Ukraine is celebrating Christmas on the Western calendar this year
Ukraine has shifted Christmas from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar, further distancing itself from Russian tradition.
Europe
Despite Putin's grasp on re-election, an unlikely presidential hopeful takes a chance
Russian President Vladimir Putin's victory in the presidential election next year is not in doubt. But there are other candidates, among them a woman, who's a journalist from outside Moscow.
Understanding the push behind more U.S. aid to Ukraine
NPR's Scott Simon asks Atlantic staff writer Anne Applebaum about giving seized Russian assets to Ukraine.
2023 was a year of big anniversaries
In 2023, we marked 20 years since the Iraq War, 50 years since the birth of hip-hop, and 60 years since the JFK assassination. Here's a roundup of historical events we wrote about over the past year.
The top prize in Spain's 'El Gordo' Christmas lottery goes to the number 88008
Lucky holders of 20-euro tickets with the number 88008 are celebrating. They have each won 400,000 euros ($440,000), in the top prize of Spain's huge Christmas lottery.
This 40-foot goat has been burned, battered and bruised... will it survive the birds?
Every year, people in the town of Gavle in Sweden erect a towering goat made of mostly hay to celebrate the Christmas season and to attract tourists.
Spain's Christmas lottery 'El Gordo' starts dishing out millions of dollars in prizes
The immensely popular lottery will distribute a total of $2.8 million in prizes this year, much of it in small prizes. Street and bar celebrations normally break out with winners singing and dancing.
Germany's government is warning companies to scale back dependence on China
The dependence German companies have built up on China helps prop up Europe's largest economy. Germany's government warns against over-dependence. What's the way forward for German companies?
Despite backlash, Masha Gessen says comparing Gaza to a Nazi-era ghetto is necessary
Journalist Masha Gessen talks to NPR's Morning Edition about their recent New Yorker essay on German Holocaust memory and the situation in Gaza — and the controversy that ensued.
At least 14 people are dead after a mass shooting at a Prague university
A student opened fire Thursday in a university building in downtown Prague, killing at least 14 people and injuring more than 20 in the Czech Republic's worst mass shooting, officials said.