The French eat pigeons, and snails, and brains, and thymus glands, and calf pancreas, so why should anybody care if the French serve up horse meat and expect the world to take a big bite? Paddy O’Connell, the host of the BBC’s Broadcasting House, explains.

Is it possible to lead a country without those in that country knowing where you stand politically? In the 21st century the idea that any head of state could keep his or her views about the world private is, frankly, ridiculous. Unless, that is, you're the Queen of England.

John discusses preparations in London, the building excitement, reactions to Mitt Romney's "gaffe," Boris Johnson and more with Paddy O'Connell, host of BBC's Broadcasting House.

It's the most wonderful time of the year in Europe. It's a time that Europe collectively gathers around the TV to watch and vote in a competition called "The Eurovision Song Contest". Young and old, good and bad take to the stage. But this year there's real concern over who might win. Tradition dictates that the winner gets to host the event the following year, but due to its high cost many in Spain are are hoping their entry does not win. Paddy O'Connell of the BBC reports from the competition in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Every Friday, The Takeaway convenes a panel to look back at the week's big stories. This week, we'll hear more about Arizona v. U.S., the case that will determine the constitutionality of Arizona's immigration law, known as SB 1070. James and Rupert Murdoch both testified before a British inquiry into media ethics, our partner The New York Times published a comprehensive investigation into Walmart's practices in Mexico, and the campaign finance case against former Senator John Edwards began in North Carolina. Farai Chideya, journalist and Fellow at Harvard University's Institute of Politics, and Paddy O’Connell host of the BBC’s Broadcasting House program, explain the news of the week.

In April, the climate in the United Kingdom was jubilant, as Prince William and Kate Middleton wed at Westminster Abbey. Afterward, one million people lined the route from Westminster to Buckingham Palace, and citizens threw parties and rejoiced in the streets. Four months later, the atmosphere across the pond is the complete opposite of celebratory, as riots and civil unrest spread and violence continues.

It has been another another weekend of unbelievable twists and turns in the News Corporation phone-hacking scandal. On Friday, Les Hinton, chairman of Dow Jones, publisher of The Wall Street Journal and a decades-long News Corporation employee, resigned hours after Rebekah Brooks, News International's chief executive, also stepped down. 

The countdown is over: this morning, after months of anticipation, Britain’s Prince William is marrying Kate Middleton. The wedding is in progress right now. And all this morning, we'll be bringing you live updates from both sides of the pond. We go first to Buckingham Palace where we're joined by the BBC's Laura Lynch and Paddy O'Connell. And for reaction from U.S.-based Brits we'll hear from The Takeaway's Kristen Meinzer, live from Greenwich Village, New York.

The countdown is underway: There's less than two weeks to go until hundreds of millions of viewers watch Prince William marry Kate Middleton in London's Westminster Abbey. But resist the urge to swoon and forget the romance for a minute as we take a closer look at the economics of the royal wedding.

President Obama surely won votes during the 2008 election when he promised Americans that he would rebuild our standing in the international community through diplomacy, and much of Europe responded with open arms. But two years later, as Europeans watch the American spectacle that has become the 2010 elections, we look at the reaction abroad as Democrats lose major races for the House and Senate

Paddy O’Connell, host of our partner the BBC’s Broadcasting House, joins us from London. Theda Skocpol also weighs in.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced his resignation yesterday, opening the door of 10 Downing Street for Conservative leader David Cameron to step in.

As Chicago tries to drum up support for its bid to host the 2016 Olympic Games, Paddy O'Connell, host of the BBC radio program Broadcasting House, joins us with a look at the challenges London is facing as the host of the 2012 Olympics. Closer to home, Major League Baseball's season is winding down, and teams from both the American and National Leagues are vying for slots in the playoffs. The Takeaway's sports contributor Ibrahim Abdul-Matin gives us the lowdown on some of baseball's most exciting pennant races.

The Takeaway is drilling down into the recession with our friend and contributor Paddy O’Connell, the host of BBC’s Broadcasting House. Paddy has been looking at how the recession is affecting people and businesses in one square mile of the city of Chicago.

For a closer look at the map, click here and here.

Contributor's Notes: Paddy O'Connell on the US Airways Hudson River crash

Paddy O'Connell is the host of the BBC's Broadcasting House.

As we go to air, they'll be finishing their news conference on the New York plane crash. There's everything miraculous about it, and something awesome in the skill and bravery of the humans fighting an ailing machine. You know that people will have said, "Have you heard about the plane crash in New York...," open-mouthed at the details. But I wondered if there's space on the blog to chalk up a word for the river itself?

There's a spot on the banks of the Hudson where you can see where the Titanic survivors eventually reached dry land. They were taken to St. Vincent's hospital a few blocks away. On the morning of 9/11, medics stood in the street appealing for public blood donations as emergency vehicles headed downtown. So it's worth taking a moment to linger longer at the banks.

The passengers landed upstream of the totems of America. The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, all a short ferry ride from Wall Street and the World Trade Center. The plane ditched somewhere off West 48th Street, and it seems that in a city that was expecting the worst a sense of relief just swept over people. Named after an Englishman, its Native American name also means "the river that flows both ways." It also earned the name America's Rhine.

The plane hit the water miles downstream of West Point, and of FDR's mansion. He's meant to have said, "All that is within me cries out to go back to my home on the Hudson River."

So this rant might not be news, but would you agree that this news of the plane and its deliverance on the Hudson proves why the history of a city is something best told by its river?

You can dance, you can jive, and the UK is having the time of its life with Mamma Mia! The movie has blown British box office records away surpassing Titanic and the Harry Potter series. A bemused Paddy O'Connell feels the beat of the tambourine with John and Adaora from London.

What musical, movie, or song do you listen to or watch when you need a little shot of sunshine on these dark winter recessionary days?

Faced with the same economic crisis currently gripping the rest of the globe, Britain has unveiled an economic stimulus plan of its own, with some striking similarities and differences compared to the American plan. The U.K. package offers cuts in the sales tax to spur spending among middle and low-income earners and raises the tax rate on the wealthy. The Takeaway also examines the short and long-term implications of President-elect Obama's recently-announced stimulus plan.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair's reputation suffered greatly from his cooperation with U.S. foreign policy during the terrifically unpopular war in Iraq. Prime Minister Gordon Brown's first act in office was to make a statement distancing himself from the policies of President George W. Bush. Now, as Senator Barack Obama ascends to the presidency, the UK has made a quick turn to align itself with America once more.