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​The Louvre heist in a post-heroic Europe In the second instalment of Backdropping Current Affairs, Carl Henrik Fredriksson is amazed by newly released footage of the Louvre robbery. But other Louvre scenes prove more telling: from Davids Horatii to Bertoluccis drifting 68ers, ideals dissolve into irony. Is the post-heroic mood still ours – or is history asking for oaths again?

The silent Russian takeover of key business sectors in Georgia leaves locals sidelined Coming in tens of thousands after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russian migrants are rapidly reshaping Georgias tourism, hospitality and IT sectors, displacing local businesses, undercutting guides, exploiting tax loopholes and raising economic, cultural and national-security concerns.

General Winter puts Ukrainians to the test

Ghost recycling: how Big Oil re-brands and sells fossil fuel as green plastic Oil giant Saudi Aramco, the worlds largest corporate contributor to global warming, supplies plastic largely made out of crude oil and labelled as recycled to major consumer brands touting green claims to shoppers. Bowing to petrochemical industry lobbying, the EU plans to legalise and subsidise this misleading practice with millions of euros. Critics argue that profit is prioritised over efforts to reduce plastic pollution and its impact on climate.

Gentrification through urban renewal: the model of Seine-Saint-Denis in Greater Paris Bordering Paris, Seine-Saint-Denis is the poorest and youngest district in metropolitan France, and distills many of the problems and paradoxes that tend to characterise the banlieues. In the city of Aubervilliers, as in many other places, new urban planning projects and major works are changing the face of the area and its inhabitants.

The method and the madness of owning Greenland This is the first in a series of columns in which Carl Henrik Fredriksson sets current affairs in a cultural frame. By connecting the days events to books, films, art and music, fresh perspectives emerge. The series opens with Greenland and its sad fate as an object of dreams of power, glory and money.

Greenland is not for sale

In Belgium, locals offer refugees a place to stay In Brussels, grassroots solidarity is putting roofs over the heads of refugees and helping them with paperwork. The results are encouraging, but such initiatives cannot solve the structural problems faced by refugees and asylum seekers.

Political prisoners, silenced media and fear: echoes of Stalinism in Lukashenkas Belarus Five and a half years after Belaruss stolen election, repression has hardened into state terror: mass arrests, silenced media, deportations and political bargaining show how Lukashenkas regime sustains power through fear nationwide today.

Is the EU-Mercosur agreement a bomb waiting to explode?

The village of war widows: how women in Kosovo rebuilt life after war Among financial insecurity and taboos, 26 years on, the challenges facing survivors of Kosovos war serve as a warning for other conflicts.

Should journalists be the superheroes of our times? Journalists are under increasing financial and political pressure. Their precarious situation and the rise of authoritarianism in Europe are leading to to democratic decline. According to Mustafa Kuleli of the Ethical Journalism Network, the EU must protect media workers, rein in platforms and act on the European Media Freedom Act.

Venezuela today, Greenland tomorrow?

How trans people in Europe turn visibility into empowerment Across Europe and beyond, trans rights are the subject of political backlash and negative media coverage. At the same time, the efforts of transgender people to claim a narrative of empowerment have largely been unsuccessful. How can we appreciate the life experience of transgender individuals in all its positive aspects without stumbling into the pitfalls of pathologisation, victimisation, or mystification?

In 2026 Europes democratic fate will be decided in the US and Hungary Amidst Europes authoritarian drift, its hopes to reverse course now paradoxically hinge on the US midterms and Hungarys elections, argues the far right expert and scholar.

2025 as seen by press cartoonists – and our supporters!

European Cartoon Award 2025 highlights rising threats to cartoonists and free expression As the European Cartoon Awards marked the tenth anniversary of the Charlie Hebdo attack, prize-winning cartoonists and journalists warned that satire is increasingly being perceived as a security threat, both by authoritarian regimes and within democracies.

War made sustainable: how green investment funds bankroll the arms industry with EU backing Although they are intended to finance sustainable initiatives, green investments in defence firms have surged in recent years, topping €50 billion in 2025. The trend is driven by concerted pressure from the arms industry backed by the European Commission. Both seem determined to convince banks that weaponry can be made sustainable. An investigation in partnership with El País, IrpiMedia and Mediapart.

How much does Ukraine cost Europe? Less than we think As Washington steps back, new figures show that, contrary to what some in Brussels and various EU countries say, financing Ukraine is not a costly burden but a rational investment for Europe – far cheaper than the economic, security and humanitarian price of a Russian victory.

Migrants, anyone?

What Georgia reveals about the rise of techno-authoritarianism The pro-Russia ruling Georgian Dream party is not an anomaly but part of a global accelerationist wave: an authoritarian model fuelled by techno-feudalism, Chinese influence and the erosion of liberal democracy worldwide.

Civilisational erasure, but for whom?

In Bologna, the history of the trans movement intersects with the reception of migrants In Bologna, where the struggles of transgender people are already deeply rooted, shelters that specialise in welcoming trans migrants have produced a model that is being replicated across Italy.

What friends are for

For French pioneer healers, female genital mutilation is part of the continuum of sexual violence The Réparons lexcision unit in Montreuil, near Paris, is an experimental project that takes a comprehensive and holistic approach to the issue of female genital mutilation. It is estimated that around 600,000 women and girls in Europe are currently living with the consequences of genital mutilation, and this is often only the first episode in a chain of violence.

From bans to chat control: Europes uneasy quest to regulate childhood online Europe is racing to protect children online. The continent is torn between banning certain content, implementing age verification and addressing privacy risks, while also holding platforms accountable. Amid rising harm and political pressure, experts insist that digital literacy and shared responsibility must prevail.

While Europe protects the northern bald ibis, Italy protects its poachers Considered extinct until twenty years ago, the northern bald ibis is being painstakingly reintroduced into the Alps, partly with EU funding and know-how. But the project is facing obstacles in the form of overhead electricity lines and – an Italian speciality – poaching.

Forbidden fruit

Fake medals and real profits: Europes wine award system under scrutiny Fraud scandals in France expose widespread misuse of wine-competition medals, from counterfeit Champagne to misleading exports. Whistleblowers and judges warn that weak controls and commercial incentives leave consumers unprotected.

The sacha inchi craze: the other gold of the Incas The appropriation of ancestral knowledge has a name: biopiracy. In this report, we examine the emblematic case of sacha inchi, also known as peanuts or Inca gold, in the Peruvian Amazon – a seed highly prized by cosmetics manufacturers in Europe and Asia.