CROATIA President Stjepan Mesic has hit out at the role of the Catholic Church in Croatia, claiming that it benefits from its privileged role in society, broadcaster B92 reports. Mesic said the Church receives 37 million euros annually from the state budget, “builds monumental edifices, and then proceeds to rent …

„Nu există legături mai sacre decât legăturile dintre fraţi” (N. V. Gogol, citat de Dmitri Medvedev în scrisoarea către ucraineni) La Chişinău este vremea negocierilor şi a scenariilor. Constituirea Alianţei pentru Integrarea Europeană (AIE) este un pas salutar şi productiv. Dar nu e totul. Miza internă rămâne acum premierul viitorului …

SARAJEVO, BiH Poslanici i delegati SDA u parlamentu BiH na prvom zasjedanju u septembru zatražit će informaciju o odgovornosti direktora Državne agencije za istrage i zaštitu (SIPA) zbog upošljavanja osoba koje nisu prošle sigurnosnu provjeru. Pokažu li se navodi o nezakonitostima tačnim, uslijedit će zahtjev za njegovo razrješenje, rekao je …

MOLDOVA Political leaders expressed satisfaction with the developments and optimism that they will manage to elect a new head of state and a new democratic government. The political leaders of the Alliance for European Integration (AEI) continued the discussions on Thursday at the head office of the Moldova Noastra Alliance …

BELGRADE, Serbia The Serbian government has called early local elections for Sunday in two municipalities in Kosovo, reports said on Wednesday. Voters will cast their ballots for municipal authorities of Priština, which have been dislocated to Gračanica, and Peć, moved to Goraždevac.

Stockholm – The European Union on Thursday criticized Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s recent visit to the Georgian breakaway region of Abkhazia. ‘The EU does not consider this visit compatible with the principle of territorial integrity nor helpful for the international efforts to stabilise the region,’ said a statement issued …

SUKHUMI, Russia Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin Wednesday visited Abkhazia, promising to build a military base at its border with Georgia. The Times of London reported Putin chose to travel to Sukhumi, Abkhazia’s capital, on the first anniversary of the cease-fire ending Russia’s war with Georgia.

Russian news reports say two people were killed and several others wounded in a bomb blast in Abkhazia during Wednesday’s visit by Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. Mr. Putin’s one-day trip to the Georgian breakaway territory was the first by a top Russian official since Moscow last year recognized Abkhazia’s …

BUCHAREST, Romania The Romanian government says it plans to cut 14,000 jobs as it struggles with a deep recession and a shrinking economy. The decision announced Wednesday will affect almost all the country’s ministries, which have been heavily criticized for their high salaries and allegations of misspending. Lawmakers must approve …

BUCHAREST, Romania Romania on Thursday denied reports that it was host to a secret facility run by the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) for detention of suspected terrorists. “I think this is a story to discredit Romania,” said Norica Nicolai, the head of Romania parliamentary committee to review similar accusations. …