diff --git a/kallithea/lib/utils2.py b/kallithea/lib/utils2.py
--- a/kallithea/lib/utils2.py
+++ b/kallithea/lib/utils2.py
@@ -433,17 +433,17 @@ def age(prevdate, show_short_version=Fal
 
         if sub_value == 0 or show_short_version:
             if future:
-                return _(u'in %s') % fmt_funcs[part](value)
+                return _('in %s') % fmt_funcs[part](value)
             else:
-                return _(u'%s ago') % fmt_funcs[part](value)
+                return _('%s ago') % fmt_funcs[part](value)
         if future:
-            return _(u'in %s and %s') % (fmt_funcs[part](value),
+            return _('in %s and %s') % (fmt_funcs[part](value),
                 fmt_funcs[sub_part](sub_value))
         else:
-            return _(u'%s and %s ago') % (fmt_funcs[part](value),
+            return _('%s and %s ago') % (fmt_funcs[part](value),
                 fmt_funcs[sub_part](sub_value))
 
-    return _(u'just now')
+    return _('just now')
 
 
 def uri_filter(uri):
diff --git a/kallithea/model/forms.py b/kallithea/model/forms.py
--- a/kallithea/model/forms.py
+++ b/kallithea/model/forms.py
@@ -54,8 +54,8 @@ class LoginForm(formencode.Schema):
         min=1,
         not_empty=True,
         messages={
-           'empty': _(u'Please enter a login'),
-           'tooShort': _(u'Enter a value %(min)i characters long or more')}
+           'empty': _('Please enter a login'),
+           'tooShort': _('Enter a value %(min)i characters long or more')}
     )
 
     password = v.UnicodeString(
@@ -63,8 +63,8 @@ class LoginForm(formencode.Schema):
         min=3,
         not_empty=True,
         messages={
-            'empty': _(u'Please enter a password'),
-            'tooShort': _(u'Enter %(min)i characters or more')}
+            'empty': _('Please enter a password'),
+            'tooShort': _('Enter %(min)i characters or more')}
     )
 
     remember = v.StringBoolean(if_missing=False)
diff --git a/kallithea/model/user.py b/kallithea/model/user.py
--- a/kallithea/model/user.py
+++ b/kallithea/model/user.py
@@ -255,12 +255,12 @@ class UserModel(BaseModel):
 
         if user.username == User.DEFAULT_USER:
             raise DefaultUserException(
-                _(u"You can't remove this user since it's"
+                _("You can't remove this user since it's"
                   " crucial for entire application"))
         if user.repositories:
             repos = [x.repo_name for x in user.repositories]
             raise UserOwnsReposException(
-                _(u'User "%s" still owns %s repositories and cannot be '
+                _('User "%s" still owns %s repositories and cannot be '
                   'removed. Switch owners or remove those repositories: %s')
                 % (user.username, len(repos), ', '.join(repos)))
         if user.repo_groups:
diff --git a/kallithea/model/validators.py b/kallithea/model/validators.py
--- a/kallithea/model/validators.py
+++ b/kallithea/model/validators.py
@@ -93,11 +93,11 @@ def UniqueListFromString():
 def ValidUsername(edit=False, old_data={}):
     class _validator(formencode.validators.FancyValidator):
         messages = {
-            'username_exists': _(u'Username "%(username)s" already exists'),
+            'username_exists': _('Username "%(username)s" already exists'),
             'system_invalid_username':
-                _(u'Username "%(username)s" is forbidden'),
+                _('Username "%(username)s" is forbidden'),
             'invalid_username':
-                _(u'Username may only contain alphanumeric characters '
+                _('Username may only contain alphanumeric characters '
                     'underscores, periods or dashes and must begin with '
                     'alphanumeric character or underscore')
         }
@@ -131,7 +131,7 @@ def ValidRegex(msg=None):
 def ValidRepoUser():
     class _validator(formencode.validators.FancyValidator):
         messages = {
-            'invalid_username': _(u'Username %(username)s is not valid')
+            'invalid_username': _('Username %(username)s is not valid')
         }
 
         def validate_python(self, value, state):
@@ -150,10 +150,10 @@ def ValidRepoUser():
 def ValidUserGroup(edit=False, old_data={}):
     class _validator(formencode.validators.FancyValidator):
         messages = {
-            'invalid_group': _(u'Invalid user group name'),
-            'group_exist': _(u'User group "%(usergroup)s" already exists'),
+            'invalid_group': _('Invalid user group name'),
+            'group_exist': _('User group "%(usergroup)s" already exists'),
             'invalid_usergroup_name':
-                _(u'user group name may only contain alphanumeric '
+                _('user group name may only contain alphanumeric '
                   'characters underscores, periods or dashes and must begin '
                   'with alphanumeric character')
         }
@@ -191,10 +191,10 @@ def ValidUserGroup(edit=False, old_data=
 def ValidRepoGroup(edit=False, old_data={}):
     class _validator(formencode.validators.FancyValidator):
         messages = {
-            'group_parent_id': _(u'Cannot assign this group as parent'),
-            'group_exists': _(u'Group "%(group_name)s" already exists'),
+            'group_parent_id': _('Cannot assign this group as parent'),
+            'group_exists': _('Group "%(group_name)s" already exists'),
             'repo_exists':
-                _(u'Repository with name "%(group_name)s" already exists')
+                _('Repository with name "%(group_name)s" already exists')
         }
 
         def validate_python(self, value, state):
@@ -252,7 +252,7 @@ def ValidPassword():
     class _validator(formencode.validators.FancyValidator):
         messages = {
             'invalid_password':
-                _(u'Invalid characters (non-ascii) in password')
+                _('Invalid characters (non-ascii) in password')
         }
 
         def validate_python(self, value, state):
@@ -267,7 +267,7 @@ def ValidPassword():
 def ValidOldPassword(username):
     class _validator(formencode.validators.FancyValidator):
         messages = {
-            'invalid_password': _(u'Invalid old password')
+            'invalid_password': _('Invalid old password')
         }
 
         def validate_python(self, value, state):
@@ -283,7 +283,7 @@ def ValidOldPassword(username):
 def ValidPasswordsMatch(passwd='new_password', passwd_confirmation='password_confirmation'):
     class _validator(formencode.validators.FancyValidator):
         messages = {
-            'password_mismatch': _(u'Passwords do not match'),
+            'password_mismatch': _('Passwords do not match'),
         }
 
         def validate_python(self, value, state):
@@ -300,9 +300,9 @@ def ValidPasswordsMatch(passwd='new_pass
 def ValidAuth():
     class _validator(formencode.validators.FancyValidator):
         messages = {
-            'invalid_password': _(u'invalid password'),
-            'invalid_username': _(u'invalid user name'),
-            'disabled_account': _(u'Your account is disabled')
+            'invalid_password': _('invalid password'),
+            'invalid_username': _('invalid user name'),
+            'disabled_account': _('Your account is disabled')
         }
 
         def validate_python(self, value, state):
@@ -332,7 +332,7 @@ def ValidAuth():
 def ValidAuthToken():
     class _validator(formencode.validators.FancyValidator):
         messages = {
-            'invalid_token': _(u'Token mismatch')
+            'invalid_token': _('Token mismatch')
         }
 
         def validate_python(self, value, state):
@@ -346,12 +346,12 @@ def ValidRepoName(edit=False, old_data={
     class _validator(formencode.validators.FancyValidator):
         messages = {
             'invalid_repo_name':
-                _(u'Repository name %(repo)s is disallowed'),
+                _('Repository name %(repo)s is disallowed'),
             'repository_exists':
-                _(u'Repository named %(repo)s already exists'),
-            'repository_in_group_exists': _(u'Repository "%(repo)s" already '
+                _('Repository named %(repo)s already exists'),
+            'repository_in_group_exists': _('Repository "%(repo)s" already '
                                             'exists in group "%(group)s"'),
-            'same_group_exists': _(u'Repository group with name "%(repo)s" '
+            'same_group_exists': _('Repository group with name "%(repo)s" '
                                    'already exists')
         }
 
@@ -466,8 +466,8 @@ def ValidCloneUri():
 
     class _validator(formencode.validators.FancyValidator):
         messages = {
-            'clone_uri': _(u'Invalid repository URL'),
-            'invalid_clone_uri': _(u'Invalid repository URL. It must be a '
+            'clone_uri': _('Invalid repository URL'),
+            'invalid_clone_uri': _('Invalid repository URL. It must be a '
                                     'valid http, https, ssh, svn+http or svn+https URL'),
         }
 
@@ -490,7 +490,7 @@ def ValidCloneUri():
 def ValidForkType(old_data={}):
     class _validator(formencode.validators.FancyValidator):
         messages = {
-            'invalid_fork_type': _(u'Fork has to be the same type as parent')
+            'invalid_fork_type': _('Fork has to be the same type as parent')
         }
 
         def validate_python(self, value, state):
@@ -505,9 +505,9 @@ def ValidForkType(old_data={}):
 def CanWriteGroup(old_data=None):
     class _validator(formencode.validators.FancyValidator):
         messages = {
-            'permission_denied': _(u"You don't have permissions "
+            'permission_denied': _("You don't have permissions "
                                    "to create repository in this group"),
-            'permission_denied_root': _(u"no permission to create repository "
+            'permission_denied_root': _("no permission to create repository "
                                         "in root location")
         }
 
@@ -557,7 +557,7 @@ def CanWriteGroup(old_data=None):
 def CanCreateGroup(can_create_in_root=False):
     class _validator(formencode.validators.FancyValidator):
         messages = {
-            'permission_denied': _(u"You don't have permissions "
+            'permission_denied': _("You don't have permissions "
                                    "to create a group in this location")
         }
 
@@ -598,7 +598,7 @@ def ValidPerms(type_='repo'):
     class _validator(formencode.validators.FancyValidator):
         messages = {
             'perm_new_member_name':
-                _(u'This username or user group name is not valid')
+                _('This username or user group name is not valid')
         }
 
         def to_python(self, value, state):
@@ -691,7 +691,7 @@ def ValidSettings():
 def ValidPath():
     class _validator(formencode.validators.FancyValidator):
         messages = {
-            'invalid_path': _(u'This is not a valid path')
+            'invalid_path': _('This is not a valid path')
         }
 
         def validate_python(self, value, state):
@@ -706,7 +706,7 @@ def ValidPath():
 def UniqSystemEmail(old_data={}):
     class _validator(formencode.validators.FancyValidator):
         messages = {
-            'email_taken': _(u'This e-mail address is already taken')
+            'email_taken': _('This e-mail address is already taken')
         }
 
         def _to_python(self, value, state):
@@ -726,7 +726,7 @@ def UniqSystemEmail(old_data={}):
 def ValidSystemEmail():
     class _validator(formencode.validators.FancyValidator):
         messages = {
-            'non_existing_email': _(u'e-mail "%(email)s" does not exist.')
+            'non_existing_email': _('e-mail "%(email)s" does not exist.')
         }
 
         def _to_python(self, value, state):
@@ -763,7 +763,7 @@ def AttrLoginValidator():
     class _validator(formencode.validators.UnicodeString):
         messages = {
             'invalid_cn':
-                  _(u'The LDAP Login attribute of the CN must be specified - '
+                  _('The LDAP Login attribute of the CN must be specified - '
                     'this is the name of the attribute that is equivalent '
                     'to "username"')
         }
@@ -776,7 +776,7 @@ def NotReviewedRevisions(repo_id):
     class _validator(formencode.validators.FancyValidator):
         messages = {
             'rev_already_reviewed':
-                  _(u'Revisions %(revs)s are already part of pull request '
+                  _('Revisions %(revs)s are already part of pull request '
                     'or have set status')
         }
 
diff --git a/kallithea/templates/admin/gists/index.html b/kallithea/templates/admin/gists/index.html
--- a/kallithea/templates/admin/gists/index.html
+++ b/kallithea/templates/admin/gists/index.html
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@
         %if c.authuser.username != 'default':
         <ul class="links">
           <li>
-             <a href="${h.url('new_gist')}" class="btn btn-small btn-success"><i class="icon-plus"></i> ${_(u'Create New Gist')}</a>
+             <a href="${h.url('new_gist')}" class="btn btn-small btn-success"><i class="icon-plus"></i> ${_('Create New Gist')}</a>
           </li>
         </ul>
         %endif
diff --git a/kallithea/templates/admin/gists/show.html b/kallithea/templates/admin/gists/show.html
--- a/kallithea/templates/admin/gists/show.html
+++ b/kallithea/templates/admin/gists/show.html
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@
         %if c.authuser.username != 'default':
         <ul class="links">
           <li>
-              <a href="${h.url('new_gist')}" class="btn btn-small btn-success"><i class="icon-plus"></i> ${_(u'Create New Gist')}</a>
+              <a href="${h.url('new_gist')}" class="btn btn-small btn-success"><i class="icon-plus"></i> ${_('Create New Gist')}</a>
           </li>
         </ul>
         %endif
diff --git a/kallithea/templates/admin/repo_groups/repo_group_edit.html b/kallithea/templates/admin/repo_groups/repo_group_edit.html
--- a/kallithea/templates/admin/repo_groups/repo_group_edit.html
+++ b/kallithea/templates/admin/repo_groups/repo_group_edit.html
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@
 <%def name="breadcrumbs_side_links()">
     <ul class="links">
       <li>
-          <a href="${h.url('new_repos_group', parent_group=c.repo_group.group_id)}" class="btn btn-small btn-success"><i class="icon-plus"></i> ${_(u'Add Child Group')}</a>
+          <a href="${h.url('new_repos_group', parent_group=c.repo_group.group_id)}" class="btn btn-small btn-success"><i class="icon-plus"></i> ${_('Add Child Group')}</a>
       </li>
     </ul>
 </%def>
diff --git a/kallithea/templates/admin/repo_groups/repo_group_show.html b/kallithea/templates/admin/repo_groups/repo_group_show.html
--- a/kallithea/templates/admin/repo_groups/repo_group_show.html
+++ b/kallithea/templates/admin/repo_groups/repo_group_show.html
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
 
 <%def name="breadcrumbs()">
     <span class="groups_breadcrumbs">
-    ${h.link_to(_(u'Home'),h.url('/'))}
+    ${h.link_to(_('Home'),h.url('/'))}
     %if c.group.parent_group:
         &raquo; ${h.link_to(c.group.parent_group.name,h.url('repos_group_home',group_name=c.group.parent_group.group_name))}
     %endif
diff --git a/kallithea/templates/admin/repo_groups/repo_groups.html b/kallithea/templates/admin/repo_groups/repo_groups.html
--- a/kallithea/templates/admin/repo_groups/repo_groups.html
+++ b/kallithea/templates/admin/repo_groups/repo_groups.html
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@
         <ul class="links">
             %if h.HasPermissionAny('hg.admin')():
              <li>
-               <a href="${h.url('new_repos_group')}" class="btn btn-small btn-success"><i class="icon-plus"></i> ${_(u'Add Repository Group')}</a>
+               <a href="${h.url('new_repos_group')}" class="btn btn-small btn-success"><i class="icon-plus"></i> ${_('Add Repository Group')}</a>
              </li>
             %endif
         </ul>
diff --git a/kallithea/templates/admin/repos/repos.html b/kallithea/templates/admin/repos/repos.html
--- a/kallithea/templates/admin/repos/repos.html
+++ b/kallithea/templates/admin/repos/repos.html
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@
         <ul class="links">
          %if h.HasPermissionAny('hg.admin','hg.create.repository')():
           <li>
-            <a href="${h.url('new_repo')}" class="btn btn-small btn-success"><i class="icon-plus"></i> ${_(u'Add Repository')}</a>
+            <a href="${h.url('new_repo')}" class="btn btn-small btn-success"><i class="icon-plus"></i> ${_('Add Repository')}</a>
           </li>
          %endif
         </ul>
diff --git a/kallithea/templates/admin/user_groups/user_groups.html b/kallithea/templates/admin/user_groups/user_groups.html
--- a/kallithea/templates/admin/user_groups/user_groups.html
+++ b/kallithea/templates/admin/user_groups/user_groups.html
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@
         <ul class="links">
         %if h.HasPermissionAny('hg.admin', 'hg.usergroup.create.true')():
           <li>
-            <a href="${h.url('new_users_group')}" class="btn btn-small btn-success"><i class="icon-plus"></i> ${_(u'Add User Group')}</a>
+            <a href="${h.url('new_users_group')}" class="btn btn-small btn-success"><i class="icon-plus"></i> ${_('Add User Group')}</a>
           </li>
         %endif
         </ul>
diff --git a/kallithea/templates/admin/users/users.html b/kallithea/templates/admin/users/users.html
--- a/kallithea/templates/admin/users/users.html
+++ b/kallithea/templates/admin/users/users.html
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@
         ${self.breadcrumbs()}
         <ul class="links">
           <li>
-            <a href="${h.url('new_user')}" class="btn btn-small btn-success"><i class="icon-plus"></i> ${_(u'Add User')}</a>
+            <a href="${h.url('new_user')}" class="btn btn-small btn-success"><i class="icon-plus"></i> ${_('Add User')}</a>
           </li>
         </ul>
     </div>
diff --git a/kallithea/templates/base/base.html b/kallithea/templates/base/base.html
--- a/kallithea/templates/base/base.html
+++ b/kallithea/templates/base/base.html
@@ -128,7 +128,7 @@
       </h2>
       <!--
       <div id="breadcrumbs">
-        ${h.link_to(_(u'Repositories'),h.url('home'))}
+        ${h.link_to(_('Repositories'),h.url('home'))}
         &raquo;
         ${h.repo_link(c.db_repo.groups_and_repo)}
       </div>
@@ -347,10 +347,10 @@
             <div class="links_right">
             <ol class="links">
               <li><a href="${h.url('notifications')}">${_('Notifications')}: ${c.unread_notifications}</a></li>
-              <li>${h.link_to(_(u'My Account'),h.url('my_account'))}</li>
+              <li>${h.link_to(_('My Account'),h.url('my_account'))}</li>
               %if not c.authuser.is_external_auth:
                 ## Cannot log out if using external (container) authentication.
-                <li class="logout">${h.link_to(_(u'Log Out'), h.url('logout_home'))}</li>
+                <li class="logout">${h.link_to(_('Log Out'), h.url('logout_home'))}</li>
               %endif
             </ol>
             </div>
diff --git a/kallithea/templates/index_base.html b/kallithea/templates/index_base.html
--- a/kallithea/templates/index_base.html
+++ b/kallithea/templates/index_base.html
@@ -19,12 +19,12 @@
                   %if c.group:
                         <a href="${h.url('new_repo',parent_group=c.group.group_id)}" class="btn btn-small"><i class="icon-plus"></i> ${_('Add Repository')}</a>
                         %if h.HasPermissionAny('hg.admin')() or h.HasRepoGroupPermissionAny('group.admin')(c.group.group_name):
-                            <a href="${h.url('new_repos_group', parent_group=c.group.group_id)}" class="btn btn-small"><i class="icon-plus"></i> ${_(u'Add Repository Group')}</a>
+                            <a href="${h.url('new_repos_group', parent_group=c.group.group_id)}" class="btn btn-small"><i class="icon-plus"></i> ${_('Add Repository Group')}</a>
                         %endif
                   %else:
                     <a href="${h.url('new_repo')}" class="btn btn-small"><i class="icon-plus"></i> ${_('Add Repository')}</a>
                     %if h.HasPermissionAny('hg.admin')():
-                        <a href="${h.url('new_repos_group')}" class="btn btn-small"><i class="icon-plus"></i> ${_(u'Add Repository Group')}</a>
+                        <a href="${h.url('new_repos_group')}" class="btn btn-small"><i class="icon-plus"></i> ${_('Add Repository Group')}</a>
                     %endif
                   %endif
                 %endif