All Europe
FocusWith no jobs in the city, country life is coming back to SpainAfter decades of population loss to cities, rural areas in Spain 鈥� and across Europe 鈥� have been gaining allure as havens from the ongoing recession.
FocusSpanish urban entrepreneurs yield to the lure of rural livingSpain's rural development is on the rise, thanks in part to entrepreneurs and professionals like Juan Hurtado, who is transforming an old train station into a cooperative living community.
Did someone fire missiles at a Russian jetliner flying over Syria?Russian flights are being advised to avoid flying over combat zones after a passenger plane reportedly came under missile fire over Syria. But aviation experts are puzzled by the incident.
Dutch welcome Willem-Alexander's ascension to Dutch throneA cheering public welcomed the new king, the Netherlands' first since 1890, after his mother, Beatrix, abdicated on her birthday, a national holiday.
Japan and Russia want to finally end World War II, agree it is 'abnormal' not toToday's summit between Shinzo Abe and Vladimir Putin comes at an opportune moment but may founder on the old problem of the Kuril Islands, which Japan still wants back.
As Dutch prepare for new king, republicans ask to abolish monarchyOn Tuesday, Queen Beatrix will abdicate and her son will ascend to the Dutch crown. But some Dutch see the monarchy as an unwanted anachronism in an otherwise modern democracy.
Greece starts firing civil servants for first time in a centuryThe Greek government began its first mass-firing of public-sector workers in more than 100 years this week, part of an effort to lay off 180,000 by 2015 under Europe-imposed austerity.
Madrid ups taxes, punts on pension reform. Will Europe be satisfied?The Spanish government hopes that its measures will be enough to convince Europe to okay a two-year extension on its deficit-reduction goals.
Italy's long-deadlocked government shows signs of lifeEnrico Letta's appointment as prime minister-designate has sparked hope that a coalition government might finally be formed after two months of negotiations.
Serbia-Kosovo deal clears path to EU accession, but long road remainsThe agreement to 'normalize' relations between Serbia and Kosovo, which declared independence from Serbia five years ago, removes a major obstacle to each one's bid to join the EU.
Putin says opportunity for better US-Russian ties in Boston aftermathSpeaking in his annual town-hall meeting, which this year ran nearly five hours, the Russian president called for greater US-Russian cooperation on terrorism after the Boston bombing.
Chechnya: How a remote Russian republic became linked with terrorism The main suspects in the Boston Marathon bombing are two brothers from Chechnya, a Russian republic that has been the scene of cyclical revolts and brutal crackdowns for the past 200 years.
Chechen strongman corrects his minister - with a boxing glove to the headRamzan Kadyrov's sparring match 鈥� ostensibly good-natured 'criticism' of the minister's job performance 鈥� is seen by some as reflective of the darker undertones of Kadyrov's hard rule.
Saakashvili's party seeks relevancy in the Georgia it createdNearly a decade after Mikheil Saakashvili's United National Movement ushered in the Rose Revolution and reshaped Georgia, the party is once again on the outside looking in.
France approves gay marriage after surprisingly violent debateThe French parliament voted to legalize gay marriage today, becoming the 14th country to do so. But France's聽road to marriage equality has been surprisingly divisive, bitter, and even bloody.
Explosion at French Embassy in Libya highlights security challengesThe explosion wounded two French guards in what appeared to be the first major terrorist attack on a diplomatic compound in Tripoli since the ouster of Col. Muammar Qaddafi.
US, Russia missed chances to intercept Tamerlan TsarnaevRussia warned the US about the future Boston Marathon bomber back in 2011. But when Mr. Tsarnaev returned to Russia the next year, authorities there apparently left him alone.聽
Chechen identity looms over Boston Marathon bombing suspectsIf true that the two suspects were raised in Chechnya, its warrior tradition - which stresses male independence and defiance of authority - would likely have shaped their childhood.
London Marathon organizers pledge to keep calm and carry onCity officials say they're watching security closely, but that events in Boston shouldn't dampen enthusiasm for Sunday's event, which is expected to draw 70,000 spectators.聽
Rhino head heist: Half a million euros' worth stolen from Irish museumThe thieves are expected to try to sell the horns in Asia. Europol claimed in 2011 that most of Europe's illegal rhino trade was committed by a single 'ethnically-Irish organized criminal group.'