Why does Putin want Europe to buy natural gas with rubles instead of euros?

Mar 30, 2022
It's all about propping up his own country's currency.
The Nord Stream 2 gas line landfall facility in Lubmin, north eastern Germany.
Photo by ODD ANDERSEN/AFP via Getty Images

Russia threatened to shut off its gas taps to Europe. Can it do that?

Mar 15, 2022
If Russia stops sending natural gas to Europe, it'll have to send it somewhere else.
If Russia stops sending natural gas to Europe, it'll have to send it somewhere else.
Odd Andersen/AFP via Getty Images

In conflict over Ukraine, Putin wields natural gas as a strategic weapon

Jan 25, 2022
Russia supplies much of Europe's natural gas through pipelines in Ukraine. But energy diversification may reduce Russia's leverage.
A natural gas facility in Ukraine. The U.S. is asking gas-producing countries to bolster supplies if Russia invades.
Sean Gallup/Getty Images

How do Europe and the U.S. compare in their pandemic recoveries?

Dec 13, 2021
In Europe, there's inflation, but it's not as high as it is in the U.S.
A recent Brooking reports shows how the U.S. and Europe are handling inflation and job recovery during the pandemic.
ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images

What kind of economy will Germany's new leader inherit?

As Angela Merkel’s term ends, Germany struggles with lagging COVID vaccinations, an energy transition and an undigitized economy.
Olaf Scholz is set to replace Angela Merkel as Germany's chancellor this week.
Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Will genetically modified vaccines make Europe rethink “Frankenfood”?

May 3, 2021
The success of COVID-19 shots could change European attitudes toward genetically-engineered crops and benefit U.S. agribusiness.
British children take part in a demonstration protesting genetically modified food in 1999.
Photo by Steve Eason/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

London loses crown as Europe's stock-trading hub

Feb 11, 2021
Trading volumes in January rose fourfold in Amsterdam, pushing the city past London.
An early-morning view of London's financial district, known as the City. The district has lost jobs since the Brexit vote, and European financial centers are eager to profit from regulatory changes.
Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

COVID-19 sparked a U.S. coin shortage, but a U.K. surplus

Oct 2, 2020
Technology has made the transition to digital payments quicker in the U.K.
"It's absolutely certain that coronavirus will accelerate the shift to digital," says Natalie Ceeney, chair of Innovate Finance. But the virus has also shown a spotlight on vulnerability and people who are getting excluded by the shift to digital.
Justin Tallis/AFP via Getty Images

Spain's party island faces an uncertain summer

Jun 26, 2020
Ibiza usually welcomes 3 million tourists to its beaches and clubs in summertime. What now with COVID-19 restrictions?
A nearly empty boardwalk in Ibiza in May. Normally, tourists would swarm the island this time of year.
Andres Iglesias/Getty Images

As Europe emerges from lockdown, drive-in movies spring up

Jun 22, 2020
Social distancing rules revive interest in an old American form of entertainment.
"Grease" is screened at a drive-in movie in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on June 13.
Charles McQuillan/Getty Images