All Europe
Scandal at world's oldest bank upends Italian electionsBy hiding losses of hundreds of millions of euros, the 540-year-old Monte dei Paschi di Siena has threatened to trip up the leading Democratic Party 鈥� to Silvio Berlusconi's benefit.
A royal family that believes in retirement? Dutch Queen Beatrix to abdicateThe queen of the Netherlands tonight announced her intent to abdicate on April 30, which will clear the way for her son, Crown Prince Willem-Alexander, to take the throne.
Russian PM Medvedev says odds against Assad's political survivalIn a CNN interview aired over the weekend, the former president and current prime minister commented on Syria, Sergei Magnitsky, and his office-swap with Vladimir Putin.
Russia's Vladimir Putin says West is fomenting jihadi 'blowback'Moscow is criticized for weak support of the Arab Spring, and for actively backing Bashir al-Assad in Syria. But the Kremlin says its policies are consistent and the West is exporting revolt.
Would a bailout for Cyprus mean underwriting dirty money?Potential creditors in Europe are hesitant to bail out debt-ridden Cyprus as they suspect the country's banking industry may be a haven for money-laundering by Russian oligarchs.
Is Canada telling Hungary's Roma 'Do not seek asylum here'?The Harper government has launched an ad campaign in the Hungarian city of Miskolc 鈥� from which many Roma have migrated to Canada in recent years 鈥� warning of tougher immigration laws.
Catalonia declares intent to hold independence referendumThe unilateral law passed by Catalonia鈥檚 parliament today in effect embarks the Spanish region on a path to independence from Madrid.
After 300 years, British monarchs can once again marry CatholicsLegislation currently being debated in Parliament would reverse a 16th century ban on the king or queen marrying a Catholic 鈥� and end discrimination against female heirs.聽
Should we stay or go? Cameron pledges British referendum on EU.Britain's prime minister declared himself in favor of an up-or-down referendum on whether the UK should remain a member of the European Union.
First Russia bans US adoptions. Are English words next?An ultranationalist party has proposed a bill to ban about 100 English words 鈥� like 'killer' and 'sale' 鈥� that it says are 'cluttering' the Russian language. Language experts are dubious.
France wary of domestic 'lone wolf' terrorism amid Mali opsExperts say that it is unlikely that members of France's Malian community would commit terrorist acts. Rather, it is hard-to-track 'lone wolf' Islamists who are the largest threat.
Start of something big? Russia pulls a hundred citizens from Syria.Though the Kremlin said the move was 'absolutely not an evacuation,' some wonder if it preludes the withdrawal of the tens of thousands of Russians living in war-torn Syria.
Eurogroup picks Dutch finance minister as new presidentJeroen Dijsselbloem steps into a position key to steering Europe through its debt crisis.聽He said there is room for both austerity and the financial aid southern Europe seeks.- Dutch minister tapped to steer Eurogroup - and navigate eurocrisisJeroen Dijsselbloem, the Dutch finance minister, was elected today to the presidency of the Eurogroup. While hopes are high for his term, some worry about the burdens of the position.
Could Silvio Berlusconi rise again to scramble Italian politics?The country has worked to rebuild its economic credibility in recent years. The former prime minister could divide Italy's government and thrust his scandals back into focus.
Hostage crisis: Energy needs ensnare Europe in the SaharaThe hostage situation has highlighted the precarious situation of energy production in Algeria, which is Europe's third-largest natural gas producer but is also home to an Islamic insurgency.
Europe backs French Mali mission with strong words, modest meansEuropean backing of France appears to be holding steady after hostages were reportedly killed at a gas field in the region. But the support is a far cry from the coalition that toppled Qaddafi.
Does top mobster's murder signal a return to Russian mob wars?Organized crime boss Aslan Usoyan was shot in broad daylight in Moscow yesterday, leading some to ask if Russia's notorious mafias are reemerging on Russian streets.
Could Britain move away from EU and toward the Commonwealth?On the eve of Cameron's speech about Britain's relations with Europe, some Conservatives are pushing for greater ties with the British Commonwealth, which includes Canada and India.
Russia sets its sights on the moon - againRussia is beginning a new series of missions to the moon 鈥� likely an effort to overcome a slew of space setbacks in recent years by setting its sights on more fail-proof endeavors.