POLITICS-ITALY: Don't Even Speak of Equality! – Part 2

Angelica Mucchi-Faina, psychology professor at the Perugia University, thinks that "in Italy you cannot even talk about equal opportunities for women in politics."

POLITICS-ITALY: Where Are the Women? – Part 1

Four ministers out of 21; 193 parliamentarians out of 952 (upper and lower houses); no party leaders. Why are there so few women in Italian politics?

EASTERN EUROPE: Disabled Seek to Move In From the Margins

At 37, Dimo Kokorkov, a carpenter from Stara Zagora in central Bulgaria is "broken-hearted". Dimo says this to describe his sense of deep injustice after being systematically abused in prison because of his disabilities.

RUSSIA: The Language of Influence Weakens

Nearly all of the former Soviet republics have adopted native languages that were suppressed during the communist era at the expense of Russian. This is affecting Russia's influence over the commonwealth of independent states.

Q&A: Women Are Not Wallpaper

Something new is appearing on the Italian screen. About time, some may say.

SERBIA: Media Wakes Up to New Curbs

A controversial new law on media came into force in Serbia Tuesday, raising fears that freedom of expression will now be restricted by censorship or self- censorship.

EUROPE: Socialists Sinking Between Left and Right

The rise of The Left party in regional elections in Germany may signal a rearrangement at the cost of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), political analysts say.

BALKANS: Strike Wave Sweeps Serbia

A very hot summer of workers' discontent has taken over Serbia. Some 33,000 people go on strike daily in 40 to 45 firms, according to union statistics. They are mostly employees of privatised companies who have not been paid salaries or social and health security benefits for months now.

EUROPE: Divided We Stand United

The "poison" of populist politics in central and Eastern Europe is behind an escalating row between two new EU member states that could spill over into ethnic violence, political analysts warn.

EUROPE: Wind Becomes More Energising

The 12 giant wind turbines tower more than 100 metres above the sea, some 50 kilometres north of Borkum island in the North Sea close to the border with the Netherlands.

EUROPE: Easterly Wind Picks Up

The natural conditions in Romania and Bulgaria make these countries some of the best placed in Europe for producing wind energy. Interest in investing in wind power is high in both countries, but legislative ambiguity and the limited capacity of national electricity grids are delaying the building of new wind parks.

MIGRATION-PORTUGAL: Pitfalls in the Path to Paradise

Some 200 million people, three percent of the world's population, have left their country of origin to pursue happiness elsewhere, according to the International Organisation for Migration. But their dreams are often shattered by human trafficking rings and unscrupulous employers.

EUROPE: Small Farmers Lost in Transition

"Our country would have gone through the economic crisis much smoother had we invested more in agriculture over the past 20 years, and had we not wasted so many resources on consumption," Romanian President Traian Basescu declared Aug. 7. That remark has drawn attention to serious questions whether countries like Romania are wasting their potential for agriculture.

BALKANS: Back to Arms, if not War

The arms industry in Serbia is seeing record growth amidst the economic slum that has hit other industries.

FRANCE: Taking the Beach to the People

It could almost be the French Riviera: women basking in the sun on wooden deckchairs; toddlers rolling in the sand or building castles; young people in colourful kayaks and sailboats on the water; elderly men playing a game of pétanque on the beach.

EUROPE: Financial Crisis Leads to Rapes

Several groups across Eastern Europe have called for a crackdown on mafia-run job agencies amid reports that their members are raping and torturing migrant workers who have lost their jobs in the economic crisis.

ECONOMY: Bonuses Rise With Losses

European banks are back to paying high bonuses to managers despite their heavy losses. But this time most of the money is coming out of taxpayers' pockets.

BALKANS: Civil Society Plays Matchmaker

Ljubov Obradinovic only cried when her neighbours complimented her that she was hardworking. "Vredna", they said. Except that in Ukraininan that word means "wicked".

EUROPE: Roma Dead Less Remembered

A ceremony at Auschwitz Sunday to commemorate the half a million Sinti and Roma killed by the Nazis became a reminder of the threats these people continue to face across Europe.

GERMANY: Nuclear Power Fails, And Nobody Notices

Seven German nuclear plants have failed to generate any electricity this month due to technical breakdowns. They have about half the production capacity of Germany's 17 nuclear reactors, but Germany did not suffer any power shortages.

EUROPE: Focus Shifts to Trafficking of Males

Governments and third sector organisations must raise awareness of a growing problem with male human trafficking in some of Eastern Europe's poorest countries if its victims are to get the help they need, people trafficking monitors say.