As populations age, the number of younger people entering the workforce is shrinking – and that’s a big problem for “pay as you go” state pension schemes where employees fund the pensions of an expanding cohort of retired people.
Confusingly, a new poll of six European nations reveals how most voters can see this problem and realise their state pensions will soon become unaffordable. But at the same time, they also believe state pensions are too low, and are unwilling to support reforms to them.
Where do governments under increasing pressure from populists go from here? For our first big story of 2026, the Guardian’s Europe correspondent, Jon Henley, reports on a ticking timebomb for the continent’s social contract.
Spotlight | The prospects for peace in Ukraine in 2026 As Russia inches forward on the battlefield and – despite Donald Trump’s optimism – peace talks remain deadlocked, Kyiv’s best hopes of progress may be on the economic and political fronts, writes Dan Sabbagh
Science | How great a threat is AI to the climate? The datacentres behind artificial intelligence are polluting the natural world – and some experts fear the exponential rise in demand could derail the shift to a clean economy. Ajit Niranjan reports
Feature | Returning to the West Bank after two decades The former Guardian correspondent Ewen MacAskill used to report frequently from the Palestinian Territory. Twenty years after his last visit, he went back – and was shocked by how much worse it is today
Opinion | Need cheering up after a terrible year? I have just the story for you A single act of kindness reminded columnist Martin Kettle that, despite so much evidence to the contrary, the better angels of our nature are not necessarily doomed
Culture | The Brit boom Whether it’s Charli xcx or chicken shops, UK culture is having a moment. Can it be future-proofed from the diluting forces of globalisation? Rachel Aroesti investigates
President Trump, his family and some of their closest associates have engaged in a sprawling campaign of deals, stretching across industries and the globe.
How do you cope with a Kung-Fu Panda? What do you do when the Temple of Doom strikes? Olly Smith reveals how to deal with hurricane-force hangovers
Interiors
Is design destined to be more Moorish or will Egyptomania rule? Country Life predicts the shape of things to come in 2026 and Giles Kime says painted furniture is key to a laidback look
Jacu Strauss’s favourite painting
The creative director of the Lore Group chooses an intriguing unfinished 1830s painting that is still confounding art experts almost 200 years on
Learn it by art
The story of the British Isles is peppered with ancient artefacts and much-loved monuments. Charlotte Mullins surveys the centuries through 50 treasures, from the Ice Age caves of Derbyshire’s Creswell Crags to Nelson’s Ship in a Bottle at Greenwich in London
Are you ready to order?
Artfully designed menus have long been a tasty proposition for collectors, aided by designs from leading artistic lights such as Ravilious, Bawden and David Hockney, finds John F. Müller
Country-house treasures
John Goodall treads the silver-grey elm floorboards of the remarkably well-preserved 1630s hall dais at Restoration House in Rochester, Kent
Culture and commerce
John Martin Robinson marvels at the rejuvenation of Salts Mill, a vast Victorian factory building at Saltaire in West Yorkshire, founded on the prosperity of the British wool trade
The good stuff
Enter the new year fresh-faced and on tip-top form with the help of Amie Elizabeth White’s selection of skincare stars
Glistens like coral
The proliferation of new types of Japanese flowering quince prompted a four-year RHS trial. Charles Quest-Ritson cheers the rise of Chaenomeles and reveals his favourite varieties
Arts & Antiques
The exquisitely rendered Cornish luggers sailing serenely across Henry Scott Tuke’s 1908 new year card to a friend make it a prized possession for Michael Grist, as he tells Carla Passino
As President Trump sought a peace deal and President Vladimir Putin sought victory, factions in the White House and the Pentagon bled the Ukrainian war effort.
The number represents a more precise, potentially much larger, figure than earlier estimates. The department is seeking to enlist about 400 lawyers to help.
A.I. Held Up Wall Street in 2025. Will That Continue?
The boom in artificial intelligence was the biggest driver of gains in the stock market. That could pose a risk in 2026.
Thousands of documents and interviews with Assad-era officials reveal how the regime worked to conceal evidence of its atrocities during the civil war.
Yonaguni, a tiny Japanese island near Taiwan, is getting soldiers, radar and missiles. As Beijing’s dispute with Tokyo escalates, some residents are worried.
Happy New Year! Are you among the 76 percent who have tried to lose weight at some point in your life? Losing excess body weight is difficult…and keeping it off can be even harder. That’s why, unless you are underweight, it’s important to avoid gaining.
Dietary Patterns High in Fiber Associated with Lower Risk for Chronic Disease
Dietary patterns higher in fiber intake are associated with lower risk for multiple chronic diseases. Researchers analyzed a large collection of data to determine the strength of the relationship between eating fiber-rich foods and health.
What to Know About Heavy Metals in Food
Trace amounts of heavy metals can show up in everyday foods—but with a balanced, varied dietary pattern, there’s little reason for worry.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel has choices to make on issues including Gaza, conscription and a judicial overhaul, with elections looming.
Though discussions produced little tangible progress, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine at least avoided the type of setbacks that have blighted earlier meetings.
Boomers Daily 