Language
EUROPE
Letters of Power: Turkey’s Alphabet and the New Map of Connection
Language, more than borders, shapes how we identify ourselves. The alphabet we learn as children tells us who we are. For Turkey, redefining those letters is an act not of nostalgia but of future-making.
EUROPE
Belgium: Invisible Identities No More
A simple ‘bonjour’ in Belgium exposes the serious linguistic fissures threatening to pull Europe apart, from east to west and north to south.
EUROPE
Words Have Meaning: EU Language Politics Blocks Defence Budget
Spain’s NATO defense budget is stalled as EU partners reject Catalan language recognition, linking security to linguistic politics.
EUROPE
Don’t Say They: Italy Clamps Down on Gender Ideology
Italy bans gender-neutral symbols like schwa in schools, citing grammar norms, sparking national debate on language and identity.
Popular
Poland’s Catholic Football Pilgrimage: Unity, Faith and a Hard Line on Migration
At a Marian shrine where football supporters gather to pray, a presidential call for “Poland without illegal immigrants” turned a devotional event into a political stage.
AfDB Turns to Gulf as Western Funders Step Back
The African Development Bank has installed a president with ingrained Gulf experience as Washington pulls back hundreds of millions
Modern Toys, Old Childhood: Barbie and Lego at a Crossroads
As Mattel unveiled its first autistic Barbie yesterday, developed over 18 months with the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, the $11.87 doll raised familiar questions about whether modern toys widen childhood or quietly narrow it.
Alps Without Snow: Winter Tourism Tries Reinvention
As Grandvalira in the Pyrenees postponed its late-November 2024 opening until mid-December, warm temperatures left slopes across France, Austria and Spain grassy well into the month, forcing managers to watch thermometers anxiously.
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.
