IRELAND: Less Bombs Here, More There

Irish diplomats won plenty of kudos from governments across the world over the past week for brokering a ban on cluster bombs during an international conference in Dublin. It may seem ironic, then, that despite having a decades-old tradition of military neutrality, Ireland has deepened its involvement in the arms trade in recent years.

UKRAINE: Nuclear Power Seen As the Answer to Russia

Ukraine is embarking on a costly and inefficient path of nuclear development, hoping it will halt its energy dependence on Russia.

FILM: An Apocalyptic, Hopeless Den of Iniquity

The room is packed, the film ends with pounding music, and the word "Gomorra" is shown in an uncomfortable fuchsia over black. The audience applauds and leaves quietly while the music continues to hammer home the message.

BALKANS: And They Call It All Patriotism

Following the parliamentary elections in Serbia earlier this month, many are asking just what it means to be patriotic.

RIGHTS: Dutch Offer a Discriminatory Welcome

The civic integration test that would-be migrants of certain nationalities need to pass before being allowed into the Netherlands to join their families is discriminatory, says a Human Rights Watch report released last week.

EUROPE: Going Nuclear Despite Warnings

The EU seems to be backing nuclear energy as the response to global warming and gas dependency, but civic groups warn that safety and waste processing should be preconditions for the industry's growth.

SERBIA: Night Life Is For Museums

Serbs appear like some others to have taken to visiting museums during the night.

CZECH REPUBLIC: People Battle Radar Site

Greenpeace activists have occupied the tentative site of a U.S. radar base, supported by the mayors and the population of surrounding villages and towns. But the government is as determined to comply with U.S. requests.

HUNGARY: Pragmatism with Russia Troubles U.S.

The last year has seen an attack on Hungary's foreign policy by many conservative sectors in the U.S. and Hungary who think Hungarian-Russian economic cooperation betrays Western interests.

EUROPE: In a Civil War over Subsidies

Few things cause tempers to flare up among governments on both sides of the English Channel more than the future of the European Union's massively expensive farm subsidies regime.

EUROPE: Home to Roma, And No Place for Them

A Roma ghetto in Ponticelli neighbourhood of Naples, Italy, was burnt down May 14 by locals angry over a reported attempt by a Roma young woman to kidnap a baby. The incident shows that, when it comes to living together with the 10 million Roma, Europeans today have no better answer than the "Gypsy hunts" of the Middle Ages.

CLIMATE CHANGE-EUROPE: There's Money in Emissions

'Cap and trade' has become one of the stock phrases that one is almost guaranteed to hear at any European conference on climate change these days.

SPAIN: Fight Against Domestic Violence only Strong on Paper

While domestic violence in Spain is becoming more and more visible, the country’s laws and justice system are proving weak instruments to fight the phenomenon, according to experts from different fields who are demanding further legal reforms to address the issue.

SERBIA: Socialists Return With a New Look

The Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS), once a synonym for the rule of former leader Slobodan Milosevic, has returned into the spotlight as the kingmaker of a new government due to be formed in coming weeks.

SLOVAKIA: Govt Wins First Battle Against Media

In the midst of a war against the media, the government has passed a controversial press bill that journalists and opposition alike say endangers freedom of the press.

Q&A: Portugal’s ‘Mayor of the Future’ in Green Energy

He is mayor of one of Portugal’s smallest and poorest municipalities. But his perseverance in using solar energy to drive development in his region has brought José Maria Prazeres Pós-de-Mina attention from the rest of the country and from other members of the European Union (EU).

EUROPE: Subsidies Fail the Poor Among the Rich

Romanian farmers have started receiving the first payments under the European Union's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). But the poorest farmers might have to wait years to see some benefits.

RUSSIA: Youth Get a Push Towards Nationalism

A new plan has been set up to promote nationalism among Russian youth.

SERBIA: Pro-Europeans Win, Short of Majority

The pro-European bloc of parties claimed victory in the crucial Sunday parliamentary elections in Serbia. They now promise a brighter future for the nation of 7.5 million traumatised by the isolation, the poverty and the NATO bombing through the 1990s, followed by a slow and painful economic recovery, and recently the loss of the southern province Kosovo.

EUROPE: New Safety Concerns Raised Over Nuclear Plants

Some international organisations and governments in industrialised countries are pushing for further development of nuclear power, but amidst growing doubts over the safety of several nuclear installations.

Q&A: Russian Children Learn Market Ways

After the political changes that brought in capitalism, education in Russia emerged from its old centralised style. The changes in education now have been no less radical than the political changes.