RUSSIA: Winter Olympics – Putin Warns Against Corruption

President Vladimir Putin has issued a blunt warning to heads of organisations and regional administrations involved with the preparations for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia’s southern sea resort, to eschew corruption.

ENVIRONMENT: Getting Some More Blue Into the Danube

The biggest river research expedition of the year is on its way to see if the Danube can be the Blue Danube again.

RUSSIA: Opposition Parties Face Hurdles

A presidential decree allowing political parties to engage officially in public campaigns for parliamentary elections has come into effect, but opposition parties fear they may not get adequate access to media coverage.

GREECE: Mobile Operators Break the Law

The small black device that Panagiotis Vovos holds in his hands can measure the voltage produced by mobile phone network transmission antennas. It can detect voltages up to 7(Volt/metre).

MOLDOVA: Russia Holds On to Its Satellite

Moldova's Communist President has been trying to make the country more independent from both Russia and Romania. But Moscow's grip on the former Soviet republic remains strong.

ITALY: Windscreen Wipers Face Clearance

In several towns across Italy, forced windscreen wiping is becoming a criminal offence.

SPAIN: Self-Immolation Highlights Plight of Trafficking Victims

A Romanian immigrant set himself alight in Spain Tuesday, in a state of despair over his inability to take his family back to their home country. The man, who said he had been the victim of a false job offer, is in a serious condition in hospital.

RUSSIA: Murder Arrests Unconvincing

The public announcement by Russian prosecutor-general Yury Chaika last week that ten people have been arrested in connection with the killing of journalist Anna Politkovskaya has called into question the effectiveness of the justice system.

FRANCE: New Employment Law Sets Stage for Showdown

On a rainy day in an eastern Paris suburb, members of the Confédération générale du travail (CGT), one of France's two largest labour unions, told the assembled press corps at their union hall that the government of President Nicolas Sarkozy wanted to "disarm" French workers with a new law aimed at curbing transportation strikes.

BALKANS: Media Bowing Under Pressure

The ways of Serbian media have come into focus again after the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) declared earlier this week that Serbian media must practise professionalism and respect human dignity.

BULGARIA: Roma Treated like Trash

Recent violent episodes involving Roma in Bulgaria emphasise the deep prejudice against this ethnic group, as well as politicians' intention to turn anti-Roma feelings into electoral gains.

ENVIRONMENT-GREECE: Fires Char a Way of Life

Greece is set to pay an enormous cost after a week of unstoppable inferno, with fires still burning out of control.

ALBANIA: Civil Society Far from Local Needs

Achieving environmentally sustainable tourism in Albania will also be up to the efforts of communities and civil society organisations, but as in much of the post-socialist world, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and their donors will have to clean up their act first.

ECONOMY: Thinking Big, Russia Misses Microfinance

In the big expansion plans for the economy, financial institutions are neglecting the microfinance that small and medium business enterprises need, experts say.

EUROPE: Russian Gas May Escape Politics

Many European politicians look desperately for alternatives to Russian gas, but while concerns over excessive dependency on one source are legitimate, many have missed the point that in the big energy game economic considerations weigh more heavily than political ideology.

FRANCE: Differences Arise Over Education Law

The government of President Nicolas Sarkozy announced after it was swept into power this spring that its policies would bring a "tranquil rupture" with many cherished traditions, particularly in education.

POLAND: Not Done With Fighting the Past

After a tough decision by Poland's constitutional court, and with early elections looming, it remains unclear how the country will deal with its government's attempt to expose former communist collaborators.

BALKANS: Privatisations Pick Up in Kosovo, Privately

"The Kosovo Trust Agency is now preparing to privatise one of the most remarkable properties remaining in south-eastern Europe - the Dragash Sarrprodhimi socially owned enterprise. Sharrprodhimi offers over 22,000 hectares of largely untouched land...with excellent potential for tourist industry development."

Q&A: Corrupted Politicians Expected to Fight Corruption

Monica Macovei is at the centre of a national dispute over cleaning up the Romanian government.

UKRAINE: Election Set to Bring Another Crisis

The political crisis that has ravaged Ukraine since President Viktor Yushchenko decided to dissolve parliament is not likely to end with the early elections scheduled for Sep. 30.

EUROPE: Reform Tastes an Eastern Flavour

The European Union has agreed on a document to reform itself institutionally, but Brussels is beginning to understand it will have to get used to tough opposition from some of its Eastern European member states.