Belarus

(Newser) - Vladimir Putin's Russia is charging back into the international spotlight, the Christian Science Monitor reports, challenging European and US policies on a variety of issues. Putin has thrown a wrench into Kosovo’s all-but-assured independence from Serbia, backing Belgrade’s efforts to keep the province. Russian planes recently violated Norwegian...

(Newser) - A new book details the secret history of a Jewish boy who became a mascot for the Nazi SS. After fleeing a Belarus village on the day his family was massacred, the 5-year-old was rescued by a Nazi soldier who gave him a new name—Alex Kurzem— and identity as...