Link to the Show / Show NotesOn this week's program: we meet young Hungarians looking to leave the country as it heads towards a legal battle with the EU - in Turkey, rights groups say the verdict in the Hrant Dink trial sends out all the wrong messages -How tight are safety standards in the cruise ship industry? - And how do locals in East London feel about hosting the Olympics on their doorstep?Young Hungarians seek escapeHungary's conflict with the European Union has reached a new level. This week the European Commission issued an ultimatum: Change your laws or face legal action.
The widening rift between Budapest and Brussels is casting an ominous shadow over Hungary’s future in the EU. And as Nate Tabak reports from Budapest, the situation is leading some people to look at leaving Hungary behind.Romania protestsRomania saw some of the first large-scale violent protests since the revolution, sparked off by proposed changes to a health care law. Many protestors are promising to continue until the government falls.
As Tom Wilson reports from the university campus in Bucharest where the demonstrations took place, some believe the whole protest movement is a sham.Cruise ship safetyTelevised images of the deadly wreck of the Costa Concordia off the coast of Italy have shocked viewers all over the world. And they’ve also led many to wonder about the state of safety regulation in the cruise ship industry.
For all the growth in the cruise industry - and in the size of the ships themselves - has industry regulation kept pace? Stefan Jäger is President of the European Cruiser Association, a group which represents the interests of cruise ship passengers. How safe does he think cruise ships are?Hrant Dink verdictTurkey's treatment of its Armenian minority and commitment to address political assassinations is coming under renewed scrutiny. There has been outrage over a court's verdict this week to only convict one person and acquit a further 18 for the shooting of Turkish Armenian journalist Hrant Dink five years ago.
Representatives of the Turkish state are widely suspected of having been involved in the killing. As Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul, the verdict is a cause for concern for human rights activists.Olympics disappoint localsSince 2005 - when London won the bid to host the Games - more than 11 billion euros of public money has been spent to fund them. But many local residents in Stratford in East London, where the Olympic park is situated, are feeling pretty downtrodden.
Stratford is one of the poorest and most immigrant-heavy areas in London and they express doubt that all the construction and disruption will pay a lasting economic dividend. Nina-Maria Potts reports.Urban renewal in GuimaraesGuimaraes in northern Portugal is soon to be inaugurated as one of two European capitals of culture in 2012.
As Alison Roberts reports from Guimaraes, politicians and local community leaders are trying to use the initiative as an economic driver, rather than an expensive inconvenience, in these times of austerity.Fracking in AustriaResidents of a small Austrian are about to take on the country's oil giant, OMV. They are against the company's plans to recover shale gas using the controversial extraction process known as fracking or hydraulic fracturing.
Fracking has made headlines in the United States and other parts of the world because of its environmental impact. It has been banned in France and there've been big protests against it in Bulgaria and parts of Europe. Kerry Skyring spoke with some fracking foes (and proponents) in the Northern Austrian town of Herrnbaumgarten.Letterboxing in IrelandMany Europeans - and visitors to Europe - spend their free time and vacations searching for hidden treasures. This game of hide-and-seek takes people to unknown spots close to home and off the beaten track.
Letterboxing also lets them communicate with like-minded folks and share bits of their lives in a way that just seems a little more special than posting on facebook. Our reporter Nancy Greenleese (who might just be a letterboxer herself) went along on a hunt in Ireland.
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