Perfectly expressed… a manifesto for the future of Europe in the face of Trump and Putin
A French senator has given a powerful speech setting out how the continent must deal with the twin threats from America and Russia
Can Europe defend itself?
Trump is breaking up the old post-war alliance designed to protect Europe from Moscow. If the US withdraws support, can the continent go it alone?
Letters: With a European army we could deter Putin
If the UK was part of a Europe-wide army there would be sufficient forces to protect Ukraine without the need for US assistance
Siena, the shining city
For a golden period, the Tuscan hill town ruled the art world. Now its treasures are reassembled in a remarkable exhibition
Britain’s post-Brexit era is over
Thanks to Putin’s aggression and Trump’s greed, the UK has regained its international status
Crossing Europe’s old war zone
The current state of the continent’s politics may be alarming, but that does not mean history will inevitably repeat itself
Spain’s modern-day Dick Turpins
Today, highway robbery is common on Spanish motorways
Meeting Germany’s Sorbs
The reality of German culture is more ancient, beautiful and varied than the extremist politicians understand
How woke went broke
The excesses of the social justice movements will not be missed – but something even worse has come to take their place
Who will be the next Pope?
As Catholics pray for Francis, the pontiff may have already indicated his choice of successor
Neil Kinnock: ‘Trump is like all bullies… he needs a bump on the nose’
In a time of crisis, the former Labour leader says he’d rejoin the EU tomorrow – and wants the Brexit reset to be speeded up
Letters: Who can lead us against Trump and Putin?
In these worryingly unpredictable times, the UK needs to be fully engaged with the EU, for our own safety, security and prosperity
Pulp friction: Italy’s Battle of the Oranges
For three days every year, the quiet Piedmont town of Ivrea becomes a citrus-soaked battleground
Barry Harris, the man who made European jazz
The American jazz pianist had a passion for teaching music, and created a bridge between the worlds of bebop and classical
Cosying down after cozido
The pork-filled stew – one of Portugal’s national dishes – is boundlessly hearty and invariably leads to a postprandial snooze
Bidzina Ivanishvili, Georgia’s French despot
As the country’s courts become more Russian, the real Georgia can be found out on the streets
How Germans celebrate Ramadan
In these days of far right anti-Islam extremism, AfD politicians are quick to seize on any evidence of what they call the Islamisation of Germany
The Prayerbook Rebellion: How Cornwall’s language was lost
Cornish was doomed after Latin was banished from church services in favour of English during the 1500s
Remembering Franco’s victims
To avoid a repetition of this dark past, Spain’s citizens must listen to the testimonies of those who suffered at the hands of Franco’s torturers
Bart De Wever, the prime minister against his own country
The Belgian prime minister’s cries for the EU to stick to its core functions are selfish and short-sighted
Giuseppe Di Stefano, the tenor who captivated Callas
‘Pippo’ soared to fame alongside Maria Callas in the 1950s but his playboy lifestyle ultimately led to the loss of his golden voice
Why Merz must act fast
Despite the CDU achieving one of its worst results ever, the party has managed to keep the AfD out of power – for now
The AfD’s greatest weapon now is complacency
Friedrich Merz is Germany’s new chancellor. But the far right are rising – and waiting for a moment of weakness
Bosnia’s enduring pain
It’s only 30 years since a genocide took place in the heart of Europe, but already some are trying to rewrite history
Hail to the thief
Donald Trump is cuddling up to Putin while telling Ukraine: “First pay me, then feed your children”
The city at the edge of history
Budapest endured Nazi rule, the Holocaust and then Stalin – how can anywhere recover from that?
Has Trump killed off the Brexit reset?
Ukraine and tariffs mean the EU’s bandwidth is receding – now Starmer must act fast
The turncoat in chief
Trump has shafted Ukraine. Now he threatens the security of the west
Europeans are cooling on Trump’s America
A new poll shows opinions shifting on whether the US can still be seen as an ally
JD Vance is graceless, reckless and pointless
The vice president’s arrogant and counterproductive rant in Munich was a lesson in hypocrisy
What happened at the AI summit in Paris?
The debate over the future of the new technology was between the US and EU. The danger for Britain is that we begin to look irrelevant
Was Dresden a war crime?
Eighty years ago, the Allies rained down hell on the city, one of Germany’s cultural capitals
The fatal timidity of the centre left
Politicians like Starmer and Scholz govern while looking over their shoulders. Rightists like Trump are more adept at concentrating power and using it
The Pirate who valued his authenticity above all else
At a time when cyclists had begun to resemble machines, Pantani was almost impossibly human, unable to conceal his emotions
Why coleslaw is literally a word salad
When is a cabbage not a cabbage? When it’s a kool sla. How Dutch influence shaped both ‘coleslaw’ and ‘cookie’ in American English
Tollbua is a church without pretence or cultish charms
What might be most enamouring about the gourmet bistro in Trondheim is that it doesn’t share the ludicrous prices of some of its more famous Scandi counterparts
The fisherman who faced down GB News
A Leave-voting fisheries owner from the red wall was invited to praise Brexit – but told the channel it had been a disaster for his business
Sergio Leone’s big dreams
A sumptuously illustrated book of interviews with the director reveals his extraordinary love of the monumental
Three years of war outside my window in Ukraine
As Donald Trump begins his sell out of Ukraine, one novelist reflects how, despite Putin’s brutality, Zelensky has held Ukraine together. Is Trump’s America about to change this?
Letters: What is the point of the Tories these days?
The party has lost its identity and risks sliding into obscurity under the rudderless leadership of Kemi Badenoch
Why are Germans fed up with politics?
A recent psychological study revealed how the country picks its politicians. The results were nothing short of depressing
Who can afford to live in Barcelona now?
The city is a prime example of why Pedro Sánchez has cracked down on people from outside the EU buying property in Spain
A delicious and kinky cake: The risque origins of tiramisú
Claimed to have aphrodisiac effects, Italy’s most iconic dessert was born inside the brothels of Treviso to ‘refuel’ clients
Dreams of independence in Europe’s far north
Once divided on independence from Denmark, the Faroe Islands now see a clear path forward – and it’s largely down to Donald Trump
Germany’s urban-rural divide plays into the AfD’s hands
When the country goes to the polls, the divide will only become more entrenched
The alcohol-drenched 20-course dinner that helped Stalin win the peace
The Soviet Union’s negotiating victory at Yalta in February 1945 was secured through vintage wine and roast goose
What Kosovo has that Britain doesn’t
The country goes to the polls on Sunday – and the people of Kosovo know exactly what they want
The shooting in Sweden: “an event which shakes our entire society”
Eleven people are dead in the latest outbreak of horrifying violence in Sweden. Can the nation hold together?
The soprano dubbed the ‘highest expression of Venus on Earth’
Her career as one of the world’s leading operatic sopranos often came second to gushing entreaties to her ravishing appearance
The Greenland-eyeing monster
If Donald Trump really wants to take control of this Danish territory, he’ll need to get to grips with Inuit or Old Norse