The contributions to the 151st IAU Colloquium cover different fields of recent research, observational as well as theoretical, on solar and stellar flares ranging from radio up to gamma-ray wavelengths. A special chapter is devoted to all-sky monitoring and, finally, the excerpts of a round-table discussion present the reader with an interesting outlook on future developments. This book is therefore a unique source for those who want to get a complete picture of this fascinating part of modern astrophysics.

Solar flares.- Flares: The solar-stellar connection.- Radio emission from flares in single late-type stars.- High-resolution dynamic spectrum of a spectacular radio burst from AD Leonis.- VLBI observations of flares in RS CVn binary systems.- Coherent radio bursts from RS CVn binaries.- Systematic radio-observations of UX Arietis: Analysis of its variability.- Radio flares in HR 1099 (V711 Tau).- Sunspot proper motion and flare frequency.- Optical flares: Observations and interpretations.- The red dwarf star population in the galaxy.- Kinematics and ages of UV Ceti stars.- Flare activity among nearby stars.- Young and old subsystems of flare stars.- Flare activity and cluster membership probability of flare stars.- New EUV selected flare stars.- Flare stars in a field near the North Galactic Pole: ROSAT and optical observations.- Some results of the coordinated observations of the red dwarf flare star EV Lac in 1986-1994.- A possible discovery of a flaring 1012 eV gamma-ray source near the red dwarf EV Lac.- Short-time flare events of EV Lac.- Observations of high-frequency activity of EV Lacertae.- Spectral and photometrical investigation of EV Lac in different states with high time resolution.- Photoelectric observations of AD Leo: 1989-1994.- Multifrequency analysis of a UV Ceti flare on 1991 December 31.- A large amplitude flaring dMe star in the 1978 October 6B ?-ray burst error box.- A major optical flare on the recently discovered X-ray active dMe star G102-21.- Flares detected on some late giants: Are they real?.- BD+47°819, an A-type flare star with peculiar spectrosopic variatons.- The long-term behaviour of BY Dra.- CN Com: a typical RS Canum Venaticorum star.- A long-duration pre-flare dip in the light curve of V1054 Oph.- Photometric research of pre-flare and extra-flare activity of flare stars.- Stream parameters in the neighbourhood of the L 1 point in W serpentis-type binaries.- Monitoring of flare stars at nainital observatory.- CCD monitoring of flare stars in stellar aggregates.- Automated search for flare stars continued.- Flare stars database: Present status.- Flare star observations with a single-photon counting imaging detector.- Optical observations on milli-, micro-, and nanosecond timescales.- MANIA complex - hardware and software for the investigation of optical variability on time scales 10?7-102s.- A new technique for precise stellar photometry: Application to small-scale activity of EV lacertae.- Flare in late-type stars: UV.- Post-flare coronal activity on AU Mic detected by EUVE.- Flares in late-type stars: X-ray.- Short-duration X-ray transients observed with WATCH on Granat: Are some of them related to stellar flares?.- ROSAT observation of a giant X-ray flare on the active binary Algol.- ASCA X-ray spectra of quiescent and flaring emission from AB Doradus.- X-ray variability of the flare star CC Eri.- X-ray observations of the dMe star EQ1839.6+8002 in 1980-1993.- Physical processes during impulsive solar and stellar flares.- The role of flare stars in cosmic-ray origin.- Flare activity in Algol-type binaries.- Influence of coronal mass ejections from the red dwarf component on the accretion pattern in CVs and LMXBs.- Magnetic field reconnection as a possible source of nonthermal processes in accreting relativistic systems.- Flares in T Tauri stars.- Properties of X-ray flares on young stars.- X-ray flare rate of T Tauri stars in Taurus.- Middleterm flares in T Tau stars of the Tau - aur complex.- Activity on T Tauri stars.- A very active T Tauri star in NGC 7129.- Polarimetric outbursts in young herbig Ae/Be stars and in peculiar B[e] stars.- Photometric behaviour of the EXors V1118 Orionis and V1143 Orionis.- Observations of short-term dips in the Orion variables DD Serpentis and AB Aurigae.- Hydrogen and helium flashes in cataclysmic variables.- PU Vul: 15 years of studies, important findings and remaining mysteries.- Spectral variability and photometric behaviour of the symbiotic nova PU Vul in 1985-1994.- Photometry of CH Cygni during 1991-1994.- Long-term photometry of the symbiotic star AG Draconis.- Space densities of cataclysmic variables and nova recurrence times.- Extension of the radio spectrum of AE Aqr to the sub-millimetric range.- The origin of flaring activity in AE Aquarii.- UBVRI photometry of AE Aquarii in July-August 1994.- Flares and flickering in the cataclysmic variable AE Aquarii.- Time dependence of the UV resonance lines in the cataclysmic variable star VW Hyi.- The benefit of archival research in investigating dwarf novae.- Do we see magnetic effects in dwarf nova outbursts?.- Flares in dwarf novae.- Flickering in cataclysmic variables: Inventory and perspectives.- Resolved shot noise in the AM Her system V834 Cen.- Eclipse mapping the flickering in HT Cas.- Multiple time scales in cataclysmic variables: The examples.- X-ray bursts.- Strong X-ray bursts with expansion: Oscillations due to sound waves in atmospheres.- Quasi-periodic oscillations and noise in accreting black holes and low-magnetic field neutron stars.- Detection of nonthermal optical flashes with 10?3-10?1 s duration from some LMXBs.- TTM observations of X1755-338.- Irregular X-ray variation of LMC X-3.- Gamma-ray bursts: Observational overview, searches for counterparts, and BACODINE.- Observations of ?-ray bursts and solar flares with Granat.- Observations of high-energy gamma-ray bursts with EGRET.- Population of short ?-ray bursters - result of gravitational lensing of "quiet" ?-ray sources in remote galaxies.- Multi-wavelength flashes from GRBs.- Optical transients.- Simultaneous optical/gamma-ray observations of GRBs.- ETC observations of the gamma-ray burst GRB 941014.- Deep search for optical counterparts of gamma-ray bursters.- CCD sky monitoring and burst alert.- The plate collection at the Harvard College Observatory.- Optical sky monitoring: Past and future.- The Odessa Sky Patrol plate collection.- Nova Patrol at Abastumani.- Wide-field plate database: A progress report.- GCVS problems with flare stars.- Detections of neutron stars in the extreme ultraviolet.- Time variability studies with ROSAT.- Wide-field cameras for GRB observations in X-rays and EUV.- Wide-field X-ray optics.- Flares and flashes: The future.- After dinner address.- Resolution.