Balkans

Macedonian Opposition Resumes Street Protests

Opposition Social Democrats said they will resume roadblocks after a meeting of political leaders on Tuesday failed to defuse the political crisis in the country.Macedonia’s opposition Social Democrats said they will resume blocking roads in the capital and elsewhere as a sign of resistance to the government of Prime Minister …

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Romania Pulls Plug on Maverick TV Station

OTV channel, owned by a controversial businessman-turned-politician, Dan Diaconescu, has been cut off for failing to pay long overdue fines.Romania’s TV regulator, the CNA, on Tuesday ordered a populist TV station, OTV, to stop broadcasting on the grounds that the company holding the channel license had not paid large fines …

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Croatia Urged to Market its Bargain Medical Services

Country is failing to promote its cut-price health services, a local expert in this field complains.Croatia has top class surgeons, advanced medical technology and, according to recent research by the portal CroMedicor, up to 65 per cent cheaper prices for plastic surgery than the EU. Breast enlargement operations in Croatia …

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Bulgaria Remands Politician’s Pistol Attacker

A Sofia court ordered pre-trial detention for a man who aimed a gun at a top ethnic Turkish politician during a party conference on live television.The court refused bail for Oktay Enimehmedov, the 25-year-old who pointed the tear-gas gun at the head of Ahmed Dogan, ex-leader of the Movement for …

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Kosovo, Serbian Presidents May Meet Soon

Atifete Jahjaga and Tomislav Nikolic are likely to meet in February or March, the office of the Kosovo President has confirmed.Ramush Tahiri, political advisor to the President of Kosovo, told Kosovo’s public broadcaster on January 21 that Atifete Jahjaga is likely to meet her Serbian counterpart, Tomislav Nikolic, late in …

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Romanian MPs Face Dose of Austerity

Economically stricken Romania has decided to cut various allowances for parliamentarians.Romanian MPs are facing austerity, with their monthly housing stipends and travel expenses being halved, according to the assembly draft budget for 2013. An MP’s monthly allowance for housing will drop from 7,400 lei (some 1,650 euro) to 4,000 lei. …

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