The Know Daily - Tuesday 2 December 2025

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It’s National Mutt Day – a holiday to celebrate mixed breed dogs 🫶 If you’re a dog-lover, today is the perfect time to give the ulti-mutt gift and donate to a fab charity like Dogs Trust. 

✈️ The Schengen Area

Four decades on, Europe’s passport-free zone is still evolving – here’s what’s happening and what it means for your next trip.

A quick history lesson.
Schengen began in 1985 as a small club of European nations that wanted to make border-hopping easier. The idea was simple: remove routine checks between member states so people could travel as freely as they do between UK regions. Over time, more countries joined, and the rules were formalised under the Schengen Convention in 1995, creating the world’s largest area of border-free travel. For EU citizens, moving across borders has become as normal as catching a domestic train. For non-EU visitors – including those from the UK post-Brexit – Schengen decides what happens at the border, how long you can stay, and what you need to show when you arrive.

Who is currently in the Schengen Area?
Today, it includes 29 countries – 25 EU member states plus 4 non‑EU members (Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein). That means most of continental Europe – such as Spain, France and Italy – lies inside the zone. A few European countries remain outside: for example, Ireland is not part of Schengen, and Cyprus still retains internal border checks. But the EU has said Schengen is still a “fundamental part of European identity”.

What’s the latest?
The big change this year is the rollout of the Entry/Exit System (EES) – a new digital border-control process for non-EU travellers – which began in October. Instead of collecting passport stamps, Schengen countries now register your arrival and departure electronically. The aim is to speed things up over time – but early reports show that queues at busy ports and airports can be longer as the system beds in. Rollout is phased across all borders and may continue until around April 2026, so some crossings may still use passport stamps for now.

So, what happens when you arrive in Schengen countries now?
At your first entry into the zone, expect a biometric check. It’s usually quick, but at peak times it can stack up. Border officials may also ask travellers to show supporting documents, such as proof of onward or return travel, accommodation details, or evidence that they have enough money for the duration of their visit. But once you’re through, travelling between Schengen countries remains easy and mostly checkpoint-free. Short stays for visa-free visitors are still limited to 90 days in any 180-day period.

What does it mean for your next holiday?
Nothing dramatic has changed – but the practicalities matter. Try to:
⏱️ Arrive early at airports, ports and Eurostar terminals
📔 Check passport validity (less than 10 years old and at least three months remaining after your return date)
🛂 Expect new checks, especially if it’s your first visit under the system

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💷 The chair of the UK’s independent budget watchdog – Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) – has resigned after the body accidentally published the autumn Budget details online last week.

• The bigger story: The leak was labelled the OBR’s “worst failure” in its 15-year history, prompting a full internal review led by cybersecurity experts and widespread concern over the watchdog’s protocols. The resignation of former chair Richard Hughes is intended to help restore public confidence in the OBR’s role as a trusted source of independent economic forecasts. At the same time, there are growing calls for Chancellor Rachel Reeves to resign after MPs have suggested she misled the public about the reasons for tax rises.

🧡 Kazakhstan lit up its landmark buildings orange to mark the United Nations’ International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

💊 UK-made medicines will be exempt from export taxes to the the US for at least 3 years in return for spending more on new medicines, which will help boost the industry financially through securing jobs and investment. 

🏛️ A secret passageway in Rome’s Colosseum used exclusively by emperors has been opened to the public for the first time in 2,000 years.

🚴‍♀️ The world’s most cycle-friendly cities have been revealed by the Copenhagenize Index – any guesses who came out on top?

🛒 Gen Z food shops are a thing – and you can find out how 1997-2012 coded your shop is here (did someone say tinned fish 👀).

🎩 The Fashion Awards took place last night, with Lily Allen, Sienna Miller and Raye amongst the many stars on the red carpet. The outfits? Unreal.

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Trivia answer: A) Charli XCX will return to the stage for her sole UK festival performance next year, following the release of her upcoming Wuthering Heights soundtrack.

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