Themes
Environment
The imminent meeting of world leaders in Copenhagen has caused a boom in requests for accreditation for the summit. On Monday, the queue was huge. Today, Tuesday, our correspondent Florin Orban finds out things are going from bad to worse…
[more]Migration
Over 200 Chechens and Georgians have been stopped trying to cross from Poland into Germany by train, on their way to Strasbourg to protest against conditions in Poland’s refugee centres and the years they say it takes to be granted refugee status.
[more]Sports
The draw for 2012 European Football Championship passed off smoothly at the weekend, giving a boost to the co-hosts Poland and Ukraine, both of which had been grappling with criticism that their preparations for the event were not coming up to scratch.
[more]Economy
Travel
A section of inner-city Dublin was sealed off yesterday as an anti-terrorist unit swooped on the home of a man who unwittingly smuggled in explosives planted in his luggage by the Slovakian security services.
[more]Education
Our European education series heads to the Czech Republic, where everybody agrees reform is necessary - but nobody is willing to foot the bill.
[more]Science & Technology
The attempted Christmas Day plane bombing over Detroit has focused the world's attention on boosting air security. Many countries are planning to introduce controversial full body scans, and experts meet tomorrow to discuss whether the EU as a whole should follow suit.
[more]Culture
Holly, mistletoe, carols…and carp? Turkeys might be dreading Christmas in much of the Western world, but in Poland they are safe - Poles prefer to tuck in to a succulent, freshly-killed carp. But a campaign is afoot to force Poles to be more humane in their treatment of this fish.
[more]EU and the world
Bad blood between Bulgaria and Turkey is threatening to create a further obstacle to Turkey's EU membership hopes. A Bulgarian minister is now saying that Ankara must pay up $20 billion in compensation before Sofia will agree to talks on its neighbour's accession.
[more]Society
Politics
One of the most popular Christmas landmarks in the UK's capital is the large tree that adorns Trafalgar Square every year. The tree arrives annually from Norway as a gift in honour of the wartime bond between the two countries.
[more]Crime
A Bulgarian journalist known for his investigations into organized crime rings was shot dead in Sofia on Tuesday.
[more]Religion
Tiny Slovenia has not one, not two, but three Santa-like figures who bring children gifts over the festive season. Known as "the three good men," their coexistence is the curious result of a mixture of Communist and western Christmas traditions.
[more]Health
Sex
Despite last year’s controversial move to ban the gay pride march, the Serbian government has decided that it will go ahead in Belgrade this year.
[more]Gender
No longer do bikers, criminals and sailors dominate the tattoo world. Nowadays even some mothers can be seen sporting ink. And with the changing clientele has come a new generation of tattoo parlours and artists. Berlin’s all female Tatou Obscur is one prime example of the evolving scene.
[more]Agriculture
Most of us don’t care about the origin, sex or personality of our fruit and vegetables before eating them, but one person is hoping we reconsider this.
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