Europe – Page 77 – Prologue Journal

Macron Appoints François Bayrou as France’s New Prime Minister

New York Times François Bayrou, a centrist politician, will now become the fourth prime minister in a year, a record for France. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/13/world/europe/france-prime-minister-government-macron.html

Europe Begins to Ask if Syrians Can Go Home After al-Assad’s Fall

New York Times Nearly a million Syrians in Germany alone have made new lives. But after the fall of Bashar al-Assad, some politicians across the continent have suggested that refugees could return home. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/13/world/europe/syria-assad-europe-germany-refugees.html

Ukrainian Women Are Traveling to the Front Line to Keep Love Alive

New York Times Many women are making dangerous trips to places where loved ones are fighting Russian forces. “We try to imagine that for these two days, there is no war,” one said. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/13/world/europe/ukraine-war-dating.html

Friday Briefing

New York Times Here’s what you need to know. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/13/briefing/syria-israel-trump.html

Chinese-Flagged Ship Suspected of Cutting Cables Remains Halted Weeks Later

New York Times After fiber-optic cables under the Baltic Sea were cut last month, European officials hurried to stop the Yi Peng 3. It’s still at anchor there, with no update on three nations’ investigation. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/12/world/europe/baltic-fiber-optic-cables-ship.html

British Pubs Are Running Out of Guinness

New York Times Guinness’s parent company has limited the amount of the beer that U.K. wholesalers and distributors can buy each week, after surging demand led to fears of shortages. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/12/world/europe/uk-guinness-shortages-limits.html

British Pubs Are Running Out of Guinness

European Central Bank Cuts Interest Rates as the Economy Weakens

New York Times The bank has been lowering rates since June as inflation slowed, but other risks are growing, including the threat of higher tariffs promised by President-elect Donald J. Trump. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/12/business/european-central-bank-interest-rates.html

Russian Troops Advance to Within 3 Miles of Key Ukrainian Transit Hub

New York Times Russia is pushing toward Pokrovsk, a strategic city for Ukraine’s army with important rail and road connections, in a rapid capturing of ground in the Donetsk region. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/12/world/europe/russia-ukraine-war-pokrovsk.html

What I Learned From a Reclusive Taliban Commander

New York Times Mullah Osman Jawhari led one of the deadliest assaults on American forces in Afghanistan, a battle that came to symbolize the war itself. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/12/world/asia/lessons-learned-from-taliban-commander.html