HUNGARY - The coalition led by Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany's Socialist Party won 113 of Parliament's 386 seats in the first round of national elections April 9, according to news reports, distancing itself from the main opposition party, Fidesz, and moving one step closer to keeping power in Hungary's government. A second round of voting is scheduled for April 23.

FRANCE - The French government bowed to protesters April 10 and withdrew a youth labor law that sparked a month of protests across the country. The concession was seen as a blow to Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin, the law's main champion. It would have allowed French companies to fire workers younger than 26 at any time during their first two years on the job.

UK - A High Court Judge in London ruled April 7 in favor of Dan Brown's publisher Random House. The author of the megaselling The Da Vinci Code was in court over accusations of plagiarism from the authors of the nonfiction work The Holy Blood and The Holy Grail, who contended Brown had lifted an idea central to his novel — that Jesus married Mary Magdalene and the two had a child. The court ruled that Brown's acknowledged use of the source's ideas did not constitute copyright infringement according to UK law.

GERMANY - Workers in southwestern Germany reached a settlement April 6, ending more than two months of strikes over changes to the country's workweek. Strikers were protesting a plan to increase the workweek from 38.5 hours to 40 hours. Two other German regions have also struck deals to end similar strikes.

SLOVAKIA - Hospital doctors in Bratislava, who are striking to demand higher pay, were joined by physicians in Prešov and Nitra April 7. The Bratislava doctors demand the government increase their pay by 25 percent and allocate more money to the healthcare system. So far, emergency care in the capital's hospitals has suffered, with doctors and nurses only attending to the most serious cases.

BELGIUM - Representatives of Europe's leading airlines met with airport operators in Brussels April 7 amid reports that carriers could face extra congestion charges for flying at peak times. Airlines are concerned that current landing fees many airports charge are already too high. The European Commission is looking into ways to boost competitiveness across the industry, increase capacity and fund infrastructure improvements.