Links 26/05/14

Politics: 

With most of the results in from the European Union Parliament elections that took place over the last week, the Guardian has the results from the 28 member states (and compares them to the 2009 outcome). In France, the UK and Denmark, the far-right anti-EU parties won the election, in Germany, the NPD won a seat in European Parliament. In Austria, the FPÖ, lacking serious competition in the anti-EU spectrum, reached about 20 per cent of the vote (likely fewer counting votes that are arriving by mail), the conservative People's Party won the election with heavy losses from last time, successfully managing to differentiate between a national and an election on the European level, and one of the more interesting untold stories is the massive difference between male and female voting patterns (here is an interesting but anecdotal report about young male voters in Vienna). (and turnout remains low, under 50 per cent, but especially so in the Eastern European states). AND ALSO, OH VIENNA (always taking into account that the FPÖ is struggling with low turn out/mobilisation more than with lack of potential). 

The Guardian about former UN secretary general Kofi Annan and his views about the current crises, especially Syria: 

"You sometimes have a feeling that the global community – and even the big powers – can only focus on one crisis at a time," he said. "We've moved from Syria to Ukraine. Look at how the focus on Ukraine has eclipsed what is going on in Syria and in other places. The only crisis that has got a bit of attention and been able to break through the Ukrainian dominance is the girls of Nigeria." 

The Guardian: Kofi Annan: Syrians pay with their lives while regional powers wage proxy wars, 23 May 2014

Quartz, on "How Ukrainian arms-dealing connects to Syria’s bloody civil war" (and the NY Times on the outcome of the Ukrainian Presidential elections which brought a win for a billionaire "Pro-European businessman").

The New York Times about Pakistani government troops moving in on "foreign Islamist militants" in tribal areas. 

Pop Culture: 

Olivier Assayas' Clouds of Sils Maria didn't win any awards in Cannes, but was heavily covered in the media (as were its stars, Juliette Binoche, Kristen Stewart and Chloe Moretz) - the NY Times talks to him about the film. 

And Assayas' leading actress in Boarding Gate, Asia Argento, who has since given up acting, talks about directing the film Misunderstood, a sort-of biographical tale about a girl with two artist parents.