Vote! Are you a European citizen, and are you registered in the municipality of Maastricht? Then, good news! You can vote in the upcoming local elections on March 18th !  Our local coverage team invited candidates for interviews, and it aims to give keys to students to make their choice, without any editorial endorsement.  Today, we start with Jules Ortjens, who is running for Volt.  Made in Europe  It was not difficult to convince Jules Ortjens, Fractievoorzitter (party lead

A wish finally granted in January: Bulgaria enters the euro era Since this summer, Bulgarians have been preparing for the switch to the Euro from the Bulgarian Lev. Everywhere in shops, prices have been displayed in both currencies. However, the Bulgarian political system remains fragile. In four years, the country has held seven elections, which has considerably destabilized the domestic political situation. Some fear that this instability will worsen with the adoption of th

“ Maybe my  photos will live longer than I do, and that’s what makes me feel at peace… a timeless image th at cannot be buried by time or place”  These words were the hope of the late Fatma Hassona, a Palestinian photojournalist  who enlisted herself to capture the daily lives of Palestinians in Gaza and the suffering they have endured as a result of Israel’s genocide. As one can discern from this qu ote, Hassona wanted to spread the truth with her photos, she wanted the worl

Since its creation in 1948, Israel has been by far the largest recipient of cumulative aid by the U.S , the total equivalent amounting to 330 billion dollars. Comparatively, the second largest recipient, Egypt, has received 170 billion dollars since 1948. After October 7, the American aid package increased exponentially, with new billion-dollar arms sale agreements. According to a report conducted by Brown Universit y, the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) could not have escalated

A Midnight Operation: The Fall of Maduro At 1:01 a.m. Eastern Standard Time in Caracas, an event unfolded that has already reshaped the international political landscape. Reports began circulating that United States special operations forces had entered the presidential compound of Nicolás Maduro. Within minutes, social media channels and global news outlets filled with claims that the Venezuelan president and his wife, Cilia Flores, had been captured and removed from the cou

Photo taken by Ella Leffler in Cusco, Peru : Mafia de Ricos Limenos Esclavizan a 50% De Peruanos Capitalistas Demonios Roban y Empobrechen a Los Peruanos / Rich Lima Mafia Enslaves 50% of Peruvians Capitalists Demons Steal Impoverish Peruvians On September 9, 2025, Nepalese youth  protestors successfully overthrew their government following decades of corruption plaguing their country and exploiting state resources and their people. This historical moment inspired youth-based

A Comment on the Cynical Welfare Debate in Germany There are few better media attention triggers than the image of the "lazy immigrant." Discourse on foreigners who do not contribute to public funds, but drain countries' tax-financed welfare system enrages tax payers and does well in big letters. Fairly so, in times of aging populations, national social assistance schemes carry the twofold burden of even more pensioners and a shrinking working age demographic. Any public cent

Europe in a nutshell  As you might have guessed from our names, we are French and Dutch students. We are also writers for a student newspaper in Maastricht. But above all, we are young European citizens, attached to improving the EU that we believe in.  And we are not alone. Looking at recent news events and elections in Europe, there is a large attachment of the young generation to causes that shape the future of the continent. Among young voters, many of them tend to turn t

Climate justice discussions entangle multiple perspectives, which while often controversial must be addressed. Policy makers might have different priorities, while only pretending to listen to the voices of relevant people for climate negotiations. Are we supporting a more ecological and inclusive future, or simply using the sustainability flag to gain support and achieve hidden economic goals? COP, the Conference of the Parties 30, the 30 th  United Nations conference on Cli

The UN’s Committee on World Food Security (or CFS) envisions a large role for governments in food systems with ambitious responsibilities for national and regional governments. The CFS gathered this summer to draft a shared vision on Urban and Peri-Urban food systems. Their conclusions included a vision for the formalization of markets, intentions for international oversight, and best-practice sharing.  The CFS’s primary mandate is to converge national policies and coordinat

Figure 1 : Stop the Shutdown Rally - Washington D.C., January 2019 43 days of uncertainty left millions waiting, federal workers at a standstill, and no pay. American federal workers and citizens felt, and are still facing, the repercussions of the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. The nation is left asking: How did this happen? What happens next?  What is a government shutdown? The United States is the only country with a government that fails to keep funding goin

A primary forest is a pristine forest that has never been altered by human activity. It is a precious ecosystem, particularly for its biodiversity. Globally, only 1,180,000,000 hectares  remain, primarily in six countries: Brazil, Canada, the United States, Russia, China, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. These forests have almost vanished elsewhere due to centuries of agricultural expansion, logging, mining, and urban development that permanently transformed natural land

October 29, 2025. 9 pm. The results of a closer-than-ever election appear on Dutch television. The centrist liberals of D66 are ahead of the vote, the culmination of a remarkable comeback in the final days of the campaign. Led by a young front-runner, 38-year-old Rob Jetten, they embody a new era for Dutch and European politics. At the end of August, polls gave D66 around 10 seats in the Tweede Kamer. Today, they are the largest party in the Netherlands, with 26 seats, and ha

The bullet that killed Charlie Kirk did more than end a life. It exposed a nation already bleeding from within. I realized how deep the wound had become last week while standing in the backyard of a house party in Santa Barbara. The music was loud and the conversations drifted from finals to travel plans. Everything felt light until someone mentioned Kirk’s assassination. One guest immediately laughed and celebrated his death as if it were a joke, reenacting the moment Kirk w

Eyes on Chilean Cinema Allende making a speech. Photo taken from the Battle of Chile, The Coup d’Etat by Patricio Guzmán / Atacama Productions / ICAIC - Instituto Cubano de Arte e Industria Cinematográfico. Por la razón o la fuerza. By reason or by force.   This proverb is Chile's national motto, reflecting the Chilean republic's desire to assert its right to exist in the face of the colonising powers of the 19th century. Chile shall defend its rights through diplomacy and re

On October 30, 2025, the Latvian Parliament voted to withdraw  from the Istanbul Convention, with 56 votes in favour, 32 against and 2 abstentions. If confirmed, Latvia would become the first EU member state to leave the Council of Europe’s treaty on preventing and combating gender based violence.  International observers, including the Council of Europe and women’s rights organisations, have criticised the withdrawal vote as a setback for gender equality in Europe. They have

With the Chilean presidential elections being held tomorrow, November 16 will be an important day for Chile. A Marxist communist president may be elected, the first since Salvador Allende ( 1970-1973 ); his legacy brings back painful memories to the coup d’état before the violent dictatorship . To honor and remember the victims of these frightful years, a museum was created, instilling their legacy in a national one. I will showcase the archives of the Museum of Memory and Hu

Suharto Titled “ National Hero ” On November 10 2025, Indonesia conferred the title of   Gelar Pahlawan Nasional  (“ National Hero ”) on former President Suharto, prompting widespread discussion. Such an act matters far beyond symbolic commemoration: it revives public debate over historical memory, addresses issues of transitional justice, and interprets the legacy of its authoritarian era. Many domestic and international observers have read the award as part of a broader pol

‘Blocchiamo Tutto’ Despite the first autumn downpours, the largest Italian cities were still scorching of heat in September. Streets, schools, railway stations and ports became epicenters of anger channeled by masses of twenty-something year olds, rallying for Gaza. The popular movement to bloccare tutto - block everything - spilled over the entire country, resulting in nationwide strikes backed by unions, and large-scale demonstrations, most notably the one on September 22.

It’s a wrap! Legislative elections took place on October 29, 2025, and it is time for us to summarize everything you must know about the outcome of the vote. You can easily get lost when looking at the winners, losers, surprise outsiders, and seeing a Parliament in such a fragmented  state…  To help us understand more about these results, we explored press articles and analyses. Also, on election night, a team of Maastricht Diplomat journalists attended the Studio Europa  eve