The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe is the world’s largest regional security alliance – but you’d be forgiven for never having heard of it.

The group brings together 57 member nations, including all of the EU 27, and is tasked with maintaining European security. But the OSCE has struggled to meet its mission in recent years, largely because Russia, also a member, consistently contravenes the group’s values and vetoes decisions and appointments. Now, as Europe continues to grapple with a war in its midst, this important alliance is unravelling.

At a recent top-level meeting in North Macedonia, members disagreed on key priorities, while others failed to even turn up. It’s a triumph for Russian anti-diplomacy and a real problem for Europe, as Stefan Wolff explains in the wake of the disastrous summit.

Environmental scientists are calling for a robust international effort of another kind to save threatened eel populations. They argue that our voracious appetite for the slippery fish means they are being hunted to extinction, much like what happened to whales before a massive global push led to a whaling ban. They make their case for a similar moratorium here.

And on dry land, we hear why a little less international intervention would be welcomed on the stunningly biodiverse Yemeni archipelago of Socotra.