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Narendra Modi, the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) controversial top candidate, won a surprising landslide victory, raising high expectations for many and fears among others.

The upcoming European Parliament elections are overshadowed by the perception of an indecisive European Union ill-prepared to deal with geopolitical challenges. Inferring from that a general indifference towards the European Union or its Parliament, however, is a short-sighted fallacy.

The Ice Hockey World Championship officially kicks off in Minsk on May, 9. Since May 2009. What changes have occurred in the country so far? How is this event perceived by the Belarussians? What lies to the other side of the facade? And what can we expect afterwards?

What are governments doing to prepare for a post-oil future? Lili Fuhr and Johnny West encourage oil-producing countries to get ready for more robust climate policies.

Global visions for responsible resource use and changes necessary - Read the statements of the international participants of the Berlin conference.

How far can a value be placed on the “services” of nature? Thomas Fatheuer provides a readily under-standable introduction to the subject and illuminates the concepts and instruments that fol-low from the idea of monetarizing nature. In his first chapter he explains the context of the debate.

To which results will the elections in India lead? Will the regional vote decide or the urban vote? Rainer Hörig travelled to the countryside and asked farmers and workers about their opinions.

The new Aam Aadmi Party is spreading hope for many people. The manifestos published before the elections are usually overrun with generalities because they want to please everyone and not alienate any voter group. For the poor, inflation and corruption are the main concerns. The youth wants better education and career opportunities, and an end to corruption.

In three short articles, German journalist Rainer Hörig, who has been living in Pune since 1989, reports on the election campaign in India. He visited a village in Maharashtra, accompanied young campaign aids from the Aam Aadmi Party on a canvassing mission in Pune, and interviewed urban slum dwellers on what they expect from the election. These reports provide a vivid impression of how the election campaign is carried out there and what moves the people politically.

The Karzai era has been given a moderate appraisal. But the Afghan president alone isn't responsible for everything he's being accused of. The West must take part of the blame too.

The EU cannot give up on the project of a unified and free Europe without giving up on itself. This includes the promise that all European nations on the path to becoming a democracy and constitutional state can become a member of the European Community. Ukraine is the touchstone of this promise today.

A decade of UPA-Congress rule in India ends with limited progress on the Indo-Pak relations.The fact that outgoing Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, despite his good intentions, could not visit the country of his birth even once sums up the structural constraints of this troubled relationship.

It is election season in India, and there are few places like Uttar Pradesh to get a feel which way the wind is blowing. Photo journalist Nikhil Roshan has captured some impressive scenes on his travels.

Call for Papers: Transformations of the Ecology Movement. From the 'Limits to Growth' to the Rio Conference. Deadline is the 15th June 2014

Who tolerates whom? Who is "we" and who are "the others"? How private or public can/must love be lived? A Cinematic Intervention by director Angelina Maccarone and writer Carolin Emcke on equal rights for LGBTI.

On 6 April, Fidesz obtained another two-thirds majority in the Hungarian parliament. What will Viktor Orbán want to do with his supermajority, and what are the next four years likely to bring in Hungarian politics and society?

Author György Dalos finds in his analysis of the parliamentary elections that Hungary needs to re-assume its original place among young democracies: with social and democratic political initiatives that can be compelling for voters and non-voters alike and that could contribute in dismantling the culture of hatred.

On 6 April, election was held in Hungary. The winners were Viktor Orbán and his Fidesz party but also Jobbik With 20,5 percent, Jobbik is now the strongest extreme right-wing party in the EU. Eva van de Rakt spoke with political scientist Bulcsú Hunyadi about the outcome.

As a reaction to the violation of human rights during the elections in 200/2002 many countries sanctioned Zimbabwe and its president Mugabe. However nowadays, it seems that these sanctions are rather aiding Mugabe than harming him.

Slovakia is about to change its constitution that limits diversity of family forms strictly. However, the results of the presidential election bring glimmers of hope to sexual minorities in Slovakia.

Video: Masood Karokhail is a founding member and now the director of The Liaison Office (TLO) in Kabul, Afghanistan. Mr. Karokhail is an expert on governance, tribal issues, and the political economy of Afghanistan and has authored and co- authored numerous articles on these subjects.

Nargis Nehan, director of Equality for Peace and Democracy speaks about the election process, requirements for a sustainable political settlement process and the need for Afghan civil society to support the new administration and the national security forces.

The left-of-centre opposition parties ended the protracted period of negotiations by creating a type of alliance. The alliance exhibits resembles the former governing left-wing coalition and has hitherto been incapable of mounting a serious challenge to the ruling right-wing majority in 2014.

It might be the first time for Hungarian voters to re-elect a conservative government and Viktor Orbán is confident of winning the elections with a two-third parliamentary majority. Bulcsú Hunyadi gives a detailled overview on Hungaries political landscape and depicts that there is no competition among equals.

Since its unexpected victory in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress party has led two coalition governments. Now, ten years later, the party finds itself in deep crisis. If nothing else, then at least the heavy defeats in the last assembly elections 2013 mean that the Congress enters the Lok Sabha elections with a considerable handicap.

Simia Ramish is a civil rights activist and journalist. As a candidate in the Herat provincial council election she aims to play an active role in politics. In this interview she explains her goals and wishes for Afghanistan.