Europe – Page 396 – Prologue Journal

Friday Briefing

New York Times A push from the U.S. for Israel to curtail its bombardment of Gaza. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/10/world/europe/gaza-israel-spain-suella-braverman.html

Hungary Fires Museum Director in Crackdown on L.G.B.T.Q. Depictions

New York Times A government campaign against what it calls “homosexual propaganda” is unsettling booksellers and has resulted in the firing of the director of one of the country’s leading museums. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/10/world/europe/hungary-lgbtq-laws-museum.html

Yuri Temirkanov, Conductor Who Celebrated Russia’s Music, Dies at 84

New York Times Immersed in his native land’s repertoire — Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, Prokofiev — he drew bold, rich sounds from the world’s major orchestras. In Russia, he was adored. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/09/arts/music/yuri-temirkanov-dead.html

Vatican Says Transgender People Can Be Baptized and Become Godparents

New York Times A document approved by Pope Francis lays out nuanced guidance in keeping with his vision of a more inclusive church, but it does not amount to a policy change in the church, the Vatican says. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/09/world/europe/pope-francis-transgender-people.html

Germany Remembers Kristallnacht at a Fraught Moment

New York Times As reports of antisemitism surge in Germany and elsewhere, commemorations of the Nazi pogrom have taken on special resonance this year. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/09/world/europe/germany-kristallnacht-antisemitism-israel.html

International Olympic Committee Says It Was Target of Elaborate ‘Fake News’

New York Times Olympic officials said the effort included fabricated quotes about the Israel-Gaza war and a four-part, Netflix-style documentary. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/09/world/europe/ioc-fake-news.html

U.K. Home Secretary’s Article in Times of London Stirs Political Storm

New York Times The future of Suella Braverman hung in the balance after she wrote an incendiary opinion article. Downing Street said the piece was unauthorized. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/09/world/europe/suella-braverman-times-london-palestinian-protest.html

Blue Lagoon in Iceland Temporarily Closes After Thousands of Earthquakes

New York Times The tourist attraction, a geothermal spa that is popular with Americans, said it would “carefully monitor the seismic developments” as a precautionary measure. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/09/world/europe/blue-lagoon-iceland-earthquake.html

Sànchez’s Deal With Catalonia Separatists Creates Turmoil in Spain

New York Times Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s agreement with Catalan separatists will likely keep him in power, but it provoked an upheaval. Hours later, a far-right leader was shot. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/09/world/europe/spain-catalonia-separatists-pedro-sanchez.html

A Bundle of 18th-Century Love Letters Is Unsealed at Last

New York Times More than 100 letters, addressed to French sailors, were never delivered. They remained unopened for nearly 250 years, until a historian found them in Britain’s archives. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/09/world/europe/french-love-letters-18th-century.html