April, 2009

• 20 April

  Karzai objects to direct U.S. talks with Taliban

  Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai on Sunday said U.S. efforts to tame the growing Taliban insurgency through negotiations would fail unless his government agreed to such talks. The Obama administration has announced it will send more troops and economic assistance to Afghanistan as well as intensify diplomacy within the region in …

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• 16 April

  Govt Cold on ‘Republic of Northern Macedonia’

  Greek hints that it approves of the UN’s latest proposal “Republic of Northern Macedonia” as a compromise name for Macedonia has been met with a cold reception by the leadership in Skopje. Speaking at a Washington-held conference dedicated to United States policy towards the Balkans, the Greek Ambassador to the …

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• 16 April

  ‘Rubbish Tsunami’ Threatens Bosnian Town

  More than 2,000 tonnes of rubbish threatens to spill into Bosnia’s northwest town of Banja Luka, after a drop in water levels at a nearby hydropower dam damaged filter nets on the Vrbas river. “The (waste filter) nets are completely destroyed. We have only managed to fix them temporarily but …

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• 16 April

  Moldova Leader Pushes Amnesty for Protesters

  Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin has called for an amnesty for people detained after violent protests in which his ruling Communists were accused of election fraud. He was speaking after several international bodies alleged authorities were mistreating some of the 200 demonstrators held after last week’s protests against the victory by …

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• 16 April

  Bulgarian President Vetoes Election Changes

  Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov has vetoed a disputed amendment to the electoral law that was approved by the Socialist-controlled parliament ahead of general elections in July. One day after the changes were approved by lawmakers, Parvanov warned an amendment raising the threshold for party alliances to enter parliament could create …

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• 16 April

  Serbian President To Visit Kosovo on Friday

  Serbia’s President Boris Tadic has announced a visit to Kosovo on Friday, Kosovo’s Public Television RTK reports. The announcement by Serbia’s head of state visit comes on the eve of Orthodox Easter and some 100,000 Kosovo Serbs are to take part in festivities in Kosovo. Until now there has been …

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• 16 April

  Albania Opposition Boycott Over ID Row

  Albania’s leftist opposition boycotted parliament on Thursday accusing the government of stalling the distribution of new identification cards, a key requirement ahead of the June 28 general elections. Socialist Members of Parliament are threatening not to return to the assembly chamber if the government does not resolve the problem where …

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• 16 April

  ‘Quarter of Bulgarians’ Would Sell their Vote

  Some 25 percent of Bulgaria’s citizens say they are ready to sell their vote ahead of parliamentary elections due in early July, a report by Open Society shows. The good news is that only 5 percent of them would cast their ballot for the bribing party, said Open Society Executive …

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• 16 April

  Norway Embassy Urges Kosovo Investment

  The Royal Norwegian Embassy in Kosovo has released a statement encouraging foreign investment in Kosovo, following the launch of a website by a private Norwegian company arguing against investment. “Don’t Invest in Kosovo” is the name of a web domain recently created by a Norwegian company in a campaign to …

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• 16 April

  Albanian Economy ‘Grew 8%’ in 2008

  While recession wreaked havoc in the world economy, Albania registered an eight percent growth in its Gross Domestic Product last year, according to the National Statistics Institute. However, few economists take seriously the data published by INSTAT, while others have even hinted that it might have been manipulated due to …

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