February, 2009

• 12 February

  Albania To Charge Officials For Depot Blast

  Albanian’s former Defense Minister Fatmir Mediu and several former high officials of the Ministry of Defense are expected to be charged on Wednesday with abuse of power over the deadly blast at army depot outside Tirana last March, sources inside the prosecution told Balkan Insight. The blast at an army …

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• 12 February

  CEZ Interested in Kosovo Energy Market

  Czech CEZ Group is interested in investing in three key energy sectors in Kosovo, and could even buy the troubled KEK distribution company, a senior company official said. CEZ could dominate the energy sector, starting with the buying of power plant “New Kosova”, the buying of KEK distribution, and investment …

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• 12 February

  Almost Half of Bosnians Face Famine

  Worsening economic conditions, high prices and low salaries are pushing almost half of Bosnia and Herzegovina on the verge of famine, consumers’ associations warn. “The income of about 40 percent of the population is such that it is insufficient to cover even the costs of food,” Mesud Lakota, secretary general …

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• 12 February

  Crisis-Hit Serbia Will Need More Money – IMF

  Belgrade will probably need a bigger International Monetary Fund loan than the 402.5 million euro foreseen by a deal it signed a month ago, and it will also need to make tough choices in tightening its fiscal policy, IMF deputy managing director Murilo Portugal said on Tuesday. Serbia sought the …

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• 12 February

  ‘Singing Alexander’ Statue Planned In Macedonia

  If a Macedonian mayor has her way, the landmark gracing Skopje’s main square would in a novel way bring together two men seen as among the nation’s greateast sons: Alexander the Great mounted on a horse, floating in a fountain to tunes of revered late pop star Tose Proeski The …

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• 12 February

  School Segregation Sparks Macedonia Debate

  A recent decision by local authorities to separate ethnic Macedonian and ethnic Albanian high school students in different shifts has sparked a debate about the ethnic segregation of young people in a country where ethnic relations are generally calm, but still far from cordial. Earlier this month, Macedonian and Albanian …

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• 12 February

  Amnesty Seeks Probe On Kosovo Demo Deaths

  Human rights watchdog Amnesty International has called on Kosovo’s judicial authorities to prosecute members of the Romanian police unit believed to be responsible for the death of two men during protests held in Pristina two years ago. “On the second anniversary of the unlawful killing of Mon Balaj and Arben …

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• 12 February

  Austria Art Show Offers Glimpse Into Kosovo

  Nine artists from Kosovo will get the opportunity to show their work at the Balkan Democracy exhibition, presented at the Palais Thurn und Taxis Art House in Bregenz Austria. The exhibition will offer a glimpse of Kosovo from the 1990s to the present, illustrating a tough but formative time for …

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• 12 February

  Missing Cessna Found Crashed Near Velebit

  Parts of the Cessna plane which went off the radar near Croatia’s Mount Velebit last Thursday were found this morning on the north side of the Vagan Summit, but there was still no information on the pilots. Source: javno.com Srdjan Vrsalovic, head of the Mountain Search and Rescue Service’s helicopter …

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• 12 February

  Romania Gets New Interior Min, Third This Year

  Romanian President Traian Basescu on Wednesday approved the nomination of Dan Nica for the post of Interior Minister, replacing Liviu Dragnea who unexpectedly resigned early this month. Dan Nica, the third Interior Minister this year, is also vice-prime minister in a center-left coalition government. Liviu Dragnea resigned saying the underfunding …

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