Train service between Belgrade and Sarajevo has been restored, after being interrupted for 18 years due to the Bosnian War. Now the stretch of track linking the two capital cities is to help reconnect what the war tore apart.
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Northern Ireland: Young terrorists
The Northern Ireland assembly voted in early March in favor of transferring police and justice powers from London to Belfast, slotting the last piece of devolution to Northern Ireland into place.The vote paves the way for the devolved government to take responsibility for law and order in April. But some people still oppose the peace process.
Last March, two British soldiers and a Northern Irish police officer died in terror attacks. And a few weeks ago, a car bomb exploded in front of a court building in the city of Newry. Fortunately, no one was injured. The perpetrators belong to groups that splintered off from the Irish Republican Army. They want to undermine the peace process. Violent incidents haven't stopped: stones are thrown at police, tires are slashed, and windows are broken -- all in the attempt to keep the conflict simmering.
The Netherlands: Forced labor for welfare recipients
A pilot project in Rotterdam has welfare recipients bagging groceries or working for the municipal waste removal service. The idea is to reintegrate the jobless in to the working world. But critics call it forced labor.
The city of Rotterdam has initiated a new kind of program it calls "Werkland". It employs welfare recipients and pays them 1000 euros a month. Old-style welfare has been eliminated, but the city pays companies to hire the jobless. And the unemployed, in turn, have to take the jobs if they want money. The initiators reject the term "forced labor", saying the point is to integrate the unemployed or poorly qualified. The project also offers language courses.
Serbia/Bosnia-Herzegovina: A train connects former enemies
Historically, the train link between Belgrade and Sarajevo was probably the most important one in the Balkans. Today the service lacks some of the comforts of yesteryear.
The restaurant car is Serbian, but both of the other cars are Bosnian: one comes from the Serb-dominated political entity Republika Srpska while the other is from the Muslim-Croat Federation. The locomotive is changed every time the train crosses the border, slowing down the trip significantly. But the new train connection is symbolic -- showing that the former enemies are trying to improve their relationship.
SERIES - The Other Side - Building Bridges in Europe
Part 7: Germany: The wedding pier on Rügen - The rebuilt bridge in Sellin is one of only three piers in Germany.
The bridge building with its palm garden and Kaiser hall is reminiscent of the 1920s. And it also has a justice of the peace office. Bridges have a special attraction for people getting married. They stand for the couples' goal: to build a lifelong bridge between them. But the statistic in Europe is that 50 percent of all marriages end in divorce. Is marriage out of date, or is it making a comeback? The question is already answered for the couples in Sellin.
