CHALLENGES 2004-2005: More Difficult Days Ahead for Europe

European Union officials will undoubtedly breathe a sigh of relief when the final clock chimes to mark the end of 2004. It certainly has been a tough year for the bloc. But they should not sit back and relax too soon - 2005 could be even tougher.

UKRAINE: Yushchenko Set to Win Presidential Election

Western-sponsored exit polls are once again confirming a comfortable victory for opposition pro-West candidate Viktor Yushchenko in Ukraine's Dec. 26 presidential runoff.

POLITICS-BALKANS: The Battleground Moves to Cyberspace

A new war has broken out between Serbs and Croats, this time without casualties and bloodshed because the battleground is cyberspace.

RIGHTS: Spain Has New Law on Domestic Violence

Europe's first law specifically cracking down on gender-based violence was unanimously passed Wednesday in Spain, and received a hearty welcome from activists, although it did not escape criticism from the right.

TRADE: Software Patent Delay Welcomed

Campaigners have hailed the EU decision to postpone the adoption of controversial new rules for patenting computer-based inventions as a victory for "European democracy".

FINANCE: Corporate Lobbying Grows in EU

There is an urgent need to regulate the "murky world of corporate lobbying" in Brussels, say campaigners and social non-governmental organisations.

RIGHTS-KOSOVO: Disputes Grow Around Suspect Prime Minister

How did Slobodan Radosevic die after being abducted from his home five years ago? For the Radosevic family this is a question about closure of grief. For Serbian prosecutors it is one of 108 charges against now Kosovan Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj. For all of Serbia and Kosovo, it could be a matter of their political future.

RIGHTS: Ruling Gives Roma New Hope

Roma rights groups have hailed a ruling by British law lords that British immigration controls at Prague airport breached international laws against racial discrimination.

CORRUPTION: The French Find it on All Floors

A suspended prison sentence handed out to former French prime minister Alain Juppe is one of several corruption cases plaguing French politics and business.

POLITICS: Romania Faces Political Uncertainty

The unexpected victory of opposition leader Traian Basescu has brought new political uncertainties to Romania.

UKRAINE: A Divided Country United in Uncertainty

Most western analysts rejoice in what they describe as the latest struggle for democracy in former Soviet territory, but among the divided Ukrainian and Russian commentators the mood is slightly different. Some ask why for the West democracy is orange, and the blue votes do not count.

ENVIRONMENT-BALKANS: Power Battles Nature Again

The parliament of the tiny republic of Montenegro began a long awaited debate this week on building a hydropower plant on the Tara river, one of the most attractive tourist and nature reserves in former Yugoslavia.

POLITICS-PORTUGAL: Crisis Damages Durao Barroso’s Image in EU

By deciding not to comment on the political crisis that has broken out in Portugal, the president of the European Commission, José Manuel Durao Barroso, chose to elude the responsibility he assumed in July when he named Pedro Santana Lopes as his successor at the head of the Portuguese government.

ENVIRONMENT-SLOVAKIA: More Devastation Looms After the Storm

Environmentalists have attacked the government over plans for redevelopment of the country's largest national park after one of the biggest ecological catastrophes in the area in the last hundred years.

WORLD AIDS DAY: Innovative Initiatives in Spain

Madrid Positivo, a Spanish non-governmental organisation that helps homeless people and others living with HIV/AIDS kick their drug habit, while curbing the spread of AIDS, awarded its annual prizes Monday for outstanding efforts in the fight against the disease.

RIGHTS: Racism Hard to Kick Out of Football

Real Madrid is among the most successful football teams, but the record of its supporters is among the poorest.

UKRAINE: It Could Just Be Tilting Right

An orange sea of banners and scarfs of 'Our Ukraine' opposition party challenges the white of snow-covered Kiev. It reflects a growing sense that the country is on the verge of making history, and no one seeking that change wants to be left out.

PORTUGAL: Prominent Figures in the Dock on Pedophilia Charges

Eight people implicated in a high profile child sex abuse scandal that has shaken Portuguese society to the core since late 2002 finally came to trial Thursday.

POLITICS: Serbs Lend a Hand in Ukraine Protests

A Serbian youth group that helped the opposition topple former president Slobodan Milosevic has now 'exported' its ways of protest to Ukraine.

EUROPE: Millions Miss the Iron Curtain

Millions in Eastern Europe remain convinced that life was better for them before communism collapsed 15 years ago.

POLITICS-EU: Disputes Hover Over New Commission

The new European Commission gets going this week after a three-week delay but the start was clouded by a debate over the integrity of some of its commissioners.