Student-made invention tackles river pollution

European rivers are more toxic than you could think – the water often contains antibiotics and bacteria that have learned to resist them. Antimicrobial resistance is a serious issue which could lead to ten million deaths annually by 2050.

Less than 40% of Europe's surface water – such as rivers and lakes – is considered healthy. Scientists have been racking their brains over developing a solution to this problem. Now, two high school students have cracked the mystery – and won the prestigious European Earth Prize for their breakthrough.

Antibiotics get into water mainly from hospitals and farms. The device PURA created in collaboration between Tomáš Čermák from Czechia and Anna Podmanická from Slovakia has a way to clean it.

How? The process includes the targeting of harmful pollutants and antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the water using cold plasma. Then, photocatalysis breaks down these chemicals using sunlight.

Germany has a new 'pragmatic' government

Five months after the previous government collapsed, Germany's conservatives have reached a deal with the Social Democrats. Despite Friedrich Merz's confident claim that "Germany is back on track," the new chancellor leads a coalition shaped more by pragmatic necessity than visionary ambition.

The agreement includes tightened immigration rules, a nod to social protections, promises of streamlined bureaucracy and defence reform. The overarching aim is to revive Germany's economy, which was already in recession before being hit by US president Trump's trade tariffs. 

The climate crisis barely got a mention. In the end, the deal is a necessary compromise which leaves all sides feeling they have won some and yielded some. One of the few clear areas of consensus, both parties are firmly aligned on their support for Ukraine. We can expect Germany to play a more assertive role in shaping the EU’s defence policy.

It takes a village to raise a child

Single parents carry the load, yet they're often invisible in Europe's housing plans. In Austria, nearly 44% of them live in poverty, compared with just 15% of the general population. Here, JUNO steps in, a Vienna-based organisation founded by single mothers. Their motto: as many rooms as possible in as little space as necessary.

Thanks to Vienna's subsidised housing program, buildings get public funding if they cap rents and set aside units for single parents. JUNO has already placed more than 160 families in homes that don't just come with low rent but with neighbours "who get it".

In these houses, parents regularly swap childcare, cook together, and support each other emotionally. The initiative also offers peer counseling and workshops, building a community support system to ease the (mental) load.

JUNO could serve as a blueprint for tackling one of Europe's fastest-growing social challenges, by blending affordable housing with built-in community support. Demand is soaring, especially in cities where rents are rising, poverty is climbing, and policymakers are starting to prioritise social inclusion.

EU accepts levies on cars to buy time to negotiate with the US

A quick recap of Trump's trade war: After announcing record tariffs on almost all countries (including 20% on the EU) two weeks ago, the US president made a U-turn last Wednesday, only applying a 10% universal rate on all countries except China for 90 days. These 10% come in addition to the 25% tariff on European steel, aluminium, and cars introduced in February and March.

On Thursday, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen held off instigating countermeasures against the 10% blanket tariff, and American steel and aluminium. With this move, the EU essentially accepts Trump's tariffs for the moment, without an equivalent tax on American goods coming into Europe. 

Why does this matter? €52 billion worth of European cars and metals will be levied by the US. A lack of certainty deeply affects Europe's economy, disrupting companies' supply chains, causing market turmoil, and raising consumer prices.

Will women save our armies?

Historically, women haven't really served in militaries – and still today, most countries don't enlist women. But in Denmark, women will have to do compulsory military service from 2026 onwards. This exposes a moral dilemma: Is it fair to take women out of their careers when they are already societally disadvantaged by pay and care gaps? At the same time, is it really equality that only men have to enlist? These are questions that have preoccupied Scandinavian countries.

In Switzerland, the government is also trying to encourage more women to join the military. The military orientation day – which also serves as a military audition – has been compulsory only for men. Soon, the citizens will vote on whether to extend the duty to women, too.

Why this change? Firstly, Switzerland is trying to strengthen its national defence capacity, and secondly, it wants to promote gender equality in the military. The motives are very similar to those in Denmark, where they expect fewer and fewer young people to sign up for military service voluntarily.

"We arm ourselves to avoid war," said Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen. The move is part of a wider defence reform sweeping through the country. Because of the deteriorating security situation in Europe, similar debates are popping up all around the continent – Switzerland included.