Europe – Page 40 – Prologue Journal

What to Know About Austria’s General Election and the Far-Right Freedom Party

New York Times Austrians will head to the polls on Sunday to elect a new Parliament, with the Freedom Party in position to potentially form a far-right government for the first time since World War II. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/27/world/europe/austria-general-election-freedom-party.html

Pope Punishes 10 Members of Catholic Movement in Peru

New York Times The Vatican expelled 10 members from Sodalitium Christianae Vitae, a group founded in Peru, after investigators reported cases of physical abuse and cultlike control. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/26/world/europe/pope-peru-sodalitium.html

Finnish Zoo Returning Pandas to China Because of Cost

New York Times Two pandas are heading back to China eight years early amid lower-than-hoped-for visitor numbers at a zoo in rural Finland, and after the pair didn’t produce a cub. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/26/world/europe/finland-china-pandas-return.html

Mauritshuis Director’s Heirs Lay Claim to His Rembrandts

New York Times He ran the Mauritshuis and bequeathed it 25 paintings, but said they must always be on display. Today, only five are on show — so the descendants of his close friend say the artworks should be theirs. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/26/arts/mauritshuis-museum-rembrandt-heirs-dispute.html

Commuters See ‘Islamophobic’ Message in Cyber Attack on Public Wi-Fi, Authorities Say

New York Times The British authorities are investigating after commuters at 19 train stations saw an Islamophobic message when they tried to log on to a public Wi-Fi system. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/26/world/europe/britain-rail-cyber-attack.html

Johnson, House Speaker, Demands That Ukraine Fire Its U.S. Ambassador

New York Times The public call deals a blow to Kyiv’s efforts to avoid the partisan acrimony of the U.S. presidential campaign as it tries to rally support for its cause. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/26/world/europe/mike-johnson-ukraine-us-ambassador.html

Bowling, Billiards and Emergency Brakes: Inside the Tram Olympics

New York Times Amelia Nierenberg recently traveled to Frankfurt to report on an annual competition between the captains of some of Europe’s sleekest public transit systems. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/26/insider/tram-competition.html

Thursday Briefing: A Proposed Cease-Fire between Israel and Hezbollah

New York Times Plus, 3,600-year-old cheese. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/26/briefing/israel-hezbollah-trump-eric-adams.html

On Ukraine’s Eastern Front, A High-Stakes Struggle Against Russian Forces

New York Times Russian forces are pressing against an arc of strongholds in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, in a fight as intense as any in the war. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/26/world/europe/ukraine-eastern-front-line.html

Zelensky Warns U.N. Against Ceding to Russia’s ‘Insane’ Desire for Land

New York Times President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine told the meeting of world leaders that capitulating to Russia would only give its president, Vladimir Putin, the “political space to continue the war.” https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/25/world/europe/un-zelensky-ukraine-putin.html