Europe – Page 416 – Prologue Journal

In Russian Military Town, Patriotism and Pathos Live Side by Side

New York Times The contradictions of Vladimir Putin’s war are changing the face of towns with military bases in Russia. Patriotism and pride are abundant, but so are sadness and death. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/12/world/europe/russia-war-dead.html

Vatican Conference Draws All Stripes to Rome, Welcome or Not

New York Times A major meeting to discuss sensitive issues in the Catholic Church is being held with the utmost secrecy and discretion. Outside, it’s a different story. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/12/world/europe/catholicism-vatican-synod.html

In Paris, Bedbugs and Fear of Bedbugs

New York Times Exterminators in France are playing the role of therapist to an anxious post-pandemic population that they say is panicking over recent bedbug outbreaks. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/12/world/europe/bedbugs-paris.html

More Debris and Presumed Remains Recovered From Titan Submersible

New York Times The evidence was removed from the sea floor on Oct. 4, the Coast Guard said, more than three months after the vessel imploded on a dive to view the Titanic, killing five people. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/11/world/europe/titan-submersible-debris-human-remains.html

U.S. Scales Back Hopes for Ambitious Climate Trade Deal With Europe

New York Times A negotiating deadline is quickly approaching, and the United States has lowered its expectations for a groundbreaking trade deal. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/10/business/economy/us-eu-climate-trade-deal.html

Man Found Guilty of Complicity in 2016 Terrorist Murder of French Couple

New York Times The killing of a police captain and his partner was part of a string of deadly Islamist terrorist attacks in 2015 and 2016 that scarred France. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/11/world/europe/france-murder-police-officer.html

Russia Presses Assault Near Avdiivka in Southeast Ukraine

New York Times The intensifying push is one of Russia’s few offensive operations in months, as it tries to seize land in Ukrainian regions it claims to have already annexed. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/11/world/europe/ukraine-avdiivka-russia.html

In Northern France, Riding the Rails Into the Past

New York Times On the Picardy Coast, where the Somme meets the Channel, there is nothing and everything to see, and a 19th-century steam railway lets you explore at the perfect pace. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/11/travel/france-steam-railway.html

Ukraine’s Zelensky Makes Surprise Visit to NATO HQ in Brussels

New York Times The surprise appearance by President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine came as much of the West has turned its focus to the war between Israel and Hamas militants in Gaza. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/11/world/europe/zelensky-visits-nato-surprise.html

Wednesday Briefing

New York Times A trail of terror in Israel. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/11/briefing/israel-hamas-gaza-zelensky.html