SOCIETY-BALKANS: New Year Begins with a Visit to the Old

Several days of New Year celebrations made Belgrade seem the capital once again of what was Yugoslavia. As the New Year began, many young people turned to the old.

POLITICS-EU: Bumpy Ride Ahead for Irish Presidency

Ireland has rejected the idea of a "two-speed Europe" as it takes over the rotating presidency of the European Council.

POLITICS-EUROPE: U.S. Firms in ‘Military Takeover’

Increasing takeover of European military industry by U.S. companies is raising new concerns in France and Germany.

POLITICS-SERBIA: The Right Advances, but Still no Government

Right-wing parties led the way in Serbian parliamentary elections Sunday, but it is unlikely they could form a government.

ECONOMY: Europe Counts the Cost of Expansion

Europeans are growing increasingly sceptical about prospects of a better life in the face of the expansion due next year.

POLITICS-SERBIA: Choice Looms Between Past and Future

The parliamentary elections in Serbia this Sunday are turning into a contest between ways of the past and values for the future, analysts say.

HEALTH: Christmas Turkeys Wrapped in Doubt

This is not the kind of wrapping anyone would expect to see around Christmas time. But a report from Greenpeace warns of the dangers of toxic wrapping around thousands of turkeys being sold for Christmas.

POLITICS-SERBIA: Trial Begins in Assassination Case

Thirty-six accused went on trial Tuesday afternoon in the case of the assassination of former Serbian prime minister Zoran Djindjic.

POLITICS-FRANCE: Iraqi Hangover Clouds Ties with U.S.

The diplomatic tension that arose between France and the United States over the invasion of Iraq was put aside formally, but it is far from over.

RIGHTS-FRANCE: Dispute over Scarves Coming to a Head

A law banning the Muslim headscarf and other religious symbols from French schools will only aggravate a sense of segregation, several teachers and social scientists say.

PORTUGAL: Televised Trial Rekindles Abortion Debate

The image of a young Portuguese woman wearing a cut-off T-shirt and snug trousers, writing in bold letters across her belly "This is my business", is becoming a recognised symbol of protest against laws banning abortion, laws that are being challenged even by some of Portugal's Roman Catholic bishops.

RIGHTS-EU: New Push to Combat Social Exclusion

Tackling poverty and social exclusion within the European Union must be made a priority, says a report released by the European Commission Wednesday.

EUROPE: Milosevic Plots Political Comeback From his Cell

The International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia at The Hague is becoming a new power centre for Serbia. Its two most famous inmates are campaigning from their cells for parliamentary elections later this month.

POLITICS: The Right Rises Across Europe

Recent elections and opinion polls show that parties taking neo-fascist and racist positions are winning substantial support all over Europe.

TRADE: WTO Talks Stop, Start, Stop.

The World Trade Organisation must revise its rules on trade liberalisation if the Doha Development Round is to succeed, leading non-governmental organisations say.

POLITICS-CYPRUS: Elections Bring a New Impasse

The impasse in parliamentary elections in the Turkish Northern Cyprus deals a setback to hopes for reunification of the island before its entry into the European Union in May next year.

POLITICS-EU: Europe Could Slow Down to Two Speeds

As the intergovernmental conference on a new constitution for the European Union collapsed over the weekend, a dispute has arisen over a "two-speed Europe".

MEDIA-BALKANS: Journalists Face Increasing Threats

Reporters are facing increasing violence in the Balkans for writing critical reports on political leaders.

POLITICS-BALKANS: Serbia Now Faces a Royal Rescue

For the first time since the end of World War II, royalty has offered itself as a solution to Serbia's problems.

ENVIRONMENT-EU: NGOs Welcome ‘Common Sense’ over GM Food

Leading civil society groups have welcomed a decision by member states of the European Union to maintain its de facto ban on new genetically modified foods.

SPAIN: ETA May Declare Ceasefire

The Basque separatist group ETA in Spain may announce a ceasefire before Christmas, according to Basque trade union sources who said their request to that extent received a ''positive response'' from the terrorist organisation.