Inside Europe: The inside take on European affairs

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DATE : Fri, 14 May 2010 17:30:00 GMT
Entered in Database : 2010-05-14 17:30:00
length : 26517932
Link to the Show / Show Notes

On today's program: Finding the cure to the Greek crisis - Latvia's long road to recovery - EU presses on with single sky policy - Are Turkey's imams striking the right chord? - Yugo-nostalgia: remembering Tito - Commemorating the liberation of Dachau - Stalin's legacy in Russia - European attempts to ban the burqa - Redefining motherhood in France - The godmother takes on the mafia.
Finding the cure to the Greek crisis

Despite the large-scale social unrest and plans for further strikes, the Greek government has passed a bill which will introduce tough new austerity measures.

The measures are seen as crucial to pulling Greece back from bankruptcy. And they're necessary for the country to qualify for more than 110 billion euros in bail-out loans from the IMF and governments in the eurozone. But how is the government going to convince the population that there's no alternative to massive cuts? Helen Seeney put that question to Ilias Siakantaris, a business journalist with SKAI TV in Athens.

The Baltic state of Latvia, which has the highest unemployment in the European Union, is gradually starting to recover from its economic crisis.

In order to receive an international bailout of 7.5 billion euros the country has slashed wages and spending in the public sector and has also raised taxes. The government is confident that Latvia’s economy has stabilized and the country is coming out of recession. Gederts Gelzis has this report from Riga.

European Union transport ministers have been meeting in Brussels for crisis talks on how to respond to the ongoing threat of volcanic ash from Iceland that disrupted air travel for a whole week last month.

The meeting came amid fresh travel chaos this week because of a new volcanic ash cloud. Nina-Maria Potts has the details.

The call to prayer or ezan, is one of the most potent symbols of the Islamic faith. But it also can be a potent source of noise pollution if sung badly.

At least that's the view of the head of religious affairs in Istanbul, Turkey's largest city. And now a project is underway to stamp out bad singing in the city's 3,000 mosques. Dorian Jones has this report from Istanbul.

Tuesday marked the 30th anniversary of the death of former Yugoslav leader Josip Broz Tito. And he hasn't been forgotten.

In Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia, Slovenia, Macedonia and Montenegro, his supporters paid tribute to him and reflected on the bloody break-up of Yugoslavia since his death. In this Postcard from Belgrade, Mark Lowen looks at the phenomenon of Yugo-nostalgia and why Tito is still remembered fondly.

A memorial ceremony has been held at the former concentration camp of Dachau in Bavaria to commemorate its liberation 65 years ago. The camp opened in May 1933 and was one of the first Nazi concentration camps.

It remained open until American troops arrived there on April 29th, 1945. Among the invited guests at last Sunday’s ceremony were survivors from more than 20 countries as well as those who liberated them. Mariana Schroeder was there and has this report.

This Sunday Russians are celebrating the 65th anniversary of their victory over Nazi Germany. There had been plans to display posters of Joseph Stalin on the streets of Moscow as part of the celebrations.

That prompted a backlash from human rights activists and the idea was shelved. But it illustrates the controversy that still surrounds Stalin, his wartime role and his achievements as Soviet leader. Geert Groot Koerkamp has more from Moscow.

Italian police have fined a Muslim woman 500 euros for wearing a burqa, or full Islamic veil, in public. In Switzerland, a canton has passed legislation preparing the groundwork for a possible ban. And in Germany, a senior member of the European Parliament has called for the burqa to be banned throughout Europe.

These are just the latest in a wave of sanctions against this garment. Last week, Belgium's lower house of parliament approved a ban on the burqa in public although the bill still needs to go through the upper house. The French government is drafting a similar bill. So what's prompted this European crackdown on the burqa at this particular point in time? Helen Seeney put that question to Shada Islam, a senior analyst at the European Policy Centre in Brussels.

It's Mother's day on Sunday, and mums in many countries around the world will be hoping for a break from the washing up and the office.

The French philosopher Elisabeth Badinter has just written a book about this generation of mums which is faced with increasing pressure to juggle motherhood with careers. Badinter says that extra workload can mean a regression of women's rights. Genevieve Oger has been finding out more in Paris.

An 81-year-old woman living in Palermo and known as the godmother is standing up to Mafia extortionists.

Business owners in Sicily are often forced to pay protection money known as pizzo, which is Sicilian for the beak of a chicken. Some refuse to advertise because they fear the Mafia will come calling. But they also risk getting a knock on the door from a woman who may push them to do the right thing. Nancy Greenleese has more from Palermo.

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