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Europe

Some European allies send weapons to Ukraine while Germany holds back

After a video call with European allies, President Biden said there's unanimity on the threat posed by Russian troops on Ukraine's borders. Some allies are sending weapons to Ukraine. Others are not.

Some European allies send weapons to Ukraine while Germany holds back

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An Afghan girls soccer team rebelled to play the game they love. Now they're refugees

Some of Afghanistan's most talented young soccer players, members of what used to be the girls national team, gather for practice in Lisbon, Portugal, in November. Claire Harbage/NPR hide caption

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Claire Harbage/NPR

World

An Afghan girls soccer team rebelled to play the game they love. Now they're refugees

The teenagers on the Afghan girls national soccer team lean on each other as they adjust to a new life in Portugal, where they fled after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.

An Afghan girls soccer team rebelled to play the game they love. Now they're refugees

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Europe

Young Roma writers find inspiration in Amanda Gorman's poetry

Young writers who are Roma, Europe's largest ethnic minority, see their own struggles in Amanda Gorman's poetry, and are translating her new book into Hungarian.

Young Roma writers find inspiration in Amanda Gorman's poetry

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Portugal has one of the top vaccination rates but isn't taking chances with omicron

Costumers gather for food and drinks at Time Out Market in Lisbon, Portugal. Claire Harbage/NPR hide caption

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Claire Harbage/NPR

The Coronavirus Crisis

Portugal has one of the top vaccination rates but isn't taking chances with omicron

Scientists are watching how Portugal and other highly vaccinated countries are faring against the coronavirus' new omicron variant.

Portugal has one of the top vaccination rates but isn't taking chances with omicron

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Europe

In Greece, the pope demands the world focus on the plight of asylum-seekers

Pope Francis visited a refugee camp on the Greek island of Lesbos over the weekend, and called for more attention to migrant seekers.

In Greece, the pope demands the world focus on the plight of asylum-seekers

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The Coronavirus Crisis

Greece and Austria are mandating COVID-19 vaccinations and fining people who refuse

Greece, where 62 percent of people are fully vaccinated, has started collecting monthly fines from those who refuse the shots. Austria is also taking similar measures.

Greece and Austria are mandating COVID-19 vaccinations and fining people who refuse

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A discomfort with Western liberalism is growing in Eastern Europe

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán gives a press conference following a meeting of prime ministers of central Europe's informal body of cooperation, called the Visegrad Group (V4) in Budapest, Hungary, last month. Attila Kisbenedek/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Attila Kisbenedek/AFP via Getty Images

World

A discomfort with Western liberalism is growing in Eastern Europe

People of the former Soviet bloc rejoiced when the Iron Curtain fell and embraced membership in the European Union. Hungary is an example of a growing culture clash in the conservative East.

A discomfort with Western liberalism is growing in Eastern Europe

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These Portuguese kids are suing 33 European countries to force them to cut emissions

Sixteen-year-old Sofia (left) and 13-year-old André Oliveira stand in Parque da Paz in Lisbon. The siblings are two of six young people in Portugal who are suing the governments of Europe's most polluting countries, including their own, to force them to cut emissions. Claire Harbage/NPR hide caption

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Claire Harbage/NPR

World

These Portuguese kids are suing 33 European countries to force them to cut emissions

Adults "can see us as serious or they can see us as a joke," one of the kids says. "A lawsuit is not a joke," her brother adds. The European Court of Human Rights has fast-tracked their 2020 lawsuit.

These Portuguese kids are suing 33 European countries to force them to cut emissions

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Greece will mandate the COVID-19 vaccine for anyone over 60, or make them pay fines

Patients queue to get vaccinated against COVID-19, in Aristotelous Square, in the center of the Greek city of Thessaloniki on November 26, 2021. Sakis Mitroldis /AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Sakis Mitroldis /AFP via Getty Images

Europe

Greece will mandate the COVID-19 vaccine for anyone over 60, or make them pay fines

Anyone who refuses to get vaccinated will face monthly fines of 100 euros, or roughly $114. The monthly fine is substantial for retirees — the average pension is 730 euros a month.

Global Health

Portugal may be the model to follow for how to live safely with the coronavirus

Portugal, where nearly everyone is vaccinated, is becoming a test case for living with the coronavirus — as a worrying new strain spreads worldwide.

Portugal may be the model to follow for how to live safely with the coronavirus

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World

The 1st trial begins for volunteers who helped migrants in Greece

The first of more than 20 volunteers who helped migrants in Greece are going on trial, in what rights groups say is a politically motivated attempt to criminalize humanitarian work.

The 1st trial begins for volunteers who helped migrants in Greece

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Climate

Young activists pick a legal option to try to get European nations to cut emissions

Six young Portuguese, alarmed at how the warming climate is affecting their future, are suing 33 European countries to compel them to significantly reduce carbon emissions.

Young activists pick a legal option to try to get European nations to cut emissions

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World

What's next for Afghan allies who were evacuated to a U.S. military base in Kosovo

Some Afghans evacuated by the U.S. are being held on a U.S. military base in Kosovo because of insufficient security vetting. Their future is unclear.

What's next for Afghan allies who were evacuated to a U.S. military base in Kosovo

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Europe

People in Hungary grapple with what it means to be European

Former Soviet bloc countries were elated when they were able to open to the West. But that emotion has been replaced by discomfort, as deeply conservative societies grapple with the EU's liberalism.

People in Hungary grapple with what it means to be European

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