Kim Son Hoang

Russia’s war in Ukraine has triggered a defence rethink across Europe — and a new wave of remilitarisation. Around the turn of the millennium, many countries dropped the compulsory military draft and switched to volunteer armies. But the changing geopolitical priorities of the US under president Donald Trump have left Europeans increasingly responsible for their own security, and that new reality is forcing a U-turn towards mandatory military service.

About 80 percent of children and young people in Croatia now learn about sexuality from the internet. This figure, revealed in a study by the Croatian Institute of Public Health, is extremely worrying, says the country's ombudswoman for equality, Višnja Ljubičić. But it is hardly a surprise — given that comprehensive sex education has still not made it onto the country's national curriculum.

With an ageing population and increased life expectancy, Europe faces a very concrete challenge: how to fund its pension systems. Earlier this year in Brussels, pensioners took to the streets to demand better job security and to oppose the raising of the retirement age. In Europe, some are advocating lowering the retirement age as a way to improve workers' quality of life and to encourage generational turnover in the workforce.