All Europe
- First LookItaly's left sees hope in young progressive candidate for premier
Elly Schlein is facing off against far-right leader Giorgia Meloni to become Italy’s first female premier. Ms. Schlein, who volunteered on former President Obama’s presidential campaigns, wants to create a progressive coalition that might unite the Italian left.
- First LookRussian shelling knocks Ukrainian nuclear plant offline
Minor damage caused by Russian shelling has stressed a fragile situation at Europe’s largest nuclear plant in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Oblast. Concerns about the safety of frontline plant persist as U.N. inspectors continue to tour the complex and assess risks.
- First LookBritain's new PM: Liz Truss takes the helm of a crisis-battered UK
Liz Truss of the Conservative Party assumed role as Britain’s prime minister Tuesday. As new leader of the nation, she will face a host of challenges from skyrocketing energy costs to a struggling public health service.
- Ukraine’s wartime schools: Intensity, purpose, and an eye to safety
As a safety-minded Ukraine launches a new school year at a time of war, the conflict has sharpened a seriousness of purpose – among educators and students alike.
- Who’s a Latvian and why? A complex question just got harder.
The Latvian government’s fear of Moscow, in the wake of the Ukraine invasion, has halted Riga’s efforts to incorporate its ethnic Russian citizens.
- First LookAchievements and failures: How the world remembers Mikhail Gorbachev
The departure of Mikhail Gorbachev, who brought tremendous change to Russia, Europe, and the world as steward of the Soviet Union in its twilight years, prompted praise, reflections, and some bitter resentment from leaders and diplomats around the globe.
- Mikhail Gorbachev, the man who changed the world
Mikhail Gorbachev helped end the Cold War and oversaw the dissolution of the totalitarian Soviet Union. But he was widely reviled in Russia.
- What’s booming in wartime Odesa? Laughter.
Delivering joy at times of stress is a tough act. Unless, perhaps, you’re a comedian. In Odesa, a new crop of stand-up comics is giving war-weary audiences some comfort.
- First LookPerilous mission: UN agency heads to inspect Ukraine's nuclear plant
A team from the U.N. is on its way to Ukraine’s atomic energy plant in the heart of the fighting. This mission will be the hardest in the history of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.
- Foreign sports stars flee Russia as world shuns their teams
The Ukraine war has isolated Russia from the world of sport, keeping it from international competition and draining foreign stars from local leagues.
- For Ukrainians, this year, ‘Russia put independence in our hearts’
That freedom is taken for granted until someone tries to take it away might be a truism. Yet a Monitor reporter in Ukraine found Independence Day to be especially resonant this year.
- Murder in Moscow: The murky politics behind a political killing
The pro-war activist slain in a car bomb in Moscow likely was seen as a Kremlin proxy. But for most Russians, the unknowns surrounding her killing may have clouded any political message.
- Cover StoryGrace in grief: Ukrainians find dignity in honoring those they’ve lost
For Ukrainians, the absence of loved ones killed in war is a constant presence. Their grace in grief defies the barbarism of the conflict.
- UK strikes: More than just a matter of money
A wave of strikes in the U.K. has been fueled by a gap between rates of inflation and wage increases, and by a sense of social injustice as inequality widens.
- On tour and in bomb shelters, he sings to rouse the spirit of Ukraine (video)
U.S.-born Jurij Fedynskyj moved to Kyiv to rediscover his roots. Now he works to preserve Ukraine’s culture of courage and resilience, reviving the kobzar tradition of sharing folklore through song.
- Eyeing Russia, Lithuania prepped for energy ‘Independence’ years ago
Before Russia waged war in Ukraine and threatened Western energy supplies, Lithuania steeled itself against such aggression – shown by its acquisition nearly a decade ago of a ship called Independence.
- First LookGrain from Ukraine expected in Ethiopia thanks to UN ship
As the war in Ukraine rages on, the U.N. has chartered a ship to deliver Ukrainian grain to Ethiopia’s silos. Experts hope this is a first step toward helping to ease the effects of drought-stricken East Africa.
- The ExplainerFires sweep a sweltering Europe. How is the EU fighting back?
Like the United States, Europe is facing increasingly fierce wildfire seasons, endangering lives, land, and livelihoods. But the European Union is working on new ways to control the flames.
- First LookOne year later, UK’s Afghan refugees hit with harsh realities
Many Afghan refugees living in Britain are unable to find jobs, community connections, or plan their future. Some languish in hotels that cost the government almost $1.4 million a day, others are living in remote towns. But some still hold hope for brighter days to come.
- First LookYellow Ribbon guerrillas lead Ukraine’s resistance effort
In southeastern Ukraine, people are organizing to resist Russia’s military invasion. While some Ukrainians initially wanted to protest peacefully, more and more are joining guerrilla forces in order to “derail Russia’s plans,” as one coordinator said.