Can Europe escape ‘Japanification?’

Our series on Europe's most beautiful cities continues with the capital of the Netherlands. Here is a guide to some insider tips and a list of what not to miss in Amsterdam.

The Mar Menor – the largest saltwater lagoon in Europe linked to the Mediterranean Sea – has become the first natural area in Europe to be protected as a legal entity. Environmentalists and locals have long complained that the lagoon suffers from serious pollution, which they blame on intensive farming.

Where do you get your news and how independent do you think it is? The age of everybody reading a newspaper is long gone, but consumption of news media is high and has a big impact on us and our societies. Reporters without Borders recently documented how social and political tensions are fuelled by social media and new opinion media in countries, including France. It also says that suppression of independent media is contributing to a sharp polarisation in so-called illiberal democracies, citing Poland as one example.

As world powers prepare to begin crucial climate talks at the COP27 summit in Egypt, we speak to Chiara Martinelli, director of the Climate Action Network Europe, which describes itself as Europe's leading NGO coalition fighting dangerous climate change.

Find these stories and much more when you grab a copy of The Guardian on Thursday.⁣

Ahead of the Chinese Communist Party congress, China is tightening its already strict coronavirus rules. Entire sectors, including tourism, are suffering. And people are increasingly voicing their frustration.

The U.S. economy is “headed for a hard landing,” UBS economists say in a report, noting that, “Household spending has been weak. Households are running down savings. Credit card balances are rising. Goods spending remains very elevated.

Nigeria's inflation rate has hit a Seventeen year high. This is a report by the National Bureau of Statistics released in September 2022. GuardianTV takes an in-depth look at the reasons for the all-time inflation.

Germany has upped its ambitions on a global green hydrogen scheme. The fuel has been touted as a solution to help slash CO2 emissions. What is the hype all about?

This week, we're focusing on Qatar and asking what the economic impact of hosting the FIFA World Cup could be. Can this be a transformative event for the gas-dependent country? Or will it be a financial abyss worth an estimated $200 billion? We ask Alexis Antoniades, an economics professor at Georgetown University’s campus in Qatar.

Iran's football team dominate the front pages today after their courageous decision to boycott the national anthem during their match against England. Also, we look ahead to France's first pool match against Australia.

Paralympic sprinter John McFall will help ESA in creating conditions for people with disabilities to travel to space. Another five astronauts were selected out of a pool of 22,000 applicants.