The European Union has chosen its first president and foreign policy chief. And its choices are controversial.

The prime minister of Belgium, Herman Van Rompuy, will take over as President of the European Council and Britain's EU Commissioner, Cathy Ashton, will become the bloc's foreign policy supremo. The two posts are designed to give the EU more clout on the international stage. Jackie Davis is Senior Advisor to the European Policy Centre in Brussels. Helen Seeney asked her what the appointments indicate about the horsetrading that went on behind the scenes at the EU.

European Union foreign and defense ministers have backed a plan to train up to 2000 Somali troops, as part of wider efforts to tackle piracy in the region.

EU foreign policy chief, Javier Solana had earlier said the training mission could be operational as early as next month, but details still need to be fleshed out. The EU tackled other hotspots this week, including Afghanistan, and also tried to rebuild relations with Russia.


Report: Nina-Maria Potts

Swiss voters go the polls on November 29, to decide on a controversial proposal to ban the construction of minarets.

Switzerland is the first European country to hold a nationwide vote on its relations with Islam. There are an estimated 400,000 Muslims in Switzerland, and they say permitting minarets would be a sign of acceptance. Supporters of the ban, however, claim minarets are not a religious symbol, but a sign of the islamisation of Switzerland.


Report: Imogen Foulkes

Greece's new socialist government has promised to grant citizenship to a quarter of a million migrant children. Human rights campaigners have long complained that the failure to grant passports to children born in Greece was discriminatory.

The policy change is the latest initiative from a government that is determined to erase Greece’s bad international reputation for its treatment of immigrants. Even soccer stars like Djibril Cisse have joined the effort to ease tensions.


Report: Malcolm Brabant

The Venice Biennale wraps up this weekend – it's been running since June and has attracted thousands of visitors.

One of the highlights has been an unusual exhibition called "GlassStress". Glass is an everyday material but the aim of the exhibit is to elevate glass from an artisan's craft to a fine art.

Report: Susan Stone

No country experienced more violence in 1989 than Romania. The revolution was sparked in mid-December when ethnic tensions boiled over in Timisoara, near the border to Hungary.

It was prompted by the impending deportation of Lászlo Tokés, a dissident Protestant pastor of Hungarian descent. Increasing numbers of people took to the streets to defend Tokés – and security forces brutally tried to contain the protests. It was the beginning of the end for Romania's longtime leader Nicolae Ceausescu.


Report: Sabina Casagrande

Romania's communist regime was one of the most brutal in eastern Europe. Nicolae Ceaucescu introduced draconian economic and social policies.

The dictator brutally suppressed any opposition in the country and was responsible for the widespread destruction of its cultural heritage. Our reporter Zack Baddorf lives in Barlad, in the east of the country and he's been talking to local people there about life under communism.


Report: Zack Baddorf

For years Romania has been dogged by its poor image abroad. But one man who sings the country's praises is Jim Rosapepe, former US ambassador to Bucharest.

Romania joined NATO in 2004 and the European Union in 2007. So today it's firmly anchored in the western world. It is also slowly emerging as a tourist destination. Jim Rosapepe was US ambassador to Bucharest from 1998 to 2001. And he and his wife, journalist Sheilah Kast, have just published a book about their experiences there. It's called "Dracula is Dead" and it presents Romania in a completely different light.


Helen Seeney spoke to Jim Rosapepe about his impressions of Romania.

There's little doubt that Romania has made great strides over the past 20 years in introducing democratic reforms, stabilizing the economy and modernizing the country's infrastructure. But in rural Romania, that progress has come at a price.

Englishman William Blacker began travelling to Romania after the revolution in 1989 and was captivated by traditional village life. He ended up living there for around eight years and has written a book about his experiences called "Along the Enchanted Way." In this postcard, William Blacker describes how one aspect of Romania's heritage is now under threat.


Report: William Blacker

Romania's capital Bucharest has undergone incredible changes over the past 20 years. Inside Europe has been out on the streets of Bucharest to find out how the city's taxi drivers view the changes.

Bucharest boasts an eclectic mix of architecture and historic buildings spanning the centuries. And there's a lively and diverse cultural scene. But while living standards are higher than they were under communism, life remains tough for many of the locals.


Report: Tom Wilson

On Monday, all eyes were on Berlin for an evening of celebrations to mark the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

World leaders paid tribute to the bravery of those who broke the shackles of their communist regimes back in 1989 and forced change throughout Eastern Europe. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who grew up in East Germany, recalled how she experienced that night and said it was a day of celebration for the whole of Europe. The fall of the Wall has come to symbolize the collapse of the communist regimes across central and Eastern Europe. And it led to the unification of Germany one year later. Twenty years on, the achievements of those 1989 revolutions are clear: democracy, free market economies and the loosening of borders. But have there been missed opportunities as well, for example here in Germany? Helen Seeney put that question to analyst Heinz Schulte.

It's been more than seven months since a devastating earthquake struck Italy’s mountainous Abruzzo region.

But more than 800 people are still living in tents there. These tent cities, located in 23 different locations, were supposed to close at the end of last month. The Italian authorities say they have alternative lodgings for each resident but the problem is that some people are refusing to leave the tent cities. However, as winter and the first snowfalls arrive, there’s an urgency to get people out of the tents and into other accommodation.

Report: Stephanie Raison

A UN-sponsored conference in the Greek capital Athens has generated a major split over the thorny issue of migration.

According to delegates inside the Global Migration and Development Forum, their main objective was to encourage governments of prosperous countries to be more receptive to immigration and to make freedom of movement easier. But on the streets of Athens, many of the people the conference is aimed at helping claim the real purpose is to force unwanted emigration on poorer nations.

Report: Malcolm Brabant

The French government launched its campaign for swine flu vaccinations this week, encouraging high risk groups to get the shots.

Vaccinations against H1N1 flu will be available to all schoolchildren on a voluntary basis later this month. Opinion polls suggest most French people are hesitant about the shots. There's also concern - on a lesser scale - that a possible flu onslaught may change one of the country’s most deeply held social customs: kissing.

Report: Eleanor Beardsley

Back in 1989, students in Czechoslovakia took to the streets.

They called for freedom, independence and democracy. The protests quickly turned into a mass movement, leading to what became known as the Velvet Revolution.

Report: Sabina Casagrande

The Velvet Revolution in 1989 led to the Velvet Divorce and the breakup of Czechoslovakia in 1993.

Since then, it's the Czech Republic that has enjoyed most of the limelight. It has a higher political profile and, of course, it's famous for its beautiful capital, Prague. Slovakia to the east is less well-known. In the Slovak capital, Bratislava, people have different views on the revolution 20 years on.

Report: Kerry Skyring

One of the big issues for post-communist societies is how to deal with the large amount of data collected by the former communist secret police.

The Czech Republic is certainly no exception. A special official body exists to collect, process and make available all documents held by the security services of communist Czechoslovakia to the public. But one man’s unofficial attempt to speed up that process has ruffled many feathers.

Report: Rob Cameron

The Czech capital Prague is one of Europe's most beautiful cities.

Each year, millions of tourists flock there to take in the fabulous architecture, which documents the city's varied past. Under communism, though, Prague was shrouded in an atmosphere of oppression and the grime of centuries.

Report: Alexa Dvorson

One of the most dramatic changes that Czechs have experienced over the past 20 years is in the area of shopping.

Under communism, people were used to long queues for even the most basic items and there was almost zero variety. Today, Czechs are surrounded by western-style shopping centers offering an abundance of goods. In fact, the Czechs have taken to consumer culture with great enthusiasm - though there may be a downside.

Report: Ian Willoughby

Czech President Vaclav Klaus has finally given up his resistance to the Lisbon Treaty and opened the way for reform of the European Union.

His signature clears the last hurdle for the controversial package of reforms to come into force next year. An EU president is now just one signature away. The EU reform treaty allows the 27 nation bloc to speed up decision making, increase the power of the European Parliament and appoint a longer-term president and a more powerful foreign representative.


Report: Nina Maria Potts

The new look European Union will need to act fast if it wants to be an effective partner on the world stage and remain a valued partner of the United States. That's the message of a new report by the European Council on Foreign Relations.

The report warns that European governments are out of touch with today's world and that Europe risks being marginalized – particularly when it comes to its relationship with Washington. Nick Witney co-authored the report and told Helen Seeney more.

The city of Venice is set for a funeral for ... Venice itself.

It's being organized by a group of locals who are concerned about the increasing number of residents who are leaving. Venice’s permanent population has just dipped below the figure of 60,000 – a decline that is draining the city of normal life.


Report: Sabina Castelfranco

Last Saturday, millions of people around the world celebrated Halloween. For most, it's a chance to get dressed up and have a bit of fun. But what about getting married on Halloween?

Would anyone want to tie the knot on a day associated with witches, ghouls - and Dracula? Well, an English couple did – and that too in Transylvania: the home of Dracula. The character Dracula is based on one of Romania’s most famous leaders, Vlad the Impaler. Inside Europe visited Transylvania to attend a Halloween wedding.


Report: Catherine Graue

The Fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989 was one of the monumental events of the twentieth century.

It was such an historic occasion that many of us still remember where we were that night. Here are some recollections from the streets of Berlin

The Berlin Wall was THE image of the Cold War. For over 28 years, this concrete divide, snaking through the city of Berlin, symbolized the division between East and West.

Over a hundred people died attempting to cross it. But a chain of events triggered by reform in the Soviet Union led to the breaching of the Wall.


Report: Sabina Casagrande

East Germans were well acquainted with the letters MFS. They stood for the Ministerium für Staatssicherheit or the Ministry for State Security.

More commonly known as the Stasi, this was East Germany’s secret police force and one of the most effective and oppressive in the world. At its peak, the Stasi employed around 274,000 people with an estimated half a million working as unpaid informers. It was one of the most reviled and unsavoury aspects of life in the GDR.


Report: Mark Maddox

A highly publicized study shows that teenagers born in eastern Germany after the Fall of the Wall know next to nothing about the country where their parents and teachers grew up.

So what exactly are these young people being taught about their past? Alexa Dvorson has been finding out.

It's estimated that since the Fall of the Wall, around 1.7 million people have left former East Germany – around 12 percent of the population.

One of those who decided to head to the West is Franziska Wahl. And she has this postcard on how she found life in West Germany as an "Ossie".


Report: Franziska Wahl

Since German unification, many in the former East have started to miss certain aspects of life in the former GDR. Things that vanished overnight - like groceries, TV programmes and social organisations.

This feeling is known as "Ostalgie": a combination of the German words "Ost" meaning East and "nostalgie" for nostalgia. But twenty years on, remnants of the East can still be found around Berlin. So Neale Lytollis decided to investigate, and set off in the GDR's most famous car, the Trabant.


Report: Neale Lytollis

He evaded capture for thirteen years and this week, Radovan Karadzic, the former Bosnian Serb leader has shown he's not afraid to reject international justice even longer.

The trial of the sixty-four year old, who is charged with eleven counts of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity for his part in the Bosnian war of the 1990s, started this week, but Dr Karadzic refused to attend the courtroom, demanding a ten-month delay. Mark Lowen in Belgrade has been following events and gauging reaction in the Serb heartland.

New research in Switzerland indicates that climate change is already threatening more than a quarter of the country's farmland.

Frequent and lengthy droughts mean more land needs to be irrigated to avoid lost harvests. But it's not just farming land there that's bearing the brunt of climate change. Imogen Foulkes reports from the resort of Grindelwald on the damage global warming is causing in the alps, and some innovative ways to raise awareness of it.

“The Jungle” was a sprawling shantytown outside the French port city of Calais and it became perhaps the ugliest symbol of Europe's illegal immigration problem.

Unregulated, riddled with people smugglers and dangerous, the camp was the last stop for migrants hoping to cross from France to the UK. At the end of September, in a highly publicized action, the French authorities tore the camp down. But as Don Duncan now reports, the problem has not been solved – it's only been dispersed and it's left one group particularly exposed – children.

It was a tough assignment for a panel of jurors here in Germany. They've just tasted their way through more than a thousand wines to uncover the county's best reds.

The annual German Red Wine prize is one of the most prestigious in the country and it's awarded by the European wine magazine, Vinum. Our reporter Kate Hairsine decided to put her taste buds to the test and sent us this report.

The domestic reforms in the Soviet Union had significantly sped up changes throughout the Eastern Bloc.

But one country in particular played a key role in the fall of the Iron Curtain: Hungary. Twenty years ago, Hungary was the first country to open its borders to the West giving mainly East German citizens the chance to escape. Sabina Casagrande has more.

Twenty years ago, Hungary was one of the front runners in eastern Europe – setting the pace for change.

The Communist party abolished itself, free elections were called, and foreign investors were invited in. Nick Thorpe reports from Budapest on what has, and what has not been achieved, over the past 20 years.

One segment of Hungarian society has not prospered since 1989. Roma, or gypsies, make up around 7% of the population. They're still among the poorest in the country and continue to face discrimination.

In June, a radical nationalist party, Jobbik, picked up nearly 15% of the vote in elections for the European Parliament. Jobbik's popularity hinges on its hostility towards the Roma and the party's fostered a spate of brutal attacks on Roma. Gabor Daroczi is the Director of the Romaversitas Foundation, which provides support for Roma so they attend universities in Hungary. Rob Turner first asked him how 20 years of democracy have impacted the Roma there.

Like many eastern Europeans, Hungarians were at the mercy of the secret police during the communist years.

And a museum in the centre of Budapest gives a terrifying insight into how political prisoners were treated. It's called the House of Terror and it's located in the building that was the HQ of the Hungarian Nazi party and then, after World War Two, the communist political police. Barry Mckay visited the museum and has this report.

Budapest is one of Europe's most beautiful cities, with stunning architecture and wonderful views across the River Danube.

It's a special city as our correspondent Arpad Szoczi knows all too well.

After months of reports on Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s alleged cavorting with young women and prostitutes, Italian women have decided enough is enough.

The Prime Minister insulted a member of the opposition and vice president of the lower house, Rosy Bindi, on Italian public television. Now, hundreds of thousands of Italian women are also saying they’re not at the Prime Minister’s disposal either. Stephanie Raison reports from Rome.

An Irish aid worker has been reunited with her family after being held captive in war torn Sudan for nearly 4 months.

Sharon Commins from Dublin and her Ugandan colleague Hilda Kawuki were working in Darfur for the humanitarian organisation GOAL, when they were kidnapped by an armed gang in the northern town of Kutum in July. Last weekend the Irish and Sudanese governments secured the women's release. From Dublin, Anne-Marie McNerney reports.

Spain's Conservative opposition are embroiled in a major corruption scandal. At least sixty officials are implicated in a far-reaching racket involving smoking jackets, luxury handbags and millions of euros in public funds.

The leader of the opposition has issued a code of conduct for members in an attempt to turn the page, but the damage might already have been done: Nearly three quarters of Spaniards believe the scandal will harm the conservative Popular Party's chances of winning the next election, according to a recent poll. Hazel Healy has this report.

A new film by Cologne journalist and provocateur, Günter Wallraff, has hit German cinemas. It’s called ‘Black on White.’

Wallraff has been disguising himself and going undercover since 1977 for his reports. Rarely controversy-free, Wallraff’s new offering shows a year in the life of a black man in Germany. The black man in question is Somali-born Kwami Ogonno. And so we follow Ogonno as he tries to live the German life – renting a caravan spot, renting an allotment, going to football matches. Followed by a small and unobtrusive film team Ogonno’s experiences have been made into a documentary. And as controversial as the less than flattering German responses to a black man is the fact that our protagonist Ogonno is actually Wallraff himself wearing black make up. Tanya Wood reports.

Many people the world over now associate the end of communism in Europe with the collapse of the Berlin Wall, but in fact the dismantling of the system had started in Poland some ten years before.

In 1980, as the shipyards were threatened with closure, the workers formed Eastern Europe’s first free trade union to fight for their future. That the workers had the courage to found the Solidarity movement and stand up to the ruling Communist Party, was in part down to the first visit home by Polish-born John Paul II a year earlier. The communists soon clamped down on the trade unions, imposing martial law, but the spirit of Solidarity lived on. In June 1989 Poles overwhelmingly voted for democracy in the first partly free elections. Sabina Casagrande sets the scene on how the revolution unfolded.

In 1989 Poland’s economy lay in tatters. The outgoing communist regime had not only mismanaged it on a shocking scale, but it had also run up billions of US dollars in foreign debt.

Food queues, chronic shortages and runaway inflation earned Poland the reputation of being the sick man of Europe. But perhaps because of the dire straits it was in, the country was quick to adopt a shock therapy that brought down inflation and created one of the continent’s fastest growth rates. Economists say that Poland has learnt its lesson well. Twenty years on, it now appears relatively untouched by the world downturn – in fact it promises to be Europe’s only economy to show positive growth this year, as Rafal Kiepuszewski reports from Warsaw.

Taking advantage of an opportunity not afforded to their parents, young Poles have been heading abroad in great numbers to gain a wide range of experience through study and work in the West.

Especially after the EU expansion in 2004, countries such as Britain, France and Ireland saw a boom in immigration from Poland. So why were Poles seemingly quicker and keener to travel than their counterparts in other former Eastern-bloc countries? That’s the question Rob Turner put earlier to Marek Matraszek, managing director of CEC Government Relations in Warsaw.

Historians believe that Poland’s anti-communist Solidarity revolution of the 1980s perhaps wouldn’t have happened if it hadn’t not been for one man: the late Polish-born Pope John Paul II.

His repeated visits home were said to have given ordinary Poles the courage to fight the system, in a country whose population is 95% Roman Catholic. The church itself became synonymous with the democratic opposition. But since 1989, the church in Poland has been struggling to find a new place for itself in the new democracy. Many see its role now as controversial, because of the close links between it and Polish politics. Rajiv Sharma has more details.

As religious radio and television expands in post-communism Poland, many people look back at the pre-1989 era as the golden age of Polish art and culture.

This is exemplified by the films of Andrzej Wajda or the poems of Czeslaw Milosz. Adam Easton spoke to some leading Polish artists to discover how the communist system influenced their work.

Bulgaria's new environment minister says the country will forfeit or have to repay hundreds of millions of euros in EU aid because of mismanagement by the previous administration. A third of the EU’s entire budget goes towards funding development in Europe’s regions. It mounts up to billions of euros a day.

And to find out how to get their hands on that cash, representatives from the northernmost tip of Finland all the way down to the coast of Cyprus have attended a huge networking event called Open Days. This taxpayers’ money is meant to go towards projects that will help turn the EU into a dynamic, well-functioning area. But it's not always well spent.

Report: Vanessa Mock

A protest movement is growing in France against the possible appointment of President Sarkozy's son as head of the country's biggest business district.

Jean Sarkozy, who's a 23 year old law student, already leads his father's political party in the area. Opponents are complaining of nepotism but the government says Sarko junior is good enough to apply for the job.

Report: Alasdair Sandford

In Britain, it seems feathering your own nest at the taxpaper's expense could become a thing of the past for MP's. A long running row about parliamentary expenses has suddenly roared back into life.

Legislators have been asked to hand back some of the money they've claimed from public funds over the past five years. And as Stephen Beard tells us in this Postcard from London, the House of Commons is not happy.

A controversial debate about in vitro fertilisation or IVF treatment is underway in Poland as the country's politicians try to adopt a new law to regulate the practice. Fertility treatment is already available in around forty private clinics but the centres are not bound by any rules.

Poland's Roman Catholic Church has weighed in, reminding politicians that it opposes the treatment on the grounds that embryos are killed in the procedure. One Catholic citizen's initiative even wrote a draft law which would have made IVF treatment a criminal offence and sent doctors to prison for up to three years. The parliament threw that bill out at its first reading and it's now considering a handful of others.

Report: Adam Easton

French culture and American convenience will soon come together in Paris. And culture vultures are aghast.

McDonald's is to open a restaurant in the forecourt of the Louvre art museum. But the idea of mixing big macs and the Mona Lisa isn’t popular with everyone.

Report: Eleanor Beardsley

This week, the European Union issued its annual report card on Turkey's bid to join its ranks. And it was a mixed picture.

Ankara was praised for its efforts to resolve a decades long dispute with neighbouring Armenia and for the introduction of certain reforms. But one sticking point remains the freedom of the country's press. That's partly because of a 3 billion dollar tax fine imposed on Turkey's largest media organization which also happens to be critical of the government. The company is now facing the prospect of having its assets seized.

Report: Dorian Jones

If EU membership seems a distant dream for Turkey, the chances of Bosnia-Herzegovina joining the bloc look even more remote. Fourteen years after the war there ended, the country continues to struggle with deep political and ethnic divisions and an unwieldy government.

The country consists of a Bosnian –Serb entity and a Muslim-Croat federation. But Bosnia has less than 4 million people yet it boasts 3 presidents and 13 prime ministers. Last weekend officials from the EU and the US met with Bosnian leaders to talk about constitutional reforms. The international community wants Bosnia to prepare for eventual membership of the EU and NATO. Marko Prelec, is with the International Crisis Group in Sarajevo. Helen Seeney asked him if Bosnia had become a failed state?

According to some estimates, up to 200,000 scientists have left Russia since the early nineteen nineties - in search of a better salary, normal working conditions and prestige. Most of them will never return.

Some of these emigrants now warn Moscow that it should take urgent measures in order to prevent nothing less than a total collapse of Russian science. But Russian leaders have done little to suggest that they take the warning seriously, and, paradoxically, even say Russia aims to become the world leader in the development of nanotechnology.

Report: Geert Groot Koerkamp

Italians are completely crazy about football: from the prime minister’s own team AC Milan in the north of the country to level “D” football in villages in Sicily. But there’s one town outside Rome where America’s pastime rules.

In the small, seaside city of Nettuno, kids grow up playing baseball, a tradition that began during World War II. Inside Europe visited Nettuno to find out why it swings its own way.

Report: Nancy Greenleese

Cricket doesn't have the largest following in Europe – at least not in continental Europe. But a young guy from Britain is trying to change that. He's set off from London, to cycle 25 000 kilometres to Australia carrying little more than a cricket bat.

Oli Broom aims to reach Brisbane in time for the Ashes cricket series between England and Australia in November 2010. He also hopes to raise tens of thousands of euros for charity on the way, and to spread the message of cricket. The 29 year-old's route takes him through France, Belgium and Germany as well as into Africa and across Asia.

Report: Olly Barratt

The YES win in the Irish referendum on the Lisbon Treaty has edged the EU closer to having a single President for the first time.

A flurry of names are being thrown into the Presidential hat. And believe what you read in the papers and you'd think that former British Prime minister Tony Blair has all but been instated already. Earlier, Rob Turner spoke to our Brussels correspondent Vanessa Mock and asked her if Mr Blair was already over the finishing line?

Now that Ireland has voted Yes to the Lisbon Treaty and Poland having announced it will sign this weekend, all eyes are on one man – President Vaclav Klaus of the Czech Republic.

The Czech parliament has already approved the treaty and Prime Minister Jan Fischer has said the country will sign this year. But Mr Klaus, a harsh critic of Lisbon, has so far refused to sign it. Czech ratification is currently on hold pending a new legal challenge filed by a group of eurosceptic senators. But as Rob Cameron reports now from Prague, the Czech president has given the first hint that he may be losing his battle against Lisbon.

Britain’s main opposition party the Conservatives have held their final party conference before national elections next year. And the resounding theme of the final day in the northen city of Manchester was how to fix what they call “broken Britain”.

And it’s a theme Manchester knows all about. The city suffered some of Britain's most violent turf wars, and gang-related gun crime became so commonplace the city was dubbed "Gunchester". But now the guns on Manchester's streets have all but fallen silent. Police take some of the credit after several high-profile convictions of gang ringleaders. But as Lars Bevanger now reports from Manchester, the real success story lies in the co-operation between police, voluntary workers and the local community.

After a series of corruption scandals surrounding the ruling conservatives, the Greek electorate has voted resoundingly for change in the country.

George Papandreou’s Socialist Party posted a convincing election victory last week and things are going to be very different in future. Our bemused Athens correspondent Malcolm Brabant has this postcard with his take on events.

Hundreds of dairy farmers protested outside European Union headquarters in Brussels this week as Agriculture ministers' met to discuss the crisis in the milk sector.

Farmers across Europe are unhappy at falling milk prices - a combination of high production, decreased demand and a phasing out of milk quotas has sent prices tumbling - down 40% this year alone. Yet the EU is insistent on scrapping the milk quotas as this promotes a freer market, said Sweden’s Agriculture Minister Eskil Erlandsson. Yet farmers say a framework is needed to stop over-production, which threatens livelihoods. Imogen Foulkes has this report from Switzerland, where many farmers say they face ruin.

The US and the European Union have only recently settled one of their longest running trade disputes… over US, hormone-treated beef.

After two decades, the EU is still refusing to import hormone treated American beef, but it has agreed to quadruple its import quotas for non-hormone US beef. So just why won’t Europeans eat beef treated with hormones? Eleanor Beardsley sends us this report on how Europeans prefer to eat and raise their cattle.

If that piece of gorgonzola you’ve got hiding at the back of the fridge seems a bit smelly just think what it would smell like if it contained bits of cheese that expired in 1980!

Rotten cheese recycled is just one of the food safety frauds uncovered by Italian authorities, according to two reports released recently. An Italian Government report released this week revealed that 12% of food samples tested by the Health Ministry in 2008 were unsafe. In the latest of a series of investigations police in Rome arrested four people on Tuesday after they found 60 tonnes of food contaminated with mice and bird excrement. Italian police say that the recent increase in confiscated food items demonstrates that their controls are effective rather than an increase in the risk, they also call for more preventive measures and a more active role to be taken by the European Food Safety Authority. Stephanie Raison sat at the table with authorities in Rome to find out how safe Italian food is.

Providing of course it’s within the use-by date, consuming food in places like Italy can have positive effects on your mental well-being.

According to Spanish researchers, individuals who follow a Mediterranean diet appear less likely to develop depression. They found depression was more than 30% less likely to develop in people who followed a diet high in vegetables, fruit and cereals, and low in red meat. Earlier, Rob Turner spoke to Professor Miguel Martinez-Gonzalez from the University of Navarra in Spain who helped compile the report. And he started by asking him how they came to their conclusions.

The humble cupcake has been around for a very long time but it's no longer being overlooked or taken for granted. Recently its popularity has soared, so much so that it's now a must-have fashion accessory.

Gourmet cupcake bakeries have sprung up in fashionable neighbourhoods of LA and New York, cupcakes are being given as gifts and scores of the tasty beauties are even arranged in tiers as an eye-catching replacement for the traditional wedding cake. Well the cupcake craze has spread across the Atlantic and one enterprising young American has opened her own bakery in Berlin. In an attempt to find out why the cupcake has caught on in Europe, and to satisfy his raging sweet tooth, Neale Lytollis went along to investigate.

It’s one of Europe’s longest running diplomatic disputes, but the big freeze in relations between Turkey and Armenia could be thawing out.

Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayip Erdogan has announced that an agreement to re-establish diplomatic ties with Armenia will be signed by the two countries foreign ministers next week on October 10. Turkey severed ties and closed its border in 1993 after Armenia fought a war with its ally Azerbaijan over the disputed Nagorno Karabakh enclave. But many obstacles still lie ahead before the opening of the border.

Report: Dorian Jones

Ten years after the EU introduced a common European Security and Defence Policy, ministers met in Sweden to discuss current challenges.

On the agenda for EU defence ministers and representatives from the European Commission and NATO were issues such as piracy, the Balkans and EU battlegroups. But the sticking point came as defence ministers affirmed their reluctance to send more troops to Afghanistan, even as NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen sought to assure US President Barack Obama that the war was a "team effort."

Report: Christoph Hasselbach

A British boy now living his life as a girl could soon follow in the footsteps of Kim Petras, a German pop sensation who was born male, but who fought hard for permission to have gender reassignment surgery.

For many young boys, going back to school after the summer holidays means a new hairstyle. But for one 12-year-old boy in Britain, the transformation was a bit more radical: long hair and pigtails and a new girl’s name. The youngster, who cannot be named, is now preparing for sex change surgery. Though he won't be allowed hormone treatment in the UK until passing puberty, he could become the world's youngest transsexual, following in the footsteps of Germany's Kim Petras. Petras first hit the headlines in 2006 at age 13, when she appeared in a documentary claiming that she had been born in the wrong body. Back then, Kim was a boy called Tim who wanted a sex change, despite being so young. Now, at age 16, Petras has completed her gender reassignment and become the world’s youngest known transsexual. But that’s not the only reason she's shot to fame: Petras is also an aspiring pop singer. With over a million hits on her MySpace page, the successful release of her single "Fade Away" last year, and a contract with Joyce Records, she's set to become a star.

Report: Michelle Martin

According to the Dublin Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Ireland is currently going through an equine crisis.

The DSPCA is reporting a huge increase in the number of horses being abandoned or mistreated because of the recession. The most recent incident involved a pony being sold at a horse fair to an 11-year-old boy for just 8 euros ($12). Concerned about the pony's condition, the boy handed it over to the DSPCA, which is now caring for the animal.

Report: Anne-Marie McNerney

Conservationists in Greece are concerned about the country's population of indigenous brown bears, which are facing several threats to their existence.

Greek animal conservationists are trying to stop the bears from gathering food in mountain villages as they fear the animals are in danger of no longer being truly wild. Additionally, forest fires have made many bears homeless. But the story of one small bear family has become a cause celebre.

Report: Malcolm Brabant

After a fairly underwhelming election campaign, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has promised that the aftermath will be anything but boring.

Horse-trading has begun in earnest as Merkel’s CDU party thrashes out a coalition treaty with the new partners in government, the pro-business FDP. Despite losing voters, Merkel’s hand has been strengthend by the performance of the FDP and their flamboyant leader, Guido Westerwelle. Merkel is now much the senior partner in the new coalition. But as kingmakers, the FDP will want to push their ideas for radical reform. And with major international issues such as the financial crisis, climate change and Afghanistan to be resolved, the new government needs to be assembled and sworn in as soon as possible. We asked Berlin-based political analyst Heinz Schulte if there really are exciting times ahead for German politics.

Interviewer: Rob Turner

After Germany's center-left suffered an election disaster, Britian’s ruling Labour Party is hoping to avoid a similar fate when the country goes to the polls next year.

Embattled Prime Minister Gordon Brown has rallied his supporters at the Labour Party’s annual conference. Brown delivered his last speech to delegates before campaigning gets underway, and it was seen in many quarters as a "make or break" moment. Under the slogan "Operation Fightback," Brown told activists that in spite of poor poll ratings, the party was far from finished. He unveiled a string of new policies, and claimed that Labour has every chance of winning the next general election which is expected next summer.

Report: Stephen Beard

Russian oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky, jailed in 2003 for alleged fraud, is on trial once again in Moscow.

Together with a business partner, Khodorkovsky is being accused of having stolen all the oil produced by his own company in the course of six years. The accusations are absurd, according to his lawyers, who are surprised and dismayed by the lack of attention the trial has received from Western governments. It’s a sharp contrast with Khodorkovsky's first trial, which the outside world largely denounced as a sham.

Report: Geert Groot Koerkamp

In Italy, a movement demanding freedom of speech has been gaining ground, with a landmark march planned in central Rome.

Organizers say the march is meant to draw attention to what they describe as a dangerous and growing threat to media freedom from billionaire media mogul Prime Minister Silvio Bersluconi. Berlusconi owns or controls most of the TV stations in Italy. This year, the country slipped to the 73rd place in a ranking measuring freedom of speech, losing its classification as a free-speech country, to a country with only partial freedom of speech.

Report: Megan Williams

French police cleared out a camp of migrants near the port city of Calais this week. The camp, which was known as “the jungle,” had become a festering sore for the French government.

The camp was a point of contention between Britain and France as thousands of migrants who sought shelter there tried to sneak aboard trucks and ferries to England, which lies just across the Channel. Inside Europe visited the camp just hours before it was destroyed.

Report: Eleanor Beardsley

Flavio Briatore, the former boss of Renault, crashed out of Formula One this week. He was banned from the sport for his involvement in fixing last year's Singapore Grand Prix.

Briatore and his chief engineer Pat Symonds conspired with driver Nelson Piquet junior to cause a deliberate crash in the race. Briatore is a flamboyant figure, who's rarely out of the headlines – particularly in his home country Italy. Helen Seeney asked our Rome correspondent Megan Williams how Italians were reacting to his ban from Formula One.

When you shop for groceries in your local supermarket, do you spare a thought for producers in poorer countries? If you do, it’s likely that at one time or another you’ve bought goods bearing the Fair Trade label.

Spearheaded in the 1960s, Fair Trade products aim to help producers in developing countries and support sustainability. Well, Germany is currently hosting Fairwoche, or Fair Week. It's a nationwide initiative which aims to raise awareness of Fair Trade products. It started out as a week long initiative to raise awareness of Fair Trade products – but now runs for a fortnight.

Report: Neale Lytollis

In France, a retired police commissioner is causing a stir with a book he’s just published. He says it exposes the excessive number of traffic fines issued by the police.

In this week's Postcard from Europe, our France correspondent John Laurenson talks about the sometimes strained relations between drivers and the ‘gendarmes’.

Russian students in need of a course on business administration no longer need to travel all the way to the UK or the US. A new business school near Moscow offers a 16 month MBA course.

Students from Russia and abroad get the chance to meet the country’s business elite and learn how to do business in Russia and other emerging markets. The initiative has the full support of the Kremlin. And last weekend, President Dmitry Medvedev went in person to shake hands with Russia’s first MBA students.

Report: Geert Groot Koerkamp

Each year the 26th of September is marked as the European Day of Languages, an initiative designed to encourage Europeans to learn more languages. And there's a brand new tongue that's entered Europe's linguistic landscape – it's called Polglish.

As the name suggests it's a mixture of Polish sentences and English expressions. And it's developed in the UK, as a result of the million or so Poles who have headed there in recent years in search of work.

Report: Rafal Kiepuszewski

September isn’t the start of the calendar year but it often feels like it in TV land. The new television season traditionally kicks off in the autumn, but this year finances are changing the face of televison.

A fresh line-up of dramas, sitcoms, and other shows will beam into homes throughout Europe. But the offerings may look a little different this season due to the global financial crisis.

Report: Nancy Greenleese

Although Jane Austen died in 1817, almost 200 years ago, her books are still in print and countless movies and television adaptations have added to her fame. The city of Bath in England, where Jane lived for about 5 years, holds a festival every year to honor its most famous former resident.

The festival celebrates Jane, her books and her connection with Bath, but it's also a joyous tribute to Regency life and style. Thousands of Austen fans descend on the spa city each year, many in period dress. They spend months planning their Regency costumes, so that they can make their entrance in style.

Report: Mariana Schroeder

If you haven't yet found that someone special, you should hop on a plane to Ireland. The country's annual matchmaking festival is in full swing in the village of Lisdoonvarna.

It's often billed as Europe's largest singles event and thousands of visitors from around the world flock there for this dancing, drinking and dating fair.

Report: Don Duncan

A year ago this week the investment bank Lehmann Brothers collapsed, prompting what's seen as the official start of the global financial crisis. This led to widespread calls for a reform of the banking sector.

Next week, the G20 group of richest nations will meet in Pittsburgh to discuss the state of the economy. Bankers bonuses will be high on the agenda. And the EU will urge the G20 to maintain stimulus spending that has prompted some signs of global recovery. But has the financial sector learnt from the lessons of Lehmann? Not according to a new report by the Institute for Public Policy Research in London. Rob Turner spoke to their senior economist Tony Dolphin, who compiled the report, and asked him whether banks and governments had taken necessary steps to resolve the crisis.

A spate of suicides at France Telecom has put the spotlight on alleged stress and depression among many French workers. This week the European telecommunications giant promised to change its ways after accusations of management intimidation amid a relentless results-driven culture.

23 workers had killed themselves in the past 18 months at France Telecom; it's thought that across the country one worker a day committs suicide. It's a very different picture from the cliched image of France as a place where people work short hours and take long lunch breaks.

Report: Alasdair Sandford

This week Spain hosted a controversial bull-lancing celebration, which critics have labelled the 'cruelest' in the country.

The animal was killed by spear-bearing men on horseback after a 30 minute chase, but it was just one of an estimated 13,000 bulls that die in a variety of imaginative and painful ways at cultural events every year. But resistance to these sport is on the rise.

Report: Hazel Healy

A local municipal election in a small northern English town is not normally headline-grabbing material. But then, the mayoral election in Doncaster was no normal local election. And the winner is no ordinary mayor.

He's been called a far-right populist, homophobic and racist. Others say he speaks for the common man and woman in a country which has lost faith in politicians. He was elected on a promise to end bureaucracy and fight political correctness. Peter Davies is nothing but controversial.

Report: Lars Bevanger

The attention that the local election in the small English town of Doncaster has been receiving is in stark contrast to the coverage, or lack of it, surrounding the upcoming general election in Germany.

The country goes to the polls in a week on Sunday, September 27. But Inside Europe's Berlin correspondent Neale Lytollis has been taken aback by the lack of interest surrounding the fact. So much so, that he sent us this postcard with his thoughts on the matter.

Top bosses from the search engine Google have been flying in and out of Brussels in the past weeks to try to get European libraries and publishers to put their books online.

Google started its books project five years ago in the US and wants to extend its massive digital database of out-of-print books to include millions of European titles. But Europeans are sceptical, fearing that Google will wield too much control over the world of books.

Report: Vanessa Mock

The automobile industry has been hit harder than most sectors during the financial crisis, which started a year ago this week. Many governments have had to introduce cash for clunkers schemes to get people buying new cars.

Not the best circumstances for the world's largest motor show, which started in Frankfurt this week. There, manufacturers are very keen to show off their new wares. Rob Turner spoke to Eckehart Rotter, spokesman for the German Association of the Automotive Industry, which organises the Franfurt Motor Show, and asked him if there was room for optimism at all?

One form of transport that's not looking to scale down has hit the ground running in the UK. It's as American as Uncle Sam and mom's apple pie, and now the Greyhound bus service has just arrived in Britain.

The service – which was bought by a British company two years ago – had its inaugural journey in the UK this week. Passengers were ferried eighty miles up from the south coast city of Southampton to London. So, ninety-five years after Greyhound was born in the US, the Brits have been "riding the daw" on their home territory. Or have they?

Report: Stephen Beard

France is home to Europe's largest Muslim community, estimated at five million people. They are the country's second largest religious group.

Though most remain largely secular, religious practice appears to be on the increase – especially among the young. This is particularly evident during the month of Ramadan, which ends September 21.

Report: Genevieve Oger

Two hundred and fifty years ago Arthur Guinness put his name on the lease that give him the use of the rundown brewery at St. Jamess Gate. That was the beginning of the worlds most famous dark beer or porter.

The lease, signed on December 31, 1759 was for 9,000 years, a clear sign that Arthur was confident the drink made of water, roasted barley, hops and yeast and named Guinness after himself would be around for a long time. Now 250 years later the Dublin-based brewery is celebrating the anniversary with a year-long bash in which many a pint will be raised, the celebrations reaches its highpoint next week on September 24, Arthur Guinness's birthday.

Report: Mariana Schroeder

There are just two weeks to go until elections here in Germany and the country’s far-left "Linke", or Left party, has received an unexpected ratings boost.

An airstrike last week on the northern Afghan region of Kundus left scores of people - including civilians - dead or badly injured. The airstrike was ordered by the Bundeswehr and may have played into the hands of the only mainstream political party in Germany that's been demanding the immediate and complete withdrawal of German troops from Afghanistan. The question is whether anti-Afghanistan sentiment is enough to shift votes on the day.

Report: Tanya Wood

Germany's Nazi past overshadows the public debate over the country's role in current conflicts. But soldiers who have died in those conflicts have, until now, not been commemorated.

Since the Second World War, Berlin has been reticent over displays of military pride. But this week a memorial was inaugurated to more than three thousand German soldiers killed in service since 1955. Inside Europe attended the opening of the cenotaph in Berlin.

Report: Neale Lytollis

It's now 8 years since the 9/11 attacks in the US which resulted in the deaths of nearly 3,000 people. The events of that day have had a profound impact on international politics and security since then.

Here in Europe, the EU has introduced a series of new security measures aimed at preventing terrorist attacks. But many feel that civil liberties have been the price to pay for added safety.

Report: Rob Turner

The Irish go to the polls on October 2nd to vote again on the Lisbon Treaty after rejecting it in a referendum last year. This time, women could prove the deciding factor.

The Treaty is designed to streamline decision making in the 27 nation European Union. And all EU member states must ratify the treaty before it can come into force. When the Irish voted against it last year, women were one of the largest sections of No voters. So have the concerns of these women been addressed in the latest campaign?

Report: Anne-Marie McNerney

When Romania makes the news it's usually in connection with corruption, street kids, Ceaucescu – and of course, Dracula.

It's one of the youngest members of the European Union, having joined the bloc in 2007, nearly two decades after the fall of communism. But most foreigners are fairly ignorant about Romanian culture and what life is like there. In this week's Postcard from Europe, Zack Baddorf tell us more about Romania and how it’s dealing with the world’s financial crisis.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy is back from holiday - and already immersed in controversy. A factory visit brought accusations of manipulation amid claims that workers were vetted for their size before appearing alongside the rather short Sarkozy.

Yet overall his personal standing among public opinion is holding up despite the economic crisis - helped by his tough stance over bankers' bonuses and an opposition still in disarray. The months ahead, though, will be a testing time for Mr Sarkozy and his government - with major challenges over a controversial new environmental tax, rising unemployment, and public sector reforms.

Report: Alasdair Sandford

It's not just heads of governments who are having to knuckle down after the summer holidays. Students are also heading back to school. But here in Germany there are concerns about the number of teachers who'll be joining them.

The country's high schools and trade schools are short of tens of thousands of teachers which has serious consequences for the education system. And the teacher shortage is expected to increase dramatically in the future.

Report: Kate Hairsine

It was just a few weeks ago that we said farewell on the programme to Danny Wood, our correspondent in Spain. After 7 years of reporting from Madrid, Danny decided to move on to new pastures and it hasn't taken him long to find them.

Last weekend, Danny and his two brothers, Sam and Ben, hopped on their bicyles in southern Spain. Their destination is Zama in Tunisia. They're following the route that the Carthaginian general, Hannibal, took more than 2,200 years ago when he took his elephants over the alps to fight the legions of the Roman Empire. This modern day expedition is expected to take 10 weeks and the Wood Brothers are producing a documentary about their journey. It's only Week 1 but Helen Seeney caught up with Danny to see how things were going.

The Czech Republic and the Principality of Liechtenstein established diplomatic relations on Tuesday, marking an important step forward in a decades-old property dispute.

The two countries have had no official ties since World War II, when Czechoslovakia seized land and castles belonging to the aristocratic House of Liechtenstein.

Report: Rob Cameron

While the royals of Liechtenstein ruminate over what they've lost, their cousins, the King and Queen of Sweden, are thinking about what they're about to gain. Namely two additions to the family.

Next June, Crown Princess Victoria will marry her commoner sweetheart Daniel Westling after a seven-year romance. And last month Victoria's younger sister Madeleine also announced her engagement. The country's royal family is known for its down to earth style which may account for its popularity. The practical Swedes have some interesting ideas about the role that kings, queens and princesses should play in modern times.

Report: Susan Stone

European leaders including Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel attended ceremonies in Gdansk, Poland this week to mark the 70th anniversary of World War Two.

In a conflict unsurpassed in its brutality, which lasted nearly six years and left 60 million people dead, each nation has its own version of the events. Seventy years on, it's clear that the world is still far from a common narrative about the war.

Report: Adam Easton

In Britain, more than 2,000 people attended a World War Two commemorative service at St. Paul's Cathedral.

They were marking the 70th anniversary of a key event on the home front during the War: the evacuation of more than three million children away from cities and towns to the safety of the countryside. The first wave was known as Operation Pied Piper.

Starting this week, traditional light bulbs are being phased out in the 27 countries of the European Union.

The incandescent bulb, which hasn't changed much since Thomas Edison invented it 130 years ago, is today considered an energy guzzler. Europe will replace the bulbs as part of its plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions 20 percent by the year 2020. But are consumers going to cope, or be incandescent with rage?

Many holiday destinations in Greece are struggling because of the international financial crisis.

Latest figures suggest the lack of visitors could push the country into recession. But one island is reporting its best season in years, thanks to what's become known as the "Mamma Mia" effect. It's the island of Skopelos, where most of the smash hit summer movie of last year was filmed. But the island's success is not all it seems.

The opulent Parisian suburb of Neuilly-sur-Seine doesn't normally need a film to make it attractive to visitors or keep it in the headlines.

This is President Nicolas Sarkozy's hometown and the place he cut his political teeth as mayor. But the affluent area of town is the setting for the surprise cinema hit of the summer in France. And "Neuilly Sa Mère" stars an insufferable teenage version of Nicolas Sarkozy, complete with platform heels, slick slogans and permanent Ray Bans.

The "yes" and "no" camps in Ireland are stepping up their campaigns, as the country prepares to vote for a second time on the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty.

Last year, Ireland rejected the treaty designed to streamline EU decision-making. But it will vote again in one month's time after winning concessions on key policy areas, including military neutrality and retaining an Irish EU commissioner. Opinion, though, is still heavily divided.

British scientists are to begin work on a revolutionary project to record three-dimensional models of world heritage sites so that they can be re-created if they fall victim to climate change, natural disaster or war and terrorism.

The first project is about to start very soon. A team of six scientists from Historic Scotland and the Glasgow school of Art are heading to South Dakota in the US to shoot laser beams at Mount Rushmore. They plan to create a 3D model, accurate to within 3mm.

Rob Turner spoke to Doug Pritchard, head of Visualisation, Digital Design Studio at the Glasgow School of Art, and asked him how it all works.

Restoring cultural heritage has become a mission in life for two German women.

They've opened a distinctive museum putting their findings on show. Travelers to Germany have seen their fair share of galleries and exhibitions - from Bauhaus to Beer. But the two Berliners have put together a whole new "type" of collection that runs the gamut from A-Z. It may very well be the world's only museum of letters.

Sitting in a café in France is part of every good tourist cliché.

But the reality is that locals are doing that less and less. And the number of cafés is dwindling. In 1960, there were about 200,000 across the country. Fifty years later, there are only around 40,000 left and two of them close every day. Could it mean that France's café culture is dying out?

The start of the football season is normally a cause for celebration in the soccer-mad German town of Gelsenkirchen.

This is where FC Schalke 04, one of Germany's most popular football clubs, is based. But controversy engulfed the club before a ball was kicked in anger. There was a sudden outcry among Muslim Schalke fans about a reference to the Prophet Mohammed in the club's anthem. They claim that it's blasphemous and that it ridicules their prophet. Schalke hired an expert in Islamic Studies to investigate the accusations leveled at the song. He came to the conclusion that it is neither offensive nor blasphemous and so the club has now decided to keep the song.

Scotland has been weathering an international furore over the release of the Lockerbie bomber.

Abdel Basset al-Megrahi was convicted and jailed for the bombing of a Pan Am flightover Scotland in 1988. 270 people died in the attack, most of them Americans. Scotland – which is part of the United Kingdom but governs itself - decided to set al-Megrahi free. And that has enfuriated the United States.

Report: Stephen Beard

Scientists are warning that the Greek capital Athens could become as hot as Middle Eastern cities as a result of this week's devastating wildfires.

For five days, the fires raged out of control through the city's north and eastern suburbs, adding to the environmental damage caused by the terrible conflagrations in 2007. Greece's conservative government is facing growing criticism for its handling of the crisis.

Report: Malcolm Brabant

The future of German car maker Opel remains as unclear as ever. After parent company General Motors declared bankruptcy, it just seemed a matter of days who would buy Opel. This week though, GM has put a spanner in the ongoing discussions by hinting it might like to keep its profitable German subsidiary.

After an emergency meeting on Tuesday, the German Economic Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg said the government was still keen on selling to the Canadian-Austrian parts manufacturer Magna. In the US however, President Barack Obama has said a final decision should be down the company alone.

Rob Turner spoke to Marcus Walker from the Wall Street Journal in Berlin and asked him how far politics should get involved in the debate over GM and Opel?

In the midst of a global economic downtown, you might think an arts festival would be struggling, but performers and festival officials say it's just the opposite.

Performers of all stripes descended on Scotland's capital this month for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe where they showcase their acts in effort to make a buck and perhaps even 'get noticed.' "The Fringe" began as a funky alternative to the more traditional Edinburgh International Festival, but now it is nearly as popular, if not more so, generating around 80 million pounds a year for the City.

Report: Paige Kollock

German chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin will be among the guests commemorating the seventieth anniversary of the start of the Second World War in Gdansk in Poland next Tuesday.

The war started when a German battleship opened fire on a small Polish military depot on the Westerplatte peninsula in Gdansk. The barracks was expected to hold out for a matter of hours but the skill and bravery of the Polish soldiers saw them resist for a week before they surrendered. There still are veterans from that first battle of the Second World War.

Report: Adam Easton

The aftermath of the second world war is still being felt here in Europe. War crimes are still being investigated. One such example comes from Tuscany in 1944.

The 16th division of the Schutzstaffel – the SS – was active in the rebellious Italian region, leading a bloody war in the Tuscan hills. Civilian massacres were part of every day life. Former SS junior squad leader Heinz Fritz Traeger, who hails from Duisburg in western Germany, was amongst the soldiers in the division. In Italy, Traeger has twice been tried in absentia and given two life sentences, but here in Germany a court in Munich has recently acquitted him of war crimes, citing a lack of evidence.

Report: Mark Hallam

Investigations into war crimes are not confined to large global conflicts such as World War II. In recent years places like Cambodia, Darfur, Bosnia, Sudan have all shared a common sadness, man's inhumanity to man.

Once the violence has stopped, it is necessary to investigate what happened and find out who is responsible. So where do you learn the skills necessary to investigate war crimes or genocide?

Report: Andy Valvur

Ukraine marks 18 years of independence from Soviet rule this week, but relations with Russia remain difficult. The two countries have had major disputes over supplies of natural gas and a new report from Moscow this week alleges that Ukrainian soldiers fought alongside Georgians during last years brief war.

The shadow of its former Communist past still hangs heavy in Kyiv. And as Russian President Dmitry Medvedev effectively broke off relations with Ukraine's pro-Western leadership, Moscow still seems determined to have a say in how things are run in Kyiv.

Rob Turner spoke to Roman Goncharenko from Deutsche Welle’s Ukrainian service and asked him just how "independent" from Russia Ukraine really is 18 years on?

The city of Grasse in the south of France is legendary in the perfume industry. Since the 16th century, the building blocks of perfume have been grown, extracted, and processed there.

The month of August has traditionally been filled with the scent of freshly picked jasmine, as the harvest gets underway. However, growing globalization means that now many natural fragrance ingredients are likely to come from less expensive sources in India, Bulgaria, and Turkey. But there are still some family farms in the region doing things the old fashioned way.

Report: Susan Stone

The streets of Berlin are usually filled with a disctinctive aroma all year round. But there probably won’t be a perfume devoted to the currywurst just yet.

The mix of sausage, tomato sauce and curry powder is one of Germany’s most iconic snacks, and now has an entire museum devoted solely to it in Berlin. Germany and sausages go hand in hand, and while the Currywurst may be a Berlin speciality, it's popular enough elsewhere to ensure that around 800 million are sold in the country each year. Last week, a museum on the Currywurst opened its doors to the public in Berlin.

Report: Neale Lytollis

In recession hit Britain the old saying look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves has never been more valid. But the city of London says it is owed millions of pounds by foreign embassies that are refusing to pay the congestion charge for vehicles to drive in the center of the city.

The row began when the United States decided not to pay the charge, insisting it is a tax, from which diplomats are exempt. But a long list of other embassies have now joined in, with Germany among the worst offenders. Britain says its diplomats pay road tolls and charges in other countries, and is stepping up its efforts to get the unpaid bills settled. Olly Barratt reports from London.

On a hot summer’s day, like it is at the moment here in Germany, the thought of a cool beer after finishing work is one that appeals to many people. And while some would think about the effect the beer was having on their ability to walk in a straight line, their “water footprint” would not be too high up on the list of concerns.

Yet water is as much an issue as CO2 and greenhouse gases are when it comes to climate change. The idea of compensating for your carbon footprint is fairly widespread nowadays, but the water footprint has been relatively unknown: until now. The World Wildlife Fund has just released the first ever corporate water footprint study. It analyses the total water use involved in producing beer in the Czech Republic - including the pilsner which provided the blueprint for the majority of the world's commercial beers. The study was presented at this week’s annual World Water Week in Stockholm. Earlier, Rob Turner caught up with Dr Stuart Ore from WWF in Stockholm, who helped compile the report and started by asking him what a water footprint was.

Now, without wanting to sound too morbid, you might think that once you pass away, it’s time to stop worrying about the damage you might be doing to the environment. Not so in the UK. 70% of all funerals in Britain are cremations, a higher percentage than anywhere else in the world.

This has turned into a pollution problem because of mercury emissions from dental fillings which melt in the process. Now "green" or "eco-burials" are gaining popularity in the UK. It is estimated that by the end of 2010 around 12% of all UK burials will be "green". Lars Bevanger paid a visit to Manchester, England, to find out what constitutes an "eco-funeral", and why this industry is catching on.

For 2 years now, there have been no border checks between Germany and Poland. Without troublesome passport controls and the long queues at the crossing points Germans and Poles are closer to each other than ever before. And yet – prejudices and stereotypes still divide people on both sides of the rivers Oder and Neiße.

Now though, young film fans from Germany and Poland have set out to change all that. This summer a group of about 20 set off together in order to bring the two neighbouring countries closer together. In the tradition of a travelling cinema they screen German and Polish short movies in the border region – not in major cities, but in villages. The cinema equipment travels in an old, converted trailer and the young organisers cycle their way from village to village. From Görlitz in the south of the border region, Nadine Wojcik followed the tour of the short film project "Kinomobilny" up to Swinemünde on the northern island of Usedom.

In the past decade or so, Vienna has gone from being the rather stilted Austrian capital to one of the most exciting European centres for design.

The calendar year is studded with design fairs and exhibits and the city streets are bursting with museums, galleries and stores exhibiting the latest creations of Viennese designers. One store in particular stands out. And not just for its design – though its won prizes for those. But also for its second chances. Megan Williams reports from Vienna.

Britain has been drawn into the debate over President Obama’s healthcare reforms. Critics have pointed to the UK’s National Health Service as a warning.

They argue that a universal, taxpayer-funded system – like Britain’s – would be a disaster for the US. Some even describe the NHS as "Orwellian" and "Evil". All this has triggered a strong reaction back in Britain…with most British politicians rallying to support the NHS. From London Stephen Beard reports.

After the bloodiest bombing in years in Russia's North Caucasus region, President Dmitry Medvedev has ordered a battle-hardened Russian general to put troubled Ingushetia “back in order".

A suicide bombing at a police headquarters in the southern republic of Ingushetia claimed at least 20 lives and left well over a hundred people injured. The attack followed a recent spate of murders of human rights activists in neighbouring Chechnya and has undermined claims by the Kremlin that it had restored order to the North Caucasus. Islamic militancy is gaining ground in the region in the face of biting poverty and a brutal government crackdown. It’s a situation similar to that in Afghanistan in the 1990s, after the end of decades long Russian occupation of the country. Earlier, Rob Turner asked Lawrence Sheets, Caucasus director at the International Crisis Group in Georgia, whether the North Caucasus region was turning into a new Afghanistan.

If you didn’t blink and miss it, all eyes in Berlin this week were on Usain Bolt as he smashed the world 100m sprint record. The German capital is playing host to the 2009 World Athletics Championships.

2,500 athletes from 215 member countries are competing in 47 events at Berlin's Olympic Stadium and crowds of up to 500,000 are expected. And, in addition to the excitement of the track and field events, there's also a 2-week cultural programme taking place right in the middle of the city and our reporter, the super fit Neale Lytollis, went along to check it out.

A week is a long time in politics goes the saying, so in 7 years of reporting political events, our Madrid correspondent Danny Wood has certainly had plenty to talk about.

From bombings to uncovering secrets of the Franco Regime, from dramatic changes of government to the David Beckham circus pitching up in town, Danny has covered the lot. Now though, he’s upping sticks and heading to the US, but not before sending us a final postcard with memories of his time in Spain.

As the holiday season reaches its peak, the armed, separatist group ETA has targeted Spain’s Balaeric Islands with a spate of recent bombings on the island of Mallorca.

And as tourists’ concerns grow, the Federation of German Travel Agencies has sent a letter to the authorities there expressing condemnation for what it calls ‘cowardly’ bomb attacks and pledging German loyalty to its most popular holiday destination. More Germans - and British - choose to take their holidays in Spain than anywhere else in the world. But Basque militants have been very active in recent weeks, in spite of the Spanish government’s claim, for many years, that ETA is very weak. Danny Wood has this report on Western Europe’s last militant, independence movement.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has marked the 60th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions this week with a plea to all countries to take steps to ensure that civilians and other non-combatants are protected during armed conflict.

The Geneva Conventions are designed to bring some rules to the conduct of war, especially to the protection of civilians. And here in Europe, they were certainly put to the test a year ago during the war in the Caucasus. So how well do they really work in modern conflicts? Imogen Foulkes traveled with the International Committee of the Red Cross to Georgia and to South Ossetia to find out.

The unspoiled coast of Cornwall in the south-west of England is a magnet for holidaymakers. The beautiful River Fal is usually bobbing with private yachts and pleasure craft.

But in recent months the river has attracted another sort of visitor. Giant ocean–going cargo ships have been flocking to the estuary, looking for a place to park up and sit out the recession. The River Fal – it seems – is not just a tourist destination but a safe haven in the current economic storm. From Truro in Cornwall Stephen Beard reports.

German politics has never been renowned as a hot-bed of humour. And as the run-up to national elections in September intensifies, campaigning has stuck to the usual tried and tested formula.

But one new party, called Die Partei, or the party, is trying to break the mould. Founded by the satirical magazine, Titanic, it pledges free sunbeds for all and value added tax to be slashed on high-heeled shoes. And in a dig at western German prejudices towards the East, it promises to rebuild the Berlin Wall. All that certainly gave our Berlin correspondent Neale Lytollis reason enough to send us this postcard.

Cutting greenhouse gas emissions to slow global warming and adapting to impacts such as droughts and rising sea levels are likely to cost about $300 billion a year. That is the message this week from the UN’s top climate change official, Yvo de Boer.

At the latest round of climate talks here in Bonn, de Boer added that the cuts in emissions by 2020 so far promised by rich nations were "miles away" from long-term goals. With attention being focused once again on the politicians, we wondered how ordinary people get involved and learn about climate change. Andy Valvur found one interesting place in The Netherlands.

Ecologists in Greece are accusing a government run marine park of not doing enough to protect the endangered logger head turtle.

They say the park is failing to stop tourist sight seeing boats from harassing the turtles as they try to come ashore to lay their eggs. From the island of Zakynthos, Malcolm Brabant reports

The world famous Edinburgh International festival kicks off this weekend. But the biggest arts festival in the world, with theatre, comedy, music, dance and exhibitions has long been underway in the same city.

The Edinburgh Fringe plays alongside the main event but attracts more visitors and is in fact the number-one tourist attraction in the whole of Britain. For the performers, success at the fringe can open the door to a golden world of fame and fortune. The Fringe spawned the careers of the likes of Derek Jacobi, Tom Stoppard and Monty Python. And this year’s festival opened with sales at a record high for more than 2,000 shows from 60 countries, all hoping for a shot at the big-time. Among them is a new comedy variety troupe from London, called Comedy 2.0. Earlier Rob Turner spoke to star performer Syd Swift and asked him what the atmosphere is like at the Fringe?

Art is becoming a hot ticket in Amsterdam’s world famous red light district, one of the city’s biggest – and most seedy tourist attractions. Women display themselves in windows adorned with red lights, enticing clients in.

Close to the main red light district is a series of smaller, quieter streets used by local ‘clients’. Those spaces are now being redeveloped – the prostitutes have been moved on and an artistic collaboration between the council and local artists has seen the spaces temporarily developed to reflect those changes in the use of the space. Paddy Maguire went along to find out more and began by meeting artist Nils Vis.

Tarzan of the Apes, a clean-shaved Englishman who becomes king of the African jungle, was created by the American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs almost a hundred years ago.

Rice Burroughs wrote 24 Tarzan stories and there have been 42 Tarzan films. Now, this first ever American comic book hero is the subject of an exhibition at Paris’s new and rather magnificent ethnological museum the Quai Branly. The show brings together comic books, film extracts, stuffed animals and African artefacts that tell us about Tarzan and about the way westerners see – or used to see - Africa. John Laurenson went down to take a look.

The British economy may be on the verge of recovering. Although unemployment continues to rise in the UK, there are some signs that the worst downturn in decades could be coming to an end. And one area of activity in particular is twitching and showing signs of life.

Output from both manufacturing and services is up. The pound is performing well on the currency markets. The banks seem to be among the first to benefit from the better conditions. Bailed out and propped up by the British taxpayer, the banking industry appears to have stabilized. And the bankers are preparing to rake in those controversial bonuses once again.

Report: Stephen Beard

A year ago this week, Georgia launched a large-scale attack on the breakaway region of South Ossetia, heralding the start of the Russian-Georgian war.

The conflict lasted 10 days. After the conflict ended, Russia officially recognised South Ossetia and another Georgian region, Abkhazia, as independent states. This represented a real blow for Georgia and still today, there's very little contact between Georgia and these territories. Yet there is a small group of young people trying to establish dialogue.

Report: Rob Turner

One year ago Russia and Georgia became entangled in a five day war over the breakaway Georgian province of South Ossetia, in which hundreds of civilians lost their lives. In the wake of the war, Russia recognized the independence of both South Ossetia and another region of Georgia, Abkhazia, a move that was either condemned or ignored by most other countries.

Russian troops are still stationed in the two self-styled republics. On the eve of the first anniversary of the war, tension has mounted again, increasing for a flare-up of the conflict.

Report: Geert Groot Koerkamp

There are just 7 weeks to go until Germany’s federal elections. And politicians and organisations are pulling out the stops to get Germans to actually go to the polls.

One organisation, the German Centre for Political Education, has just launched a celebrity radio campaign. Around 160 celebrities have taken part, urging the public to make their vote count.

Report: Tanya Wood

The Republic of Moldova lies between Ukraine and Romania. It's a former Soviet Republic and gained its independence in 1991. Moldova's been in the news recently because of elections in which pro-Western opposition parties gained an upper hand over the ruling Communists.

But the country is a largely unknown spot on the map – usually described as the Europe's poorest country and one of it's most corrupt. Miles Ashdown has this postcard about life in this country of about 4.5 million people.

Italians are known for enjoying a glass of wine or two with lunch or dinner. But drinking is usually in moderation. Getting drunk is frowned upon. But that’s changing among teenagers.

A growing youth binge drinking problem has prompted the city of Milan to take action. For a four month trial period it's banning Italians under 16 from drinking in public or buying alcohol. The violators’ parents face hefty fines. And those who sell or give alcohol to the teens will be punished. Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has praised the initiative and says he'd like to see it introduced nationwide.

Report: Nancy Greenleese

50 years is a long time to wait to join a club. But that's precisely how long it's been since Turkey announced its application to join what was then the European Economic Community.

Back in 1959, Ankara's bid was turned down. And it was only in 1999 that Turkey won formal status as a candidate for membership of what had become the European Union. It was not until 2005 that accession negotiations got underway. Supporters of Turkey's bid to join the EU say it's given impetus to reforms in the country. But for many this 50th anniversary is a bitter one. Ayhan Simsek is with Deutsche Welle's Turkish Service. Helen Seeney asked him how the majority of Turks see their chances of joining the bloc?

The annual world congress of the artificial language Esperanto has been held in the north-eastern Polish city of Bialystok. This was the birthplace of the man who developed Esperanto, the Jewish ophthalmologist Ludwik Zamenhoff.

Critics say that Esperanto has never become the world language Zamenhoff dreamed it would be. But growing numbers of people the world over are busy learning the language. And now the city of Bialystok is finding new ways of marketing its Esperanto connection.

Report: Rafal Kiepuszewski

Language can sometimes be a divisive force. Take Belgium: the country has long experienced linguistic and cultural tensions between two distinct communities: the Flemish-speaking north and the French-speaking south. At times the rivalry between the two groups has threatened to tear Belgium apart.

What's less well known is that Belgium's third official language is German. There's a thriving community of German speakers along Belgium's eastern border. And despite a troubled past, it's especially committed to keeping this divided nation together.

Report: Nina-Maria Potts

An ambitious, public bike rental scheme called Velib is celebrating its second anniversary this summer in Paris.

The bikes have proved extremely popular: so much so that the scheme is going to be extended to the city's inner suburbs over the coming months. The citywide fleet currently consists of 20,000 bikes and nearly 1500 docking stations. The only problem is, Velib is as popular with vandals as it is with commuters.

Report: Eleanor Beardsley

As of this weekend, NATO will have a new man in charge. The former Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen succeeds Jaap de Hoop Scheffer as the next Secretary-General of the military alliance.

The appointment of a Danish chief caused controversy, especially in the muslim world, after the row over the Mohammed cartoons. And feelings are especially sensitive as Rasmussen takes the reigns just as NATO forces are involved in heavy fighting in Afghanistan. With casualty figures rising all the time, will Rasmussen have any time to settle in? That’s the question Rob Turner put earlier to security and defence consultant Heinz Schulte.

In Moldova, a former Soviet satellite wedged between Ukraine and Romania, opposition parties have won a combined majority of Parliamentary seats after a nationwide election Wednesday.

Pro-Western parties unexpectedly defeated the ruling Communist Party in renewed elections, after polls in April, resulted in charges of vote rigging and violent protests. The Communists did poll the highest votes of a single party, but its share of around 45 percent was exceeded by the tally of four main opposition parties combined. Miles Ashdown reports from Chisinau, Moldova’s capital.

A cash-strapped former Soviet republic needs to step up reforms before it can expect any more financial help. That’s the message the European Union sent to Belarus this week.

The Belarussian Foreign Minister, Sergei Martynov has been in Brussels for talks with senior EU officials, in an effort to bring his country closer to the European Union. Nina-Maria Potts reports.

Like many other European countries, the UK has an ageing population. More and more want to continue working past the official retirement age of 65 - some because they feel too young to retire, others because they cannot afford not to work.

But today’s legislation in the UK allows employers to get rid of you when you turn 65, forcing many into involuntary retirement. Now a charity is taking the UK government to court over what they say is state-sanctioned ageism. Lars Bevanger reports from Manchester.

With its clubs, fashion scene and culture, Berlin has long been at the cutting edge of Europe and is often held up as an example of city chic.

But our correspondent Leah McDonnell has been hit by a sense of déjà vu: She’s seen it all before in New York. And Leah sent us this postcard on why her adopted city of Berlin reminds her of the Brooklyn of her youth.

Community leaders on the Greek island of Zakynthos are accusing British holiday companies of encouraging binge drinking amongst young tourists and of damaging their economy.

British police have been to the island this week to advise their Greek counterparts how to cope with drunkenness and bad behaviour. As Malcolm Brabant reports from Zakynthos, these are desperate times for the islands.

The number of cases of swine flu has increased dramatically over the last few weeks.

The news is often met with a shrug of the shoulders. After all, many people say, the scare over bird flu amounted to very little. But here in Germany alone, there are now about 500 new swine flu infections every day and the flu season has not even started yet in Europe. But the holiday season has, and travellers in and out of Europe are bringing the virus back home with them. Earlier, Rob Turner spoke to Dr Andrea Ammon, head of the surveillance unit at the European Centre for Disease Control, and asked her what effect the holiday season was having on the spread of swine flu.

The sea exploration company, Odyssey and the Spanish government are settling down for a long legal battle over the contents of a Spanish treasure ship, The Mercedes.

Odyssey rediscovered the treasure off the coast of Portugal in 2007 and took it back to the United States. The treasure consists of six hundred thousand gold and silver coins worth about three hundred and fifty million euros. The Spanish government accuses Odyssey of plundering Spain’s heritag. But as Danny Wood reports from Madrid, the Spanish government and Odyssey are not the only parties who have a claim on this treasure.

A battle in the water has been underway in Rome over the last few weeks as the city has been turned into a waterworld. The World Championships for swimming, diving, water polo and synchro have entered the final strait.

The ancient city’s major sports venue has been restored and upgraded in order to host the events. Foro Italico, as it’s called, used to have another name: Foro Mussolini. The dictator built the facilities that are a model of fascist art and architecure….and also feature symbols that scream louder than any fan of the importance of sports in his dictatorship. Nancy Greenleese reports on the spruced-up 1930s marvel that still makes Italians uncomfortable.

In a supermarket Cinderella story, a check-out girl in France has become a literary sensation by turning her ungratifying job into a humorous memoir.

"Tribulations of a Cashier" became an overnight sensation translated into 16 languages (including English), and helped turn 29-year-old Anna Sam into the author she’s always dreamed of becoming. Eleanor Beardsley sends this report.

The British government is embroiled in a bitter row over Britain’s military operations in Afghanistan. The UK’s most senior army officer has questioned whether British troops are adequately equipped.

The claim has prompted the Opposition to accuse the government of putting the lives of British soldiers in jeopardy. The row has raised fresh doubts about the cost – in blood and money – of Britain’s involvement in the campaign to crush the Taleban insurgency.

Report: Stephen Beard

The NATO led force in Afghanistan includes around 3,700 soldiers from Germany. The Bundeswehr has been deployed there since 2002. As the security situation in the north of Afghanistan continues to worsen German troops stationed there are being forced to change their tactics.

On Wednesday, the defence ministry in Berlin said that heavy weapons, including tanks, would be deployed for the first time in its Afghan mission. With Afghanistan facing a general election on August 20, Germany’s most senior military officer, General Wolfgang Schneiderhan, said now is the time to deal with the escalation of violence.

Report: Tanya Wood

On Thursday a small group of people got together in the centre of Moscow to commemorate human rights campaigner Natalya Estemirova, who was killed last week. The killing was followed by an international outcry and has led a leading human rights group to suspend its activities in Chechnya.

Following the murder, the leadership of the human rights group Memorial took the difficult decision to suspend its activities in Chechnya, at least as far as the monitoring of human rights abuses is concerned. It is simply getting too dangerous, according to Memorial director Tatyana Kasatkina, who just returned from Chechnya.

Report: Geert Groot Koerkamp

The Slovak government has passed a law which restricts the use of languages other than Slovak. The legislation comes into effect in September and rules that minority languages will be banned in official communications of towns and villages where the ethnic minority makes up less than 20 per cent of the population.

The new ruling also provides fines for the incorrect use of the Slovak language. Ethnic Hungarians make up 10 per cent of Slovakia's population and they say the law discriminates against them. Anca Drago of Radio Slovakia International told Helen Seeney more.

The highest mountain pass in Romania is a treacherous stretch of road that includes hair-pin turns and sheer overhangs. So cycling along it may not be everyone’s idea of fun. But last weekend our correspondent in Bucharest, Tom Wilson, did just that.

The mountain pass is known as the ‘Transfagarasan’, as it crosses the Fagaras range of mountains, which are part of the Carpathians or Romanian Alps. The road often appears on the world’s "top ten motorcycle routes", but Tom doesn’t have a motorcycle. So he opted for pedal power. And he sent us this postcard describing his experiences.

Postcard: Tom Wilson

For the first time in three hundred years a Spanish government minister has officially visited the British territory of Gibraltar. Spain still wants sovereignty over this large rock at the tip of its southern Mediterranean coast. But this visit by Spain’s Foreign Minister, was not about that issue.

Miguel Angel Moratinos was attending the Trilateral Forum of Dialogue with Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Miliband and Gibraltar’s Chief Minister, Peter Caruana. The aim of this forum is to improve the lives of the thirty thousand people who live in this disputed territory.

Report: Danny Wood

The expression 'smoke like a Turk' may soon be consigned to the history books. Last Sunday, Turkey introduced some of the toughest anti-smoking legislation in Europe.

Smoking has been banned from all closed public areas, bars, cafes and restaurants, and even extends to patrons sitting outside cafes. Anyone caught puffing away in a no-smoking area faces an on-the-spot 45-euro fine, while café and bar owners face penalties of up to 2,500 euros. It's estimated that more than 20 million Turks enjoy a smoke so Inside Europe has been out on the streets of Istanbul to find out if people are stubbing out.

Report: Dorian Jones

In Italy, the trial of two people accused of the murder of British student Meredith Kercher has now adjourned for two months. But the courtroom drama is still on people's minds.

American Amanda Knox and her Italian former boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, are alleged to have murdered Kercher back in 2007 in the town of Perugia. Prosecutors say Kercher was stabbed in the neck after refusing to take part in a group sex session. Knox and Sollecito say they're innocent. Our correspondent Sabina Castelfranco has been covering their trial, which began back in January. Helen Seeney asked her to bring us up to date with how things stand at this point.

A European congress of exorcists has just been held in the Polish city of Czestochowa, which is home to the country’s historic Black Madonna icon.

The congress takes place every two years and brings together Roman Catholic priests who are trained in driving out evil spirits, as well as people who are believed to have been saved from Satan’s grip. It may sound a little far fetched in this day and age, but the Roman Catholic church in Poland takes the matter very seriously.

Report: Rafal Kiepuszewski

He's the world's most famous spy and his escapades have enthralled us for decades. And now James Bond has been given a Gallic makeover.

Yes, the French, finally have their very own and very funny version of 007. A new movie is out called Rio Ne Repond Plus or, as it's called in English, Lost in Rio. It's set in Brazil in 1967 and is the second movie starring Jean Dujardin as French secret agent OSS 117. The first film was called Cairo, Nest Of Spies. This latest movie is pulling in the crowds. And it reveals a lot about the French and their sense of humour.

Report: John Laurenson

The global financial crisis has many Europeans selecting their backyard hammock or local beach for a holiday destination.

Italy is shaking in its boot – from the top in Venice to the heel in Puglia. Tourism is the country’s number one industry and spending in early 2009 has declined nearly 9 percent from the previous year. Nancy Greenleese traveled to the Cinque Terre along the Ligurian Sea where the flow of tourist Euros is ebbing.

A popular tourist destination that’s really suffering at the moment is the Czech capital Prague, home to some of the most exquisite medieval architecture – and not to mention some of the finest beer – in Europe.

Foreign visitors were down some 20% in the first three months of this year, bad news for a city so dependent on tourism. The Prague Tourist Board has even taken the unprecedented step of "outsourcing" the running of seven of the city’s most famous towers to a private company, a move that not everyone is happy with, as Rob Cameron now reports.

It’s certainly off the beaten track as a tourist destinantion, but Kosovo is emerging from its war-torn past to become a feature on the tourist map.

Ringed by high mountains crossed by a series of rulers over the centuries, Kosovo boasts Ottoman mosques, Tito-esque administration buildings, Serbian Orthodox churches, monasteries, vineyards and extravagant war memorials. And the capital Pristina offers a growing restaurant, bar and shopping scene. Verena Knaus from the European Stability Initiative is an expert on Kosovo based in Pristina. She also co-authored the first ever travel guide to the country. Rob Turner asked her whether tourists had discovered Kosovo en masse.

Spain invented mass tourism in Europe with the promise of sun, sea, sand and …well whatever takes your fancy.

But as the financial crisis takes hold and tourists either stay at home or discover cheaper destinations, could the fiesta be over for Spain’s tourism industry? Danny Wood has this postcard from Madrid.

Whale watching tours are a popular tourist activity in Iceland. But Icelanders view whale hunting as an important part of their fishing tradition.

The two practices currently exist side by side. Although if Iceland decides to join the EU, this could change. So how do the tourists view whale hunting? "North Sailing" in Husavik was the first company in Iceland to offer regular whale watching tours, over 7000 since starting in 1994 and still counting. Susanne Henn went along to guage opinion.

Holidaying in your home country is something the Germans have always been happy to do. A new study has revealed that in 2008, the favoured holiday destination for Germans was…Germany.

Yet even though some regions in the former East Germany offer spectacular scenery, pretty towns and very reasonably priced accommodation, many tourists from the old West Germany wouldn’t consider going there for a holiday. Many misconceptions still exist it would seem. Yet, projects like the Fleesensee Golf and Country Club might change all that. With 5 golf courses, health spas, hotels and restaurants, it attracts over 80,000 visitors a year: most of them from across the old border. Rob Turner spoke to Detlef Fricke, Managing Director of the holding company and asked him how they managed to realise sucha project in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, an area normally associated with economic decline.

The traditional British seaside holiday has become not much more than a faded postcard memory over the years. Victorian resorts such as Blackpool and Brighton couldn’t compete with the guaranteed sun, sand and cheap sangria of a Mediteranean getaway.

But the pendulum is swinging back: the recession has given an unexpected boost to the British tourism industry. The UK - and London in particular - are reporting increased visitor numbers as tourists look to take advantage of the weakened British pound. Not only has this attracted European and American tourists searching for greater value for money - it's also led to many Brits holidaying at home this year. As Olly Barratt reports from London.

France is the world’s biggest tourist destination with some 72 million people visiting the country last year. Many choose to come to Paris when most Parisians are not there - in July or the traditionally totally-dead month of August.

But this year, thanks to the recession, more Parisians are going to be staying at home… and finding out what they’ve been missing. Our correspondent John Laurenson sent us this postcard from Paris in the Summertime…

Visitors to Greece will now be able to hitch a ride in style as they set off to explore the country. One of the most spectacular mountain railways in Europe, built by Italian engineers in the 19th century, has reopened for business.

Greece has spent 40 million euros upgrading the service from Diakofto to Kalavrita to boost tourism in a region with a bitter history. From the Peloponese in Southern Greece, Malcolm Brabant reports

Now if a trip to the French Riviera would break your holiday budget or the Dalmatian coast has become just too popular, there’s a beautiful bit of beach waiting to be discovered in Belgium.

The town of De Haan and the surrounding coastline is not hard to overlook, as the millions of tourists who arrive at the Flemish ports of Zeebrugge and Ostend every year are usually just passing through. But those who don’t stay are missing out on a treat. Nina Maria Potts has more on Belgium’s best kept secret.

The world's leaders gathered in Italy this week to tackle global problems at the G8 summit. And the host nation has been taking the lead addressing its domestic concerns. Last week, the Italian parliament approved a controversial set of new laws contained in their so-called "security package".

One of the most contentious points was the legalization of vigilante groups to deter growing street crime. For years, groups of private citizens, known as "ronde" have been getting together to patrol at night and their presence has been welcomed by some Italians as a way of discouraging crimes like drug pushing; while it’s been strongly contested by others who say groups like these are intimidating and even racist. Inside Europe out with the country’s oldest voluntary patrol group: the City Angels.

Report: Dany Mitzman

US president Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev arrived in Italy for the G8, fresh from bilateral talks of their own. The two day summit in Moscow resulted in various agreements on, among others, military cooperation and nuclear disarmament.

Recent years have seen Washington and Moscow fall out on a number of issues including NATO expansion and American plans for a missile defense system in Central Europe. Diplomats called the meeting "groundbreaking" as it stopped the "degradation of relations". So is the frosty relationship between the cold war adversaries about to thaw?

Report: Geert Groot Koerkamp

Climate change was high on the agenda at this week's G8 summit in Italy. But as the politicians discussed ways of limiting global warming, representatives from around 20 German companies were preparing for a meeting which could change the way Europe gets its energy.

They're meeting on Monday in Munich to formalize a project called Desertec. The idea is to generate and harness solar energy in the deserts of North Africa and then transport it to Europe. Dr Gerhard Knies is the driving force behind Desertec. He explained to Helen Seeney how the project would work.

Michael O'Leary, the boss of the budget airline, Ryanair, has become infamous for his cost cutting ideas. His latest is to reduce the number of seats on his aircraft so that some passengers can stand during flights.

The idea is, you can pack even more people on board. Carol Allen has more in this Postcard from London.

It’s the end game for Opel. This week, General Motors executives met with German officials to discuss the three main offers for the company.

By July 15th, the carmaker’s fate should be decided. The main bidders have promised to keep Opel’s four German factories open. But the fate of other GM plants outside of Germany, in Belgium, Spain and Britain, is less clear. Inside Europe went to the Belgian city of Antwerp to talk to Opel workers there about how they see their future.

Report: Brett Neely

The Turkish government says it will press ahead with plans to build a controversial hydroelectric dam which will flood ancient ruins and displace tens of thousands of people. But they'll have to do so without financing from state-run credit agencies in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

They announced this week they were pulling out of the project because Ankara had failed to fulfill environmental and heritage standards for the 1.2 billion euro Ilisu Dam. Our correspondent in Turkey is Dorian Jones and Helen Seeney asked to explain what impact the dam would have on the area.

A unique singing festival has just taken place Estonia. Every five years, Estonians from all walks of life and from all over the world, descend on Tallinn, the capital of this small Baltic nation.

They join tens of thousands of singers, musicians and dancers for an open-air Song Festival. It dates backs to 1869 and celebrates Estonia's unique heritage. Inside Europe joined the crowds and sent us this report.

Report: Andy Valvur

The powerful U.S. television industry dominates what’s seen on many small screens around Europe. But there’s a world of sit-coms and dramas beyond Beverly Hills 90210.

From Italy to France to Denmark and points far flung, innovative television series, mini-series and documentaries are being produced. In Italy, the Roma Fiction Fest is celebrating these shows with the goal of diversifying the small screen.

Report: Nancy Greenleese

Trafalgar Square is one of London’s most famous landmarks and in recent years it has also become a vibrant open space used for rallies, demonstrations, concerts and to provide a platform for new artistic performances. For the next three months a living artwork will add to this vibrancy.

Earlier this week British artist Antony Gormley launched his, One & Other project, where the fourth plinth in the north-west corner of Trafalgar Square – which is normally reserved for statues of dignitaries and military heroes – will be given over to ordinary people every hour, twenty four hours a day for 100 days. 2400 people, representing a cross-section of British society, are expected to participate in the event.

Report: Andrew Littlejohn

The EU gears up for G8 - It’s not all plane-sailing for Airbus after two major crashes - A Venetian gondolier strikes a blow for women’s rights - Picking up the tab after Jacko’s death - Fertility tourism - The chips are down for gamblers in Russia - The smoking ban that sounds Greek to Europe’s heaviest smokers.

The world's eight leading industrialized countries are bracing themselves for tough talks next week, with Iran's post-election crackdown certain to dominate.

The European Union - a key player in talking to Iran - is divided over how tough a line to take, now that relations are deteriorating. And Brussels goes in to the G8 wanting to talk climate change, and the economy. Nina-Maria Potts has more.

The European plane-maker Airbus has had to deal with plenty of unwanted publicity recently. This comes after two crashes involving Airbus aircraft in the last few weeks.

An AirFrance machine came down in the Pacific, killing everyone on board. And this week a Yemenia Airlines Airbus crashed in the Indian Ocean. So, the focus has turned to air safety, particularly for planes that fly routes in the Third World. The EU and France have both said they highlighted safety concerns over Yemenia planes and said the jet that crashed had not flown into EU airspace since 2007. The flight went down as it approached the Comoros Islands off the coast of East Africa. Only one of the 153 people on board survived, a 12-year old girl from Paris. The accident has prompted questions about a two-tiered aviation safety system. Eleanor Beardsley has this report.

The death of Michael Jackson has not only left the pop world in a state of shock, it’s also had huge financial implications across the world, including here in Europe.

Jackson was due to begin a residency in London this month with a 50-concert tour - the cancellation of which has potentially left a huge hole in several companies pockets. But some are benefiting from the surge in attention surrounding all things Michael Jackson. As Olly Barratt reports from London.

The United Nations Refugee Agency has set up a full time presence in the French port of Calais to help hundreds of migrants who're living rough hoping to cross to the UK.

The UNHCR left Calais in 2002 after the authorities closed the large reception centre at Sangatte. But many young men have continued to arrive in the area from countries such as Afghanistan and Somalia. The French and British governments are working to try to find solutions and the UN wants the refugee problem to be recognised internationally. Alasdair Sandford reports from Paris.

Steering a gondola through the canal streets of Venice, an ancient profession passed down over the last 900 years from father to son, but never to daughter.

In fact women in Italy hold few positions of power. They may still reign in the kitchen but, in parliament, they make up only 22 percent. Afghanistan and Uganda have more women legislators. But there’s unexpected hope for the gender balance in Venice where one woman has entered into a very male-dominated profession. Nancy Greenleese sent us this postcard.

In Northern Italy recently, thousands of red cross workers and volunteers have been commemorating the 150th anniversary of Solferino, the bloody battle which became the inspiration for the international Red Cross and the Geneva Conventions.

Red Cross and Red Crescent societies from all over the world celebrated the creation of an organisation which began with one Geneva businessman, but which now brings relief to victims of war and natural disaster worldwide. Imogen Foulkes went along.

Forty-six countries have vowed in the Czech capital Prague to increase efforts to return art and property stolen from Jews during the Holocaust.

Delegates from the countries will endorse a non-binding declaration on Tuesday in the town of Terezin, once home to the Theresienstadt concentration camp. However some critics have already dismissed the declaration as "toothless". From Prague, Rob Cameron has this report.

Some of the strangest children’s names crop up when parents, quite often celebrities, decide to name their offspring after the city where they conceived. An accident of nature, perhaps. Well, it seems more and more people are also purpusely choosing the city where they actually conceive.

The extent of so called "fertility tourism" around Europe has now been revealed for the first time. A comprehensive new study counted the overseas patients seeking IVF treatment in clinics in Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark Slovenia, Spain and Switzerland. It revealed that thousands of couples are travelling across the continent for fertility treatment. Francoise Shenfield of University College Hospital in London helped comile the report. Earlier, Rob Turner caught up with her at a conference in Amsterdam organised by the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology, and asked her just how popular cross-border reproductive care really is.

The European Union's health chief proposed this week that uniform laws be drafted for all 27 countries in the bloc to regulate smoking more strictly in public areas and workplaces by 2012. Many EU countries already have laws limiting exposure to second-hand smoke.

And as of the 1st July, Europe’s heaviest smoking nation is getting in on the act by banning tobacco in all indoor public places. In Greece, tough new penalties are being introduced to force businesses to comply, but as Malcolm Brabant reports from the island of Corfu, many Greeks doubt the new health kick will work.

As of the 1st of July, gambling has been outlawed in Russia. Critics say the move will leave more than 300,000 people without jobs and push the industry underground, amid a continuing economic crisis in Russia.

Internet gambling is now illegal and casinos and slot machine halls in most areas of the country have closed their doors. From now on, they are only allowed to operate in specially designated zones, situated in remote parts of Russia, thousands of kilometers from the capital Moscow. But none of these areas is about to become a Russian Las Vegas in the foreseeable future, as Geert Groot Koerkamp now reports from Moscow.

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France is to set up a parliamentary commission to investigate the wearing of the burka by Muslim women in the country.

It follows strong criticism by President Sarkozy of the head-to-toe Islamic veil in a speech earlier this week, in which he said it represented subservience. There've been calls for the burka to be banned, but critics argue the debate is stigmatising the country's five million Muslims. Five years ago a law forbidding the Islamic headscarf and other religious symbols in public places sparked heated argument in France and abroad. Alasdair Sandford reports from Paris.

Next week, Sweden takes over the 6 month rotating presidency of the European Union.

The Swedish government says it’ll be stearing clear of bilateral disputes between member states. But it’ll have its work cut out for it dealing with tough foreign policy issues such as Iran, the Middle East and Afghanistan. Nina-Maria Potts has this report.

During the first half of this year the Czech Republic has held the rotating EU presidency.

But Prague’s presidency is unlikely to be remembered as a success: the government was forced out of office in March and replaced by a caretaker cabinet. So how do the Czechs view their time at the helm of the EU? Ian Willoughby has this report.

Human Rights Watch has called on Kosovo’s authorities to shut down lead-contaminated camps that have housed Roma families since 1999.

Around 700 Roma live in the camps – they were resettled there after the war in Kosovo a decade ago. The camps are situated near a disused lead mine and the Roma – particularly children - are showing high levels of lead contamination. The high level of toxicity in the area was identified by the United Nations back in 2000. So why haven’t the Roma families been relocated? Wanda Troszczynska-van Genderen is with Human Rights Watch and told Helen Seeney more.

British comedian and actor Sacha Baron Cohen has been promoting his latest film Bruno, in which he plays a gay Austrian fashion reporter.

Cohen’s over the top appearances at premieres in London, Amsterdam, Berlin and Madrid have wowed his legions of fans. Critics, though, say his Bruno incarnation is just as offensive as the role he played in his last film Borat. So what are the Austrians making of all this? Are they seeing the funny side of Bruno? Or is the film likely to dent national pride? Steve Crilley has this postcard from Vienna.

The British Government has drawn up a plan to turn the UK into the “digital capital of the world”.

The plan – dubbed DIGITAL BRITAIN – aims to help the country make the most of modern communications technology. Among the goals: universal access to broadband by 2012 and a fund to invest in next generation broadband. From London Stephen Beard reports.

Figures released here in Germany suggest that the recession has bottomed out and that consumer confidence is rising.

But analysts are warning that unemployment is likely to rise in the coming months. The German banking association, the BdB, predicts that the number of people out of work could reach over four and a half million next year – up from more than three and a half this year. Losing your job not only means an uncertain financial future. It can also result in social and psychological changes. Susan Stone has this report on how a number of unemployed people in Berlin are coping with these issues.

The people of Northern Ireland are becoming more racist and homophobic. That’s the finding of a survey which was released this week as dozens of Romanians packed their bags to leave the province.

About 100 Romanians – mainly Roma – were attacked by local gangs last week in Belfast. The survey was published by the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland and suggests that racist violence is taking over from the province’s traditional conflict between Catholics and Protestants. Francoise Barlet is with the Northern Ireland Council for Ethnic Minorities. Helen Seeney asked her if she agreed with that assessment.

Now, what is that every self-respecting boy scout is supposed to have in his pocket?

And how did something that began as a simple tool become a global brand? Our next report has the answers to both those question. It concerns the company which manufactures the Swiss army knife which is celebrating 125 years in business. To mark the anniversary, the Forum of Swiss History has created an exhibition charting the knife’s development. Imogen Foulkes went along to find out more.

The Serbian capital, Belgrade, is busy preparing for an influx of sporty students from around the world.

From the 1st to the 12th of July they’ll be competing in the Universiade, a sports festival which takes place every 2 years in a different city around the world. Only students between the ages of 17 and 28 are allowed to take part in these so-called youth Olympics. The recession has forced Serbian organizers to reduce their budget for these forthcoming Games. But as Filip Slavkovic reports the people of Belgrade are looking forward to showing off their city to the competers.

European Union leaders gathered in Brussels this week for one of their periodic summits. High on their agenda was the thorny issue of financial regulation.

Many of the leaders believe that tighter controls over financial markets are essential for economic recovery. But Britain is wary about the prospect of tougher rules. London is one of the world’s top financial centres. Finance is a major source of employment, foreign currency and tax revenue for the UK. The fear is that EU regulation could damage the City’s earning power. As Stephen Beard reports London’s dominant position is already under attack…at home.

There have been worrying times too for the aviation industry. The Air France plane crash over the Atlantic and the worldwide recession have cast a pall over the usually glamorous Paris Air Show underway this week outside the French capital.

But for the aerospace industry, especially those in the business of launching communication satellites, this year’s show has lost none of its glitter. Eleanor Beardsley has this report from the Paris Air Show.

This Sunday, Greenland is commemorating 30 years of home rule from its former colonial master Denmark. And what better way to celebrate than to turn home-rule into self-rule. Greenland will enjoy control over its justice system and most significantly, its abundant natural resources.

But the country remains blighted by a host of social problems, including high suicide rates, child abuse and alcoholism. So, full independence will remain a distant dream so long as Greenland needs the annual "block grant" 430 million euros from Copenhagen, which covers nearly half of all public expenditures. Greenland has recently elected a new Prime Minister, Kuupik Kleist from the left-leaning IA party. Earlier Rob Turner spoke to Kuupik Kleist and asked him what enhanced self-rule meant to Greenland.

It’s been a welcome break in the US for Silvio Berlusconi this week.

High-level talks with Barack Obama about Iran, the middle-East and next month’s G8 summit in Italy certainly make a pleasant change from the all the scandals he’s had to put up with at home. Nancy Greenleese has this postcard from Italy.

Along with many other European nations, Latvia is soon going to celebrate Midsummer night. And this is celebration like no other in Lativa: the night of June 23rd is one of the biggest holidays celebrated by the whole nation.

In recent years many Latvians have also started to learn about the deeper meaning of this night and its ancient traditions. Our correspondent in Riga Artjoms Konohovs explains why Midsummer night is so big in the Baltic.

In the race to find solutions to global warming, 20 German companies announced this week they are pooling their resources with the aim of harnessing solar power in the deserts of north Africa and transporting the clean electricity to Europe.

But before those potential benefits are felt, one technology is becoming a favourite with energy industries, governments and environmentalists. Carbon capture and storage means taking CO2 out of fossil fuel energy production and injecting it into the ground. If it works, oil, gas and coal power plants could reduce their emissions dramatically, and fossil fuel producers like Norway are investing heavily in developing the technology. But as Lars Bevanger now reports it is not without controversy.

A couple undergoing fertility treatment in Wales has discovered that someone else is carrying their child. They had their last embryo accidentally implanted in another woman.

The couple had been trying for a second child when the IVF clinic discovered the error. When the woman in whom the egg had been implanted was told of the error she chose to have a termination. To reduce the risk of IVF mix-ups, Professor Gedis Grudzinskas, an expert in fertility and gynaecology, has called for electronic tags to track embryos, eggs and sperm samples. Earlier, Rob Turner spoke to Professor Grudzinskas and asked him how that would all work.

Hungary, like many countries in Eastern Europe, faces a constant struggle to keep its most talented research scientists or entice those who have left to return home. But the brain drain is not a new problem.

Over the past century, ten Hungarian scientists have won Nobel Prizes for research they did elsewhere. So, Hungary is now investing in special grants, which, with the help of the European Molecular Biology Organisation, aim to bring scientists home. For the last three years, the Heidelberg-based EMBO, has been offering grants of 50,000 euros to scientists willing to build and lead new research labs in their home country. Jo-Anne Velin met two recipients in Budapest.

His record-breaking transfer to Real Madrid has been the major talking point in the world of football for over a week now.

But, while Madrid paid almost 100 million euros for the star, who will earn well over 10 million euros a year, Spain’s central bank has warned the government to cut spending as the public coffers are empty as unemployment in the country is expected to hit 20% next year. In this postcard from Madrid, Danny Wood takes a look at how Spaniards are feeling about this spending spree.

In churches on a Sunday in the German state of Brandenburg, you’ll be lucky to find a handful of old ladies attending services. But things are different in Falkensee, a green, northern suburb of Berlin.

Since reunification its population of 21,000 has doubled, due predominately to West Germans looking for a nice suburban life, in close proximity to Berlin complete with house, garden, and a church. Accordingly, Falkensee’s five Christian congregations, have bucked the national trend and have quadrupled in size. In the former GDR times, the Holy-Ghost congregation in Falkensee had 400 members. Now it has 2,600. Leah McDonnell visited the Holy-Ghost community of Falkensee to find out why.

Only 43% of voters bothered to turn out for last Sunday’s European Parliamentary elections. But those who did cast a vote have changed the EU’s political landscape.

Despite the ongoing economic crisis and debates over stronger financial regulation, the electorate put their faith in conservative candidates. Europe’s socialists were the biggest losers across the 27 member bloc. And the far-right gained seats in a number of countries. Our EU affairs commentator Simon Taylor presents an assessment of the elections results.

And the European Parliament represents the EU as a bloc but it’s invariably domestic issues which influence voters. In the following roundup we’ll examine how the results of the parliamentary elections will impact three governments, starting with Stephen Beard in London.

The Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen survived a no confidence vote on Wednesday. His government suffered a humiliating defeat last weekend in both the European and local elections. Another big loser was the Libertas Party which has spearheaded opposition to the EU’S Lisbon Treaty.

Libertas failed to win any seats and its leader Declan Ganley has now bowed out of political life. But the a new Irish addition to the European Parliament is Joe Higgins of the Socialist Party. He also opposes the Lisbon Treaty. So what impact will all these results have on Ireland’s second rederendum on the Lisbon Treaty later this year? A yes vote in the referendum is essential for this reform treaty to be adopted by the EU.

Report: Anne-Marie McNerney

Back in August 1998, a car bomb exploded in the Northern Irish market town of Omagh, killing 29 people and leaving over 200 more seriously wounded. It was Northern Ireland's worst-ever terrorist bombing. This week, 11 years on, relatives of the Omagh victims have finally won a landmark civil action for compensation at the High Court in Belfast.

The court ruled that the Real IRA was responsible for the attack and awarded the 12 relatives around one and a half million pounds in damages. No-one has ever been convicted in a criminal court for the Omagh attack. So families of the victims pursued a civil court action against the perpetrators. Outside the court, Michael Gallagher, who lost his 21year old son, Aidan, in the bombing, said this week’s verdict has set a precedent.

Helen Seeney spoke to Michael Gallagher after the ruling. He’s the Chairman of the Omagh Support and Self-Help Group.

There are three weeks to go until the Tour de France cycling race. But some two hundred French prisoners, closely accompanied by over a hundred guards, prison sports instructors and magistrates have set off on a cycling tour of their own.

The Penitentiary Tour de France, as it’s called, is passing through towns containing some of the most famous prisons in the country. Inside Europe was in the northern French town of Valenciennes to see the arrival of the cycling crims.

Report: John Laurenson

It was the United Nations' World Ocean Day on Monday and this year the focus was on fish - or rather the lack of it. The UN says more than 75 percent of the world's fish stocks are either over-exploited or depleted.

Farmed fish make up more and more of what we eat, which you'd think would be good news for wild fish stocks. But questions are now being asked about how much wild fish is needed to feed the farmed fish. Inside Europe reports from the world's largest fish farming nation, Norway.

Report: Lars Bevanger

NATO is planning to cut its peacekeeping force in Kosovo by a third as of January next year. The alliance currently has 15,000 troops in the country and says the reduction reflects an improvement in the security situation there.

It’s 10 years this week since NATO ended its bombing of Kosovo, which was then a province of Serbia. The air offensive was in response to a Serbian crackdown on separatist ethnic Albanians. After the war, Kosovo was placed under the administration of the UN and then declared independence last February. Verena Knaus is with the Balkan Stability Initiative and based in Kosovo’s capital, Pristina. She gave Helen Seeney her assessment of NATO’s plans to reduce its troop numbers there.

When he was 6 years old, Manuel Alguacil was barely big enough to hold his copy of The Lord of the Rings. But he soon got to grips with it and it was enough to get him hooked on writing.

Three years later, Manuel – who’s Spanish - has become one of the youngest authors in the world with the publication of his book Thok, the Vain Dragon. This fantasy tale was inspired by Tolkien’s book as well as J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series. And it’s publication has made Manuel the toast of the Spanish literary set.

Report: Hazel Healy

The Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, is the only place in the world to have a memorial to the famous musician Frank Zappa. And they want to share it with his American home town.

The bust was erected some twelve years ago by a group of Zappa enthusiasts and it now attracts tourists and fans of intellectual rock from around the world. But they’ll soon be able to pay homage to this American music icon on the other side of the Atlantic. The city of Vilnius is preparing to send a copy of its Zappa bust to Baltimore, his native city.

Report: Viktoras Jakovlevas

The world’s oldest modern art exhibition has opened in Venice, offering visitors a glimpse into a multi-dimensional world of contemporary creations.

It’s the 53rd Venice Biennale and it’s showcasing hundreds of new works from around the world. This year, a number of the national pavilions have taken on overtly political themes – from the impact of oil on governments to the housing crisis.

Report: Megan Williams