Society
Prime Minister Robert Fico has caused an outcry with his proposals to take Roma children from their families and send them to special boarding schools, which he claims is the only way to integrate the next generation of Roma into the rest of Slovakian society.
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Former Pakistani politician Muhammad Tahir ul Qadri has branded terrorists and suicide bombers "unbelievers," and says their final destination is not paradise, but hell. He will deliver a speech in London tomorrow outlining his verdicts.
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Russian police have backtracked on their decision not to investigate the daughter of a senior Siberian official, who appears to have been caught on video running over two pedestrians, after internet users accused them of negligence and corruption.
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Viewed by outsiders as blond-haired, sauna-going types with a shared Viking history, the Scandinavian nations like to make fun of each other. The strong stereotypes in these jokes reveal distinct national characteristics and hint at how the past still shapes relations between these countries.
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A stereotype many countries share of the Italians is that they are extremely stylish. But the flipside is that Italy's northern neighbours, who head south in their droves to sample la dolce vita, have become a laughing stock for their fashion faux pas.
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A heated dispute has erupted in Russia over plans to adorn Moscow’s streets with portraits of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin during Victory Day celebrations on 9 May.
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The Czech Supreme Court has banned a vocal far-right party on the grounds of extremism. The ruling makes the Czech Workers' Party, notorious for its strong anti-Roma stance, the first political party to be banned in the country since the fall of communism in 1989.
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Although Hungarian and Roma speakers gained greater legal rights in Romania since the fall of communism, many are pushing for greater recognition, causing anger in sections of the Romanian-speaking community.
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Alongside its economy, Iceland's international reputation has also taken a battering recently, but a draft law filed today aims to turn things round, reinventing the country as a haven for journalism and freedom of information.
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Insults, threats, humiliations - “cyber-bullying” amounts to terrorising people on the internet. With the help of e-mails, instant messenging or social networks such as Facebook, victims are harassed and tormented. Often those affected do not even know who is behind the attacks.
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The internet offers new opportunities to millions of people, but it also has its dark sides. As the digital becomes part of daily life, experts are increasingly worried that internet users' lack of awareness about cyber safety means they are rapidly becoming their own worst online enemies.
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Even the most seasoned music connoisseur has a tough time defining dub music. It is a genre that refuses to be pigeonholed and continually spawns new sub-genres. Poland is currently creating its own dub recipe and, according to some, it tastes good.
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Belarusian authorities have ordered that all internet use be monitored from 1 July, in a move critics are describing as a further blow to the freedom of speech and information.
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The Maillie family lives in a caravan nearby an abandoned factory in a suburb north of Paris. There’s snow on the ground, but it’s warm inside, where Vincent, 23, his step-father Bayo, his mother, a couple of sisters, his daughter and another kid in Spiderman pyjamas are taking refuge.
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As memorial ceremonies were held around the world today to mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day, dignitaries and camp survivors gathered at Auschwitz to mark the 65th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi death camp.
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Overweight passengers could face an unwelcome surprise next time they turn up at the airport, as a leading European airline unveils plans to charge "oversize" flyers for an extra seat.
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The outgoing president of Croatia has caused a stink by claiming he would “send in the army” if the Serb minority tries to break away from neighbouring Bosnia-Herzegovina - a threat that has upset many in the region where the shadow of the Balkan Wars still looms large.
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An innovative arts project that reinvigorated community life in one of Bucharest's most deprived neighbourhoods is now under threat - ironically from the building projects and development plans that local politicians see as the key to the area's regeneration.
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Euranet concludes our look back at the big stories and newsmakers of the year. The last four months of 2009 focused mostly on climate change and, most importantly, the delays in ratifying the Lisbon Treaty.
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Many countries traditionally “ring in” the New Year with church bells tolling at the stroke of midnight on 31 December. But in parts of Switzerland, the custom takes a different form, where groups of men use cowbells to scare off the ghosts of the year that has just past.
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From January to April of 2009, Europe stumbled from crisis to crisis. First, the banking collapse, then another winter gas crisis and to top it all off - swine flu. Euranet looks back, over three consecutive days, at the big stories and newsmakers of the year.
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Norway has a number of lovely, tasty Christmas traditions - such as mulled wine and spiced biscuits - but there are a couple of festive delicacies that most foreigners find somewhat less palatable.
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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.
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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.
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The lyrics to a long-forgotten 17th century Polish Christmas carol, stolen by Swedish troops when they invaded Poland in 1655, have been rediscovered and brought back to life with newly-composed music.
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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.
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An unusual new art gallery has opened in central Bucharest. Laika - named after the first dog in space - is a whole new concept for the Romanian capital's art scene. It does not charge the young artists whose work it exhibits a single eurocent in commission.
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Belarusian opposition media say a leaked document shows President Alexander Lukashenko has given the government in Minsk six months to come up with an internet registration scheme, a move critics fear will lead to an "oppressive" online crackdown.
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