March, 2009

• 20 March

  Macedonian Ministers, Top Officials to Guard Ballots

  Macedonia’s opposition and some analysts have rebuffed a proposal put forward by the ruling VMRO DPMNE party to dispatch party officials to monitor Sunday’s election, saying its a way to exert pressure on public administration employees to vote in favour of the government’s candidates. They argue that this move will …

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• 20 March

  Serbian Radicals Protest ”Queer” Law

  Radical party deputies – in protest at Serbia’s new anti discrimination bill – on Thursday brought to parliament and handed round posters with the photograph of Boban Stojanovic, a gay activist and journalist of the ”Borba” daily paper, pictured in his underwear. The words ”queer law” were scrawled over Stojanovic’s …

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• 20 March

  30 militants killed in Afghanistan: US military

  KABUL  – The US military said on Friday that Afghan and international troops had killed 30 militants in Afghanistan’s province of Helmand, a flashpoint region where the Taliban control several districts. The heavy clash on Thursday was in the Gereshk district where a prominent anti-Taliban parliamentarian was killed in a …

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• 20 March

  Afghanistan strategy: Lure fighters away from Taliban

  A key element of Obama’s plan is to erode militants’ power by strengthening local leaders, who can in turn provide incentives for foot soldiers to switch sides. Reporting from Washington — The Obama administration’s plan to overhaul the Afghanistan war will include a reinvigorated effort to sap the strength and …

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• 19 March

  If Croatia Drops Genocide Suit, Serbia Will Too

  As a solution for the border problem with Serbia, at Danube River, Serbian PM sees drawing it in the middle of the river. Before meeting with Croatian Prime Minster Ivo Sanader, Serbian Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic said that Serbia will invite Croatia to drop its lawsuit against Serbia for genocide …

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• 19 March

  Homemade Bomb Explodes Outside Greek MP`s Office

  Deputy Kyriakos Mitsotakis was not at his office at the time of the attack, the latest violence to rock the conservative government. Unidentified assailants exploded a homemade bomb at the office of a Greek ruling party deputy on Wednesday, causing damage but no injuries, police said. Deputy Kyriakos Mitsotakis, 41, …

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• 19 March

  Slovenian PM Without Comment on Joint Statement

  After a meeting with President Danilo Turk, Pahor declined to comment Rehn’s suggestion on a joint statement between Croatia and Slovenia. Slovenian Prime Minister Borut Pahor on Wednesday refused to comment the possibility of Croatia and Slovenia signing a joint statement that would confirm that no document signed after the …

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• 19 March

  Opposition: Too Few IDs Endanger Albania Polls

  Albania has never held an election deemed free and fair by international observers. Albania’s opposition urged the government on Wednesday to give identity cards to voters for free to avoid charges of fraud at the June 28 elections. Albania has never held an election deemed free and fair by international …

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• 19 March

  Ukraine PM seeking $5 billion loan from Russia

  KIEV, Ukraine – Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko will travel to Russia early next month to seek a $5 billion (euro3.66 billion) loan for Ukraine’s collapsing economy, her office said Thursday, defying the pro-Western president who is her bitter political rival. President Viktor Yushchenko has assailed Tymoshenko over her efforts to …

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• 19 March

  Georgia plans new power line for export to Turkey

  TBILISI – Georgia plans to build a high voltage electricity line to Turkey that will increase its exporting capacity tenfold, according to Sulkhan Zumburidze, director of the state power dispatcher Georgian State Electrosystem. Zumburidze told Reuters on Thursday that the project will cost 220 million euros to complete, and will …

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