Eurasia Press & News
BUCHAREST, Romania — President Traian Basescu invited all parties in Parliament and groups representing minorities to begin discussing issues of national interest on Thursday (May 24th). He said a meeting will be held on Monday to discuss changing elections-related legislation and introducing a majority voting system, amending the constitution and …
Read More »EU’s Rehn urges Albanian political parties to find consensus president
BRUSSELS, Belgium — EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn met with Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha in Brussels on Thursday (May 24th) and said that the various political parties must find a presidential candidate all can support, while working together on electoral reform. Berisha agreed, saying, “It is possible to choose …
Read More »Turkey’s Erdogan says he’ll back military request for Iraqi incursion
ANKARA, Turkey — Speaking to reporters Thursday (May 24th), Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan reaffirmed government support for the military if it decides to launch a cross-border operation against the terrorist Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in northern Iraq. Erdogan said he is confident that Parliament would back it as well, …
Read More »Albania — to live in or dream of from afar?
Albanian bloggers are divided over the state of affairs in Albania. Many claim that the campaign for the return of the diaspora is not doing much, while others think corruption is a real obstacle to investment and the return of Albanian emigrants. Clearly, the mixed reviews show a country in …
Read More »Croatian diplomat to lead new Regional Co-operation Council
During the Southeastern Europe Co-operation Process (SEECP) meeting in Zagreb earlier this month, regional foreign ministers tapped Croatian Deputy Foreign Minister Hido Biscevic as the first secretary-general of the new Regional Co-operation Council (RCC) that will be based in Sarajevo.
Read More »Transparency International report: corruption undermines judicial systems worldwide
Corruption is undermining judicial systems around the world, Transparency International (TI) warned in a new report issued on Thursday (May 24th). As a result, citizens are denied access to justice and the basic human right to a fair and impartial trial, sometimes even to a trial at all.
Read More »Basescu returns to Romanian presidency
BUCHAREST, Romania — Traian Basescu returned to the presidency on Wednesday (May 23rd) after the Constitutional Court formally validated the results of the May 19th impeachment referendum. Voters overwhelmingly rejected Parliament’s decision to dismiss Basescu last month for alleged constitutional violations. In his first statement since returning to the job, …
Read More »NATO: KFOR remains in Kosovo if new UN resolution does not pass
BRUSSELS, Belgium — KFOR personnel will remain in Kosovo if the UN Security Council does not pass a new resolution on future status, NATO spokesman James Appathurai said in Brussels on Wednesday (May 23rd). The decision followed a meeting between NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer and US President …
Read More »New amendments mean high fines for disrupting law and order in Macedonia
In a controversial move last week, the Macedonian Parliament approved a group of amendments to the legislation on public law and order that slap violators with stiffer penalties. In some cases, the fines are twice the average salary.
Read More »Suicide bomber kills two in Kabul
BBC News – A suicide bomber has killed two people and injured at least four others in the Afghan capital, Kabul, police say. The bomber, who was riding a motorbike, blew himself up next to highway police guarding a road construction project. Nato said a separate bomb blast in the …
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