Europe

Will Russian Athletes Be Barred From Rio's Summer Olympics?

6:37am May 19, 2016

by Melissa Block

Russia is dismissing as "slander" allegations of a widespread state-run doping program at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. The IOC says it will take "swift action" based on the outcome of an investigation.

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World News

EgyptAir Plane Disappears Off Radar On Its Way To Cairo From Paris

6:27am May 19, 2016

Egyptair flight MS804 vanished Thursday en route to Cairo from Paris. Mary Louise Kelly talks to NPR's Eleanor Beardsley and Russell Lewis as well as Tamer El-Ghobashy of The Wall Street Journal.

Two versions of a letter from Christopher Columbus about his discovery of the New World are displayed in Rome. The book on the bottom, produced centuries ago, has just been returned after having been stolen and replaced with a forgery (top).

Stolen Letter From Columbus Found In The Library Of Congress And Returned To Italy

8:07pm May 18, 2016

by Merrit Kennedy

It was stolen from Florence, Italy, and replaced with a fake, which went unnoticed for two decades. Researchers have proved that a document found in the Library of Congress is the stolen letter.

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A MiG-21 fighter — a leftover monument from the Soviet era — is the centerpiece of the Aviators Neighborhood in Deveselu, Romania. Now the base has become a U.S. Navy facility that is part of NATO's anti-missile shield for Europe.

U.S. Enlarges Its Military Footprint In Eastern Europe, To Mixed Reviews

5:29pm May 18, 2016

by Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson

In Poland and Romania, some are happy to have new U.S. bases in light of recent Russian moves. But others say the most likely result will be heightened tensions with Moscow.

World News

U.S. Returns Stolen Christopher Columbus Letter To Italy

4:29pm May 18, 2016

by Chris Arnold

The U.S. returned a copy of a 15th century letter written by Columbus that details his voyage to the Americas. The letter was stolen from a library in Florence and wound up in the Library of Congress.

World News

French Police Demonstrate Against Anti-Police Violence

4:29pm May 18, 2016

by Eleanor Beardsley

After keeping order at dozens of protests over the French government's labor reform bill in the last months, it was the turn of French police to take to the streets Wednesday. Officers marched to show their anger at what they say is an uptick in anti-police violence.

Russian Officials Deny Reports Of State-Sponsored Doping Of Athletes

8:04am May 18, 2016

by Corey Flintoff

U.S. prosecutors have opened an investigation into allegations that the Russian government ran a doping program that produced winners in several recent Olympic Games, The New York Times reports.

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World News

Demonstrators In France Protest Labor Law Changes

7:14am May 18, 2016

by Eleanor Beardsley

France's president says changing the labor law is the only way to improve jobless figures — but his decision to push those changes through Parliament has led to nationwide strikes and street protests.

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French riot police clash with protesters during a demonstration in Bordeaux on Tuesday as the French government pushed ahead with a controversial labor bill. The legislation has sparked two months of street protests.

French Labor Protests: Tear Gas Used In Paris; Truckers Block Highways

5:26pm May 17, 2016

by Chris Arnold

French truckers, railroad workers and a range of unions oppose a bill that would overhaul worker protections. The French president says the changes would boost the economy and he won't back down.

Jehovah's Witnesses sing songs during a meeting in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, in November 2015. The country's top prosecutor is threatening a nationwide ban for alleged "extremism."

Russia's Jehovah's Witnesses Fight 'Extremist' Label, Possible Ban

5:07pm May 17, 2016

by Corey Flintoff

Under Russia's anti-extremism law, Jehovah's Witnesses, who number fewer than 200,000, could be barred from practicing their religion in Russia. Their website and some publications are already banned.