In the United States alone, sports betting generated nearly USD 14 billion in revenue in 2024. Gambling ads and logos now saturate many major sports broadcasts, while clubs and leagues sign multi-million dollar deals with betting companies. How did gambling become so entrenched in sports, and why is so little being done to address it? ©“Sports Betting at a Las Vegas Casino” by Baishampayan Ghose. Licensed by CC BY-SA 2.0 Manufactured Addiction ​ While gambling has long been

There are growing tensions between the United States and China. A crisis over Taiwan no longer seems unthinkable. In this hostile environment, will the Strait of Malacca be the deciding factor in whether the cooler heads will prevail? ©“150321-N-LX437-771” by Naval Surface Warriors. Licensed by CC BY-SA 2.0 The “Malacca Dilemma" In November 2003, Chinese President Hu Jintao coined the term “Malacca Dilemma". This term referred to China’s over-reliance on the Malacca Strait

©Smith Patel via Unsplash I. The Illusion of Control: Why Models Seem Too Theoretical People are clearly embedded in the foundations of all academic and interdisciplinary curricula, ranging from econometrics to the philosophy of economics. Their interactions, their behaviour, and ultimately their decisions. Some subjects explore the rational aspects of such behaviour in greater detail, as they expect to uncover tangible truths or create consistency in a world full of intangi

©“Bucha. Faces of War. - Ukraine War Photo Exhibition 2023” by Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed byCC BY 2.0 In his speeches, Vladimir Putin portrays the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine as a national struggle that unites all the Russian people. Yet Putin’s claims do not hold up under closer scrutiny. In reality, Russia has increasingly relied on poverty as a key recruitment tool both within and outside its borders. Russia weaponises poverty by turning economic despera

In collaboration with Angèle Doray While consumption may seem like an individual issue on the surface, it is prompted by a much larger imperative of our economic system: to always keep growing. Yet today we can take the initiative to embrace a sharing economy, away from the profit-incentive and with community at its heart. ©cottonbro studio via Pexels For a moment, imagine you are French. Emblematic of your love for your national cuisine, you own a raclette machine used for t

©"In the Mood for Love by Zeynep Reis" by @zeiarte A familiar scene in modern dating: two people like each other, spend time together, text constantly, tell their friends about one another, and may even be sexually involved. Yet when the familiar question arises: “So… what are we?” Neither has a clear answer. They are not strangers, but they are not quite in a relationship either. In recent years, this ambiguous state has acquired a name: the situationship. A situationship i

©Terrance Barksdale via Pexels Zbrojovka (pronounced [ˈzbrojofka]) means an arsenal or arms factory in Czech: from the verb zbrojit, meaning to arm, and suffix -ovka, which indicates a noun and/or a place. The land that is now the Czech Republic has been known for arms production since before World War I. Yet, the industrial base struggled to adapt to the geopolitical shifts of the late 20th century. Recently, however, the Czech defence industry has returned to the global sta

Beyond its sun-drenched islands and remarkable history, Greece spent over a decade defined otherwise: unsustainable debt, everlasting unemployment, and a dormant economy. The country was not well-equipped to endure the consequences of the global financial crisis after a prolonged period of borrowing and excessive ( yet unproductive ) spending. Deep structural issues turned a blind eye to tax evasion and allowed for the misreporting of national statistics, resulting in the ine

The Surprising Resilience of the Iranian Regime and the Prospect of Regime Change ©"Mojtaba Khamenei and his son at the Victory of the Revolution rally", Iran, 8 June 2018. Photo by Hamed Malekpour / Tasnim News Agency, CC BY 4.0 As a tenuous ceasefire takes hold, the aim of liberation and regime change that sat at the centre of the United States’ intervention in Iran has quietly been abandoned. Throughout the five-week conflict, defanging the deeply unpopular regime was seem

©" Surreal Installation of Hanging Clocks" by Kader Azra Namuslu via Pexels The Arctic Monkeys’ overlooked 2018 album "Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino” offers a very interesting portrait of gentrification, mass data collection and political unrest. These themes have only grown more urgent since its release. The striking correspondence between the lyrics and the current state of global politics made it difficult to ignore the predictive power of existentialist work, such as

Breathtaking sceneries, deep culture and decadent cuisine all in the same country, in otherwords: Italy. When we think about it, we do not realize how young of a nation it is. In fact, the Italian unification dates back to 1861, only 165 years ago, making it a younger country than the United States. Even though that is the official date, the creation of Italy was an uneven process, with additional annexations taking place up until the end of the Second World War. This is due

Viral videos of a 7-month-old baby monkey took the internet by storm after Japan's Ichikawa City Zoo shared footage of him being scolded and unwanted by other monkeys. Punch, a macaque born in June last year, was abandoned by his mother, reportedly due to labor complications , and has faced challenges integrating with the other monkeys at the zoo. Zookeepers provided Punch with an IKEA stuffed animal to help him build muscle strength, and he was often seen with it playing and

The global oil market is experiencing a severe supply shock, with crude oil prices surging to multi-year highs due to growing risk of disrupted energy flows. Since the U.S., Israel and Iran war began, oil and gold prices have been extremely volatile.

If you had an unlimited budget, which piece of fine art would you choose for your house? The Mona Lisa? The Starry Night? Maybe the Great Wave by Hokusai? In March, Lego released the latest addition to its series recreating popular artworks in brick form, the Bridge Over a Pond of Water Lilies , by Claude Monet. The set consists of a whopping 3179 Lego pieces, including mini katanas and blue cherries. It is Lego’s first tribute to the impressionist painter, and making it come

The Masters Tournament is annually held at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia, United States. It is one of the biggest yearly golf events in the world. This year, Rory McIlroy defended his title in a thrilling tournament. Despite its size, there are no domestic TV rights fees, no course signage, and only six sponsors. So how does Augusta make money, and why do the organisers choose to limit their profits? © "Tuesday practice rounds for the Masters. The 2015 Master

Cotos Station in 2023, 2nd December © Finales de otoño by CARLOS TEIXIDOR CADENAS . Licensed by CC BY 4.0 Spain: the land of tourism, olive oil, and jamon. Apart from its unmatched cuisine and stunning Mediterranean beaches, Spain is also renowned for its excellent railway infrastructure. It has the second largest high-speed railway system in the world, with approximately 4000 kilometres of high-speed rail. The only country ahead of Spain is China, which is 19 times larger

© Symbolic - Euro coins by European Union , 2023. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 Macron’s call for joint European Debt brought immediate pushback from Germany . The reasoning is familiar: fears that the German taxpayer will have to pay for the French pensioner. These sentiments are shared by fiscally conservative EU states such as Germany, the Netherlands, Austria and Denmark. In light of strained ties with the United States, Europe’s interdependence has come into focus, highli

The notion that the length of a person’s fingers could predict success in financial trading may seem surprising, yet it has received serious attention in academic research and financial media. Specifically, the ratio between the index and ring fingers, known as the 2D:4D digit ratio, is often connected to performance among professional traders. This ratio apparently reflects exposure to testosterone before birth, which may influence traits such as risk-taking, competitiveness

President Donald Trump, flanked by Vice President JD Vance and FIFA President Gianni Infantino 2025, 22 August. © “P20250822DT-0216” by The White House, United States Government Work The World Cup is less than four months away, but several American host cities still doubt they will have enough financial resources to accommodate this sporting spectacle, as they estimate substantial monetary losses. Is the world's biggest sporting event economically beneficial for h

“We will no longer accept that. We will protect them,” stated Pedro Sánchez , the Spanish Prime Minister, at the World Governments Summit in Dubai last February. The questions that arise are the following: protect whom? Protect them from what? What is the Prime Minister referring to? The answer is that Pedro Sánchez, with such a statement, was aiming to create a major headline, the kind that moves society, and he succeeded. Not even 24 hours later, the headline appeared: “Spa

During the Winter Olympics in Milan, one country stands above the rest: Norway. With a total of 41 Olympic medals, of which 18 are gold. The USA follows with 33 medals, of which only 12 are gold. This isn’t something out of the ordinary for Norway. Moreover, they have won their third consecutive Winter Olympics. Of course, Norway has snow and mountains, which would be the easiest explanation of this occurrence. However, multiple more populous countries have similar conditions

In collaboration with Nella Frumová This Wednesday, March 25th, American journalist, author, and professor Michael Pollan was welcomed in Amsterdam by the Room for Discussion. He expressed how he always felt welcomed in the city and found his readers here. Through his extensive body of work, Pollan has explored the impact of psychedelics on human consciousness, mental health, and creativity, thereby reviving public interest in these substances. Given that Pollan’s 2018 book H

Milton Martínez / Secretaría de Cultura CDMX, CC BY-SA 2.0

After hours of searching, you stumble upon an entry-level position that appears to be the perfect match. You write a motivation letter, upload your crisp CV, and wait… Then, you wait even longer. After a couple of weeks, it becomes clear that you won't be getting this job. To add insult to injury, this entire process occurred without a single email from the company. © Glendora Hyundai on flickr.com . No changes were made. Licensed by CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 What has happened to you?

Recipe for a Molotov Cocktail Step 1: Violate international law and attack a country under the guise of protecting civilians and neutralising the threat of a nuclear weapon that has been 2 weeks away from completion for the past 30 years. The morning of February 28th, sirens blasted all over West Asia as the U.S. and Israel launched a series of coordinated attacks in Iran, including missiles striking a girls' primary school in Minab that killed 165 girls, most of whom were

© Pexels by Brett Jordan When governments argue over fonts, it’s never just about style. From Washington to Islamabad, typefaces have become symbols of power, ideology, and even guilt. Some say actions speak louder than words. That may be true. But what about written words? By the same logic, does the font speak louder than the words themselves? Fonts may seem like a trivial detail in a document, yet their selection carries serious implications, from politics and economics to

Imagine a stressed professional checking this month’s salary , rising worries about how bills are stacking up, but there’s nothing left to save or put to the side. Stressed by life, they turn to retail therapy for comfort. It never disappoints. Suddenly, the new matte absolute lipstick from a designer brand appears. For only €50! Against all rational odds, it will most likely be bought. Why do people spend on luxuries when logic says the opposite? © Pixabay What is the lipst

From Filipino citizens to a new UN body, the largest polluters are being challenged in ground-breaking ways. © Unsplash The shape of climate justice is changing across the globe. Citizens and national governments in countries faced by the damage of climate change are pushing back at corporations that contribute the most. These developments are becoming more common as it is now easier to measure how much man-made climate change has contributed to the likelihood of specific nat

How Bad Bunny's halftime show reframed debates on American identity and Puerto Rico’s place in the U.S. “¡Qué rico ser latino!” The opening words of the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show set the tone for a memorable and impactful performance by Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, popularly known as Bad Bunny. The selected artist swiftly stole the show, overshadowing the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks. Being the most-watched halftime show of all time –and being almost en

Even though centuries separate them, seventeenth-century France and twenty-first-century Europe are confronted with the same question: should society place its faith in laissez-faire policies, or should the state intervene when faced with a macroeconomic problem? Across time, it seems the economy repeatedly falls into the same dilemma. In detail, throughout the 17th century, France, under the reign of Louis XIV, was involved in decades of continuous warfare, including the Th