Eurasia

Bulgarian students are more often drunk and smoke a lot more than the majority of their European fellows. The European school and research project on alcohol and other drugs 2007 survey report was presented on late Thursday. The survey showed that 24 percent of students in Bulgaria have tried illegal …

A new web portal gives entrepreneurs easy access to information on doing business in other European Union member states. The new portal, Your Europa – Business, helps small and medium-size businesses to take advantage of opportunities for trade and to offer their services on the single European market.

`Bosnia wants to become a candidate for the European Union by the end of the year,` said Sven Alkalaj. Bosnia hopes to become a candidate for European Union membership in November or December despite outside concern the Balkan country is not politically or economically ready, the foreign minister said on …

Viktor Baloga: `Such treatment is humiliating and clearly contradicts the spirit of the agreements reached between Kiev and Brussels.` Ukraine is considering reimposing visas for European Union citizens, a top presidential aide said on Thursday, complaining of “humiliating” visa procedures for Ukrainians travelling to the EU. Ex-Soviet Ukraine scrapped visas …

The Socialist-led government initially planned an early release of about 3,000 inmates with light sentences. Bulgaria’s parliament passed an amnesty law on Thursday but cut the number of offenders that the bill initially aimed to free to avoid public outrage before elections. The Socialist-led government initially planned an early release …

Presidential powers have been trimmed in Ukraine since the Orange revolution and the president has lesser sway. Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, describing herself as “Ukraine’s biggest nationalist”, on Thursday called for an overhaul of the constitution to end “chaos” in the way the country was run. Interviewed by Reuters …

Rescue workers used a crane to peel the blackened roof from the twisted metal frame of the bus on the outskirts of Petushki. Fourteen people died and four were injured on Thursday when a bus burst into flames after colliding with a lorry just east of Moscow, Russia’s Emergency Ministry …

NEW YORK, United States – The UN Security Council on Wednesday (March 25th) unanimously approved the appointment of Austrian diplomat Valentin Inzko as the new high representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH).

TIRANA, Albania – The opposition Socialist Party (SP) accused the government on Wednesday (March 25th) of failing to respect the EU’s advice about applying for candidate status.

PRISTINA, Kosovo – Lithuania wants to withdraw its small military component from Kosovo, local media reported on Wednesday (March 25th). Vilnius cites the stable security situation in the country and the strain of the global economic crisis.