Europe

An aspiring writer who has fled the civil war is now adjusting to life in Sweden. She longs for home, but for now receives the assistance she needs — housing, language courses, transportation.

Major industries from cars to tech couldn't function without zinc. Business is booming at the mine in Ireland — especially since China stopped exporting its supply.

A major snow storm in the Alps over the weekend trapped skiers and vacationers. According to officials, as many as 37,000 vehicles were stuck Saturday night in the Savoie region of the Alps.

The government's candidate former European Commissioner Stavros Dimas failed to win over the minimum of at least 180 of 300 parliamentary lawmakers. Elections will likely be held in February.

Five decades on, the battle for justice over birth defects caused by the drug thalidomide continues in only one European country. Victims in Spain are the only ones still left without compensation.

Even as Ukraine remains in a military and financial crisis after the upheavals of 2014, Ukrainian business owners are trying to drum up interest from Western investors.