'environment' - tagged features

Many people would say they hear a lot of garbage from politicians during election campaigns, but in Italy garbage is one of the hot issues in this election campaign - especially in the southern Campania region. Although the streets of Naples have finally been cleared of their huge piles of rubbish, the problem is as bad as ever on the city's outskirts. But what's even worse is the problem of toxic industrial waste, dumped in huge quantities by the local mafia - the comorra. Locals are falling ill, animals and crops are being poisoned - and yet no-one is being held accountable. 

In Switzerland the Swiss people’s party has come out the clear leader – winning almost 29% of the vote. It’s the party’s best showing ever. The party ran a campaign criticised by some as racist. It says it wants to deport foreigners who commit crimes and keep Switzerland out of the European union. 

In spite of all its beauty, the Czech Republic is turning into rather unpleasant place to live - at least in some respects. Two-thirds of Czechs are currently gasping for air as it gets more and more polluted. This and many other alarming facts have been highlighted in an annual report on the Czech environment, published by the Environment Ministry.