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European Union

Top EU health official resigns over tobacco probe

Dalli giving a public statement EPA/OLIVIER HOSLET

In an unprecedented move, EU Health Commissioner John Dalli has resigned after an investigation connected him to an attempt to influence EU tobacco legislation. Anti-fraud campaigners have welcomed the move.

belarus

Lubov Kovaleva Foto ohne Bezahlung

Fighting the death penalty

Lyubov Kovalyova rallies Europeans in her fight against the death penalty in Belarus.

spain

Karten werden vor Beginn einer Pressekonferenz zum Pokerturnier Hohensyburg Open am Dienstag (06.03.2007) im Spielcasino Hohensyburg in Dortmund gehalten (Illustration). Rund 500 Teilnehmern werden vom 08.-11.03. um Preisgelder in Höhe von 2,35 Millionen Euro spielen. Foto: Franz-Peter Tschauner dpa +++(c) dpa - Report+++

Madrid bets on casino

Stakes are high as US investors plan a controversial gambling resort outside the Spanish capital.

Europe

Hague tribunal helps 'get to truth' of Balkan wars

The ICTY building in The Hague

For the past 20 years, a special tribunal has tried to prosecute war crimes linked to the Balkan conflict. Not all the accused have been sentenced. But many say the court has broken new ground in investigating wars.

Social Change

First Irish abortion clinic opens in Belfast

In Belfast, an abortion clinic has opened its doors, the first ever stand-alone clinic on the island of Ireland. It isn't expected to increase the number of abortions, but it is a significant Irish cultural change.

Globalization

'EU doesn't consider effects of farming policies'

Women looking crops in Burundi Copyright: picture-alliance/Ton Koene

The European Union pumps billions of euros into the agriculture industry, especially into large operations. But a shift in priorities could save the livelihood of African farmers, says the head of the NGO group VENRO.
  • Photo: Tomasz Kolodziejczak

    Bialowieza forest under the lens

    Bialowieza, the divided forest

    The border between Poland and Belarus runs through the 150,000 hectare large Bialowieza forest. Two thirds of the forest belongs to Belarus, one third to Poland. The forest is the last ancient woodland in Europe, largely untouched since the last Ice Age, 12,000 years ago. Today, the Bialowieza National Park consists of a number of strictly protected nature reserves.

  • Bialowieza National Park

    Bialowieza forest under the lens

    Toppled giants

    Many of the trees in the Bialowieza National Park could dwarf a 12-story house. The forest has gone 8,000 years without any meaningful interference from humans. If a storm topples the woodland’s oak, linden or beech trees, they are left to rot on the forest floor. If the plant life is ravaged by disease or parasites, nature is left to fight for itself.

  • Photo: Marta Grudzinska

    Bialowieza forest under the lens

    A wealth of biodiversity

    The Bialowieski forest is home to some 20,000 types of flora and fauna, including dozens of species of ferns. In 1979, UNESCO designated it a World Heritage Site and Biosphere Reserve.

  • Photo: Mateusz Szymura

    Bialowieza forest under the lens

    The return of the wisent

    The wisent is sometimes called the “European king of the forest". They can be up to 2 meters tall and weigh up to 1000 kg, making them the continent’s heaviest land animals. The planet is home to about 4500 wisents, more than 900 of which are in the Bialowieza Forest. Although wild bison can be found in other regions, the biggest free-living herd in Europe is here in Bialowieza.

  • Bialowieza forest

    Bialowieza forest under the lens

    Illustrious company

    As well as the wisent, almost 60 other mammal species make their home in the Bialowieza forest. One of them is the canis lupus, the wolf. They weigh about 40 kilos and eat up to 12 kilos of meat a day, which is more than they can digest. They regurgitate some of what they have eaten in their dens and store it.

  • Bialowieza National Park

    Bialowieza forest under the lens

    The early birds catch the worms

    The best time to spot the forest’s animal life is early in the morning. Four am is an ideal time to catch a glimpse of deer and roe. Tourists can take special tours with gamekeepers familiar with every inch of the forest, who know exactly where a sighting is most likely.

  • Photo: Tilmann Schneider

    Bialowieza forest under the lens

    Wildcats under threat

    The Bialowieza Forest is home to a declining population of lynxes. These wildcats are a threatened species in Europe. Poland is now home to only 200 of them. Their natural habitat is thick forest, they like to hunt at night and they feed on wide range of animals, from deer to smaller prey such as hares, fish, foxes, sheep, squirrels, mice and birds.

  • Photo: Rafal Kowalczyk

    Bialowieza forest under the lens

    A scientific treasure trove

    Its unique biodiversity makes the Bialowieza Forest a fascinating object of scientific study. Researchers at the Mammal Research Center of the Polish Academy of Sciences are especially interested in bison and elk. Before they can study them up close, they need to catch them, which they do with the help of a tranquilizer dart. This elk is still woozy but will soon be back on his feet.

  • Photo: Rafal Kowalczyk

    Bialowieza forest under the lens

    Rotten wood

    Tree fungi love rotten wood and draw the nutrients they need to flourish directly from the tree trunk. Biologists have identified roughly 3500 types of fungi in the Bialowieza Forest – few of which are edible!

  • Photo: Rafal Kowalczyk

    Bialowieza forest under the lens

    Unique wildlife

    In spring, the forest floor blooms with flowers. Local plant life also flourishes in Bialowieza’s many pools and ponds, like these water ferns, which are on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in many parts of Europe.

  • Bialowieza

    Bialowieza forest under the lens

    The town of Bialowieza

    Close to the forest, the town of Bialowieza lives almost entirely off the tourist industry. Back-to-back hostels and hotels line its streets, catering to the 100,000 some visitors who come here every year.

  • The town of Bialowieza

    Bialowieza forest under the lens

    Idyllic and isolated

    Bialowieza might be a beautiful place to visit, but young people in particular are moving away in droves. There is little industry here, little infrastructure and few jobs. Unless people work in tourism or at one of the research institutes based here, they are best off looking for work in the cities. Only the elderly tend to stay.

  • Photo: Marta Grudzinska

    Bialowieza forest under the lens

    Biodiversity takes up a lot of room

    Today, only 16 percent of the Bialowieza forest is protected. As far as environmental activists are concerned, that’s not enough. They are pushing for an extension of the nature reserve, maintaining that the area’s unique biodiversity is otherwise at risk.

  • Photo: Mateusz Szymura

    Bialowieza forest under the lens

    The natural cycle

    Summer doesn’t last long in Eastern Europe. By October, the nights get longer and colder. When winter comes, the Bialowieza is covered in a blanket of snow and temperatures of minus 20 degrees Celsius are commonplace. Silence reigns in the forest until nature comes back to life in spring.

Inside Europe

Europe magnified

Click on the links below to listen to reports from this week's edition of Inside Europe, DW's award-winning radio program with features from around the continent.

Listen to this week's show 19.10.2012

Syrian Armenians seek refuge in their homeland

Despite peace prize, Norway says 'no' to the EU

A glamorous makeover for a music festival

Economy

'Economic crises can only be solved as a whole'

Beschreibung: Denis Snower, Präsident IfW Kiel und Direktor GES Schlagwort: GES Aufnahme: DW/Henrik Böhme Ort: Rio de Janiero Datum: 15.10.2012

This week, the Global Economic Symposium in Rio de Janeiro is taking on the world's financial problems. Symposium founder Dennis Snower has called for a holistic approach to solving the ongoing financial crises.

Searching for the remains of Richard III

An archeological dig in Leicester might have turned up the remains of King Richard III.

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