ROMANIA: State Grows Up in Looking After Children

Romania used to be infamous for its nightmarish orphanages. Since 2001, however, the national system of care for vulnerable children has been undergoing a successful reform process.

CZECH REPUBLIC: U.S. Radar Makes Some People Hungry

Both opponents and supporters of the U.S. radar to be built on Czech soil have turned to hunger strikes to voice their opinions, with some politicians following suit.

POLAND: Washing the Dirty Laundry

The former conservative government's abuse of the Polish secret services for ideological and political aims has left Polish intelligence in complete disarray.

SLOVAKIA: Hungarians See Hardships Ahead

The sizeable Hungarian minority in Slovakia believes that plans to change education laws cast doubts on the Slovak state's commitment to multiculturalism.

EUROPE: No Asylum, Now Go To Jail

Asylum-seekers whose bid to live in the European Union has been rejected could be detained for up to 18 months under a new law approved by the bloc's 27 governments.

EUROPE: No Tearful Farewell for Bush

It is a safe bet that there will be no mass shedding of tears when U.S. President George W. Bush visits Slovenia to attend the final summit of his presidency between the European Union and the United States Jun. 10.

RUSSIA: The Siberian Giant Is Waking Up

Ludmila Nikolovna, an ethnic Russian from Moldova, has no misgivings about her decision to come and study economics at Tomsk State University, even though she had to leave her two-month old daughter with her grandparents in Moscow.

NORWAY: Talking Peace, Exporting Weapons

Peace builder Norway is the world's seventh largest exporter of weapons and ammunition, according to recent figures.

Q&A: Bulgarian Greens Go Political

Members of a group of environmental NGOs have announced the formation of green party, Zelenite. Among the founders are activists who have been engaged for two years in a campaign to prevent large-scale tourism development in protected natural sites in the Rila Mountains and the Black Sea shore (the NATURA 2000 campaign).

HUNGARY: Cultural Heritage Held Hostage to Real Estate

A standoff over the likely demolition of a cultural centre is only the latest in long wrangling over the fate of Budapest's crumbling cultural and architectural landscape.

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.

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.

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: 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.

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.

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.