Is 2026 the year that Britain’s universities go bankrupt?
Immigration crackdowns are cutting revenues from overseas students – and now some institutions are on the brink
We are Putin’s next target
Most politicians remain oblivious to the threat, especially on the left. But they must realise Putin could do to us what he’s done to Ukraine, without firing a shot
The year in pictures
A turbulent 2025 unfolded in striking contrasts – from apocalyptic climate disasters and surging global protests to the ever-present threat of war
The war on veggie burgers
French right wing MEPs are leading a campaign to ban words like ‘steak’ and ‘sausage’ from vegan food
The Italian town that doesn’t celebrate Christmas
Terranera, a tiny mountaintop hamlet of 50 residents, doesn’t organise its festivities by the Christian calendar or tradition
Who stole Jesus’s head?
A new nativity display in the centre of Brussels is so widely detested that it might have to be taken down early
Brigitte Macron’s nasty little words
Non-French speakers don’t fully understand the phrase “sales connes”. But we do, which makes the president’s wife using it even more awful
Greece’s falling population
You can’t convince people to have more babies through tax cuts – so how do you reverse a falling birthrate?
Nerd’s Eye View: 12 things you need to know about Copenhagen
Digging into the detail and data to separate the noise from the news
Italian pizza culture erupts in uproar
One restaurant in Bari has done the unthinkable. And it’s not about the money
If your town became a volcano, would you ever go back?
Two years ago, it happened to the people of Grindavík in Iceland – and yet today, the lights flicker and the boats put out to sea
Israeli investors get a cold reception in Athens
The Greek capital has experienced an influx of Israeli investment in property – but the graffiti around town suggests severe local antipathy
Donald Trump takes on history – and loses
An attempt to remove the stories of Black GIs from a second world war cemetery in the Netherlands ran into stiff resistance
The hidden Swedish voices of the Baltic
Small communities across Finland, Estonia and even Ukraine keep the Swedish language alive in unexpected corners of Europe
The paradox of Palestinian protest
London police warned off a man with a pro-Israel sign. Meanwhile, his Berlin counterpart won an award
The Epstein scandal shakes Slovakia
One of Robert Fico’s political allies was in close contact with Epstein – it may be one scandal too many for the Bratislava government
The hard right Belgian PM confronts the unions
Bart de Wever says he represents his entire country, but he seems more interested in cosying up to the Dutch government
Prague is on the brink… will the tourists notice?
As visitors soak up high art and cheap beer, a billionaire populist chameleon and his far right outriders cronies are ready to turn the Czech Republic upside down
The German mayor planning a new Romanian revolution
Dominic Fritz came to Timisoara as a volunteer and ended up running the city that toppled Ceaușescu. Now he’s fighting the far right and the weight of history
Nathan Gills are everywhere
Gill’s isn’t an isolated case, but a symptom of Europe-wide corruption and demagoguery
Why are there no locals left in Dubrovnik?
Everyone wants to visit the historic city. But without intervention, Dubrovnik could soon face collapse
Bosnia, the land that can’t heal
Thirty years after the Srebrenica massacre, the country remains suspended between beauty and grief
Nerd’s Eye View: 12 things you need to know about Kyiv
Digging into the detail and data to separate the noise from the news
No, we don’t need to study Hitler’s DNA
For obvious reasons, understanding why the masses fell for the fanatics would be the much more worthwhile research today
The moment Paris will never forget
It is a decade since the worst terror attack in French history left 132 dead. Where people died, Parisians now drink beer and smoke cigarettes
The child killers of the Costa del Sol
Organised crime gangs have started recruiting teenagers online to carry out hits on their rivals. There are a worrying number of willing assassins
“We owe our lives to each other”: The Bataclan survivors tell their story
Ten years on, a new drama shows how seven hostages came face-to-face with death
Denmark’s asylum policy isn’t the answer
A harsh, intrusive Danish-style immigration system won’t win right wing votes for Labour and will enrage the party’s traditional supporters. When will this government learn?
Tunnel visions: The world’s most beautiful subway stations
From Helsinki to Buenos Aires, one man’s obsession with the art and architecture of our underground railways
Is Valencia still drowning?
After last year’s devastating floods, reconstruction work is underway in Paiporta but its progress has been politicised
Merz puts art back on Germany’s political map
Like Trump, the chancellor has also been redecorating. His, however, is less golden glitter, more a nod to history
Poland, the most successful country in Europe
We have a lot to learn from Poland. If only Keir Starmer were paying more attention
Germany’s coalition of the unwilling
Fragile alliances around the country are held together mainly by one shared goal: keeping the AfD out of government
The world cannot afford to lose on gender equality
Despite pioneering an Equal Pay Certification Law in 2017, Iceland continues to have a pay gap of 10%
The prayers under fire in Ukraine
In frozen trenches and shattered towns, chaplains pray with the dying, bless the living and try to keep hope alive
Why don’t Serbians like the EU?
Brussels has been trying to encourage the country to join Europe and the people want closer ties with the west – so why is Serbia sticking with Russia?
The Netherlands’ Geert Wilders nightmare is over – for now
The far right wannabe PM has suffered a personal rebuke, but his rivals will still struggle to form a government
Merz stumbles through a migration minefield – again
A throwaway remark about the makeup of German cities started a political row – and then the chancellor made things even worse
The Georgian mothers fighting for their jailed sons
The women of Georgia have seen their children locked up by the government. Now they want them back
“We need to understand that the good guys rape”
When philosopher Manon Garcia went to the Gisèle Pelicot trial, what struck her most was the defendants’ sheer lack of remorse. If we can’t change this, she asks, can we live with men?
Come and see the best fountain in the world
From September to early October, red wine gushes from Rome’s central two fountains. Forget the Trevi, this is what you need to see when you visit
How to make sense of Putin’s empire
As Karl Schlögel reminded us, Putin waged this war in Ukraine not only for military means, but as a battle for hearts and minds
Ganging up on Geert Wilders
Wilders’s party is on course to win the most seats – but an opposition coalition could keep him out of power. Just
Will France’s fragile peace hold?
Macron and Lecornu have got away with it for now – but the country has forgotten the art of compromise
How to save the newsroom (from itself)
In 2016, American journalism failed to reach and serve certain audiences. The same problem is arising from Trump’s second presidency
Denmark’s social media ban for kids is a tragedy. But it’s right
For my generation, the internet meant connection. Now it only means division
The battle for Moldova’s soul
The recent parliamentary election result was not a show of support for PAS but instead one for Europe – and against Russia
The unsettling state of settled status
In Farage and Badenoch’s eyes, is even paying taxes in Britain good enough for EU nationals like me?
Nerd’s Eye View: 14 things you need to know about storms
Digging into the detail and data to separate the noise from the news
Is this the death knell for Germany’s rigid funeral laws?
Funeral laws in Germany have long been a model of order and control. But one state’s reform could change the way the nation mourns