Heritage
WORLD
Iranian Heritage Under Threat From All Sides
As civil unrest spreads across Iranian cities in early January 2026 and President Trump renews warnings about military options, the country's 28 UNESCO World Heritage sites sit vulnerable to dangers from multiple directions.
LIFESTYLE
Italy’s UNESCO Victory: Shared Mediterranean Food Gets a National Label
UNESCO has crowned Italian cooking an intangible treasure, but in a shared Mediterranean kitchen it raises a question: how far can one country claim what ends up on the plate?
EUROPE
Trafficked Antiquities: Where Southern Europe’s Treasures Actually Go
Global police dismantle a long-running antiquities trafficking network, seizing 3,000 looted artefacts worth over €100 million.
EUROPE
Spain Removes Francoist Symbols: History’s Place in Public Space
Spain's plan to catalogue and remove remaining Francoist symbols has reopened a deeper debate about what a society should preserve and what it must release.
BUSINESS
Rails Across Continents: The Orient Express and Hejaz Line Revived
Two legendary railway lines, one in Europe and one crossing the Middle East, are being restored in 2025, proving that infrastructure can tell stories across time.
Popular
Gulf War Dismantles the West’s Russia Sanctions Regime
The Iran war gave Moscow oil revenues, diplomatic standing, and the quiet satisfaction of watching Washington undo four years of sanctions.
Three Forgotten Islands Could Decide the Strait of Hormuz
Iran warned this week that any attack on its Hormuz islands would turn the Gulf bloody, as the UAE signalled it now sees a chance to reclaim them.
Stuttgart Voters Punish Merz as Energy Prices Surge
In the industrial heart of Germany, rising energy costs and a sudden war have triggered a surprise election win that hints voters are reaching a breaking point.
Trump Doubles Down on Regime Change in CubaÂ
The White House is placing a risky bet on toppling the regime in Cuba as an expensive war in Iran and a restless electorate threaten GOP 2028.
Great Again: Europe’s Place in the Global Order
Europe’s gas shock reveals cost of hesitation as the US, Russia and China reshape power while the EU struggles to act decisively.
