Europe
Russian court extends detention of Wall Street Journal reporter Gershkovich until end of January
Russian media say a court in Moscow has extended the detention of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, arrested on espionage charges, until Jan. 30.
Latvia’s chief diplomat pursues NATO’s top job, saying a clear vision on Russia is needed
Latvia’s foreign minister is staking a claim to the top job at NATO. Krisjanis Karins says NATO needs a consensus builder who is committed to defense spending and has a clear vision of how to handle Russia.
Finland plans to close its entire border with Russia over migration concerns
Prime Minister Petteri Orpo says Finland will close its entire border with Russia due to concerns over migration.
Greek officials angry and puzzled after UK’s Sunak scraps leaders’ meeting over Parthenon Marbles
Greek officials say they will continue talks with the British Museum on bringing the Parthenon Marbles back to Athens. That’s despite U.K.
Dutch election winner Wilders taps former center-left minister to look at possible coalitions
Far-right Dutch election winner Geert Wilders has tapped a former minister from the center-left Labor Party to investigate possible coalitions.
Pope punishes leading critic Cardinal Burke in second action against conservative American prelates
Pope Francis has taken measures to punish one of his highest-ranking critics, Cardinal Raymond Burke.
German-Israeli singer admits he lied when accusing hotel of antisemitism in a video that went viral
A German-Israeli singer who claimed he had been turned away from a hotel in the eastern German city of Leipzig because he was wearing a Star of David pendant has admitted during a defamation trial against him that he made up the story.
Winter arrives in Northern Europe, with dangerous roads in Germany and record lows in Scandinavia
Winter’s early onset has brought heavy snowfall and icy roads to Northern Europe. The winter conditions have created disruptions and dangerous driving conditions, and German media reported that they have resulted in at least two deaths and children stuck overnight in a school.
Niger’s junta revokes a key law that had slowed migration for Africans desperate to reach Europe
Niger’s junta says it has signed a decree revoking a 2015 law that was enacted to curb the smuggling of international migrants traveling through a key migration route in Niger en route to Europe.
EU regulators say Amazon’s acquisition of vacuum maker iRobot may harm competition
European regulators say Amazon’s proposed acquisition of robot vacuum maker iRobot may harm competition.
Diplomatic spat over the Parthenon Marbles scuttles meeting of British and Greek leaders
A diplomatic spat has erupted between Greece and Britain after the U.K. canceled a planned meeting between Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Greek premier Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
A Dutch museum has sent Crimean treasures to Kyiv after a legal tug-of-war between Russia, Ukraine
An Amsterdam museum says historical treasures that were stored there for years during an ownership dispute sparked by Russia’s annexation of Crimea have been safely transported to Ukraine.
Central European interior ministers agree to step up fight against illegal migration at EU borders
Interior ministers from six European Union countries say their nations have agreed to step up efforts to protect the bloc from illegal immigration and target groups of human smugglers that operate on its borders.
UK government reaches a pay deal with senior doctors that could end disruptive strikes
Britain’s government has reached a deal with senior doctors in England that could potentially end a series of strikes.
Spain announces a 1.4 billion-euro deal to help protect the prized Doñana wetland from drying up
National and regional authorities in Spain have signed an agreement to invest 1.4 billion euros ($1.5 billion) in areas around the treasured national park of Doñana in a bid to stop the wetland from drying up.
EU border agency helping search for missing crew after cargo ship sinks off Greece
The European Union’s border protection agency Frontex has joined the search for 12 crew members missing after a cargo ship sank in rough weather near the Greek island of Lesbos.
Poland’s president swears in a government expected to last no longer than 14 days
Poland’s president has sworn in a government that isn’t expected to last more than 14 days. It’s a tactical maneuver that allows the conservative Law and Justice party to hang onto power a bit longer.
Wilders ally overseeing first stage of Dutch coalition-building quits over fraud allegation
A party ally of far-right Dutch election winner Geert Wilders has quit his role in the building of a new governing coalition over a fraud allegation.
Palestinian diplomat appeals for peace in Gaza at a meeting between EU and Arab nations in Spain
The top Palestinian diplomat has made a plea during a meeting of European Union members and Arab nations for a definitive end to Israel’s retaliatory attacks on the Gaza Strip.
French labor minister goes on trial for alleged favoritism when he was a mayor
French Labor Minister Olivier Dussopt is going on trial over charges of favoritism related to a 2009 public sector contract passed when he was a mayor.
Greek police arrest 6 alleged migrant traffickers and are looking for 7 others from the same gang
Greek police have arrested six individuals who they say are members of a large human trafficking gang that violently extorted money from migrants to assist them in crossing into neighboring Albania and travel to European Union countries to the north.
12 crew members are missing, 1 dead after a cargo ship sinks off a Greek island in stormy seas
Greek authorities say an operation is underway to find 12 members of a cargo ship that sank off the island of Lesbos in stormy seas.
Heavy snowfall in Romania, Bulgaria and Moldova leaves 1 person dead and many without electricity
Heavy snowfall and strong blizzards in Romania and Moldova have left one person dead and hundreds of localities without electricity as well as forcing the closure of some national roads.
Four local employees of Germany’s main aid agency arrested in Afghanistan
A German government official says Taliban authorities in Afghanistan arrested four local employees of Germany’s main government-owned aid agency.
Russia says it downed dozens of Ukrainian drones headed for Moscow, following a mass strike on Kyiv
Russian authorities say that Ukraine tried to attack Moscow with dozens of drones. That’s just a day after Ukrainian officials said Russia launched its most intense drone attack on Kyiv since the beginning of its full-scale war in 2022.
Pope Francis says he has a lung inflammation but will go to Dubai this week for a climate conference
Pope Francis says he has a lung inflammation but will go later this week to Dubai for a climate change conference.
‘You’ll die in this pit': Takeaways from secret recordings of Russian soldiers in Ukraine
As the war in Ukraine grinds into its second winter, audio intercepts obtained and verified by The Associated Press, indicate that a growing number of Russian soldiers want out.
Intercepted calls from the front lines in Ukraine show a growing number of Russian soldiers want out
In audio intercepts from the front lines in Ukraine, Russian soldiers speak in shorthand. They describe 200s to mean dead, 300s to mean wounded, and 500s to describe people who refuse to fight.
With antisemitism rising as the Israel-Hamas war rages, Europe’s Jews worry
Antisemitism is spiking across Europe after Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre and Israel’s bombardment of Gaza, worrying Jews from London to Geneva and Berlin.
One of the world’s largest icebergs is drifting beyond Antarctic waters after it was grounded for 3 decades
The British Antarctic Survey says that one of the world’s largest icebergs is drifting beyond Antarctic waters after being grounded for more than three decades.
Why Finland is blaming Russia for a sudden influx of migrants on its eastern border
Russia threatened retaliation against Finland after its Nordic neighbor joined NATO earlier this year.
Thousands rally in Italy over violence against women after woman’s killing that outraged the country
Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets of Italy’s main cities to mark International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
Pope Francis has a hospital checkup after coming down with the flu
The Vatican says Pope Francis went to the hospital for tests after he came down with the flu. The results ruled out any respiratory problems.
Ukraine’s military says Russia launched its largest drone attack since the start of the invasion
Ukrainian military officials say Russia has launched its most intense drone attack on Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion last year.
Canada, EU agree to new partnerships as Trudeau welcomes European leaders
Canada and the European Union say they are making strides toward new partnerships on green energy, digital transformation and research funding, as a Canada-EU Summit got underway in the Atlantic coast province of Newfoundland.
NATO member N Macedonia to briefly lift flight ban in case Russia’s Lavrov wants to attend meeting
NATO member North Macedonia says it will briefly lift a ban on flights from Russia next week. That would let Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov attend an international conference in the country should he accept the invitation.