World | Europe
Her power in Poland came accidentally. She kept it with stamina – and Facebook.Ewa Łętowska helped Poland create its democracy. Even though the nation is backsliding, she has helped keep it a democracy – one Facebook post at a time.
How a front-line husband-and-wife reporting team gets the news out in UkraineClose to the Russian border, a Ukrainian couple are keeping the local newspaper alive despite shelling, providing a lifeline for the local community.
First LookThe end of an era: Britain closes last coal-fired plant to pursue renewable energyA new era of renewable energy begins with the closure of Britain’s last coal-fired power plant on Sept. 30. The shutdown makes Britain the first nation from the Group of Seven major economies to phase out coal.
First LookHow did Austria’s far right win its first national election since World War II?Drawing on anxieties about immigration, inflation, and Ukraine, the Freedom Party finished ahead of the governing conservatives on Sept. 29. Rivals say they won’t work with party leader Herbert Kickl, who needs a parliamentary majority to become chancellor.
Why Putin’s nuclear saber-rattling on Ukraine sounds different this timeThe Kremlin has had little success invoking its nuclear arsenal to deter Ukraine and the West from using new tactics to stop Russia’s invasion. That may be changing.
Pressed by far right, European governments raise barriers to migrantsTo placate the far right, European leaders are making their own national policies to curb migrant arrivals, ignoring a Continental agreement.
The Olympics are over. Should the Eiffel Tower keep wearing the rings?The Paris Olympics are over, but many in the city are still basking in the glow – including the mayor, who wants to keep the Olympic rings mounted on the Eiffel Tower indefinitely.
First LookIllegal immigration spikes fuel European politics. New data tells a different story.Anti-immigration rhetoric filled European political discourse this summer and far-right parties encouraging these policies show gains at the polls. Yet, only 115,000 unauthorized migrants have arrived so far this year, compared to more than 1 million in 2015.
‘I have nowhere to go’: With Russia at their door, Ukrainians flee PokrovskThe eastern Ukraine city of Pokrovsk is emptying as citizens evacuate in the face of a swift Russian advance.
Ukraine’s nationalist Azov fighters, once sanctioned by US, strive to clear nameUkraine’s Azov Brigade has been much maligned for a Nazi-tainted past. But today its renowned fighters proudly and emphatically assert their modern self-definition as nationalists with a broad appeal.
Moscow gets Iranian missiles: Might that actually help Kyiv?Iran’s dispatch of missiles to Russia could backfire if the shipment provokes Washington into letting Ukraine aim U.S.-made missiles deep into Russia.
First LookEurope’s largest economy just enacted border closures. Will others follow?The German government enacted border closures for six months. The aim is to limit irregular migration and protect the nation from “the acute dangers posed by Islamist terrorism and serious crime,” says the Interior Minister. Free travel is integral to the EU.
First LookPut the screen away, Sweden says. Could new policy spell the end of iPad kids?Sweden’s public health agency recommended children under 2 should not use digital screens. Research finding poorer sleep, depression, and developmental delays among 1-year-olds spurred the advisory.
Macron finally picked a prime minister. But can he govern France?The end of the Olympics also closed out the feel-good limbo that had frozen French politics. Now President Emmanuel Macron and his newly chosen prime minister will have to figure out how to govern a France that looks on the verge of ungovernability.
His own party calls him traitor. Can Japan’s new PM rebuild trust in politics?
Vance shows polish, Walz hits him on Jan. 6 in notably civil VP debate
Ten years after 43 students disappeared, Mexican parents still seek the truth
What a Tunisian exodus says about the future of global migration
Young women and men are diverging on politics. Why this gender gap matters.
