EUROPE: New Punishment Planned for Hiring Migrant Workers

Efforts by the European Union to penalise employers who hire unauthorised immigrants have drawn criticism from both business lobbyists and trade unionists.

BALKANS: Serbia Turns to Ancient Rome

Serbia has discovered, and now wants tourists to, that 16 Roman emperors of 3rd and 4th century AD were born in what is now Serbia.

ENVIRONMENT-EUROPE: On Your Green Bike

A group of young people from several European countries are taking a cycling tour from Bulgaria to Turkey to show the world that travelling and a good life are possible without much energy consumption.

SERBIA: Socialists Switch to the Future

Two months after the May 11 elections dubbed as "crucial" for country's future, Serbia has now a pro-European coalition government made of former arch-enemies - the Democrats of President Boris Tadic and the Socialists of late leader Slobodan Milosevic - and parties of minority ethnic Hungarians from the north and Bosniaks living in south-western Serbia.

UKRAINE: ‘Free’ Media Turning Into PR Agencies

Freedom of media has improved in Ukraine but media owners are using favourable coverage as a source of income, while journalists continue to face serious threats.

RIGHTS: EU Prepares to Fling Out More Migrants

Serge Fosso was putting his hand luggage in the overhead compartment when he heard cries coming from another passenger. It was then he realised that the flight he had boarded in Brussels - destined for Douala - was being used to forcibly deport a Cameroonian immigrant.

ROMANIA: Last Intact Forest Under Threat

Romanian environmentalists have launched a campaign to speed up creation of a national agency for protected areas (ANAP), which the government has been postponing since 2005. In the absence of a proper administrative body, valuable natural sites around the country, including the last remaining intact forest landscape in temperate Europe, are being damaged in the quest for development.

ENVIRONMENT: German Leaks Raise More Nuclear Fears

Confirmation that radioactive brine has been leaking for two decades from a German underground deposit for nuclear waste is yet another blow to the idea that nuclear power can safely increase electricity generation and simultaneously reduce emissions.

CORRUPTION: German Stink Spreads to Greece

The scandals around dealings by the German engineering giant Siemens have revealed a long chain of corruption plaguing Greek political life.

EUROPE: Czechs Could ‘Bury’ Lisbon Treaty

Czech President Vaclav Klaus and politicians from the senior ruling Civic Democrats (ODS) have been inspired by the Irish rejection of the Lisbon Treaty, which could now die in Czech hands.

ICELAND: Smokescreens Over Figuring Emissions

Emission of greenhouse gases increased from 3.7 million tonnes in 2005 to 4.2 million tonnes in 2006, representing an increase of 14.2 percent, according to Iceland's Environment Agency.

BULGARIA: Hate Wave Threatens New Gay Pride

The attack on Bulgarian gays at their first gay pride march is symptomatic of widespread opposition to the movement.

RIGHTS: France Offers Europe an ‘Inhuman’ Model

The French government, which assumed the six-month rotating presidency of the EU Jul. 1, is trying to expand its tough policy against immigration and asylum to all of the EU.

MIGRATION-GERMANY: Some Uneasy Over New Citizenship Test

What are the colours of the German flag and how are they displayed? Who composed the Ninth Symphony and the "Ode to Joy"? What is the population of this country?

ENVIRONMENT-EUROPE: Mobile Phones Change Birds’ Tune

Many wild birds are able to imitate the simple ringtones of mobile telephones, German ornithologists report, underscoring the influence of humans on the evolution of birds.

DEVELOPMENT-EU: Saving Agriculture From Climate Change

Climate change will top the agenda of an international food conference on Europe that begins Thursday in Innsbruck, Austria.

RUSSIA: Tight Curbs Placed on Foreign Labour

Russia is not increasing grant of work permits despite a growing demand for foreign labour.

MOLDOVA: Trafficking Not As Bad As the U.S. Thinks

Moldova is considered the main European source for human trafficking. A June 2008 report of the U.S. State Department downgraded Moldova to the category of countries that "neither meet the minimum conditions to combat trafficking, nor make efforts to meet those minimum conditions." But reality on the ground may not be so gloomy.

GERMANY: Berlin Emerges as Arts Centre

Renowned for its rich assortment of music, opera and theatre life, Berlin is today the centre of the German art scene. A magnet for artists from around the world, thanks to its freewheeling lifestyle and abundance of low-cost studios, the German capital now increasingly attracts artists, international dealers and collectors.

BALKANS: ‘Peace Does Not Mean Reconciliation’

Peace has come to the Balkans after the bloody wars of disintegration of former Yugoslavia, and the region is economically booming, but there is little sign of reconciliation between the formerly warring nations, a conference at the International Press Institute concluded Tuesday.

BULGARIA: Netting of Big Fish Brings Hope

A conviction in a high profile corruption case may alleviate some of the toughness expected from a July report of the European Commission on the progress by Bulgaria in combating corruption and organised crime.