John Laurenson

Latest Stories (71)

Airbnb faces protests in Athens

Dec 10, 2019
Protesters against the platform in the Greek capital have taken things up a notch.
In 10 years, the Greek capital has experienced a doubling in the number of visitors.
Vladimir Rys/Bongarts/Getty Images

French startups take advantage of unsold food rules

Oct 21, 2019
France passed a law three and a half years ago requiring supermarkets to donate unsold food to the needy instead of throwing it away, making it a leader in the fight against food waste.
Chef Solène Gallard at Refettorio.
John Laurenson

Organic farming near hives can help bees, study says

Oct 18, 2019
Scientists in France may have found a means of averting bee colony collapse.
Wolfgang Kumm/AFP/Getty Images

Police say pickpocketing is on the rise in Paris

Jun 28, 2019
City of Light ... fingers?
French police officers detain a man suspected of pickpocketing in Paris during a 2015 crackdown on pickpockets and street scammers targeting mostly tourists.
MIGUEL MEDINA/AFP/Getty Images

Naples pizza makers embark on an education campaign

Jun 13, 2019
The original pizzas were topped with oil, cheese, basil and lard.
A Neapolitan pizza made with lard.
John Laurenson

Food innovators in Denmark look to the future of food

May 17, 2019
The country has prioritized culinary innovation in recent years.
Chef Rasmus Munk
John Laurenson/Marketplace

The master craftsmen tasked with repairing Notre Dame

May 9, 2019
The specialist skills have been passed down from generation to generation.
Apprentice Enzo Degouet learns old metal roofing skills.
John Laurenson for Marketplace

In Denmark, long opening hours for unstaffed libraries

Apr 3, 2019
Almost half of Denmark's libraries are open 24 hours a day.
Almost half of Denmark's libraries are open 24 hours a day.
Golden_Brown/iStock/Getty Images Plus

The Danish hotel helping recovering addicts get back on their feet

Mar 14, 2019
Hotellet, in the Danish capital of Copenhagen, is a hotel that trains and employs recovering drug addicts, helping its staff work and reconnect with the wider community. At $74 a night, which includes a Scandinavian breakfast, the rooms are inexpensive for Copenhagen. The staff work mornings and the hotel switches to “self-service” for guests in […]
Joachim, 19, who works in the 'Hotellet,' sits in a room of the hotel in Copenhagen, 09 January 2007.
OLA TORKELSSON/AFP/Getty Images

How a recent ban on gambling in Albania is impacting the country

Feb 18, 2019
At Albania's betting shops, people could gamble on everything from soccer to the gender of the next royal baby.
This picture taken on December 19, 2018, shows a man removing a sign from a betting establishment in downtown Tirana, Albania.
GENT SHKULLAKU/AFP/Getty Images