Reporting from the World Press Photo Exhibition 2025 in Amsterdam
The 68th exhibition of the contest with a long tradition looks back at the most impactful photojournalism and documentary photography of the year. It shows the previous year for what it was. As you walk through the exhibition, you see conflict, politics in motion, migration crisis and climate crisis - from all over the world.
The Game of Thrones at Mount Sinai: confiscations, courtrooms, and clerical chaos
The world’s oldest active Christian monastery faces simultaneous legal expropriation and internal revolt. A May 2025 Egyptian court ruling reclassified the Monastery’s property as state-owned, sparking diplomatic tensions with Greece. Meanwhile, a faction of monks attempted to oust Archbishop Damianos, exposing a deep rift within the cloistered community.
German language education in Romania, a possible foundation for a modern European education
What is the future of German-language education in Romania? A study presented at Haferland Week 2025 brings back to mind a key theme for identity, education and intercultural dialogue in Europe today.
The flag that does not represent the number of states, but values, celebrates its anniversary this year
Perhaps the most famous symbol of the European Union (EU) is celebrating its 40th anniversary. However, it was first used in 1955.
Smart Water, Bright Minds: the startup that rewrites conservation
A group of students from Magoula General High School turned a classroom idea into WaterLoop, an award-winning startup that recycles grey water and detects leaks in real time, cutting consumption by up to 50% without changing daily habits.
Overtourism as a phenomenon or what it means to live in a glass case
As mass tourism reshapes the Mediterranean, locals push back against rising rents, erasure of community, and cities turned into theme parks. This piece explores overtourism’s impact and calls for a new balance between visiting and belonging.
The true cost of Paris 2024: billions over budget
The cost of organizing the Games in Paris has exceeded the original estimates by billions of euros. The French Court of Auditors reveals who spent public money and what it was spent on.
Seneca at the gym: stoicism and toxic masculinity
Today’s Stoicism isn’t in the Agora, it’s at the gym. Repackaged through TikTok reels and “alpha” podcasts, the ancient philosophy has been stripped of ethics and turned into a lifestyle brand of emotional repression and individual supremacy. Discipline replaces compassion, silence replaces civic duty. This isn’t about inner virtue, it’s about selling strength. But Seneca wasn’t training for dominance. He was training for justice.
