The traditional European east-west divide towards the US and Russia is shifting, with 'Obama-mania' and the willingness to stand up to Moscow more frequent among western than eastern Europeans, a survey of the German Marshall Fund reveals. READ MORE

With Kazakhstan’s parliament now in its fall session, President Nursultan Nazarbayev has made it clear that Astana’s top priority in the coming year is economic rejuvenation, not political democratization. READ MORE

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown says his government is willing to cut the number of nuclear submarines to support US President Barack Obama's nuclear disarmament initiative. READ MORE

The newly-elected director-general of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, presented to EurActiv in an interview her ambitious plans for the organisation, responsible for promoting education, science and culture throughout the world. She attached special importance to francophony. READ MORE

An adviser rather than a mediator. This is how Knut Vollebaek, the High Commissioner on National Minorities for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), described his role in the ongoing dispute between Slovakia and Hungary concerning Slovakia’s amended State Language Act during his visit to Bratislava in mid-September. READ MORE

The Head of the OSCE Mission to Serbia, Ambassador Hans Ola Urstad, and Serbian Interior Minister Ivica Dacic signed a revised agreement on continued strategic partnership on police reform priorities. READ MORE

After years of mud-slinging, Turkey and Armenia appear ready to restore diplomatic ties, but the initial reaction within Armenia suggests that the process could meet with strong political opposition. Watching closely from the sidelines, Turkish ally Azerbaijan, meanwhile, states that it expects Turkey to keep its word -- no diplomatic ties with Armenia until territories bordering the disputed region of Nagorno Karabakh are returned to Azerbaijani control. READ MORE

At the beginning of World War II, the Soviet invasion of Poland led to massive loss of life in prison camps and massacres. A new resolution from the Polish parliament condemns the invasion - and irks Russia. READ MORE

It has now become hard to deny that there is a relapse of terrorist activity in the Caucasus, particularly in Ingushetia and Dagestan, threatening to unravel the stability and calm that has emerged in this war-ravaged region in the last couple of years. What is the Kremlin to do? Has the policy of betting on Ramzan Kadyrov gone wrong, or is it still a reliable tool of fighting terrorism without provoking terror attacks on targets inside Russia? What are the real causes of terrorist activity in Ingushetia and Dagestan? READ MORE

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon has expressed "grave concern" over Tehran's secret nuclear activities. He was referring to the disclosure of a new uranium enrichment facility hidden beneath a mountain. READ MORE