Stories about Europe
Scandal over Kremlin advisers heats up Moldova's presidential election
As Moldova prepares for the second round of presidential elections, an investigation reveals that the incumbent and his staff have been closely collaborating with political consultants from the Kremlin.
Spain’s official linguistic institution steps back from gender-neutral pronoun
"The RAE is a bit like the Pope: we don't care what they say, but that they say it is half the battle."
The history of the Sarajevo Haggadah, the medieval Jewish book that survived the Inquisition, the Holocaust, and the Yugoslav Wars
When Nazi Germany occupied Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Haggadah was hidden at the mosque of a Muslim village in the Bjelašnica Mountain, where it remained until the end of the...
In the heart of Europe, an endangered Turkic language lives on
The dwindling Karaim language was once spoken across eastern Europe. Now its last stronghold is a fortress town in Lithuania — and Romuald Čaprockij one of its most ardent defenders
European Court of Human Rights verdict vindicates Macedonian columnist convicted of defamation in 2010
"This verdict is important for Macedonian journalists, columnists, and overall, for the people that appear in public, as it encourages them to be principled, honest, brave and persistent."
In the Balkans, COVID-19 measures may not apply to religious leaders
A bishop's funeral in Montenegro last week drew thousands of maskless mourners.
A new magazine tells chilling stories from Russia's remote regions
Over the year since it was founded, the award-winning Holod Media has captivated Russian audiences with its longform stories on inequality and injustice in regions poorly covered by federal media.
In the heat of political crisis, Belarus launches first nuclear power plant
Next month, the Astravets nuclear power plant commences operation with fanfare. But in a country which suffered greatly from the Chernobyl disaster, not everybody shares the government's optimism.
Under Amsterdam’s grey skies, Bolivians cheer Luis Arce’s presidential win
“All of us Latin Americans have to come together to fight imperialism."
From Belarus to Thailand, Hong Kong’s spirit of resistance is nurturing grassroots protests elsewhere
While Hong Kong protests have influenced organisational and protest tactics in anti-authoritarian movements abroad, the current wave of grassroots uprisings, in turn, prompts Hongkongers to develop a transnational solidarity.
Russia's indigenous peoples are in the crosshairs of COVID-19
A raft of social and environmental issues makes indigenous peoples of Russia's Far North uniquely vulnerable to COVID-19 — many of these, say activists, are linked to resource extraction.
In Belarus, tech workers fear for their industry’s future
Longtime Belarusian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka boasts that he has created a "paradise" for Belarusian IT. So why are young tech workers protesting against him — or even moving their businesses...
Who is selling Ukrainians’ personal data online and for what purposes?
A trove of Ukrainians'' personal data available online as a consequence of leaks or illegal sale creates ripe conditions for targeted dissemination of malicious content ahead of October 25 local...
Thailand's democracy protests reflect rising dissatisfaction over the monarchy
Criticizing the monarchy is a crime in Thailand yet protesters, especially young activists, continue to organize rallies calling for monarchy reforms.
#AnswerUsElonMusk: Russia's indigenous peoples campaign against Arctic pollution
An oil spill in May devastated large swathes of the tundra. Here's how indigenous rights activists joined forces to demand justice from the culprit — Russia's largest nickel producer.
In the Ural regions of Russia, Finland's linguistic roots live on
Russia's linguistic diversity is as expansive as the country itself. The Finnish writer Ville Ropponen shares his reflections on the past, present and uncertain future of the Uralic languages.
Facebook to include Holocaust denial in its definition of banned hate speech
Human rights organizations and academic institutions praised Facebook's decision to address Holocaust denial and related conspiracy theories through enhanced self-regulation.
After three months of anti-government protests in Bulgaria, what’s at stake?
A prominent politician treated a public beach as his private property. Now, broad public demonstrations demanding the total overhaul of a corrupt political system.
Uzbek DJ with a mission to popularize vintage Soviet music
The musicians of the time, like war partisans, overcame a great number of obstacles standing in their way to perform the kind of music they wanted to play.
