Society
With a burgeoning Muslim population in Europe, individuals across the continent are becoming more accustomed to Islamic practices. For most, the holy month of Ramadan is usually associated with fasting. But for those who practice the religious festival it means much more.
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Take one cat, one wheelie bin and one CCTV camera, add the power of the internet and what do you get? The amazing transformation of one ordinary middle-aged lady from Coventry into "the most hated woman in Britain" - a story that has dominated the UK media for the last week.
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This week: Russia stockpiles for safety; the Danish navy goes up against Greenpeace; And introducing Glamping … the new luxury way to camp.
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The first purpose-built cinemas that began popping up around the UK a century ago were a long way away from today's glossy multiplexes. A small number of these pioneers still ply their trade today and their buildings offer moviegoers a trip down the memory lane of cinematic history.
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A graveyard may not strike many as the most appropriate place for a concert, but Romania's famous Merry Cemetery is no ordinary burial ground. The richly decorated graves with their humorous epitaphs served as both the inspiration and the backdrop for the first Romanian-Irish music festival.
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The heatwave continues, hundreds of fires rage on and heads are starting to roll in Moscow as the authorities struggle to bring the situation under control.
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Things are getting dicey for Italy's Silvio Berlusconi - the man known as the Teflon premier. With accusations of yet another scandal breaking just as the PM faces a crucial confidence vote in parliament today, it looks as though his legendary non-stick coating is beginning to wear thin.
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Former Czech president Václav Havel, who was swept to power by the country's 1989 Velvet Revolution, has had many professions in his life – poet, playwright, dissident, revolutionary, president, and author. Now, at the tender age of 73, he is adding a new string to his bow – film director.
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Recently things seemed to be on the up for Northern Ireland after the UK prime minister's Bloody Sunday apology went some way to healing old wounds and Londonderry won its Capital of Culture bid, but this morning's car bombing showed that the peace process still has far to go.
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As the mills and mines of northern England went into decline in the latter half of the 20th century, it was feared that the traditional brass band would follow suit. But Yorkshire's Black Dyke Band diversified its repertoire, found new fans and has since been going from strength to strength.
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As France moves closer towards a full ban on the burqa, one wealthy couple - furious at what they see as an attack on everyone's constitutional freedoms - are pledging €1 million of their own money to pay off fines handed to women who wear the full-face veil.
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While many sports can be adapted to fit the needs of disabled people, when it comes to the blind playing football you may wonder how people can even kick the ball when they can't see their feet.
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Bored of the whirr of the printer and the rattle of the photocopier? Well you needn't go hunting around outside with a microphone for the sounds of the rural idyll, you can now just mix together your favourite nature moments online.
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Germans are asking difficult questions today about security at the Love Parade in the town of Duisburg. An investigation is underway, but following the deaths of 17 young people in Saturday's stampede, will the tragedy mark the end of free festivals in Europe?
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It is seen by many as just another brown sludgy river threading its way through a capital city, but there is more to the Thames than meets the eye. A new photography exhibition sets out to track the river from source to sea, shining light on its role as the lifeblood of London.
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Romania has exhumed the graves of Nicolae Ceausescu and his wife to put an end to speculation about whether their remains really do lie there. But digging up the former communist dictator is also raising some uncomfortable issues about the country's past for the Romanian people.
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The opening of two new metro stations in the Russian capital should be a cause for celebration for Moscow's commuters, but the station named after Dostoyevsky is already winning an unwelcome reputation thanks to the dark and violent scenes from the great writer's work depicted on its walls.
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This week: Northern Ireland's riots become a tradition in the making; Illegal money and Sarkozy’s reputation down the drain; And introducing Watson … a jeopardy-playing genius.
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Anyone thinking that London’s literary lovers would be cooped up in some dusty old library will be proven wrong at this week’s London's literary festival. To keep up with the times, Twitter fans can also litter the internet with their literary tweets.
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As Greeks struggle to make ends meet these days, they will certainly think twice before going out for exclusive cocktails. Anyone who wants a sense of luxury can still get their fix though, as the world’s bartenders strut their stuff in Athens in a battle to become king of mixology.
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President Sarkozy appeared on national television last night to refute allegations of corruption and try to win public support for a controversial increase in the retirement age passed by the French government today.
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Fifteen years after the Srebrenica genocide, hundreds of victims were buried at the village's immense graveyard yesterday. While survivors of the massacre mourned, the world’s politicians shied away from accepting responsibility.
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In a special debate to mark the 15th anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre, Euranet's Cintia Taylor travelled to the Bosnian town where more than 7,000 Muslim men and boys were killed by Bosnian Serb troops in 1995 to talk to some of those directly affected by the atrocity.
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A new UK production of I Was Looking at the Ceiling and Then I Saw the Sky by minimalist composer John Adams aims to shake things up a bit. The Brits are attempting to breathe new life into the American earthquake musical, but can they succeed where others have failed before?
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Bosnians commemorate the 15th anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre this weekend. In some respects the issue remains locked in an uneasy stalemate - the main suspects have not been convicted, and people still living in the village tolerate each other out of necessity.
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Fancy getting your paws on a stunning work of modern art without having to part with cold hard cash? Well head on down to the Art Barter market, where you can exchange your cat-sitting skills for a canvas or a holiday for a high-class art work.
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Slovenia is celebrating its 10th annual Gay Pride event this week, but the run-up to the festivities has been somewhat marred by a series of homophobic acts of vandalism. Activists say enough is enough and are calling on politicians do more to promote tolerance and protect LGBT rights.
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With more than 60 TV soap operas currently being broadcast in the country, Turkish audiences have a voracious appetite for romance and drama - the more risque the better. But now some politicians want to clean up the salacious soaps for the good of the nation's morals.
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A united Germany took on England on Sunday in one of the biggest grudge matches of the World Cup. But political stakes in this hotly anticipated game were nothing to those seen back when there were two German teams and Cold War animosity was never more evident than on the football pitch.
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One thing a lot of teams struggle with is consistency. Not France! Yesterday, their coach refused to shake his counterpart’s hand after his team lost again. The French circus has left town and I for one won’t miss them. But the bad news is... they aren’t the only Europeans flying home early.
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Revolution is all the rage with multi-millionaire footballers at this year’s World Cup. The French team have opted for whinging instead of playing football, one English player had his coup squashed, while the only team keeping their mouths shut have been eliminated – Where’s the justice?
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Now even though the Irish aren’t at this year’s World Cup, that doesn’t mean they aren’t enjoying it. Mexico’s hammer-blow defeat of France last night was openly celebrated in the streets of Dublin, because like an elephant we Irish never forget!
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World Cup day seven, World Cup blog number two. I know, I know I’ve been a lazy boy. It’s just so hard to concentrate with all this football! But I come bearing good news folks – World Cup 2010 has finally sprung to life. In the last 24 hours we’ve had goals, skills and lots of excitement.
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A Belarusian government-backed morality watchdog intends to study the content of Elton John’s live performances before giving the green light to his concert in Minsk, scheduled for 26 June.
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The Dutch political landscape shifted radically last night as voters brought an end to PM Balkenende's eight years at the helm and made the right-wing VVD the largest party for the first time. But the big shock came from the breakthroughs seen by Geert Wilders' anti-Islam Freedom Party.
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Poland today released a transcript of recordings of the last moments onboard the plane that crashed in western Russia on 10 April, killing dozens of Polish VIPs - including President Lech Kaczynski, in the hope this will put an end to conspiracy theories about the cause of the accident.
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