Monthly Archives: March 2009

Belarus’ Lukashenko Goes Skiing In Serbia

Belarus’ president Aleksandar Lukasenko came with his family and staff to Serbia’s famous Kopaonik ski resort for his winter vacation. Local media reported that his presidential airplane landed at Nis airport on Sunday, and his party were escorted to Kopaonik mountain in central Serbia. Serbian media speculated that Lukashenko came …

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IMF Warns Albania on Pre-Election Spending

The International Monetary Fund, IMF, warned Albania on Saturday it should be prudent in its spending ahead of its general election on June 28 or risk possible threats to its macroeconomic stability. In its final report on Albania-IMF relations, the Fund warned that “without its program support—which has served as …

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Romania Starts Talks On IMF Loan

Romanian authorities have started negotiations with the International Monetary Fund in Washington over a loan aimed at protecting Romania’s slowing economy from the global financial crisis, local news agency NewsIn reports. Economic analysts have already warned Romania should be the next east European country after Hungary and Ukraine to ask …

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Kosovo ‘Surplus’ Money Idle, Economists Warn

Economists warn that Kosovo has accumulated 475 million euros that is sitting untouched and idle in the banks due to mismanagement of public money, while the Ministry of Economy and Finance says that amount is ‘funds for specific reasons’ and should not be spent unreasonably. According to Shpend Ahmeti, from …

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Man Holds Gun To Head In Front Of Turkey PM Office

A man held a gun to his head in front of the Turkish Prime Minister’s office in Ankara on Monday in protest against economic conditions before surrendering to bodyguards, a Reuters reporter at the scene said. The man, who was alone, gave a letter to police before being led away …

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Kremlin Party Cements Grip In Local Russian Polls

Russia’s ruling party cemented its grip on elected posts with big victories in local elections despite an economic crisis, but the opposition complained of widespread cheating. Political analysts said the level of complaints about the campaign and violations of electoral rules made it hard to draw conclusions from the results …

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Kuwaiti embassy in Bucharest marks national festivals

BCHAREST, March 1 – The Kuwaiti Embassy in Romania celebrated the 48th and 18th anniversaries of Kuwait’s National Day and Liberation Day, with Ambassador Yaqoub Al-Ateqi attending. The reception was attended by several senior Romanian officials, party leaders, businessmen, and intellectuals, as well as a large number of Arab and …

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Bulgaria Marks 130 Years since Birth of Agrarian Leader Aleksandar Stamboliyski

Bulgaria marked Sunday, March 1, 130 years since the birth of Aleksandar Stamboliyski – a prominent Bulgarian politician, Prime Minister (1919-1923), and leader of the Bulgarian Agrarian National Union. The anniversary was commemorated with a solemn ceremony and a celebration before Stamboliyski’s monument in downtown Sofia, which were organized by …

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PM Stanishev Wants Bulgaria in ERM II as First Step to Eurozone Accession

Bulgaria’s Prime Minister Sergey Stanishev announced Sunday in Brussels he had asked the leaders of other Eastern European nations for support for Bulgaria’s accession to the European Exchange Rate Mechanism II (ERM II), which would speed up the country’s adoption of the euro. Together with the leaders of eight other …

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Bulgaria Foreign Minister Kalfin Sets off for India Visit

Bulgaria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ivaylo Kalfin, is leaving Sunday for India, where he will be on an official two-day visit. Kalfin is going to India at the invitation of his Indian counterpart, Pranab Mukherjee, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs press service announced. Minister Kalfin is also going to meet …

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