Filling the top jobs in EU THERE WAS a most undignified, horsetrading quality to what we were allowed to see of the choice of the first European Council president and EU “foreign minister” on Thursday. It did the EU no credit. As usual at summits such decisions had to satisfy a host of constituencies: the big political families, the Christian Democrats/EPP and the socialists; the large-state, small-state divide; the gender balance; and then the “anyone-but-Tony-Blair” camp, and, apparently, the eastern “that former communist D’Alema is not acceptable” camp.
McCann's success EARLIER THIS year in an interview in this newspaper Colum McCann expressed some disappointment at not being included in the long-list for the much-hyped Booker Prize. His recompense in receiving the National Book Award this week is not to be under estimated. Along with the Pulitzer, this award is regarded as America’s most eminent literary prize. McCann’s achievement in becoming the first Irish writer to win it places him alongside some of the iconic names of contemporary American fiction.

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