March, 2009

• 16 March

  Albanian PM Urged To Quit On Anniversary Of Blast Tragedy

  TIRANA, Albania (AFP)–Several thousand Albanians demonstrated in the center of Tirana on Sunday to voice their anger at the government one year on from an explosion at an army munitions which killed 26 people. The protesters denounced the “state corruption” and chanted they would “never forget” as they recalled the …

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• 16 March

  Czech prime minister urges NATO to accept all Western Balkan countries

  PRAGUE, Czech Republic — Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek said on Friday (March 13th) that NATO should accept as members all countries from the Western Balkans.

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• 16 March

  Croatia urges EU not to succumb to Slovenia’s “blackmail”

  ZAGREB, Croatia — Prime Minister Ivo Sanader urged the EU on Saturday (March 14th) not to succumb to what he described as Slovenia’s “blackmail”, which has blocked Zagreb’s accession to the EU over the border dispute between the two countries.

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• 16 March

  Albania’s Berisha says he’ll leave politics if DP loses June

  TIRANA, Albania — Prime Minister Sali Berisha announced on Saturday (March 14th) that he will leave politics if his ruling Democratic Party (DP) loses the parliamentary elections in June. At the same time, he expressed confidence about DP’s chances, given the country’s “great successes, both domestic and international, for the …

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• 16 March

  Medvedev calls financial crisis a ‘test of maturity’

  Dmitry Medvedev, Russia’s president, yesterday called the country’s economic crisis a “test of maturity” for its businessmen. He urged them to “make sacrifices” to save jobs. “People have been getting very rich in a very short time,” he said in an interview with the head of Russia’s state-owned Channel One …

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• 16 March

  UN Says Georgian Refugees Stuck in Limbo

  GENEVA — Tens of thousands of Georgians who fled last year’s war with Russia in breakaway South Ossetia will probably not be able to go home unless a political solution to the conflict is found, a United Nations official said Friday. Walter Kaelin, the UN secretary-general’s representative on the human …

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• 16 March

  Saakashvili Says Georgia Open to Russian Firms

  TBILISI, Georgia — President Mikheil Saakashvili said he would not prevent Russian companies, including power trader Inter RAO and gas producer Itera, from investing in Georgia, rejecting criticism that their control of utilities was a threat to security. “We’re not going to hinder Russian companies from coming to Georgia,” Saakashvili …

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• 16 March

  Bulgaria Marks World Consumer Rights Day

  Bulgaria marks Sunday the annual World Consumer Rights Day, as a sign of celebration and solidarity with the international consumer movement. World Consumer Rights Day was first observed on 15 March 1983, and has since become an important occasion for mobilizing citizen action. World Consumer Rights Day has its origins …

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• 16 March

  Bulgaria Right Wing Parties Seek Unity in Italy

  The leaders of Bulgaria’s right-wing parties arrived in the Italian town of Cadenabbia Sunday to discuss Bulgaria’s future. The meeting, under the motto “Workshop of the Future,” is organized by the “Konrad Adenauer” Foundation. Cadenabbia is a milestone in the history of Bulgaria’s rightist parties. The small and picturesque Italian …

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• 16 March

  Wrong Transliteration Turns Punishable in Bulgaria

  The Transliteration Act of official rules of writing Bulgarian names with the Latin alphabet became effective Sunday. Municipalities are mandated by the Act to change all signs that don’t comply with the rules and would face fines between BGN 500 and 1,200 if they fail do so. Businesses and non-governmental …

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