All Europe
In Armenia, a democratic revolution that no one noticedViolence and bombast tend to dominate headlines. In Armenia, however, residents staged a quiet, grass-roots revolution while the world was looking elsewhere.
First LookMay survives no confidence vote, but future of Brexit still unclearPrime Minister Theresa May staved off a rebellion by her fellow Torries, but emerged weaker after failing to guarantee a majority of votes in Parliament for her Brexit plan. Ms. May is heading back to Brussels for more EU negotiations, but the bloc is resisting substantial changes.听聽
A reporter's backstory 鈥� finding a way to humanize a global crisisSeventy million people have been displaced by political violence, war, and persecution, emptying their savings and risking their lives to reach new lands.听The Monitor told some of their stories in our series On the Move: the faces, places, and politics of migration, with 10 journalists covering more than a dozen countries.
First LookBritish lawmakers prepare for no-confidence vote on May leadershipDisagreement over Brexit negotiations has spurred the British Parliament to a no-confidence vote on Prime Minister Theresa May. Results of the vote are expected to be announced by the end of day on Wednesday, Dec. 12.听
In a bid to save Soviet-era art, Kiev activists preserve a slice of historyEager to erase its communist past, Ukraine recently launched a campaign to destroy Soviet-era symbols. But efforts to preserve these works point to the value of art聽as an important relic of history.听
First LookSpain's unexpected wave of migrants: teenagersFollowing an uptick of teenage migrants traveling from Morocco to Spain, the European nation is grappling with unprecedented numbers of unaccompanied 鈥� and vulnerable 鈥� minors who are looking for work.听
As Theresa May fumbles Brexit, a far-right backlash is brewingThe protests France is witnessing don't suit the British 鈥� unless they're pushed too far. As rightist supporters of Brexit channel a more overt nativism, many worry the country is moving into uncharted waters.
France鈥檚 鈥榶ellow vests鈥� only have one common message: anger at governmentFrance鈥檚 鈥測ellow vest鈥� protesters have been highly visible, but their motives have been cryptic, thanks in large part to their lack of leaders and structure.
No haven from hardship: Why some Syrians return from EuropeWhy would refugees who emptied their savings, took on debt, and risked their lives to reach Europe just a few years ago head back to a perilous Syria? Part 10 of聽On the Move: the faces, places, and politics of migration.
First LookAs European soccer clubs push gender equality, Real Madrid falls behindReal Madrid is one of the increasingly few top European soccer clubs that don't have a professional women's team and the club says among its plans to launch into esports and build a theme park, it won't field a women's team any time soon.听
Witty repartee still features in Parliament. But does it persuade anymore?After watching the oratory in the British House of Commons, American congressional speechmaking seems like an inferior method of debate. But is Parliament truly as persuasive as it seems?
Book lovers fill gap left by tainted prize, but will Nobel be back in 2019?The New Academy鈥檚 recognition of Maryse Cond茅 has covered for the lack of a Nobel Prize in Literature in 2018. But the Nobel Committee is still recovering from the issues that waylaid this year鈥檚 award.
Trump Tower Moscow: doomed by cultural divides?Much is being made about the legality over then-candidate Donald Trump's attempts to put a Trump Tower in Moscow in 2016. But just how close was he to breaking into Moscow's real estate market?
First LookIn France, mass demonstrations are part of the cultural fabricThough French President Emmanuel Macron has backpedaled on a controversial fuel tax, protests are expected to continue in France over perceived inequality at large. Historically, direct action has been a consistent part of French political culture.听
First LookIn a first step toward peace, Yemen factions meet in SwedenLeaders from both sides in the Yemen conflict 鈥� the Iran-aligned Houthi rebels and the US-sponsored internationally recognized government 鈥� will come together Dec. 6 in Sweden to find solutions toward ending a catastrophic three-year war.听
First LookBelgian Africa Museum to take a more nuanced look at colonial pastAfter more than 10 years of renovation, the Africa Museum in Belgium will reopen Dec. 8 with a new perspective on Belgium's influence in Congo. The museum, built by colonialist King Leopold II, will now address Belgian abuses in Africa along with the development sponsored by the European nation.听
Black Pete no more? Tide turning against Dutch Santa's blackfaced helper.The controversy over Black Pete, Santa Claus's聽helper long portrayed in blackface, seems to be as much a tradition in the Netherlands as the holidays themselves. But the debate may have reached a tipping point.
The ExplainerWill British politicians OK a Brexit bill that few are happy with?With MPs pulling in different directions, the only guarantee is that Britain鈥檚 relationships with the rest of the EU will be different regardless of Parliament鈥檚 vote Dec. 11.
First LookAs 'yellow vest' protests ramp up, Macron suspends fuel-tax increasesIn response to a wave of sometimes violent protests in France, President Emmanuel Macron has suspended planned fuel tax increases for at least six months. The move has done little to placate protesters, who see Mr. Macron as representing big business and the urban "elite."聽
First LookIn third week of protests, 'yellow vests' demand economic change from MacronNationwide protests over the weekend in France turned violent as popular anger against fuel increases metastasized into a larger social movement against declining living standards for the country's middle and working classes.听
