DEVELOPMENT: EU Debate Adds Fuel to Aid

French and German proposals to tax airline fuel for development funding may face tough opposition at a meeting of European Union ministers later this week.

RIGHTS: Political Storm Rises Around Immigrants

The poster put up by the Conservative Party, like the new immigration debate in Britain, stands in black and white.

POLITICS-PORTUGAL: Church Ruffles Feathers with Comments on ‘Right to Life’

In the 1965 film "Signore e signori" (released in the U.S. as the Birds, the Bees and the Italians) by Italian director Pietro Germi, a Catholic priest gives assurances in his sermon that "The Church doesn't get involved in politics, but it urges you to vote for a party that is both Democratic and Christian."

BALKANS: Political Will to Join EU Exists, But Public Scepticism on the Rise

The enlargement of the European Union (EU) from 15 to 25 members last May saw only the countries of the Western Balkans left out of the family.

CORRUPTION: Czech’s Gross Risking Country’s Credibility – Watchdogs

Anti-corruption watchdogs in the Czech Republic have said the credibility of the Czech government is under threat as a scandal deepens over the prime minister's purchase of a luxury apartment.

HEALTH: Europe Reinvents Itself as a Smoke-Free Zone

It is not a very good time to be a smoker in Europe. Governments have raised prices and banned cigarettes in public places, including restaurants and bars, and social pressure is mounting due to the individual and collective health risks.

IMMIGRATION-EUROPE: Opening Doors to Lock Them Tighter

The process of legalising the status of undocumented immigrants, which began Monday in Spain, will open doors to foreign workers who are already living in the country in order to close them more tightly against those who try to enter in the future.

SOCIETY-BALKANS: Owners Discover Their Homes Sold

What the Dupor family had hoped would be the final solution to their problem turned into their worst nightmare.

RIGHTS: An International Plan for Roma At Last

The leaders of eight countries in eastern and central Europe launched a 10-year plan Wednesday to tackle severe social problems encountered by Roma, communities.

RIGHTS: The Prince Could Be Worse Than Ignorant

The European Parliament passed a unanimous resolution this week urging a Europe-wide ban on incitement to racial and religious hatred. That specifically could include a ban on the swastika, the symbol adopted by the Nazis.

SOCIETY-BALKANS: War Criminals Produce Bestsellers

Several Serbs condemned as war criminals have been producing bestsellers over the last few months.

POLITICS-SLOVAKIA: Communist Ghosts Haunt Leaders

The resignation of a senior minister following the publication of files identifying him as a communist secret police agent has provoked one of the largest public debates on Slovakia's communist past since the fall of communism 15 years ago.

POLITICS: EU to Consider Ban on Swastika

The European Union will consider banning the swastika and other Nazi symbols next week after British Prince Harry was photographed wearing a swastika armband to a fancy dress party.

HEALTH-EUROPE: Mental Illness Emerges as Unseen Killer

Mental illness is emerging as "Europe's unseen killer", medical experts said at a meeting here over the weekend.

ENVIRONMENT: Campaigners Prepare to Battle over Chemicals

European environmental groups are preparing to challenge business groups this week over new EU proposals that aim to cut out dangerous chemicals.

POLITICS-EU: Decision over Constitution Now Down to People

The European Parliament voted in favour of a new constitution Wednesday, but the most difficult part of selling the controversial document is still to come.

ENVIRONMENT: Farming in Harmony with the Cosmos

Sweeter apples, greener lettuce and purer milk; honey without sugar and wine that doesn't cause inebriation or stomach acidity; carrots that stay fresh for more than two weeks.

ENERGY: French Plan Contradicts Europe’s Anti-Nuclear Trend

The French government plans to earmark 150 billion dollars over the next 30 years for nuclear power plants, including the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), despite experts' warnings on technological and environmental problems.

TSUNAMI IMPACT: EU Aid Set to Increase

The EU is stepping up relief efforts in the tsunami-hit areas around the Indian Ocean.

DEVELOPMENT: Fair Trade Is Helpful, but Not Enough

The Fair Trade movement is growing in Spain, where it now enjoys government support. But the momentum is not strong enough to compensate for the unfair practices that keep the markets of the wealthy industrialised North largely closed to the developing South.

SOCIETY-BALKANS: Tito’s Train Backtracks Nostalgically

The Tito train will remind many in the Balkans of good old times as it resumes its run Dec. 31 after almost a quarter of a century in the shed.