All Europe
First LookBid to prevent no-deal Brexit gathers steam among British lawmakersAn amendment proposed by a British lawmaker, which is likely to be supported by the Labour Party and a handful of Conservative MPs, could prevent the disastrous scenario of a no-deal Brexit.
New Russian order: After presidency, yet another role for Putin?Russia faces a looming question: What follows Putin's current, likely final presidential term? An answer is beginning to take shape 鈥� and may involve a new聽position for Putin and a reshaped political landscape.
In ticking of 鈥楾he Clock,鈥� a parallel to Brexit's relentless grindWhether you're observing it from afar, reporting on it, or living it, Brexit can seem endless. And the Monitor's Brexit correspondent finds echoes of the Brexit experience in an exhibit not far from Westminster.
First LookSharp uptick in Iranian migrants attempting Channel crossing by boatLast year saw a spike in the number of migrants, many of them Iranians, trying to cross the English Channel to reach Britain by boat. The re-imposed sanctions by the United States have hurt the Iranian economy and made life hard for ordinary Iranians, causing some to flee.
With May鈥檚 monumental defeat, no end in sight for BrexitThe vote on Theresa May鈥檚 Brexit plan was perhaps the most important in Britain鈥檚 modern era.听Parliament鈥檚 sweeping rejection almost assures that Brexit will require an extension beyond its March 29 deadline.
As Brexit racks Parliament, British democracy feels the strainThe stakes of the Brexit process aren't solely in the outcome of Tuesday's vote. They also lie in whether Britain's venerable democratic system can handle the stresses that the debate is putting upon it.
For some migrants in Spain, hope springs from a soccer fieldSpain鈥檚 welcome mat is still out, but many newcomers are jobless. All dreams need some kind of support: what should be government鈥檚 role?
Russia鈥檚 GMO debate looks a lot like America鈥檚 鈥� with more geopoliticsRussians tend to be just as concerned as their Western peers about how genetic modification might affect food products. But Russia's bans on GMOs have become a bone of East-West ideological contention.
Not back in the USSR: Russia鈥檚 battle over rap highlights cultural shiftsA聽crackdown on Russian rappers may look like a continuation of Soviet-era cultural controls. But the debate it has engendered in Russian society shows that much has changed since Soviet days.
The chicken age: Will finger lickin鈥� fossils define our geological era?Over the past several decades, humankind has reshaped the domestic chicken into a creature highly tailored to our needs 鈥� so much so that its fossils may prove to be the defining markers of our geological era.
How much should a former church鈥檚 past affect its future use?As religious buildings hit the real estate market in an era of shrinking congregations, some are聽weighing how to strike a balance between the buildings鈥� former purposes and communities鈥� modern needs.
Why Britain's effort to end knife crime is about more than stopping violenceKnife crime is surging across England and Wales, spurring new strategies to end the violence. But activists say that聽until聽the deeper societal issues fueling the crime are fixed, prevention efforts will be only stopgap.
[special project]Are Greek and EU officials illegally deporting migrants to Turkey?While reporting in Greece on another story, Monitor correspondent Dominique Soguel heard tales of migrants being beaten and illegally expelled from the EU by border officials. So she investigated.
First LookSpanish cabinet meeting stirs up dissent in CataloniaPro-independence Catalan demonstrators took to the streets Dec. 21 to protest against Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's decision to host a weekly cabinet meeting in Barcelona, bringing hundreds of anti-riot officers from the national police force with him.听
First LookDrones shutdown London's Gatwick Airport, snarling holiday trafficGatwick Airport reopened Friday morning after a closure prompted by unauthorized industrial drones flying over the airport stranding tens of thousands of visitors. This incident may be a bellwether of more to come as drone use becomes more widespread worldwide.
First LookPutin blames US on negating treatises, pursuing nuclear proliferationIn a press conference, President Vladimir Putin accused the US of being the driving force behind a lapse in negotiations of the New START treaty and reneging on existing nuclear nonproliferation agreements. The consequences, he claims, could lead to nuclear war.听
Facing Orb谩n's 'Death Star,' Hungary's protesters strike backProtests in Hungary show the strength of Viktor Orb谩n's grip on power. But they also highlight the stakes 鈥� as the media monopoly that has stifled the opposition leaves them feeling they have no other options.
First LookEU considers contingency plans for a no-deal BrexitEuropean Union officials announced plans to ensure that financial services, flights, and other necessities between the United Kingdom and EU member nations continue even if the UK leaves the EU in March without a withdrawal deal in place.听
As no-deal Brexit risk rises, so do odds of monster traffic jamsIn the villages along Britain's critical supply route to France, a 鈥渘o deal鈥� Brexit is not just a political issue. It could have very real ramifications 鈥� not least turning southeast Britain into a tractor trailer parking lot.
First LookCatalan politicians awaiting trial undergo hunger strikeThe hunger strike of four detained Catalan separatist leaders entered its third week as pressure mounts on the central government in Madrid to contain the restive Catalonia region. The defendants want to appeal their upcoming trial to the European Court of Human Rights.
