Al Jazeera Blogs

<p>It is always hard to sell stories about the European Union, but today's developments in Europe don't need embellishing. The court decision in the Czech republic affects nearly half a BILLION people. And in a significant way.</p>

<p>The events of November 9, 1989 were the highpoint of a largely peaceful revolution that swept across Eastern Europe that autumn. But in a sense, it was all too good to be true. The year did ultimately end in blood-shed.</p>

<p>Activision is about to release one of the most anticipated games of the year. But the ability to shoot down unarmed civilians in an airport alongside a group of &quot;terrorists&quot;in <em>Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2</em> is stirring up controversy.</p>

<p>What little the world knows about Kosovo is that there was a brutal war there and that its declaration of independence was rather controversial. So, the government has paid Saatchi and Saatchi millions of dollars to come up with a more positive image.</p>

<p>Despite a couple of years of near silence, it seems John Howard is still standing by his old mates. Remember the &quot;coalition of the willing&quot;?</p>

The dramatic scenes outside the BBC studios in

<p>The country is in a political crisis - one closely linked to the war of the 90's. But until now, the rest of the world has been paying little attention.</p>

<p>It's been one of those weeks when football gripped the world as great, and not-so-great football nations fought for qualification for the 2010 World Cup. But you might not have noticed some big football stories here in eastern Europe.</p>

<p>It could be a breath of fresh air in a region gone stale. Greece's new prime minister, George Papandreou, will bring new initiatives and energy to some apparently intractable problems in southeastern Europe.</p>