HUNGARY: Fond Only Of Hungarians

Hungarians are growing increasingly xenophobic - even towards non-existing peoples - a study by a sociology institute shows.

FRANCE: New Factors Enter Presidential Elections

Several new factors have entered the French presidential election race. An unexpected candidate has been added to the list, and yet another has appeared with a better chance than anyone had expected earlier.

WATER DAY: The Danube May Never Be Blue Again

Austrian composer Johann Strauss wrote the Blue Danube waltz in 1867, but 140 years later the waters of the river are not quite blue, and no one is sure they will be again.

CLIMATE CHANGE: Russia Eyes the Clean Way

Foreign institutions are stepping in to help Russia cut emissions within its commitments to the Kyoto Protocol.

ENVIRONMENT: German Car Industry Not Doing Its Part, Say Critics

The German automotive industry, which exported 3.9 million cars in 2006 - a large portion to Latin America - is coming under criticism for its inability to produce engines with lower carbon dioxide emissions and for its refusal to accept ambitious environmental targets.

HUNGARY: Violence Echoes Deeper Conflicts

Fears of a return to violence during the anniversary of the 1848 revolution proved partially right, and while much fewer opposition members acted violently, Hungarian society still has a long way to go.

ROMANIA: Young Turn Away from Politics

Students in Romania have gone back to having student-like problems.

SERBIA: Kosovo Sails Away

After more than a year of UN sponsored negotiations, a decision on the southern Serbian province Kosovo is now imminent.

SPAIN: No Turning Back from Path to Gender Equality

The approval of a gender equality law by the Spanish parliament Thursday and the signing of a United Nations convention to fight gender violence has set Spain firmly on the path to gender equality, despite the opposition of conservatives.

FINLAND: Minorities Look for a Place in Parliament

Somalian-born Abdulla Zahra is among about 20 minority candidates hoping to win a place in parliament through elections this weekend.

CORRUPTION: Reformist Minister Under Fire in Romania

Romanian civil society leaders are worried by a new attack on a minister battling corruption.

SERBIA: Two Anniversaries And A Question

Talks on the troubled southern Serbian province Kosovo ended last weekend at a significant moment for Serbia, when the anniversaries of the death of two leading historical figures were being marked.

CLIMATE CHANGE: New EU Targets ‘Deceptive’

The new EU commitment to reducing greenhouse gases emissions by at least 20 percent by 2020 relative to 1990 levels is deceptive, leading German scientists say.

RIGHTS: Russian Gays Prepare for Another Struggle

Russian homosexuals are taking up a new fight to assert their rights in the face of what the mayor of Moscow has called "satanic" practices.

ENVIRONMENT-EUROPE: Dangerous Waters – Even for Sharks

Despite the widespread reputation that associates sharks with death, this fish species is very vulnerable, and some varieties are at risk of extinction. Of the 40 shark species found in European seas, one-third are threatened by intensive and illegal fishing, sport fishing and accidental capture, according to the World Conservation Union (IUCN).

ENVIRONMENT-LATIN AMERICA: Frogs Fading Into Silence

Frogs and other amphibians are rapidly becoming extinct around the world and in Latin American countries in particular. In the Caribbean as many as 80 percent of these species are endangered, while in Colombia there are 209 and in Mexico 198 amphibians may soon disappear.

ROMANIA: Past Steps In to Upset Russians

Russia and neighbouring Moldova have expressed anger over a Romanian court decision declaring Romania's invasion of the former Soviet Union in 1941 legitimate.

INT’L WOMEN’S DAY-EU: Some More Unequal Than Others

In spite of their conquests in the 20th century, and so far in the 21st, women in the European Union (EU) are still a long way from achieving equality with men - a goal unequivocally laid down in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

CZECH REPUBLIC: Nuclear Plant Angers Austria

The Czech Republic is once more under Austrian pressure over its controversial Temelin nuclear plant, which many want decommissioned.

BALKANS: Ruling Fails to Bring Reconciliation

"Regardless of the decision by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), I know what I will tell my children about the war," Bosnia-Herzegovina leader Zdravko Komsic said after the ICJ cleared Serbia of genocide in the 1992-95 war.

RUSSIA: Losing One in Ten to Drugs

Russia is losing one in ten people in its active population to drugs, a leading medical researcher told IPS.