Ten years have passed since the world lost David Bowie on 10 January 2016, two days after his 69th birthday and the release of his final album, Blackstar. Across Europe, fans continue to honor the legacy of the musician, actor, and style icon, with several locations serving as pilgrimage sites for those wishing to pay tribute.

Bowie was born David Robert Jones on 8 January 1947 at 40 Stansfield Road in Brixton, London. He lived there until age six before moving to suburban Bromley. Nearby, Stockwell Primary School remains a quiet reminder of his early years. Fans also visit the Brixton Road mural painted by Australian artist Jimmy C in 2013, which became a spontaneous shrine after Bowie’s death, with thousands leaving flowers and tributes. Lambeth Council has committed to protecting the mural for the long term.

Music enthusiasts often make their way to Heddon Street in London, famously captured on the cover of The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. A commemorative plaque at 23 Heddon Street marks the location. For those who prefer a social setting, The Ship bar on Wardour Street in Soho remains a place where Bowie gave interviews and mingled with London’s music scene.

Bowie’s time in Berlin from 1976 to 1979 was pivotal to his artistic reinvention. Seeking to overcome drug addiction and distance himself from the United States, he lived in the city’s Schöneberg district with Iggy Pop. Hauptstraße 155, where he resided, now features a plaque commemorating the period. Nearby Café Neues Ufer, once Anderes Ufer, is one of Berlin’s oldest gay bars and retains images of Bowie and Iggy Pop. Hansa Studios, where Bowie recorded Heroes, and the punk club SO36 on Oranienstraße, remain popular stops for fans retracing his steps in the city.

Switzerland also played a key role in Bowie’s life. From 1982, he lived near Montreux in Blonay, raising his son Zowie (now Duncan) and maintaining a residence until 1982, followed by a stay at Château de Signal in Lausanne. Bowie married his second wife, Iman, in Lausanne in 1992 before returning to the United States in 1998.

Paris has joined the list of European Bowie landmarks with the inauguration of Rue David Bowie in the 13th arrondissement in 2024, near Gare d’Austerlitz. Jérôme Coumet, mayor of the district, noted Bowie’s affection for France and the city’s avant-garde culture, which influenced his visual style.

For fans seeking a more enigmatic connection, Norway offers Ørmen, the village referenced in the Blackstar video. Some interpret it as a metaphorical space, while others treat it as a physical pilgrimage site, symbolizing mortality and transformation, themes central to Bowie’s final work.

Across Europe, these locations provide fans the opportunity to reflect on Bowie’s music, style, and influence. From London to Berlin, Lausanne to Paris, and even Ørmen in Norway, the late artist’s impact continues to resonate, a decade after his passing.

Iranian women are intensifying their protests against the country’s authoritarian system, moving beyond symbolic gestures like cutting their hair or burning headscarves toward more confrontational forms of dissent. Recent demonstrations have included burning images of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, often combined with acts that challenge social restrictions imposed on women.

In November 2025, Omid Sarlak, a young man from western Iran, posted a video showing himself setting fire to a portrait of Khamenei. Hours later, his body was found in his car with a gunshot wound to the head. That same month, Samad Pourshah, a former political prisoner, performed a similar protest, burning the leader’s photograph to denounce Sarlak’s death. Security forces raided his home shortly after, but he was not present and has remained in hiding since.

The Iranian regime has repeatedly cracked down on such acts. In 2021, poet Qasem Bahrami was arrested in Mashhad after burning a portrait of Khamenei. He was held incommunicado for two months. Despite these threats, women’s protests have grown more visible and defiant, often using the act of burning the ayatollah’s image to light cigarettes—a challenge to both political authority and societal restrictions on women’s behavior. Videos of these protests have circulated widely on social media, making containment by authorities increasingly difficult.

The movement traces its origins to the 2022 death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who died in detention after allegedly violating hijab regulations. Her death sparked mass protests, known as the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement, which were violently suppressed. More than 500 people were killed and over 19,400 arrested during the four-month crackdown. Despite the repression, women continued to resist through symbolic public acts.

In recent years, these acts have become increasingly bold. Women have appeared without hijabs in public spaces, knocked turbans off clerics, participated in sporting events without headscarves, and performed public demonstrations of nudity, including instances atop police vehicles. Protest participation spans all ages, including schoolgirls, highlighting the generational reach of the movement.

A separate dimension of protest has emerged through mass poisoning incidents in schools. Investigations revealed that more than 800 students in at least 15 cities were poisoned in 2023, causing widespread illness. The government denied involvement, and the perpetrators were never identified. Officials initially suggested the incidents aimed to close girls’ schools but later retracted these statements.

Analysts say Iranian women’s protests reflect a combination of resistance to political repression and defiance of deeply rooted social restrictions. By adopting highly visible and symbolic acts, they continue to push for freedom and equal rights despite the persistent threat of government violence. The movement has gained international attention, with videos circulating globally, underscoring the resilience of women’s activism in Iran.

Donald Trump that the United States could annex the autonomous Danish territory, calling for dialogue and respect for international law.

“That’s enough now,” Nielsen wrote on Facebook late Sunday. “No more pressure. No more insinuations. No more fantasies of annexation. We are open to dialogue. We are open to discussions, but this must happen through the proper channels and with respect for international law.”

Trump has renewed his calls to bring Greenland under U.S. control, citing its strategic location in the Arctic. While aboard Air Force One, he told reporters, “We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it… We’ll worry about Greenland in about two months… let’s talk about Greenland in 20 days.”

The remarks drew swift criticism from Copenhagen. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said, “It is absolutely absurd to say that the United States should take control of Greenland.” She stressed that Greenland, as part of the Kingdom of Denmark, is a NATO member protected by the alliance’s security guarantees.

Tensions have intensified following a high-profile U.S. military operation in Venezuela, which Trump has said gives the United States a permanent presence in the region. European leaders have expressed concern that Greenland’s sovereignty could be threatened. French Foreign Ministry spokesperson Pascal Confavreux said, “Borders cannot be changed by force. Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders and the Danes, and it is up to them to decide what to do with it.”

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz echoed the sentiment in June 2025, emphasizing the inviolability of borders under international law, while European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen reiterated that territorial integrity is a fundamental principle. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte also avoided backing Trump’s annexation claims, focusing instead on Arctic security and the strategic importance of Greenland without endorsing any transfer of sovereignty.

Trump’s push to acquire Greenland is not new. He first floated the idea in August 2019, prompting Denmark to cancel his state visit and describe the proposal as “absurd.” Since winning re-election in 2024, Trump has renewed the plan, appointing Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as a special envoy to Greenland in December 2025. U.S. Vice President JD Vance visited Pituffik Space Base in March 2025, criticizing Denmark for underinvesting in the island’s people and security.

Greenland has been under Danish control since the early 18th century and gained home rule in 1979. The island holds vast mineral resources, including rare earth elements vital for advanced technologies, and occupies a strategically important position in the Arctic.

In response to Trump’s latest remarks, Nielsen emphasized that Greenland’s future will be decided through proper international channels, not social media or unilateral assertions. “There is neither reason for panic nor for concern,” he wrote. “Our country is not for sale, and our future is not decided by social media posts.”