News stories by Pavol Stracansky

BRATISLAVA, Mar 15 (IPS) - Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) groups in Central and Eastern Europe, which still faced mixed prospects as they fight for rights and acceptance, are now taking some heart from the "failure" of a referendum in Slovakia, a member of the European Union.

KIEV, Jan 28 (IPS) - With international organisations warning that East Ukraine is on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe as its health system collapses, marginalised groups are among those facing the greatest struggle to access even basic health care in the war-torn region.

KIEV, Dic 09 (IPS) - Marginalised communities and civil society groups helping them are warning of a "tragedy" in Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA) as international funding for HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis (TB) programmes in the regions is cut back.

MOSCOW, Nov 03 (IPS) - Immigrants in Russia could face a wave of violence following thousands of arrests in a crackdown on illegal immigration which has been condemned not only for human rights breaches but for entrenching a virulent negative public perception of migrants.

TBILISI, Sep 21 (IPS) - Irina was 21 when she first started using drugs. More than 30 years later, having lost her husband, her home and her business to drugs, she is still battling her addiction.

TBILISI, Sep 08 (IPS) - Georgia's LGBT community is sceptical that recently-introduced anti-discrimination legislation hailed by some rights groups as a bold step forward for the former Soviet state will improve their lives any time soon.

KIEV, Aug 17 (IPS) - Doctors are warning of a worsening tuberculosis epidemic in Eastern Ukraine as the continuing conflict there begins to take a heavy toll on public health.

MOSCOW, Jul 14 (IPS) - When Veronika Sintsova was diagnosed with tuberculosis in 2009, she spent six months in hospital before being discharged and allowed to continue treatment as an outpatient.

MOSCOW, Jun 26 (IPS) - A protest in Moscow Thursday marking the U.N. International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking has highlighted the ‘torture' drug users are put through in the Russian criminal justice system.

MOSCOW, Jun 21 (IPS) - People in Siberia must prepare to face frequent repeats of recent devastating floods as well as other natural disasters, scientists and ecologists are warning, amid growing evidence of the effects of global warming on one of the world's most ecologically diverse regions.