise surprise — a divided left means it might slip from the Socialist frontrunner’s hands
open.substack.com/pub/millefeu...
wrote a jolly column on this French charity getting people to pick the fresh produce usually left to rot in private gardens as the owners are often elderly or overwhelmed, then hand it all over to foodbanks so everyone has access to fresh fruit and veg: www.thenewworld.co.uk/marie-le-con...
It's easy to forget when things happen slowly, but Paris really has seen an astonishing change in the last decade
I'm always amazed when a building this small has managed to survive in one of the most densely populated cities in Europe
A tiny house measuring 40 square metres on the corner of a street in Montmartre, Paris
Today in random Parisian property lust: would you like to buy a 40m2 house (house!) in Montmartre for €600k
The answer for me is yes, kind of, or at least I would like someone to buy it for me, merci beaucoup
www.bellesdemeures.com/annonces/ven...
This video is gold. The Norwegian Consumer Council is hitting back against the crappy tech that is making things increasingly shitty.
vimeo.com/1168468796
We love to see it! Sithamparappillai Jegatheepan, a Sri Lankan baker who arrived in France in 2003, has just won best baguette in Paris. He wins €4,000 and a year-long contract baking for Macron
www.leparisien.fr/paris-75/la-...
Survivors of Mohamed Al Fayed's abuse are fighting to have their cases recognised as trafficking similar to the crimes of Jeffrey Epstein. Requests to the Met have gone unheeded so they are pinning their hopes on a French investigation.
My piece for The Observer:
observer.co.uk/news/interna...
🚄✈️Why is it still so hard to choose train over plane?
On long-distance routes, choosing the train can feel borderline heroic. It’s often more expensive, takes longer, and you often miss connections.
We asked @jon@gruene.social what needs to change to make rail the obvious choice.
THREAD:
It started with an article that described women as a net deficit to the economy. Emma has spent years researching how the entire way we think about economics is geared against women. I loved talking to her about the arguments she makes in her book, 'Deficit':
Includes a great tidbit I learned from @emmapearson.bsky.social's excellent Talking France podcast: Emmanuel Macron holds the current record for the longest time spent by any politician at the Salon de l'agriculture (14 hrs 40 mins)
