Eurasia

Anna Mihaylova: Entering the Eurozone is priority for the cabinet

BULGARIA Deputy Minister of Finance Anna Mihaylova said that entering the Eurozone was a priority for the cabinet. However, she highlighted that in first place Bulgaria should work fast in order to enter the exchange rate mechanism (ERM II). ‘The support of the other EU member states, of the EU, …

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Putin vows Siberia compensation

RUSSIA Russian PM Vladimir Putin has promised relatives of victims of an explosion at a Russian hydro-electric power plant 1m roubles ($30,000) each in compensation. The death toll from Monday’s blast at the Sayano-Shushenskaya plant in Siberia now stands at 47, with 28 people missing and assumed dead. Mr Putin …

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Deadly bombings in Grozny

RUSSIA Early reports of a series of explosions in the capital of Chechnya say at least five people have been killed, policemen among them, according to a Russian agency source. Bystanders near a shop in Grozny said it was the work of suicide bombers, one of them on a bicycle. …

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Chechen rebels say they blew up Russian dam

RUSSIA Chechen fighters said in a letter posted on a rebel website that they had used an anti-tank grenade to cause a disaster at a massive dam in Siberia this week presumed to have killed over 70 people. “Glory to Allah, on August 17 through our efforts, a subversive operation …

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Skopje Reportedly Favours “Northern Republic of Macedonia”

MACEDONIA Macedonia remains committed to the Athens-Skopje name talks, the country’s negotiator, Zoran Jolevski, said after his Thursday meeting with UN mediator Matthew Nimetz. In their meeting, Jolevski presented Macedonia’s positions on a set of ideas to resolve the dispute tabled by Nimetz in July. Greece presented its responses earlier …

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Bosnian Leaders Divided over Key Appointments

BiH After months of political quarrels and disputes, Bosnia’s new top EU negotiator will be appointed on Friday, Bosnian Premier Nikola Spiric said. The appointment, if it indeed takes place, is only expected to further deepen political and ethnic divisions within Bosnia’s state government, the Council of Ministers, over the …

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China and Serbia Boost Strategic Partnership

SERBIA Serbian President Boris Tadic and his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao have agreed in Beijing to establish a strategic partnership between the two countries, Xinhua news agency reported Thursday. “To further promote bilateral relations […] the two sides have decided to establish a strategic partnership,” a statement issued by the …

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European Commission Helps Kosovo Finance Debts

KOSOVO The European Commission liaison office in Kosovo, ECLO, has contributed €5 million to Kosovo’s debt repayments to the World Bank, the ECLO website reports.  The debt was accumulated prior to June 10, 1999, and was assumed by the Kosovo government when it became a member of the World Bank …

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US Troops Arrive in Bosnia for NATO Exercise

BiH The first elements of a US Armed Forces’ contingent have started arriving in Bosnia and Herzegovina for NATO’s Joint Endeavor 2009 military exercise. “Joint Endeavor 2009 is a test for Bosnia and Herzegovina,” Republika Srpska Television opined on Friday. This is the first time this annual NATO exercise is …

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Danas imenovanje šefa DEI

SARAJEVO, BiH Agencija za državnu službu BiH imenovat će danas Lidiju Topić za direktora Direkcije za evropske integracije BiH (DEI), rekao je juče Nikola Špirić, predsjedavajući Vijeća ministara BiH. Objasnio je da na jučerašnjoj sjednici Vijeća ministara nije postignuta saglasnost o imenovanju direktora DEI, Uprave za indirektno oporezivanje BiH (UIO) …

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