All Europe
First LookRight-wing ‘folksy nationalism’ party wins in Dutch electionsThe Farmer Citizen Movement in the Netherlands, which focuses on rural issues, has won its first provincial elections. The populist right-wing party’s victory is seen as a triumph over Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s four-party coalition currently in power.
Safe space: In liberated Lyman, dank but familiar cellar is still homeRussian forces were driven from the Ukrainian village of Lyman months ago, but the fighting is too close to give many residents the confidence to return to their homes. Underground is security, and community.
By sharing housing, seniors and migrants in Sweden build bridgesMigrant youths and Swedish seniors face different difficulties, but help each other solve them in a shared-living project, finding common ground.
Bakhmut battle lays bare high stakes for both sides in Ukraine warThousands of Ukrainian and Russian soldiers have died in 10 months of fighting for Bakhmut. Kyiv sees the battle as key to homeland defense.
First LookHamburg rocked by shooting at Jehovah's Witnesses congregationA gunman killed six people at his Jehovah’s Witnesses congregation in Hamburg, Germany, before taking his own life. An anonymous tip to the police stated that the motive was likely to be anger toward religious groups.
Rattled by Ukraine war, Georgia wrestles with tighter societal controlsAs its huge neighbor wages war in Ukraine, Georgia is finding its own society polarizing between those who distrust Russia and those who want to avoid entanglement in the West’s anti-Kremlin efforts.
FocusOn Ukraine’s front: Grit, gratitude – and hope for West’s weaponsWhat does it take to win a war? In a tour of Ukraine’s long eastern front, fighters say they still have determination and hope. What they need is more and better weapons.
First LookBattle for Bakhmut: Will Ukraine triumph or fall to Russian forces?Ukranian President Zelenskyy has vowed not to give up on the eastern city of Bakhmut despite a six-month-long siege by Russia. The strenuous defense of the city has a symbolic value for Ukraine’s resilience in the ongoing fight against Russia’s aggression.
Climate activists too radical? They point to suffragettes as a comparison.Activists are taking radical steps, like gluing themselves to streets, to draw attention to the climate crisis. Such acts, if unpopular, fall in line with earlier, violent moral crusaders like British suffragettes.
First LookWho is responsible? Greece faces hard questions after train wreck.Rail strikes have halted national rail services in Greece after a deadly crash killed nearly 60 people. Family members are assisting in the search for missing relatives. Officials say the crash will lead to a full safety overhaul of the country’s rail system.
First LookYes, we have no tomatoes today. Britain faces salad shortage.For the past few weeks, Britain has experienced a shortage of fresh vegetables. The problem seems to be unique to the United Kingdom, leading some to wonder if Brexit is to blame.
Will exiled Kurds pay price of Sweden’s NATO entry?Turkey holds the key to Sweden's application to join NATO. Ankara's demands that Stockholm drop its support for Kurdish independence groups is worrying Kurdish exiles.
A life in Europe? Ukrainian refugees weigh alternatives to going home.For those who fled war in Ukraine to Europe, it’s been a long time away from home. For some, it’s been long enough that it may be time to rethink where their future actually lies.
First Look‘New chapter’: UK, EU reach deal to reopen trade with Northern IrelandBritish Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen have signed an agreement to allow goods to flow to Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom. The agreement marks a collaborative step between the U.K. and EU.
Forging a nation: Ukrainian courage and resistance, one year onOn Ukraine’s homefront, individual acts of courage and defiance through a year of war have advanced nationhood by promoting unity and an appreciation for an identity distinct from Russia’s.
First LookPutin's arms treaty suspension further strains US-Russia relationsRussian President Vladimir Putin suspended participation in the U.S.-Russia New START arms control treaty, impacting oversight of Russian nuclear activities. Sources say the pact was crumbling with both sides accusing the other of violations.
Putin frames war as protecting Russia's existence. Are Russians buying it?Vladimir Putin is framing the war in Ukraine as critical to Russia's existence. But while the Russian public is still behind the war, they seem to be increasingly eager for peace talks to begin.
Biden in Poland: How NATO’s eastern half increasingly leads on UkraineAs NATO and the European Union hammer out a consensus approach to helping Ukraine resist the Russian invasion, new paths to cooperation and leadership are evolving between Western and Eastern European allies.
First LookBiden visits Ukraine in show of solidarity ‘for as long as it takes’During an unannounced visit to Kyiv, Ukraine, on Monday, President Joe Biden assured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that the United States would continue to stand with Ukraine against Russia.
First LookUS determines Russia has committed crimes against humanity in UkraineSpeaking in Munich, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris called for the international community to hold accountable Russian perpetrators of crimes against humanity in Ukraine.
