GREECE: ‘Culture of Control’ Taking Over

The government of the right-wing New Democracy has announced massive security measures that legal experts warn can corrode social and political rights.

BALKANS: SOS Shops Tell the Economic Story

The new century brought new growth across the Balkans after the turbulent 1990s. But the advance is proving short-lived as the global recession hits the region hard.

RIGHTS: Czech Govt Chokes Media

Czech media groups have warned that investigative journalism is under threat after what they described as "draconian" legislation on reporting came into effect.

EUROPE: Recession Invites an Unwanted Homecoming

Thousands of East Europeans who migrated to the West in search of work when the EU expanded in 2004 are returning home as the global financial crisis plunges their adopted countries into recession.

FRANCE: Under the Eiffel Tower, a Desperate Game Plays Out

It's a common sight at France's most famed monument: the police chasing groups of young African and Indian men while tourists stare open-mouthed.

ROMANIA: Media Spotlight on Domestic Violence

Campaigners in Romania have very effectively used the media to break the public silence around the issue of domestic violence against women, and lobby for changes in laws.

ABKHAZIA: Russia Offers a Boost

Russia is stepping up investment in Abkhazia and South Ossetia after recognising their independence last year.

RIGHTS: Roma Are Scapegoats During Downturn

On International Roma Day, Wednesday, human rights groups voiced their concern for the discrimination and violence against Roma in European countries.

BALKANS: Cluster Bombs Threaten Thousands

An estimated 160,000 people in Serbia are still in danger from thousands of unexploded cluster bombs, ten years after the NATO bombing campaign. The danger is gravest in the south, close to the border with Kosovo.

GREECE: For Refugees, Could Afghanistan be Worse

For more than a decade migrants and refugees have been landing up at a slum in Patras town in the hope of catching a boat to Italy.

EUROPE: Communist Ideology, as bad as Nazism?

A declaration which equates communism to Nazism and condemns communist ideology as "directly responsible for crimes against humanity" has been debated in the European Parliament on the initiative of the Czech Presidency of the European Union.

ROMANIA: Pushed by Crisis Into Dubious Borrowing

The Romanian government is borrowing close to 20 billion euros from international financial institutions in order to stem the effects of the global financial crisis. But few in the country seem to know precisely how the money will be used and whether it will have a more positive than constricting effect.

FRANCE: Film on Migrants Sparks Legal Debate

A new film on undocumented migrants has sparked heated discussion among the public and lawmakers here.

MOLDOVA: New Look Communists Offer Stability

Moldavians are heading for general elections this Sunday. After a campaign marred with illegalities, the incumbent Communist Party is confident of winning most seats in the national parliament.

EUROPE: Financial Crisis Takes Political Toll

The weak governments in Hungary and the Czech Republic have fallen, raising questions on the future of liberal economic reform and the influence of the U.S., the European Union and Russia in the region.

UKRAINE: Struggling to Find a Saviour

Who will save Ukraine? On the verge of state bankruptcy, the country is considering its options both East and West.

KOSOVO: Parallel Serb Administration Challenged

An Albanian group has filed a lawsuit against parallel structures set up to administer ethnic Serbs within Kosovo.

ICELAND: Whaling Puts Fish Sales at Risk

After promising that the decision made by the outgoing fisheries minister on commercial whaling would be reversed, the fisheries minister of Iceland's caretaker government, Steingrimur J. Sigfusson, discovered that the law would not allow him to revoke the decision, and so whaling of up to 100 minke whales and 150 fin whales can continue, at least for 2009.

EUROPE: Cold Breeze Sweeps the East

The region that liked to see itself as the engine of European economic growth and as immune to the global economic crisis is now being pointed to as the next to hit the slump.

Q&A: Women’s Special Water Needs Find Voice

Climate change and corrupt practices are considered root causes for a potential water crisis of global proportions, leading to scarcity where water is needed most and flooding where it is needed the least.

FRANCE: Young Face a Jobless Future

Carole is an 18-year-old student of African descent at a high school in central Paris. She is currently studying for the baccalauréat, an exam at the end of secondary school. When she graduates, she would like to leave France as soon as possible, preferably for the United States.