ZAGREB, Croatia Vesna Pusic will be the presidential candidate of the opposition Croatian People’s Party (HNS), party officials told a press conference Friday (July 24th). The move came as a surprise, as Radimir Cacic, chairman of the HNS, was expected to get the nod for the race later this year. …

SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn is urging BiH to implement constitutional reforms and close the Office of the High Representative to advance its EU bid. Rehn was scheduled to deliver a speech to parliament in Sarajevo on Saturday (July 25th), but cancelled his visit due …

TIRANA, Albania A heat wave across the Balkans took its first victim Saturday (July 25th), an elderly man found near the Durres-Tirana highway. In neighbouring Greece, temperatures skyrocketed to 42 degrees Celsius in district of Attica on Saturday. Elsewhere, a fire raged in the eastern part of Crete, forcing the …

BUCHAREST, Romania An earthquake registering 4.4 on the Richter scale shook the region of Vrancea in eastern Romania late on Friday (July 24th). It was also felt in Bucharest.Meanwhile, several minor earthquakes, with a magnitude of about 4.0 were registered in Macedonia’s region of Valandovo on Friday and Saturday.

TIRANA, Albania Authorities have decided to remove concrete bunkers that were built during the Cold War to defend the country from an attack that never happened, Sotir Zarka, mayor of the coastal municipality of Seman, said on Friday (July 24th). The bunkers have caused five deaths, including two children, and …

SARAJEVO Evropska unija želi u 2010. godini preporučiti ukidanje viza za građane BiH ukoliko u narednim mjesecima vlasti BiH ispune preostale uslove, naglasio je Oli Ren, evropski komesar za proširenje, u pisanom obraćanju parlamentu BiH. Evropski komesar jučer se trebao obratiti parlamentu BiH, ali ga je u tome spriječila bolest.

BUCHAREST Romania received the first part worth EUR1.5 billion of the loan from the European Commission. Romanian authorities signed an agreement for supporting a program with funds from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the European Commission, World Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

BELGRADE Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremić says it is possible that an interim trade agreement with the EU could be unblocked by the beginning of 2010. He said Serbia could also submit her EU candidature.The trade deal is part of the SAA – signed in April 2008 and immediately suspended pending …

BELGRADE Egypt support’s Serbia’s bid to host the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) 2011 summit. The summit will be held on the 50th anniversary since the movement was founded.Egyptian Ambassador to Belgrade Aly Galal Bassiouny said on Saturday that his country welcomes Serbia’s bid and wishes the country success in organizing the …

BRUSSELS, Belgium Croatia’s new Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor met with EU officials in Brussels on Thursday (July 23rd), her first trip abroad since her election earlier this month. European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and European Parliament President Jerzy Busek reiterated that Croatia and Slovenia must resolve their longstanding maritime …