The football world has been thrown into mourning following the tragic death of former Arsenal goalkeeper Alex Manninger, who reportedly died at the age of 48 after his car was struck by a train. According to multiple international media reports, the incident occurred at a railway crossing in Austria, where Manninger’s vehicle was hit in a devastating collision. Emergency responders arrived swiftly at the scene, but efforts to revive him proved unsuccessful. Manninger, a former Austrian international, enjoyed a distinguished career across Europe, featuring for top clubs including Arsenal and Juventus. He was part of the Arsenal squad under Arsène Wenger during the late 1990s, contributing to the club’s domestic successes and earning admiration for his composure and professionalism. Tributes have begun pouring in from across the football community, with former teammates, clubs, and fans expressing shock and grief over the sudden loss. Wenger, who managed Manninger during his time in Nort...
The war in Ukraine has transformed Europe more profoundly than any event since the end of the Cold War in 1989. A peace mentality, most acute in Germany, has given way to a dawning awareness that military power is needed in the pursuit of security and strategic objectives. The E.U. was built on the idea that economic exchanges, trade and interdependence were the best guarantees against war. “Many of us had started to take peace for granted,” Sauli Niinisto, Finland’s president, said this month. Now, a continent on autopilot has been galvanized into an immense effort to save liberty in Ukraine, a freedom widely seen as synonymous with its own. As a long war looms, the E.U. will grapple with how to reinforce its militaries; how to navigate tensions between frontline states intent on Russia’s complete defeat and those, like France and Germany, that are inclined toward compromise. The E.U. will also need to navigate an American election next year that will feed anxieties over whether Wa...