Eurasia

BELGRADE, Serbia The government plans to ask the IMF to increase the budget deficit envisioned in its agreement with the institution, due to the global economic crisis, Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic told Tanjug on Sunday (July 5th). When IMF representatives visit Belgrade next month, authorities will request that the limit …

ANKARA, Turkey The army has submitted a list of objections to President Abdullah Gul regarding a controversial law that limits the power of military courts, local newspapers reported on Sunday (July 5th). Parliament adopted the bill late last month at the request of the ruling Justice and Development Party.

NICOSIA, Cyprus The two Cypriot communities will draft a plan to reunify the divided island by the end of the year, Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat said on Sunday (July 5th) in an interview with the Greek Cypriot daily Simerini. Talat, however, predicted international arbitration will be required.

BRUSSELS, Belgium Several EU countries and Turkey will sign an inter-governmental agreement on the construction of the Nabucco pipeline in Ankara on July 13th, the European Commission (EC) announced on Friday (July 3rd). Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to host the ceremony.

BUCHAREST, Romania’s performance under a two-year IMF loan programme is on track, the International Monetary Fund said yesterday, but warned populist measures in an election year may quickly undermine its emerging credibility. 

With nearly all ballots counted, Bulgaria’s opposition Citizens for the European Development of Bulgaria, GERB, party, founded by Sofia Mayor Boiko Borisov, has 42 per cent of the vote, while the Socialist-led coalition has 18 per cent, according to local media reports. Borisov is expected to be the next prime …

Members of the nationalist Vetevendosje (“self-determination”) movement rallied outside government buildings in the Kosovo capital Pristina on Sunday to express their unhappiness regarding departing US Ambassador Tina Kaidanow’s performance in office. According to a group press release, Kaidanow “misused her position as the most powerful international official in Kosovo.” The …

members of a radical Islamic Wahhabi movement to more than 60 years combined in prison after they were found guilty of planning terrorist activities and illegal weapons possession. The alleged leader of the group, Senad Ramovic, was sentenced to 13 years, while another ten members received from six months to …

A new Macedonian flag, coat of arms and anthem are envisaged in the revised platform of the country’s primary opposition ethnic Albanian party, the Democratic Party of Albanians, DPA, local media reported Monday. The revised platform, adopted over the weekend by the party’s highest institutions, champions significant changes to the …

Survivors associations from Srebrenica say they may cancel this year’s funeral ceremony at the Potocari memorial, after one Bosniak (Bosnian Muslim) man was arrested by Bosnian Serb authorities on his way to Potocari.