March, 2009

• 25 March

  Lithuania to Reduce Troops in Kosovo

  Lithuania will reduce the number of troops it has in Kosovo because of the improved security situation, the country’s Defence Ministry Spokesman Danguole Bickauskiene said on Tuesday. Speaking to French news agency Agence France Presse, AFP, Bickauskiene noted that the withdrawal of troops from Kosovo is affected by the economic …

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• 25 March

  Serb Nationalists Protest on NATO Anniversary

  Some 1,000 hardline nationalists staged an anti-NATO rally in the main square of Belgrade, chanting “Kosovo is the heart of Serbia” and waving banners hailing Milosevic as the “hero of the Serbian nation.” Earlier, air-raid sirens wailed and church bells tolled on Tuesday as Serbia marked the 10th anniversary of …

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• 25 March

  Heavy Snow Triggers Alert in Eastern Serbia

  Local authorities in Bosilegrad municipality, an area around 450 kilometres southeast of Belgrade and populated by ethnic Bulgarians, have introduced a state of alert over weather conditions. Mayor Vladimir Zaharijev said that because of the huge snow drifts of up to a metre high around 30 villages were cut off …

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• 25 March

  Romania Gets €20 Billion Rescue Loan

  Romania has reached an agreement with major international lenders for a €20 billion loan designed to finance the country’ sbudget and current- account deficits. According to the agreement, the International Monetary Fund is to lend €12.95 billion, the European Union – €5 billion while the rest will come from the …

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• 25 March

  EU to Grill France Amid Slovenia Jobs Row

  The European Commission is seeking an explanation from Paris over French car-making giant Renault’s decision to recall some of its production from Slovenia to France. “The commission will ask the French authorities for explanations,” said the Commission spokesman on competition issues Jonathan Todd. French Secretary of State for Industry Luc …

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• 25 March

  Energy Efficiency Gets a Boost in Kosovo

  The German Bank for Development is to provide the Procredit Bank in Kosovo with a loan to finance new energy efficiency schemes for the wider population in Kosovo. ″We are sure that this support will contribute to a sustainable utilisation of energy in Kosovo,″ said the vice head of Entwicklungsbank …

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• 24 March

  Russian President To Declare Income, Property

  Medvedev will be the first Russian president to make his full property declaration public. President Dmitry Medvedev on Tuesday promised to fully declare his family’s income and property holdings as part of his latest anti-corruption drive, a Kremlin spokeswoman said. Medvedev, who made fighting graft a campaign pledge when running …

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• 24 March

  Russia Suspicious of EU-Ukraine Gas `Master Plan`

  Prime Minister Vladimir Putin called the plan `unprofessional` and threatened to review ties if the EU continued to ignore Russian concerns. Europe on Monday welcomed a Ukrainian “master plan” to modernise the infrastructure carrying Russian gas to the west but Moscow warned that European Union energy security was at risk …

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• 24 March

  Turkey Arrests Colonel Linked To Mass Graves

  Police across Turkey have arrested dozens of suspects in the Ergenekon probe over the past year. A Turkish colonel was arrested on Monday in connection with an investigation into alleged extrajudicial killings a decade ago in the mainly Kurdish southeast, Turkish media said. Authorities this month began excavating suspected mass …

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• 24 March

  Spanish Minister Denies Government Split On Kosovo

  `This has been a decision by the whole government,` Carme Chacon told a news conference. Spain’s defence minister on Monday denied reports of a split within the Socialist government over a decision to pull troops out of Kosovo which has dampened hopes of better ties with the United States. “This …

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