Orban's patriotism seen by some as last refuge of a scoundrelBUDAPEST LETTER: Nationalist Poles admire the Hungarian prime minister, but his defiance of Brussels and the IMF is testing …Mon Apr 02 2012 - 01:00
Rights groups back Eurovision in Azerbaijan despite concernsEUROPE’S BIGGEST human rights organisations have criticised calls for a boycott of May’s Eurovision Song Contest in Azerbaijan…Sat Mar 31 2012 - 01:00
Czech group offers new lease of life for greyhounds destroyed in retirementJAN SVOBODA was smitten from the moment he met Anna – a sleek and playful beauty from distant Ireland – in Prague.Fri Mar 30 2012 - 01:00
Lukashenko critics blocked from leaving BelarusBELARUS IS preventing opponents of authoritarian president Alexander Lukashenko from leaving the country, in retaliation for …Thu Mar 29 2012 - 01:00
Serb gay comedy no laughing matter for Dubrovnik bishopA SERB COMEDY film that takes aim at homophobia and nationalism has fallen foul of Catholic clergy in Dubrovnik, despite uniting…Sat Mar 24 2012 - 00:00
Hungary's judiciary under threat, warns commissionCONTROVERSIAL CHANGES to Hungary’s judicial system threaten the independence of its courts and the right to a fair trial, Europe…Wed Mar 21 2012 - 00:00
Slovak left wins election on vow to back welfare stateLEFTIST LEADER Robert Fico is poised for a return to power in Slovakia after his Smer party dominated elections.Mon Mar 12 2012 - 00:00
Armenia pulls out of Eurovision over host AzerbaijanEUROVISION IS again stirring political passions, with Armenia withdrawing from this year’s song contest in protest at comments…Fri Mar 09 2012 - 00:00
Bauhaus home reopens after years of dark Czech historyON A low hill in a quiet suburb of a provincial Czech city, one of Europe’s greatest 20th-century buildings has reopened its …Wed Mar 07 2012 - 00:00
EU leaders decide to grant Serbia candidate statusSERBIAN PRESIDENT Boris Tadic has said the European Union’s decision to make Serbia an official candidate for membership is a…Mon Mar 05 2012 - 00:00
Belarus orders EU ambassador to leave in wake of sanctionsBELARUS HAS asked the ambassadors of the European Union and Poland to leave the country after the EU extended sanctions against…Wed Feb 29 2012 - 00:00
Medvedev's talks with opposition seen as bid to undermine protestsPRESIDENT DMITRY Medvedev met Russian opposition leaders yesterday to discuss reform of the country’s political system, in a …Tue Feb 21 2012 - 00:00
Pro-Putin rallies take place amid claims critical media being targetedTENS OF thousands of Russians have rallied in support of Vladimir Putin’s bid to return to the Kremlin next month, amid opposition…Mon Feb 20 2012 - 00:00
Latvia votes against Russian as second languageLATVIA HAS rejected a proposal to make Russian its second official state language, prompting criticism from Moscow.Mon Feb 20 2012 - 00:00
Russian election watchdog kicked out of Moscow office in run-up to pollIN ONE of the quieter corners of central Moscow recently, Grigory Melkonyants talked a group of young people through the finer…Fri Feb 17 2012 - 00:00
Political pressure blamed for Moscow radio shake-upRUSSIA’S MOST influential talk-radio station and its only independent election monitoring group have accused officials loyal …Thu Feb 16 2012 - 00:00
Putin's machine whips up Russia into state of besieged paranoiaVLADIMIR NESTERETS is now starting a 13-year prison sentence for spying, his fate a small but telling ripple in the ebb and flow…Wed Feb 15 2012 - 00:00
Oligarchs should pay for state asset sell-off, says PutinPRIME MINISTER Vladimir Putin has suggested making Russia’s “oligarchs” pay for the rigged 1990s privatisations that made them…Fri Feb 10 2012 - 00:00
Hungarian leader defends controversial new lawsHUNGARIAN PRIME minister Viktor Orban has defended his controversial new constitution and blamed the country’s economic woes …Wed Feb 08 2012 - 00:00
Romanian PM resigns over austerity protestsTHE ROMANIAN prime minister Emil Boc has resigned, blaming widespread discontent with government austerity measures that his …Tue Feb 07 2012 - 00:00
Russian firm says it cannot meet European demandsGAS SUPPLIES: RUSSIA’S BIGGEST gas firm has warned European Union states it cannot boost supply to meet their demands, as a …Mon Feb 06 2012 - 00:00
Malev flights grounded over cashflow woesHUNGARY’S NATIONAL airline, Malev, has ceased operations in the latest development to shake the country’s ailing economy and …Sat Feb 04 2012 - 00:00
Czechs divided over not joining EU fiscal pactSTAYING OUTSIDE: THE FRACTIOUS Czech government is divided over prime minister Petr Necas’s decision not to join the European…Wed Feb 01 2012 - 00:00
Extremely cold weather kills dozens across EuropeA SEVERE cold snap gripping central and eastern Europe has killed dozens of people in recent days, as blizzards swept the region…Wed Feb 01 2012 - 00:00
Putin's critics find manifesto promises vague and outdatedPRIME MINISTER Vladimir Putin has pledged to modernise Russia’s economy and fight corruption if re-elected as president in March…Tue Jan 31 2012 - 00:00
Human trafficking expert to advise State on exploitation of migrantsOfficial flies to Dublin for talks against backdrop of inquiry into murder of Roma womanMon Jan 30 2012 - 00:00
Medvedev criticised for not supporting PutinVLADIMIR PUTIN’s election campaign manager has chided Russian president Dmitry Medvedev for not giving his ally enough support…Sat Jan 28 2012 - 00:00
Putin ratchets up anti-western rhetoric before presidential pollRUSSIAN PREMIER Vladimir Putin is hardening his anti-western rhetoric to undermine opponents and rally support, six weeks before…Fri Jan 27 2012 - 00:00
OSCE condemns jailing of rights activist in BelarusTÁNAISTE EAMON Gilmore, who currently chairs the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, has condemned Belarus …Thu Jan 26 2012 - 00:00
Croatia votes strongly in favour of joining EUCROATIA HAS voted strongly in favour of joining the European Union in July 2013, according to early results from yesterday’s …Mon Jan 23 2012 - 00:00
Hungarian PM backs down in dispute with European UnionHUNGARIAN PRIME minister Viktor Orban has backed down from a possible court battle with the European Union and pledged to alter…Sat Jan 21 2012 - 00:00
Putin in broadside against his critics and opponentsTHE RUSSIAN prime minister has lambasted his country’s liberal opposition, media outlets and oligarchs, with a diatribe that …Fri Jan 20 2012 - 00:00
Hungary awaits EU verdict on lawsHUNGARY AND financial markets are on tenterhooks for today’s decision from the European Commission on the legality of controversial…Tue Jan 17 2012 - 00:00
Kazakh vote overshadowed by unrest despite democracy claimsTHE GENERAL election in Kazakhstan has been overshadowed by a rare bout of public unrest and denounced by government critics …Mon Jan 16 2012 - 00:00
Hungarian president denies plagiarismHUNGARIAN PRESIDENT Pal Schmitt has been accused of copying almost all his doctoral thesis, adding to the woes of the ruling …Fri Jan 13 2012 - 00:00
Czech religious orders persecuted under Communism to be compensatedSurveys show almost 70% of Czechs oppose the €5 billion payout to 17 denominationsFri Jan 13 2012 - 00:00
Belarus online rules criticisedMEDIA WATCHDOGS have condemned moves by Belarus’s autocratic president Alexander Lukashenko to further tighten state control …Wed Jan 11 2012 - 00:00
US, Germany urge changes in Transdniestrian border controlTHE UNITED States and Germany are pushing for the demilitarisation of the de-facto border zone between Moldova and its rebel …Tue Jan 10 2012 - 00:00
Political asylum for husband of TymoshenkoTHE CZECH Republic has granted political asylum to the husband of Yulia Tymoshenko, the Ukrainian opposition leader who has been…Sat Jan 07 2012 - 00:00
Irish envoy set to handle prisoner swapsGEORGIA AND its rebel region of South Ossetia have conducted their largest exchange of prisoners in recent years as part of trust…Sat Dec 31 2011 - 00:00
Bosnian ethnic factions find formula for governmentBOSNIA’S ETHNICALLY divided political parties have finally agreed to form a new government, after 14 months of deadlock that …Thu Dec 29 2011 - 00:00
Putin claims to be open to dialogue with oppositionPRIME MINISTER Vladimir Putin has said he is open to “dialogue” with Russia’s growing opposition movement, even while claiming…Thu Dec 29 2011 - 00:00
Putin dismisses calls to rerun recent general electionRUSSIAN PRIME minister Vladimir Putin has rejected calls to rerun this month’s fraud-tainted general election and dismissed his…Wed Dec 28 2011 - 00:00
Putin rejects Gorbachev's call for him to quitRUSSIAN PRIME minister Vladimir Putin has rebuffed calls from former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev to resign in the face…Tue Dec 27 2011 - 00:00
Gorbachev urges rerun of disputed Russian electionMIKHAIL GORBACHEV, the reformer who reluctantly presided over the collapse of the Soviet Union 20 years ago, has called for Russia…Sat Dec 24 2011 - 00:00
Medvedev criticises external influences on protestsPRESIDENT DMITRY Medvedev has warned foreign powers and “provocateurs and extremists” not to meddle in Russia’s affairs ahead…Fri Dec 23 2011 - 00:00
Belfast accord could be model for Kosovo, says Serb presidentSERBIA’S PRESIDENT Boris Tadic has identified the 1998 Belfast Agreement as a possible model for a deal on Kosovo’s status that…Thu Dec 22 2011 - 00:00
Duma convenes as Moscow braces for major street protestRUSSIA’S NEW celebrity-studded parliament has convened as Moscow braces itself for another major street protest against the country…Thu Dec 22 2011 - 00:00
Ireland to play peace broker in Moldovan disputeELECTIONS IN divided Moldova could help decide the success of Ireland’s efforts to end one of Europe’s longest-running conflicts…Sat Dec 17 2011 - 00:00
Putin ridicules protesters during live TV sessionPRIME MINISTER Vladimir Putin has mocked Russia’s anti-government protesters and suggested they are stooges of foreign powers…Fri Dec 16 2011 - 00:00
