As populations age, the number of younger people entering the workforce is shrinking – and that’s a big problem for “pay as you go” state pension schemes where employees fund the pensions of an expanding cohort of retired people.
Confusingly, a new poll of six European nations reveals how most voters can see this problem and realise their state pensions will soon become unaffordable. But at the same time, they also believe state pensions are too low, and are unwilling to support reforms to them.
Where do governments under increasing pressure from populists go from here? For our first big story of 2026, the Guardian’s Europe correspondent, Jon Henley, reports on a ticking timebomb for the continent’s social contract.
Spotlight | The prospects for peace in Ukraine in 2026 As Russia inches forward on the battlefield and – despite Donald Trump’s optimism – peace talks remain deadlocked, Kyiv’s best hopes of progress may be on the economic and political fronts, writes Dan Sabbagh
Science | How great a threat is AI to the climate? The datacentres behind artificial intelligence are polluting the natural world – and some experts fear the exponential rise in demand could derail the shift to a clean economy. Ajit Niranjan reports
Feature | Returning to the West Bank after two decades The former Guardian correspondent Ewen MacAskill used to report frequently from the Palestinian Territory. Twenty years after his last visit, he went back – and was shocked by how much worse it is today
Opinion | Need cheering up after a terrible year? I have just the story for you A single act of kindness reminded columnist Martin Kettle that, despite so much evidence to the contrary, the better angels of our nature are not necessarily doomed
Culture | The Brit boom Whether it’s Charli xcx or chicken shops, UK culture is having a moment. Can it be future-proofed from the diluting forces of globalisation? Rachel Aroesti investigates
While the architect’s approach to restoring France’s medieval buildings remains controversial, his many and varied talents are still utterly awe-inspiring
Finishing the Sagrada Família
Antonio Gaudi’s masterpiece is nearing completion a century after the architect’s death
When it comes to views of Venice, Canaletto is still master of all he surveys
Demand for the best paintings of the city shows no sign of sinking, but some artists have a more buoyant market than others
Should museums be making spectacles of themselves?
If galleries and institutions want to grow their visitor numbers, they need to add style to their substance
THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE:The 12.28.25 Issue remembers some of the artists, thinkers and innovators who we lost this year, including: Jane Goodall, Marcia Marcus, George Foreman, Anna Ornstein, Diane Keaton, Assata Shakur, and more.
Weary of war and staring down the likelihood of an unjust peace, Ukrainian intellectuals are plotting out a road map for the future.
East Side Story
Josh Safdie’s new film, starring Timothée Chalamet, is both a character study of monomania and a moving fable of how the American century of table tennis was lost.
L’Affaire Carlson
Concern over antisemitism on the right has split the conservative world in two—and GOP gatekeepers have lost the ability to contain it.
‘They Killed Our People’
More than a century after white mobs in Elaine, Arkansas, murdered hundreds of black sharecroppers in 1919, the massacre’s memory remains contested.
‘The Ancient and Long-Forgotten Language of Cinematography’
If the movies are dead, why does Bi Gan’s Resurrection feel so alive?
When the thirty-four-year-old socialist is sworn in as mayor, he will have to navigate ICE raids, intransigent city power players, and twists of fate and nature. By Eric Lach
Why Millennials Love Prenups
Long the province of the ultra-wealthy, prenuptial agreements are being embraced by young people—including many who don’t have all that much to divvy up. By Jennifer Wilson
Peter Navarro, Trump’s Ultimate Yes-Man
The tariff cheerleader established the template of sycophancy for Trump Administration officials. By Ian Parker
Rare recordings of E.E. Cummings, Mary Oliver and more offer a tour through literary history led by authors in their own words — and voices. Take a listen.
It’s the day the “Animal Goncourt” is awarded. “Who better,” a judge says, “to talk about the fabulous relationship between animals and men than writers and philosophers?”
A rallying cry for Democrats taps into frustration over the inaccessibility of a modestly nice American existence — even for those with a decent income. By Nitsuh Abebe
The Lives They Lived
Remembering some of the artists, innovators and thinkers we lost in the past year.
News, Views and Reviews For The Intellectually Curious
