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West Palm Beach will be without one of golf’s biggest stars next week. World No. 2 Rory McIlroy has announced he will bypass the Cognizant Classic, opting instead to immediately begin preparations for his title defense at the Masters Tournament in April. The decision comes after completing two events on the PGA Tour’s West Coast swing.

The move signals McIlroy’s prioritization of Augusta National, where he secured his first career Grand Slam victory in 2025, ending an 11-year major championship drought with a playoff win over Justin Rose. The victory was particularly meaningful, as McIlroy was able to experience the traditions of the Masters, including seeing his name added to the Champions Locker.

According to Golf Channel’s Todd Lewis, McIlroy will use the time leading up to the Masters to spend time at Augusta National with his father, Gerry McIlroy, and Augusta National Chairman Fred Ridley. Lewis reported that McIlroy’s recent visit to the club further fueled his excitement to defend his championship. “He was able to walk up to the Champions Locker and see his name inside, and that experience made him very excited to defend his championship,” Lewis said.

The Masters Tournament is scheduled to begin on April 9th. McIlroy’s 2025 win at Augusta was one of three PGA Tour victories for the Northern Irishman last year, adding to his wins at the Players Championship and the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

Genesis Invitational Tee Time for McIlroy

Before turning his full attention to Augusta, McIlroy is slated to compete in the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades. He will tee off at 12:08 p.m. ET on Thursday, marking his return to Riviera after the tournament was held at Torrey Pines South Course last year.

Cognizant Classic Field to be Announced

The full field for the Cognizant Classic will be revealed later this week, as the PGA Tour continues its Florida swing. McIlroy’s absence leaves a notable gap in the lineup, but the tournament is still expected to draw a competitive field.

McIlroy’s decision to focus on Masters preparation highlights the significance of the tournament for the golfer. Having completed the career Grand Slam, the pressure to repeat his success at Augusta will undoubtedly be high. The upcoming weeks will be crucial as he fine-tunes his game and prepares to face the challenges of defending his title.

The 2026 Masters promises to be a compelling event, with McIlroy aiming to become only the fourth golfer to win the Masters in consecutive years. Golf fans will be watching closely to see if he can maintain the form that led him to victory in 2025.

What impact will McIlroy’s focused preparation have on his performance at the Masters? Share your thoughts in the comments below, and be sure to share this article with fellow golf enthusiasts.

Brussels – European capital markets are undergoing a significant push for greater independence and strength, spurred by the implications of Brexit and a desire to foster a more integrated financial ecosystem. The European Commission’s recently unveiled Market Infrastructure Package (MIP), presented on December 4, 2025, aims to revitalize the Capital Markets Union – now rebranded as the Savings and Investment Union (SIU) – but faces the challenge of overcoming existing fragmentation and underdevelopment. The Commission’s assessment paints a stark picture: the EU’s capital markets lag behind global competitors, burdened by a high number of stock exchanges, central securities depositories (CSDs), and central counterparties (CCPs).

The initiative comes as the EU seeks to reduce its reliance on London-based clearinghouses for euro-denominated transactions, a concern heightened after the UK’s departure from the European Union. While Brexit created an opportunity for the EU to build its own robust financial infrastructure, progress has been slow. The MIP represents a renewed effort to assert greater control over the region’s financial landscape and enhance its competitiveness on the world stage.

The core of the MIP focuses on easing cross-border licensing for market infrastructure providers, allowing them to expand their operations within the EU from existing decentralized hubs. This includes simplifying access for exchanges to offer services across member states, establishing a unified license for pan-European market operators, and streamlining access to trading platforms for brokers and asset managers. Settlement systems are also slated for easier cross-border operation.

Enhanced Oversight and a Centralized Approach

Alongside these liberalization measures, the MIP proposes a more centralized approach to supervision. The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) will be significantly strengthened, gaining exclusive responsibility for overseeing all “significant” market infrastructure providers. While national authorities will retain oversight of smaller, nationally-focused entities – albeit with less harmonization – the goal is to create a more efficient and consistent regulatory architecture, mirroring the approach already in place for banking supervision. This increased regulatory scrutiny is expected to come with a substantial bureaucratic burden, both in terms of resources and personnel.

Digital Finance and the Integration of DLT

Innovation is also a key component of the package, with a particular focus on digital capital markets and the potential of Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT), commonly known as blockchain. The proposal envisions a future where securities of all types can be issued as tokens on a DLT and integrated into the existing system of regulated exchanges, CSDs, and CCPs. Payments related to securities trading would be facilitated through e-money tokens regulated under the Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation.

Changes to the Central Securities Depositories Regulation (CSDR) are central to this effort, expanding the definition of “immobilization” to encompass securities originally issued on a DLT, enabling their acceptance for collateral purposes. The European Central Bank (ECB) intends to accept DLT-based securities issued by CSDs as eligible collateral starting March 30, 2026, according to the proposal.

Harmonization Challenges and Legal Frameworks

However, the successful implementation of DLT-based securities hinges on harmonizing civil and insolvency law across the EU’s 27 member states. The legal status of DLT-based securities also remains a complex issue. Germany has already addressed this with its Law on Electronic Securities, classifying such securities as “crypto securities.” This approach is lauded for recognizing that tokens often do not fit neatly into traditional legal categories of property or rights, necessitating a fictional treatment – treating the DLT security as a tangible asset.

Other legal systems, particularly English law, appear to manage the properties of DLT securities – such as transferability and proof of ownership – without specific legislation. Legal opinions will be crucial in building trust in the ownership and creation of DLT securities. Uncertainty also remains regarding applicable law in cross-border transactions and the tokenization of securities held by CSDs operating under different legal frameworks. EU-wide harmonization of “token law” would strengthen national rights.

The European Union is taking steps to modernize its financial infrastructure, but significant legal and logistical hurdles remain. The MIP represents a bold attempt to create a more integrated, competitive, and resilient capital market, but its success will depend on the ability of member states to overcome fragmentation and embrace innovation.

As the MIP moves forward, the focus will be on the legislative process and the implementation of these new regulations. The coming months will be critical in determining whether the EU can truly establish a financial system that reflects its ambitions for economic sovereignty and global leadership.

What are your thoughts on the EU’s efforts to reshape its capital markets? Share your comments below.

PARIS – The French concept of “juger,” encompassing the act of judging, differs significantly from its English counterparts, “to judge” and “to adjudicate.” Originating from the Latin “dicere jus,” meaning “to speak the law,” the French verb carries a broader semantic weight, extending beyond the judicial sphere into realms of artistic appreciation, moral critique, competitive arbitration, and legal verdicts.

This multifaceted nature of “juger” was highlighted by Radio France in a series of podcasts released this week, coinciding with its inclusion as a key theme in the general knowledge section of entrance exams for France’s leading business schools – HEC, ESSEC, ESCP, EMLyon, EDHEC, SKEMA, NEOMA, Audencia, and Kedge – in 2026. The podcasts explore the complexities of judgment, questioning who judges, who is judged, and the basis of that judgment – justice, law, values, or societal norms.

The discussion comes at a time when the act of judging is particularly visible in current events. Recent political controversies in France, where supporters of politicians facing legal challenges have decried a “government of judges,” have sparked debate about the boundaries between legal judgment and political assessment. The question of judging wartime crimes, from Ukraine to Gaza and Sudan, and even revisiting historical atrocities like those examined at Nuremberg, too features prominently in the discourse.

Philosophically, the act of judging is central to understanding human cognition, as articulated by Immanuel Kant. Kant posited that judgment is a fundamental operation of understanding, allowing us to make sense of sensory impressions and organize our perceptions. He distinguished between judgments of knowledge, guided by reason, and aesthetic judgments, driven by imagination.

Within the French legal system, the principle of judicial independence, championed by Montesquieu, dictates that judges should apply the law impartially, acting as “the mouth that pronounces the words of the law.” However, former judge Denis Salas emphasizes that even with independence, magistrates are bound by a strict professional ethic, subject to scrutiny from lawyers and appellate courts, maintaining what Paul Ricoeur termed a “just distance.”

The inherent subjectivity of judges, despite the expectation of impartiality, raises questions about the emotional toll of the profession. Psychanalyst Martine Sandor Buthaud, in her recent book “Dans la tête des juges” (In the Heads of Judges), notes that judges grapple with dilemmas, tragedy, and violence, requiring them to overcome horror to render fair decisions. “The question is to know in the name of what they have the right to decide the life of others,” she observes.

Sociologist Pierre Rosanvallon identifies two sources of legitimacy for French judges: functional legitimacy, based on impartial application of the law, and democratic legitimacy, as judges represent a form of popular sovereignty beyond electoral representation. He argues that judges ensure consideration for every individual, contrasting with the majority rule inherent in voting systems. Rosanvallon stresses the fundamentally human aspect of judging, emphasizing that applying general laws to unique situations creates jurisprudence, evolving the legal framework.

Concerns about the diversity of the judiciary were raised by magistrate Youssef Badr, author of “Pour une justice aux 1 000 visages” (For a Justice with 1,000 Faces). Badr points to the lack of social diversity within the French legal system, arguing that it fails to fully represent the population it serves.

Beyond the legal realm, the concept of judgment extends to moral and aesthetic evaluations. Philosophers like Plato and Aristotle have long grappled with the nature of justice and equity, although skeptics advocate for suspending judgment as a path to tranquility. The question of whether one can judge art, balancing artistic freedom with moral considerations, remains a contentious issue. The role of pre-judgment, manifested as prejudice, was also examined, with researchers highlighting its cognitive shortcuts and potential for social harm.

The French philosopher Paul Ricoeur analyzed penal judgment, arguing its function is not merely punitive but to “name” the crime and the criminal, separating the guilty from the victim. He distinguished this from historical explanation, which seeks understanding without absolution, and from personal forgiveness. Vladimir Jankélévitch’s concept of the “imprescriptible” nature of crimes against humanity was also cited as a moral and legal imperative.

The debate over judging continues, with no immediate resolution in sight. The French Council of Ministers has not issued a statement regarding recent criticisms of judicial independence, and the business school entrance exams, which feature “juger” as a central theme, are scheduled to proceed as planned in the spring of 2026.

London – Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the former British prince, was arrested Thursday on suspicion of misconduct in public office, a development stemming from ongoing scrutiny of his ties to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The arrest, confirmed by Thames Valley Police, marks an unprecedented moment in modern royal history and has prompted a statement from King Charles III.

The arrest occurred on Mountbatten-Windsor’s 66th birthday, just weeks after an anti-royal organization called for police investigation into documents suggesting he shared confidential government information with Epstein while serving as a UK trade envoy. The investigation centers on whether confidential reports were transmitted to Epstein in 2010, a claim previously assessed by Thames Valley Police. This latest development significantly escalates the legal and public relations challenges facing the royal family.

Investigation Focuses on Potential Misconduct in Public Office

Thames Valley Police confirmed the arrest of a man in his sixties from Norfolk, eastern England, in connection with the allegations. While the force did not name the individual, they acknowledged the significant public interest in the case and pledged to provide updates as appropriate. “Following a thorough assessment, we have now opened an investigation into this allegation of misconduct in public office,” stated Assistant Chief Constable Oliver Wright. Police are currently conducting searches at properties in Berkshire and Norfolk, according to their statement.

Mountbatten-Windsor, who is no longer a working royal, recently relocated to Wood Farm on King Charles III’s Sandringham estate in Norfolk after being asked to vacate his longtime home near Windsor Castle earlier this month. Images circulating online showed unmarked police vehicles arriving at the estate Thursday morning, with officers observed gathering outside his residence, as reported by CNN.

King Charles Responds to Brother’s Arrest

King Charles III issued a brief statement following the arrest, emphasizing the importance of due process. “Let me state clearly: the law must take its course,” the King said in a statement signed Charles R. He added that he would not comment further on the matter while the investigation is ongoing, but affirmed his and his family’s continued commitment to public service. This statement represents a clear attempt to distance the monarchy from the unfolding legal proceedings.

The arrest follows the release of millions of pages of documents from the U.S. Justice Department’s investigation into Epstein, which revealed the extent of Mountbatten-Windsor’s relationship with the financier. These documents showed continued correspondence between the two men even after Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting a minor for prostitution. Buckingham Palace announced last week its willingness to cooperate with any police inquiry related to these links, as reported by CBS News.

A History of Controversy

Mountbatten-Windsor’s association with Epstein has been a source of controversy for over a decade. In 2019, Queen Elizabeth II forced her son to step down from royal duties after a disastrous BBC interview in which he attempted to explain his relationship with Epstein. A book published last year further detailed the extent of their connection, leading King Charles to strip him of his royal title and request he move from Royal Lodge.

According to policing commentator Danny Shaw, speaking to the BBC, suspects are typically held for 12 to 24 hours before being charged or released. However, Mountbatten-Windsor could be held for up to 96 hours with extensions approved by senior police officers and a Magistrate’s Court. He will be held in a standard police custody suite, with no special treatment, Shaw stated.

Royal expert Craig Prescott of Royal Holloway, University of London, described the arrest as “the most spectacular fall from grace for a member of the royal family in modern times.”

The investigation is ongoing, and it remains unclear what the next steps will be. Authorities have not specified a timeline for the investigation, but the case is expected to attract significant public and media attention. The outcome of this investigation could have lasting implications for the British monarchy and its relationship with the public.

Share your thoughts on this developing story in the comments below.