What do the French call a ‘French exit’?
The art of slipping away from a party without saying goodbye is known across the Channel as ‘leaving in the English style’
Jordan Bardella, the extremist with a smiling face
The far right populist is likely to be the next president of France. A new book explains why
Bonn’s £190m ode to the joy of Beethoven
A rebuilt concert hall delivers mid-century style with a dose of EU symbolism – but with big queues, and a heavy price
When Gen Z goes to war
From Mariupol to Tehran, Cecilia Sala’s new book captures young people forced into extraordinary acts of resistance
The man who made your furniture grin
Alessandro Mendini turned corkscrews into characters and armchairs into art. An exhibition of his work is on at the Estorick in London
Ralph Steadman and the death of fun
The Welsh illustrator is staring down the barrel of 90, but still raging about an ‘unimaginably awful’ president – and laughing about the Gonzo genius of his own partnership with Hunter S Thompson
Donald Trump stuffs the Slovakian parrot
Robert Fico went to Washington in the hope of a photo opportunity with Trump. It now looks like a disastrous political mistake
Should we be kicking out the children?
French trains have caused a stir by introducing age limits on certain services. Unfair, perhaps. But do you like peace and quiet? Or do you prefer screaming toddlers?
Killing time with the wild boar hunters
To succeed, you have to forget a fundamental law of walking in the Pyrenées: what comes down must go up
This EU act of self-sabotage makes no sense
The Mercosur trade agreement has been 25 years in the making and would boost growth – but it’s been kicked in the long grass
Carney spoke to the world. Trump rambled to himself
The US president and the Canadian PM’s speeches at Davos showed the contrast between bluster and leadership
Mark Carney’s speech in full: We can’t work with Trump, so build a new world
Full transcript of the Canadian PM’s stunning speech for the ages
My journey into Hades
I found Greek mythology a bit stuffy and dull when I studied it at school, but now I get why so many people got hooked over the centuries
Turner and Constable, forces of nature
A joint exhibition at Tate Britain reveals the story of two geniuses who did some of their best work in the worst weather
The men who made AI think it might kill us all
Artificial Intelligence already lies, manipulates and threatens. And we’re still feeding it, without setting any guidelines
Nerd’s Eye View: Nine things you need to know about Burns Night
Digging into the detail and data to separate the noise from the news
A message from Denmark: no, America – not a damned chance
Trump thinks he can simply take Greenland? If he tries, he’s got a fight on his hands.
Trump’s supersized Suez moment
In 1956, Eisenhower humbled Britain. In 2026, Trump wants to humiliate the entire Western alliance
The fear and dread of living in Greenland
A peaceful nation now has planes full of soldiers landing at its main airport. As Greenlanders look out into the world, we ask: who will stand up for us now?
Fault! Berlin’s mayor played tennis during the city’s blackout
Locals are blaming Kai Wegner for poor service after he crossed the line by taking on his girlfriend while 45,000 homes were without power
The largest fascist rally held in Europe since WW2
A Croatian rock singer is using Nazi salutes to gee up his crowd. Even worse, the prime minister is apparently a fan
Letter of the week: Forget Britishness, we need to be more European
Write to letters@thenewworld.co.uk to have your views voiced in the magazine
It’s time for a European army
Keir Starmer wants Britain to get closer to the EU. The war in Ukraine and Trump’s military posturing put European security at the heart of that realignment
In Greenland, the threat of Trump hangs over us like Covid
The uncertainty of the plague years are back in the form of the US president, and we are left wondering who wants to help us
Brigitte Macron’s difficult court victory
Online trolls who claimed the French president’s wife was secretly a man, have been convicted in a Paris court. Does that mean misgendering someone – including trans people – now means jail time?
Europe still doesn’t trust Britain
Former Brussels foreign minister Cathy Ashton says the union would be ‘insane’ to take back the UK without consensus that we wouldn’t leave again
Carona, the Swiss village where art hid out
A sleepy Alpine mountain retreat offered shelter for surrealists, LSD prophets and weary hippies
The case for a firework-free zone
Some Germans revel in a state of emergency during the new year’s celebrations. Should their lawlessness restrict responsible fireworks enthusiasts’ fun?
If you want to understand Iceland, go to the swimming pool
When it’s freezing and dark, there’s only one thing Icelanders want to do – take all their clothes off and jump in an outdoor pool
How we must fight the global populist threat in 2026
Crime, corruption and cruelty show how leaders like Trump and Bukele exploit power, and why they must be stopped
The art treasures Italy won’t let you see
Behind locked doors in museums and archaeological sites, priceless works gather dust while the world waits outside
Serbia: a land of protests, paranoia.. and Del-Boy Trotter
With a media landscape tightly controlled by Aleksandar Vučić’s ruling party, students are keeping the fight for democracy alive in Belgrade
How China plans to eat the west
While Britain struggles to open new factories, Beijing is looking to a future of flying cars. How can Europe emulate what its rival intends, and do it better?
Nerd’s Eye View: 13 things you need to know about the New Year
Digging into the detail and data to separate the noise from the news
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