All Europe
- Ukraine sets course for Europe, but rough waters lie ahead
Though Ukraine signed a trade deal with the EU amid much fanfare, the accompanying reforms and regulations are sure to bring much short-term pain for the struggling country.
- How tightly will Germany stand with Ukraine against Russia?
Though Angela Merkel has been outspoken for Ukraine, which signed an EU trade deal today, Germany's complicated relationship with Russia clouds its commitment to Kiev.
- Cameron's lonely battle at EU summit
Britain's prime minister has been vociferously opposed to Jean-Claude Juncker's candidacy to head the European Commission. He appears headed for a very public defeat.
- How Russia-Austria pipeline deal buffers Moscow against sanctions
Russia and Austria's gas companies signed a pact on the Austrian portion of the South Stream pipeline, helping the Kremlin defang Western energy-sanction threats.
- UK's Cameron braces to go down fighting as EU chooses new leader
The prime minister's relentless opposition to Jean-Claude Juncker's nomination has cost him almost all his European allies. Many worry it will help drive the UK out of the EU.
- Has France reached a tipping point on legalizing euthanasia?
A pair of court decisions in favor of euthanasia – including the acquittal of a doctor charged with killing seven patients – gives momentum to legalization supporters.
- Our Germans are better than US's Germans, say Germans
German soccer fans expect their side to win today's World Cup match against the US team – a squad that has a very German flavor of its own.
- Britain's phone-hacking trial is over. Now what?
The verdicts may be in for the News of the World phone-hacking trial. But the jury is still out on the future of the British press.
- Hungarian government finds new ways to silence its critics
The government has raided the office of a grant-distributing NGO and rolled out a new tax that seems to target Hungary's largest independent broadcaster.
- Ukrainian refugees find haven with a dash of presidential posh
Thousand of Ukrainians have been displaced by fighting in the country's east. Some have found a safe harbor amid ex-President Yanukovych's sprawling, palatial estate.
- No more little green men? Putin takes military option in Ukraine off table.
Vladimir Putin today asked Russia's parliament to repeal the March 1 resolution that allowed him to send troops to Ukraine, as peace talks continue in the troubled country.
- The ExplainerA secret-recording scandal is rocking Poland. Here's what you should know.
A Polish magazine has been publishing recordings of officials' conversations, apparently recorded in Warsaw restaurants. And it's threatening to topple the government.
- Moscow changes tone, embraces Ukraine peace plan
A Ukrainian oligarch may have convinced Putin that President Petro Poroshenko's peace plan is 'an important step towards reaching a final settlement' in the east.
- Among Istanbul's birdsong lovers, an echo of Greek past
The sport of finch-keeping for cafe contests, where birds are ranked on the quality and quantity of their melodies, has its roots in Istanbul's multi-ethnic past.
- In Ukraine, a night at the opera isn't just for adults
As an American, the Monitor's European bureau chief did not expect the audience at Kiev's opera house to be quite so... youthful.
- Could Estonia's oil shale bolster Europe's energy security?
The tiny Baltic nation has unique experience with oil shale, a sedimentary rock that provides all of Estonia's electricity – and keeps it from depending on Russia for power.
- How an Estonian ash hill became a ski resort
Estonia's oil shale industry produces massive hills of ash, which dot the countryside. What if, one enterprising student thought, we turn it into something fun?
- Europe, Russia OK with Ukraine peace plan. Why aren't Ukrainians?
Moscow gave guarded approval to the Ukrainian president's plan. But rebel opposition, military realities, and even resistance from western Ukrainians undermine its prospects.
- Unsettled again, Crimean Tatars look for direction in Ukraine
Thousands of Tatars have fled their homeland in the Crimean peninsula since it was annexed by Russia. But what do they do now?
- Spain has a new king: 5 things to know about Felipe VI
King Felipe VI took the throne today, in Spain's first post-dictatorship royal succession. Here are five things to know about the new king and his role in Spain.