Le Pen met France’s richest man and other major CEOs at secret dinner The French business community has been trying to build bridges with the far right for months.

Is Bernard Arnault the Fritz Thyssen of France?
www.politico.eu/article/far-...

Brexit: migration for me, but not for thee?

Milord, most famous by Edith Piaf (written by George Moustaki).

The new economics of sex work Economists have largely ignored sex work despite it being a large industry worth almost $100bn annually, with new research methods emerging to study this complex market.

Happy that The Economist is focusing on the economic approach of sex work. And proud that they draw quite a bit from our research and my book "Sex Work by Numbers" (Emerald).
www.economist.com/finance-and-...

Laugh at your own dad joke, seeing the nonverbal irritation. Honni soit qui mal y pense!

Definite proof: human societies have shrunk.

Positive or negative influence of external actors. Source: Afrobarometer

This figure raises so many questions. Do people in Africa appreciate bread and butter more than bullets (Russia) or empty words (EU)? Is the low appreciation for the EU driven by memories of former colonisers? Is the democratic or autocratic quality of countries really irrelevant?
#Afrobarometer

Problem about the loneliness epidemic is, it's everywhere except in representative survey data. Let's look at where the claim comes from. 1/

On a Belgian train, a man threatened an American foursome. The group flees; bystanders try to help, suggesting they call the embassy, which is declined. Suspect is arrested. Later, the group claims on FB knife threats (not found on him or on the scene) and to have received no help (not).

What the EU’s X Decision Reveals About How the DSA Is Enforced The European Commission's €120M fine against X exposes how it enforces the DSA, targeting design, transparency, and data access failures across the platform.

Interesting analysis of the recent Commission fine imposed on X for breaching the EU Digital Services Act

www.techpolicy.press/what-the-eus...

Lol!
Ctrl-h
"Somali" -> "Scandinavian"

The country is such a paradox: well-governed by most standards, but so much demand for populist representation.

Indeed. Same parties plus CU, but, as you said, with a majority back then.

"Mostly the same parties" is quite the statement, given that only one of the four previous coalition parties is in the new cabinet.

OK with that, just a bit off to call what you name a corner 'academia'. But, hey, stressful days indeed. No offence.

"Prosecute every last one of Trump's thugs who are murdering Americans". Non-Americans still irrelevant?

So academia enabled this shitshow because of some infighting on Appadurai?
Not the whole of academia that embeds tech (or vice versa), not reactionary legal thought, not detached crazies uninterested in furthering knowledge, not technical progress without ethics? Gadver...

Ich erinnere mich!

Most of my fellow Europeans know all too well how hard it is to withstand authoritarian backsliding. At least those with some knowledge of their own recent history. Maybe just started believing that it should be easy, programmed by all those movies of heroism against evil?

Citation from the NYT: It has been accused of interfering in European elections. It is searching the homes of journalists, apprehending anti-government protesters and prosecuting political opponents. And it is now eyeing the takeover of another nation’s land. It isn’t Russia. It is the United States.

Dear student, your introduction should be both truthful and intriguing, informing your reader and motivating her to continue.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/23/w...

Dat een button dragen geen burgerschap is, lijkt me nogal nonsensicaal. Een banaan is ook geen burgerschap. Maar waarschijnlijk bedoelt ze dat het zwak is. Dat hangt dan echt af van de button en de context, zou ik zeggen. Een button kan ook een 'Hier sta ik, ik kan niet anders' zijn.

Elwin Hofman et al. eds., "The Business of Pleasure: A History of Paid Sex in the Heart of Europe" (Leuven UP, 2022)

Great discussion of a great book: 'The business of pleasure' by elwinhofman.bsky.social, Magaly Rodríguez García, and Pieter Vanhees
open.spotify.com/episode/4tWW...

Chinese Universities Surge in Global Rankings as U.S. Schools Slip

Oh boy...
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/15/u...

Save 30% when you order directly from Emerald Publishing by quoting code EMERALD30 when you check out.

The book begins with a dedication to all the sex workers around the world, and breathes the ambition to help society and its policies to allow them to live their lives to the fullest (rather than barring them).

Sex Work by Numbers: Bridging Economics and Social Sciences to Understand the Hidden World of Commercial Sex In social science research, scholars can be challenged when those involved are vested in keeping their activities, experiences, or realities hidden. In the

I am excited and proud to announce the release of my book, "Sex Work by Numbers." The electronic version will be available tomorrow, January 14, and the print version will be published on February 25.
www.emerald.com/books/monogr...

Internationaal recht is niet gerespecteerd, dat zal wel. Dat dit vooral een imperialistisch-economisch doel moet dienen is bepaald verzwarend. En vanuit realpolitik perspectief: wat ben je als je goedpraat als diezelfde would-be bezetter naar een Europees land lonkt? Kortzichtig? Laf?

The Cost of Europe’s Weak Venezuela Response International rules are only as strong as the democratic states supporting them. In the wake of the U.S. military operation in Venezuela, Europeans have a vested interest in making a compelling case f...

Solid analysis here from Rosa Balfour about how European fecklessness in dealing with Trump is undermining Europe's image around the world. carnegieendowment.org/europe/strat...

A whole new level of globalisation: a presidency exporting its citizens to foreign gulags, and importing a fellow-strongman to a domestic prison.

Thanks a million!