Support our non-partisan non-profit newsroom 💜 Donate now

Smaller, independent hotels in Europe find it harder to bounce back from the pandemic

Oct 6, 2023
While 77% of European hotels are independently owned, they've struggled to rebound from the pandemic as easily as larger hotel chains.
The lobby of a luxury hotel in southwestern France.
Franck Fife/AFP via Getty Images

Thames Water, the UK’s biggest water company, struggles to plug a hole in its finances

Jul 6, 2023
Huge debts and raw sewage threaten the future of a major British utility.
Joan Fennelly, left, and Jo Robb of the Henley Mermaids swimming in the Thames — in spite of the sewage. “We’ve seen it all and it’s very upsetting.”
Mimisse Beard

Europe's seeing inflation fade. The UK still has it bad. In Japan, inflation is actually good news.

Jun 30, 2023
How some other big economies are handling rising prices.
Susannah Ireland/AFP via Getty Images

EU regulation of AI may yet impact U.S. consumers

Jun 1, 2023
U.S. companies that have to comply with European Union rules see the benefits of using one standard for both places.
From left, Valdis Dombrovskis, European Commission; Antony Blinken, U.S. secretary of state; Margrethe Vestager, European Commission; Gina Raimondo, U.S. secretary of commerce; and Katherine Tai, U.S. trade representative, in Sweden on Wednesday to discuss AI regulation.
Jonas Ekstromer/TT News Agency/AFP via Getty Images

Streaming giants target European market for growth and expansion

Mar 28, 2023
With growth tapering in the U.S., American streaming giants are tapping into growing European markets in countries like France.
The growth of European regional content on streaming platforms like Netflix is helping companies break into those markets.
Daniel Leal/AFP via Getty Images

Europe would love to stockpile U.S. natural gas. Shipping bottlenecks stand in the way.

Oct 3, 2022
There aren't enough ships to carry liquefied natural gas, nor enough port facilities to load and unload it.
A liquefied natural gas terminal being built in Germany. Europe has a limited number of port facilities to load and unload LNG.
Focke Strangmann/AFP via Getty Images

Europe might just be getting a handle on its Russian natural gas problem

Sep 8, 2022
European nations have managed to store gas, and the price has come down from historic highs.
European countries are using a range of strategies to decrease their reliance on Russian natural gas. In the Netherlands, above, a regasification unit converts liquefied natural gas so it can be fed into the country's natural gas network.
Siese Veenstra/ANP/AFP via Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

As Russia limits Europe's natural gas supply, Germany pays the price

Jul 26, 2022
Europe's largest economy depends on Russian gas. Vladimir Putin is using it as a political weapon.
Last year, Russia supplied more than half of Germany’s natural gas.
Ina Fassbender/AFP via Getty Images

Why the U.S. doesn't have the best sunscreens in the world

Jul 13, 2022
The FDA hasn't approved ingredients that could make products more pleasing to use — and used more often, says Amanda Mull of The Atlantic.
People may be less likely to use sunscreen when it feels sticky, goopy or greasy, or leaves a white cast.
Mykola Sosiukin/Getty Images

Europe, moving away from Russian natural gas, looks to the U.S.

Mar 30, 2022
Europe was already grappling with an energy crisis. The war has made that crisis worse.
Above, a compressor station for a natural gas pipeline in Germany. Prior to the war in Ukraine, Russian natural gas made up 55% of Germany’s imports. That’s down to 40% so far this year.
Sean Gallup/Getty Images