All Europe
First LookUkraine has been waiting to strike deep into Russia. Is Biden鈥檚 approval too late?Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy can now use U.S.-built long range missiles to strike deep into Russia. The Biden administration gave him permission as North Korean troops come to Russia鈥檚 aid and Donald Trump prepares to take over the presidency.
Ukraine鈥檚 Pokrovsk was about to fall to Russia 2 months ago. It鈥檚 hanging on.The story of the grinding Russian-Ukrainian land battle is one of an imbalance of forces and supplies, mostly in Russia鈥檚 favor. Yet Ukraine finds ways to defy the odds, at least for a while.
Trump leaves European allies fearing for their futureDonald Trump is set on weakening Western support for Ukraine and weakening Europe鈥檚 economy with tariffs. Can the continent withstand a dual assault?
A British 鈥榗ulture warrior鈥�? Kemi Badenoch sets Conservatives on populist path.After a record defeat in Britain鈥檚 last election, many Conservatives decided that they needed to be more populist. Their selection of Kemi Badenoch as party leader locks in that agenda.
They took up arms to fight Russia. They鈥檝e taken up pens to express themselves.Ukrainian soldier-poets are springing up all along the front lines of their war against Russia, feeding a literary renaissance.
First LookUkrainian drones strike Moscow as Russia looks toward Trump鈥檚 presidencyA massive drone strike has rattled Moscow and its suburbs, injuring several people and temporarily halting traffic at some of Russia鈥檚 busiest airports. Meanwhile a huge nighttime wave of Russian drones targeted Ukraine.
The Berlin Wall fell 35 years ago. Young east Germans fall for relics of the time.When the Berlin Wall fell, East German 鈥渟tuff鈥� went to landfills. The nostalgia of identity is creating a new market for communist-era goods.
First LookGermany can鈥檛 balance its budget. Now its government is in free fall.Germany鈥檚 governing coalition fell apart on Nov. 6 after Chancellor Olaf Scholz tried to push through a plan to borrow more money in support of the Ukrainian war effort. Years of tension peaked when the fiscally conservative Free Democrats jumped ship.
Ukraine鈥檚 jittery new reality: 鈥榃ork with Trump and hope for the best鈥�Ukrainians followed the U.S. presidential contest almost as if it were their own, nervously expressing the sense that their country鈥檚 future hung in the balance of an election in which they had no say.
First LookCargo packages waiting for North American flights ignited. Officials blame Russia.Intended for cargo planes headed to North America, the incendiary devices ignited while in storage in Germany and England. Linking the plot to Russia, Western security officials say the Kremlin is sabotaging Ukraine鈥檚 allies.
First LookMoldova鈥檚 pro-West president, reelected, slams external 鈥榟ostile forces鈥�President Maia Sandu won a second term in a runoff against a Russia-friendly opponent, Alexandr Stoianoglo, in a race that was overshadowed by claims of Russian interference, voter fraud, and intimidation in the European Union candidate country.
An unwanted kiss shook Spanish soccer 鈥� and society. A new documentary explores why.Just as the Spanish women鈥檚 national team was celebrating its 2023 World Cup victory, it found itself embroiled in a fight with the soccer federation president over an unwanted kiss. A Netflix documentary looks at the scandal.
First LookSpain鈥檚 recent floods are the worst in living memory. What caused them?Three days after flash floods swept through towns in Spain, residents are working together to pick up the pieces. The floods followed battles with prolonged droughts in 2022 and 2023. Experts say drought and flood cycles are increasing with climate change.
First LookUkraine鈥檚 AI drones are now actively deployed in combat. And they hit targets.Rolled out to combat Russian signal jamming, Ukraine is deploying new AI systems to drive its drone warfare. Early tests find the automated pilots are far more likely to hit targets, though only a small proportion of Ukraine鈥檚 fleet uses the new technology.
Putin has ruled Russia for 25 years. How did he last so long?The Russian public is generally satisfied with how their country has transformed under Vladimir Putin. But that鈥檚 less because of his attributes and more a reflection of Russian history and culture.
The French love to hate 鈥楨mily in Paris.鈥� But they won鈥檛 let her leave.鈥淓mily in Paris,鈥� the cult Netflix series French viewers love to hate, is hinting at a move to Rome. Fans, from President Macron on down, are indignant.
At BRICS summit, Russia tries to build a world without the USRussia has long aspired to use the BRICS bloc of countries to circumvent the U.S.-dominated global economic system. The group鈥檚 latest meeting shows how much progress Russia has made 鈥� and how other BRICS members keep that goal from being fully realized.
Europe is trying to cut back migration. Can it find a legal way to do it?European countries such as Italy are trying to reduce immigration by moving asylum-seekers鈥� processing offshore 鈥� in Italy鈥檚 case, to Albania. But while the approach is increasingly popular, its legality remains suspect.
In Gaza or Ukraine, peace can look impossible. Here, there鈥檚 hope.Geneva Peace Week hosts people from around the world who aren鈥檛 just hoping for peace, but creating it. Their stories point to what鈥檚 possible.
First LookFetullah Gulen, a controversial Turkish cleric, remembered for failed coup attemptFetullah聽Gulen, an exiled cleric who died in the United States, was head of a Turkish movement its followers say spreads moderate Islam and Western-style ideas. Formerly an ally of Turkish leader Tayyip Erdogan, he was later accused of a failed coup attempt.
