The head of the OSCE Mission to Serbia, Hans Ola Urstad, has expressed concern regarding new amendments to the Law on Public Information, which could be passed by the Serbian parliament on August 31, daily Danas reports. “This is the second time this year that media legislation is being processed …
Read More »Countries Issue Visas to Kosovars without Recognition
Egypt, Vietnam and Cambodia are the latest countries to begin issuing visas to Kosovo passport holders, despite not recognising the state. According to research by the website KosovoThanksYou, Kosovars citizens have visited Egypt, Vietnam and Cambodia in recent months using passports of the Republic of Kosovo. More than 20 countries …
Read More »Macedonia’s Opposition Takes Aim
MACEDONIA Macedonia’s main opposition party, the Social Democrats, SDSM, will put up a tough fight in challenging the government’s economic policies, and will provide alternatives, leader Branko Crvenkovski says. The drafting of the party’s new platform, which focuses largely on the economy, is nearly finished, he said in an interview …
Read More »“Balkans not Obama’s priority”
US The Balkans will not be one of the priorities of U.S. President Barack Obama’s administration, U.S. professor Steven Meyer said. Meyer, a professor of political science at the National Defense University, said that Obama’s administration will only pay an extra amount of attention to the Balkans if a crisis …
Read More »Thaci meets with Feith and Kermabon
KOSOVO Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci on Monday met with international civilian representative Pieter Feith and EULEX Chief Yves de Kermabon. “There was discussion at the meeting regarding current political affairs in Kosovo, especially the decentralization process, the coming elections [November 15] and the implementation of the rule of law …
Read More »New ambassadors in Hungary and Qatar
MACEDONIA Zoran Kostovski and Fuad Hasanovic are the new government propositions for Ambassadors in Hungary, actually Qatar, Makfax news agency reported. Kostovski, who is the General Director of the Consulting House “Motiva” and Hasanovic, who is former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, have been proposed on yesterday’s government session.
Read More »Cooperation between U.S., Bulgaria in revealing drugs trafficking produces good results
BULGARIA The cooperation between the U.S. and Bulgaria in revealing drugs trafficking have been producing good results recently, John Ordway, interim chargé d’affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Bulgaria, said at a roundtable discussion. The U.S. helps Bulgaria in security sector in two ways: tactical assistance (trainings and preparation of …
Read More »Greek fires under control as government faces flak
GREECE The wildfires that ripped through the suburbs of Athens forcing residents to flee their homes are now under control. Thousands of hectares of virgin fir and prime forest have been destroyed and hundreds of houses burnt to the ground. The fire broke out last Friday in the village of …
Read More »Protesters Overturn 25 EULEX Cars
KOSOVO Demonstrators from the Vetevendosje self-determination movement have been arrested after overturning 25 EU rule of law mission, EULEX, cars in central Pristina, Kosovo. Some 21 protestors were taken into custody by Kosovo police after the incident, which occured behind the Palace of Youth at 11am on Tuesday. Spokesperson Karin …
Read More »IMF Urges Serbia to Increase VAT
SERBIA IMF representatives believe that increasing VAT is the only adequate measure the Serbian government can take to address its budget deficit, but are willing to accept other propositions, daily Blic reports. The IMF officials argue that public sector cuts proposed by the Serbian government, while laudable, are only a …
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