All Europe
After Nobel prize falls to #MeToo, what's next for literature's highest honor?It started in Hollywood in the temples of mass entertainment. Now #MeToo has reached Parnassus, as a sexual harassment scandal taints the world's most prestigious literary prize and forces the international cultural establishment to rethink its values.
For 'accidental Americans,' the hidden costs prove taxingFor many who discover that they are American citizens, the revelation is not good news. Instead, it means discovering that they're on the hook for thousands of dollars in unpaid taxes. And the alternatives are just as expensive.
As Israel-Iran rivalry burns, Russia鈥檚 Tehran ties may get singedRussia has been serving as a buffer between Israel and Iran amid the fighting in Syria. But Israel's restraint appears to be fraying 鈥� making the state of relations between Iran and Russia critical to managing any outbreak of fighting.
Disclosure in the Caymans: Global walls of financial secrecy are fallingA new British law could have big ripple effects as part of a global trend toward financial transparency. Disclosure of who really owns offshore companies can counter crime and reduce the inequality that arises from聽corruption or tax evasion.
As Trump mulls withdrawal from Iran deal, Europe braces for falloutThe deal to crimp Iran鈥檚 nuclear program, one of President Trump鈥檚 top bugbears, came under attack this week from another direction 鈥� Israel. What can the agreement鈥檚 strongest defenders, European nations, do about it?
First LookIn marches against Macron, French protesters recall movements of 1968The artists, students, and laborers who brought mass protests to France in 1968 have had a profound effect on the social and economic composition of the country. Today demonstrators evoke the past in protests against the president's policies.聽
Britain taps the son of a Pakistani bus driver to shape immigration policyNew British Home Secretary Sajid Javid's appointment doesn't just mark a break from his predecessor Amber Rudd's hard-line policies. Mr. Javid, who was born to immigrant parents and went on to become an elite banker, could聽turn the government away from closed-border sentiments.聽
Macron emerges as champion of the liberal world orderThe French president has given his country its most powerful voice in decades. He is using it to warn both the US and Europe against turning sharply inward. A biweekly column on patterns in diplomacy.
In back-to-back visits, Macron and Merkel look for manageable middle with TrumpThe French president and German chancellor each made visits to the White House this week to meet with President Trump, despite significant disagreements over transatlantic relations. But Macron and Merkel may be finding a way to coexist with Trumpism.
First LookEuropean leaders work to keep conservative East in EUWith Britain's exit from the European Union approaching next year, the international network is now turning its attention to countries in Eastern Europe, including Poland and Hungary, whose powerful leaders have spoken out against it.聽
Armenia is having a 'color revolution.' So why is Russia so calm?Unlike post-Soviet revolutions in Ukraine, Georgia, and elsewhere, the current protests in Armenia have not alarmed the Kremlin, even though they look set to bring greater democracy. That is likely due to the lack of geopolitical stakes involved.
First LookThousands of Germans join 'kippa marches' in support of the Jewish communityAn Israeli Arab, who wore a kippa in Berlin as an experiment, was attacked and harassed last week. The incident came after reports of Jewish children being bullied in schools led the head of the Central Council of Jews to advise people not wear kippas in big cities.聽
Will Russia's involvement in Syria end up burning its ties with Israel?Israel has maintained a good relationship with the Kremlin amid Russia's tensions with the West. But as the Assad regime's victories bring Iran closer to the Israeli border, Russia is finding it harder to balance its needs in Syria with its Israeli ties.
First LookSyrian refugees share traditional Arab dance with BerlinersIn addition to formal integration efforts, dozens of informal cultural projects,聽run by migrants wanting to share their culture and Germans attempting to break down barriers, have sprouted up around Germany.
First LookCrowdfunding helps Britain's homeless transition to stable housing and workBeam, a social enterprise born in 2017, is helping England's homeless transition from temporary聽accommodation into聽permanent聽accommodation. So far, Beam has helped 27 people, with two having found employment and many others in training.聽
The ExplainerBritain's DACA? Children of invited laborers caught in 'Windrush' controversyThey didn't need passports to accompany their laborer parents into Britain from the far corners of the Commonwealth. Now, some 50,000 offspring of the 'Windrush generation' appear caught in a press amid immigration scrutiny.聽
First LookAfter sex-abuse scandal, protesters demand change on Nobel literature prize boardSara Danius was the first woman to lead the secretive board that awards the Nobel Prize in Literature. Her removal from the academy, amid criticism from male members for her handling of the scandal, has sparked protests across Sweden.聽
Kremlin cyberpower? How fight over messaging app is showing its limits.The Russian government is trying to block popular messaging app Telegram from domestic users. But its creator, Pavel Durov, is easily winning the fight, ensuring Telegram stays up even as the Kremlin clumsily causes collateral damage online.
How an activist who helped transform postwar Germany views its newest challengesGesine Schwan ran for president of Germany, led the German-Polish Viadrina University,聽and聽 is one of the few remaining political activists聽of the generation whose lifespan parallels that of democratic Germany. Now,聽she keeps a keen eye on the crises that have blown up in both the European Union and Germany.
Russia wants US military out of Syria. But it still needs US to help bring peace.Russian and US-allied forces avoided conflict during Friday's airstrikes on alleged Syrian chemical weapon sites. But Moscow sees the US's ongoing involvement in Syria as nothing more than spoiler. Still, analysts say, Russia needs the US to help diplomatically.