Eurasia

Albania PM claims narrow victory

The governing centre-right party of Albania’s Prime Minister has claimed victory in elections held last weekend. With most results in, the Democrat party headed by PM Sali Berisha was narrowly ahead of its Socialist rivals, but possibly short of a majority. However, the Socialists accused their rivals of manipulating the …

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Serb officers return to Kosovo police

PRISTINA, Kosovo Most suspended Serb police officers reported to duty on Tuesday (June 30th), the deadline set by Kosovo police. A total of 325 Serbs decided to return, ending their protest of Kosovo’s unilateral declaration of independence in February 2008. Only 18 failed to return. A EULEX statement said the …

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Albanian election winner still unclear

TIRANA, Albania The outcome of Sunday’s (June 28th) parliamentary elections hinges on the results in the remaining 80 polling centres where votes have yet to be counted, media reported on Wednesday. According to the latest figures, the coalition led by the ruling Democratic Party won 70 seats, followed by the …

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Turkey, EU open talks on taxation chapter

BRUSSELS, Belgium Turkey and the EU opened negotiations in Brussels on Tuesday (June 30th) on a new chapter — the one on taxation — as part of Ankara’s EU accession process. The taxation chapter is the eleventh opened so far. Turkey’s chief negotiator, Egemen Bagis, told a news conference that …

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Macedonian official in charge of EU integration resigns

SKOPJE, Macedonia Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration Ivica Bocevski resigned on Tuesday (June 30th), telling Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski that he has done all he can. “Each generation has its own battle for Macedonia, and my generation had to fight for European and Euro-Atlantic Macedonia,” read a letter to …

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Karadzic pleads not guilty in letter

THE HAGUE, The Netherlands Former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic said in a letter to The Hague war crimes tribunal on Tuesday (June 30th) that he is not guilty of the 11 counts in the indictment against him. Karadzic, who faces charges of genocide, murder and torture stemming from the …

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BiH sentences former Serb military police member

SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) The Court of BiH on Tuesday (June 30th) sentenced a former member of the Serb military police to seven and a half years in prison for murdering and torturing non-Serb civilians during the 1992-1995 conflict. Earlier, defendant Rade Veselinovic pleaded guilty to murdering one civilian …

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US’s Bryza weighs in on oil exploration dispute

NICOSIA, Cyprus An oil exploration dispute between Turkey and Cyprus will not undermine ongoing efforts by the two Cypriot communities to reunify the island, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Bryza said on Tuesday (June 30th). The dispute is a commercial and legal matter and should have no impact …

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Turkey, NATO discuss border with Syria

ANKARA, Turkey The defence ministry said on Tuesday (June 30th) it has started talks with the NATO Maintenance and Supply Agency on a project to clear land mines from the country’s border with Syria. The announcement came amid heated public debate on who should complete the task. The army and …

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