Balkans

Emel Etem, Bulgaria’s Minister of Emergency Situations, has been promoted to major, the department she heads announced. The military title has been conferred on her at the initiative of Defense Minister Nikolay Tsonev and coincides with the minister’s birthday. Emel Etem is member of the predominantly ethnic Turkish Movement for …

After the dismissal on Wednesday of the Minister of Culture over a video that was broadcast nationwide showing him asking sexual favours from two young women in exchange for a job in his ministry, Albanians remained glued to their TV sets on Thursday as the drama continued to unfold on …

The municipal court in Novi Pazar ordered the town’s management to pay 6 million dinars from the city budget to the “Sadrvan” restaurant, more famous as “Jonuz’s Kebab Shop”, for kebabs eaten between 2004 and 2008, during the mandate of the former authorities. The current authorities say this is only …

Ukraine says it is looking for an “adequate response” to Romania’s decision to expel Kiev’s military attaché to Bucharest following an alleged involvement in espionage. “Bucharest has not followed all normal procedures in such situations so we are now looking for an adequate response,” said a spokesperson from Ukraine’s Ministry …

A crowd of Kosovo Serbs stopped representatives of Kosovo’s police and the EU’s Rule of Law Mission, EULEX, from visiting a police station in the northern town of Leposavic on Thursday. Kosovo’s police director Sheremet Ahmeti and and EULEX’s police director Reiner Kuehn’s entrance into the police station was blocked …

The Serbian authorities offered the European Union to extradite war crimes indictees Goran Hadzic instead of Ratko Mladic so Serbia could continue its European negotiations, Belgrade’s Vecernje novosti daily reported. Although the Serbian authorities still have not found the former Croat Serb leader, they offered to extradite him to the …

Skopje,  – Protection and Rescue Directorate (PRD) signed Wednesday an agreement with Spanish company “Air Tractor Europe S.L.” for procurement of three fire-fighting amphibious aircrafts. PRD manager Saban Saliu and representative of the Spanish company, Hugo Arceo signed the contract.

Skopje, – Support in ensuring economic prosperity and political stability in Macedonia, responsible foreign policy, support of EU integration processes and the strategic partnership with the United States, collaboration with institutions at central and local level, commitment to the multi-ethnic concept, devotion to and protection of the tradition, culture and …

TIRANA, March 5 – Albania will borrow 250 million euros through Deutsche Bank and Greece’s Alpha Bank in a syndicated loan to fund its budget deficit, the Finance Ministry said on Thursday. “The best offer was the one presented by Deutsche Bank and Alpha Bank. The Finance Ministry will give …

Britain will start reducing its troops from the NATO-led international peacekeeping Kosovo Force (KFOR) in late March as a result of the improved security situation, the British Embassy in Pristina said on Wednesday. The embassy said in a statement on behalf of the British Ministry of Defense that the force …