Axios

A new Eurobarometer survey finds that of all 28 EU members states, support for membership in the bloc in a Brexit-like referendum is weakest in Italy, where a Euroskeptic government is currently in power.

The big picture: The EU has seen a rise in Euroskeptic parties leading up to and continuing after the Brexit vote. But even as these parties accumulate power in countries like Italy, Hungary and the Czech Republic, the share of Europeans who would currently vote to leave the EU does not breach 40% in any country. Frustration with the bureaucracy of Brussels doesn't appear to be enough for any country to endure the procedural nightmare we've seen from Brexit negotiations.

British Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson told the Financial Times that the U.K. would stand by President Trump's decision to withdraw from a landmark nuclear treaty with Russia, claiming that the Kremlin has made a "mockery" of the deal with repeated violations.

Why it matters: Prime Minister Theresa May and her cabinet have taken a hard line against Russia ever since the poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal in Salisbury, England, an attack British intelligence claims was likely ordered at the highest levels of the Russian government. Williamson said the U.K. would like to see the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty preserved, but that both parties need to meet the INF's requirements in order for it to be effective.

Nearly 700,000 protesters gathered in London's Parliament square seeking a referendum on Brexit, reports the BBC.

Why it matters: A referendum has already been ruled out by Prime Minister Theresa May, per the BBC. If she were to reverse her decision a referendum would likely generate a majority vote to remain in the EU: The UK’s demographics are moving in a pro-EU direction, and some voters have changed their minds, writes Peter Kellner for Axios. Participants of the "People's Vote" march held the largest gathering of its kind as Britain continues to grapple with negotiations to leave the European Union.

Gilze en Rijen, the Netherlands — There are hundreds of North Korean defectors living in Europe, many considering it safer for themselves and their families still in the North than either South Korea or the U.S.

Why it matters: "North Korea considers the U.S. and South Korea as enemies, while its view on Europe is more neutral,” says Jihyun Park, outreach officer at Connect to North Korea, an NGO that campaigns for the rights of North Korean defectors worldwide. Most defectors from North Korea are eventually offered South Korean citizenship, leading to some European countries deporting asylum seekers there. But right activists protest against this, saying North Koreans complain of discrimination in South Korea, which is ill-equipped to handle so many refugees.

The criminal charges against former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort that a jury couldn't come to a decision on in August were dropped Friday as to move him closer to sentencing, Reuters reports.

The details: The prosecutors had hoped to re-visit the charges after Manafort's cooperation with special counsel Robert Mueller concluded, per Reuters, but U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis said he was "not willing to go on endlessly," and wanted to move forward with Manafort's sentencing. The charges that were dropped are allowed to be re-introduced at a later date.