ALBANIA: But Where Are the Differences

People across the Balkans have much in common, forget the conflicts of the recent or distant past, and the efforts of politicians to convince them how "different" or "distinctive" they are.

RIGHTS: Who Protects Hungarians from the Police?

In a year rich in riots and police violence, the Hungarian police have now completely lost the trust of the public after a group of policemen allegedly raped a 21-year-old woman.

ALBANIA: Saving Beaches for Others, and Itself

Albania has launched a new programme to save its beaches for tourists – and from tourists.

ENVIRONMENT: EU Finds Green Reasons Against Biofuels

European Union officials have signalled that they will ban subsidies for biofuels in cases where their production causes serious environmental damage.

Q&A: Time to Know the Unknown

Albania is too often and too superficially described as "a European country little is known about." The issues the nation of 3.1 million is facing on its thorny road of development and towards democracy are also often met with little knowledge and loads of prejudice abroad.

ROMANIA: Gay Rights Far From Being Acknowledged

The third Gay Pride Parade that drew strong opposition earlier this month underlines the fact that gay rights are far from being accepted in this country.

ALBANIA: Tourism Brings Environmental Challenge

It was not so long ago that Albania, a tiny nation of 3.1 million in the western Balkans remained off route for hundreds of thousands of tourists who rushed to the Adriatic coast for their summer vacations.

GERMANY: Warming Climate Helps Some Species, Kills Others

The weather conditions in the heart of Europe were abnormal last year - the summer too hot, too dry, and too long, and the winter too warm. But they were excellent for some foreign species, which, benefiting from the changed weather, settled in Germany, and have become a headache - or worse - for farmers and just about everybody else.

DEVELOPMENT: EU Not Matching Promises for MDGs

Increases in development aid will not be sufficient to reach the United Nations targets on improving health in poor countries, a new European Parliament report has warned.

ROMANIA: Cannes Award Brings Back Memories

A Romanian triumph at the Cannes film festival this year has revived painful memories for thousands of women.

ALBANIA: Environment and Tourism Can Hold Hands

A pleasant hilly town of narrow, winding streets, Berat has survived the chaotic urban development of central Albania and hopes to grasp a unique opportunity in tourism. But it is also threatened by the unavoidable environmental and urban perils of a transition economy.

CORRUPTION: Chirac’s Immunity Is Over, But…

For the last six years, the date Jun. 16, 2007 was the most awaited day by many in France. It was the day that ended immunity for former president Jacques Chirac from pending corruption cases over his 12-year mandate as head of state.

Q&A: Albania on the Road from the World

-When psychiatrist turned political leader Ylli Pango took over as minister for tourism, besides holding other portfolios, Albania was always going to open welcoming gates to visitors from the world. And it has, with an almost fourfold jump in tourism over the last four years.

ALBANIA: Landing Might Be An Idea

'What, you haven't been to Albania?' Let's face it, not a question many of us are ever likely to have been asked.

SPAIN-PORTUGAL: Binational Village Wants to Be Simply ‘European’

This tiny village of 109 people straddles the border between Portugal and Spain. On one side are the 50 houses of Rio de Onor de Braganza and on the other are the 20 houses of Ríohonor de Castilla. But the locals feel they are one community, and they want their hometown to be declared the first simply "European" village.

ENVIRONMENT: Whaling in Iceland Faces Uncertain Future

No whales have been caught under Iceland's commercial whaling programme since October last year, when whaling stopped for the year. Over a two-week period beginning in late September, seven fin whales and two minke whales were hunted, out of a quota of nine fin whales and 30 minke whales for the period up to Sept. 1.

SLOVAKIA: Schizophrenia or Russophilia?

Whereas most of Eastern Europe embraces the United States, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is finding common ground with Russian President Vladimir Putin in both energy cooperation and geopolitics.

FRANCE: Immigrants Uneasy over Proposed Policies

In his successful bid to lead the country this past spring, French President Nicolas Sarkozy made reform of the country's immigration system a centrepiece of his campaign, at one point telling a news conference that France was "exasperated by the dispute about national identity and by uncontrolled immigration."

BALKANS: Smokescreen on Crime Lifts

State involvement in organised crime through the 1990s stands exposed following the arrest of 11 persons in a giant cigarette smuggling operation.

SLOVAKIA: Right-Wing Extremists Gain Ground

Right-wing extremism is on the rise in Slovakia. Activists complain not enough is being done, while from Europe fingers are pointed at the left-wing government's controversial alliance with extreme-right nationalists.

SPAIN: First Free Elections Still an Example, 30 Years On

On the eve of the 30th anniversary of Spain's first free elections after the end of the dictatorship of Francisco Franco (1939-1975), they remain an outstanding example that transitions from de facto regimes to democracy can be peaceful and orderly.